This book is not only a one-sitting read, it’s a slice of history that needs to be told. Utterly brilliant, powerful, and inspiring.
There’s a beautiful intimacy in Dorothy’s first-person narration both in substance and expression…Though the story is epic in sweep, its genius lies in its revelation of Dolly’s heroism and her flaws within that subjective voice…Riley does a brilliant job.
New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
Island Queen is the magnificently reconstructed life story of Dorothy ‘Doll’ Kirwan Thomas, whose fascinating legacy of grit and success desperately deserves to be better known. With lush prose and raw emotion, Riley vividly captures the complexity of bringing to life a time of rebellion and possibility.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Dray
Richly detailed, vividly depicted, and sweeping in scope, Island Queen is historical fiction at its absolute finest. A stunning must-read!
"Island Queen is what you would get if you were to drop Olivia Pope and all the men who lusted after her into the 18th Century Caribbean. . . With prose that reads like poetry, Vanessa Riley expertly steers the reader through Dolly’s heartbreaking lows all the way into her triumphant emergence as the richest free woman of color in the islands. Passionate, headstrong, and loyal, Riley’s version of the real-life Dorothy Kirwan Thomas legend will make readers fall in love with this overlooked 'hidden' queen."
"Dazzling...compelling...Riley combines in-depth research with passionate and frank storytelling, The experiences and achievements of powerful women, especially those whose lives began among the enslaved, are too often overlooked, and Riley’s richly engaging novel is a ringing reminder of how much we miss when these stories remain untold."
Riveting and transformative, evocative and immersive...by turns vibrant and bold and wise, discovering Dorothy’s story is a singular pleasure.
New York Times Book Review
05/17/2021
Riley (An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler ) delivers a spirited narrative of an enslaved woman turned Caribbean power broker, based on a historical figure. Born in 1756 on Montserrat, Dorothy Kirwan Thomas is the mixed-race daughter of an Irish plantation owner and a Black enslaved woman. At 13, she runs away from her rapist half brother, leaving their one-year-old daughter behind with her mother and ending up in Demerara. She begins accumulating wealth by hiring out housekeepers to the colony’s newcomers, and eventually buys freedom for herself and her family. She parlays her savvy entrepreneurial skills into adding a hotel and sugar cane plantation to her substantial assets, expanding her empire to Dominica, Grenada, and Barbados. Her love affairs—with a local planter, shipper Joseph Thomas (they eventually marry), and England’s Prince William—expand her family to 10 children. When the British Empire imposes a tax on the West Indies, which Demerara’s corrupt governor places only on wealthy, free women of color, Dorothy persuades Lord Bathurst to rescind it. While the narrative is overly long and often stalls out in repetition, Riley has made a fascinating character out of Dorothy. Readers will enjoy Riley’s depiction of Dorothy’s unconventional life. Agent: Sara Younger, Nancy Yost Literary Agency. (July)
There’s a beautiful intimacy in Dorothy’s first-person narration both in substance and expression…Though the story is epic in sweep, its genius lies in its revelation of Dolly’s heroism and her flaws within that subjective voice…Riley does a brilliant job.” — New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
"Dazzling...compelling...Riley combines in-depth research with passionate and frank storytelling, The experiences and achievements of powerful women, especially those whose lives began among the enslaved, are too often overlooked, and Riley’s richly engaging novel is a ringing reminder of how much we miss when these stories remain untold." — Booklist
“This book is not only a one-sitting read, it’s a slice of history that needs to be told. Utterly brilliant, powerful, and inspiring.” — Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of Always the Last to Know
“Richly detailed, vividly depicted, and sweeping in scope, Island Queen is historical fiction at its absolute finest. A stunning must-read!” — Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba
“Island Queen is the magnificently reconstructed life story of Dorothy ‘Doll’ Kirwan Thomas, whose fascinating legacy of grit and success desperately deserves to be better known. With lush prose and raw emotion, Riley vividly captures the complexity of bringing to life a time of rebellion and possibility.” — New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Dray
“Riveting and transformative, evocative and immersive...by turns vibrant and bold and wise, discovering Dorothy’s story is a singular pleasure.” — New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
"Island Queen is what you would get if you were to drop Olivia Pope and all the men who lusted after her into the 18th Century Caribbean. . . With prose that reads like poetry, Vanessa Riley expertly steers the reader through Dolly’s heartbreaking lows all the way into her triumphant emergence as the richest free woman of color in the islands. Passionate, headstrong, and loyal, Riley’s version of the real-life Dorothy Kirwan Thomas legend will make readers fall in love with this overlooked 'hidden' queen." — Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms
“Riley…delivers a spirited narrative of an enslaved woman turned Caribbean power broker, based on a historical figure…Riley has made a fascinating character out of Dorothy.” — Publishers Weekly
Vanessa Riley at her finest.”
Riley’s light, lilting tone is all Austen, but she probes questions of madness and race like a Brontë sister. Patience could easily become Jane Eyre’s Bertha, an Afro-Caribbean woman declared mad by greedy, racist men.”
Entertainment Weekly on A Duke
Riley is at her best when she lets her Gothic impulses out to play... [Readers] will not want to miss this.”
Smart and witty . . . the perfect historical read.”
Riley is at her best when she lets her Gothic impulses out to play... [Readers] will not want to miss this.”
null New York Times on A Duke
Riley’s light, lilting tone is all Austen, but she probes questions of madness and race like a Brontë sister. Patience could easily become Jane Eyre’s Bertha, an Afro-Caribbean woman declared mad by greedy, racist men.”
null Entertainment Weekly on A Duke
02/01/2021
In Bly's Lizzie & Dante , a Shakespearean scholar heads to Italy after an ugly breakup and an end-of-the-road health diagnosis and meets a handsome chef—but is this any time to start a relationship? In debuter Christie's The Rehearsals , Megan Givens and Tom Prescott plan to call off their wedding after a calamitous rehearsal dinner but wake up the next morning in a time loop, endlessly repeating the event until maybe they get it right (100,000-copy first printing). Clancy's Shoulder Season reveals what happens when shy young church organist Sherri Taylor switches paths after her parents' death to become a Playboy bunny (100,000-copy first printing). The New York Times best-selling Guillory's While We Were Dating features Ben Stephens, Theo's brother from The Wedding Party , who's trying to stay strictly professional while working with a famous actress. In Macomber's stand-alone It's Better This Way , Julia Jones has sold her business, moved into a condominium, and put her marital breakup behind her, but she isn't looking for love—until handsome resident Heath comes along. In Island Queen , romance writer Riley goes mainstream historical to reimagine the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, who rose from enslavement to become a rich and powerful landowner in the colonial West Indies (100,000-copy first printing). Pretty Little Liars author Shepard's Safe in My Arms stars three out-of-the-loop moms who try to discover why the principal of the children's elite California preschool was attacked. If you've got Nine Lives , take this journey with Steel from Chicago and Paris to London and Monaco. In Hugo/Bradbury/Eisner winner Straczynski's latest, an unsuccessful young writer pulls together a crew of equally disaffected folks, buys an old bus, and proclaims Together We Will Go —straight to California, where they will then drive off a cliff (100,000-copy first printing). In debuter Yoder's one-of-a-kind Nightbitch , a woman who's convinced that she is turning into a dog ferrets out answers in A Field Guide to Magical Women and links up with a group of mothers with their own secret persuasions. Optioned for film.
Narrator Adjoa Andoh’s versatile voice is the perfect match for this novel based on the life of Caribbean tycoon Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas. Born into slavery on Montserrat in the mid-1700s, Doll is determined to purchase freedom for herself and her family. Andoh’s portrayals of Doll’s parents, lovers, children, and racist antagonists provide a diverse sensory experience for the listener, who feels the agony of enslavement in one chapter and tastes tamarind and tea in the next. Pursued by powerful men like the future King William IV, Doll ultimately rejects being a concubine, knowing that true power comes from freedom and fortune. She achieves both by building a mercantile/hotel empire throughout the islands. Andoh’s strong interpretation of this tenacious woman is the jewel in the crown for the listener. E.S.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Narrator Adjoa Andoh’s versatile voice is the perfect match for this novel based on the life of Caribbean tycoon Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas. Born into slavery on Montserrat in the mid-1700s, Doll is determined to purchase freedom for herself and her family. Andoh’s portrayals of Doll’s parents, lovers, children, and racist antagonists provide a diverse sensory experience for the listener, who feels the agony of enslavement in one chapter and tastes tamarind and tea in the next. Pursued by powerful men like the future King William IV, Doll ultimately rejects being a concubine, knowing that true power comes from freedom and fortune. She achieves both by building a mercantile/hotel empire throughout the islands. Andoh’s strong interpretation of this tenacious woman is the jewel in the crown for the listener. E.S.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
