Island Queen

A Novel

De: Vanessa Riley

Narrado por: Adjoa Andoh

“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 best-selling author of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba)

A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free woman of color who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.

Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.

From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, Island Queen is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid 18th-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Vanessa Riley (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Island Queen

A beautifully written story about extreme hardship/violence, infinite courage & one woman of color’s determination to battle injustice & fight against the enslavement & torture of others by gaining riches for the rich & powerful. Once I began reading, this book was hard to put down. Although this story takes place in the 1700’s, sadly discrimination against race, religious/political beliefs, social status, etc. is shamefully alive & well as we are entering into 2022.

Utterly fantastic

I checked, this makes book 371 I've listened to on audible, but it is hands down the BEST narration I've ever heard. Ever. The story was also great, but this narrator made it. I read it too, but hearing it from this truly gifted storyteller made it come to life! I would listen to her read the phone book!

Powerful woman of color

I loved this totally enjoyed. Very riveting..powerful History about Dorothy Kirwan a strong Caribbean black woman, I was not aware even existed, this brilliant lady built her empire in slavery days throughout a few islands in the Caribbean to England

a MUST listen!

Incredible story and Adjoa Andoh is PHENOMENAL with her narration (a queen herself, how could she not be?! 🙌🏽👑). These are the kinds of stories so many of us did not have access to in history class, and I'm grateful for coming across this body of work by Vanessa Riley and will definitely seek out more.

Amazing

Being a black woman from the West Indies this book was amazing. This book took me through so many emotions. I felt pain, anger, hope, joy and sadness. Very well read. Her triumphs and tribulations shows that woman can overcome anything.

Truly amazing story

One of my favorite books of all time. I will hold this one in my heart for a long time. And the narrator did such an amazing job with the accents and characters. So well done.

Fantastic story, writing, narration!

One of the best books I have read in a while! Such a fascinating and inspiring woman! I have learned what strength truly looks like. Thank you.

Good book

Am awesome audio book. Highly recommended. Oprah recommendation also. Well written. I can’t get 15 words in.

++++++++++ aaaaaaa +++++

So good!

Beautifully written and narrated.
I was invested from the very start. Lots of history that I was not aware of. Thank you for telling Dorothy's story.

The struggle, the unbelievable strength to achieve all that she did!

This book was wonderful, I couldn’t put it down! I smiled , I cried, I felt happy, and felt anger and disgust.
I could listen to it again.