Island Queen

by Vanessa Riley

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 eighteenth-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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, Audiobook, Adult, Race

592 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 6, 2021

About the author

I'm Vanessa Riley, and I write Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities of the 1750s to 1830s, The Revolutionary Years. I write for readers who treasure and share with friends books that showcase women, power, strong sisterhoods, and love.

Web: https://vanessariley.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarile...
FB: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRiley...

Reviews

[Kezia Duah · Rating 3 out of 5]

“My pockets were desperate but not my pride.”

What a mixed-feelings journey! Since this story is based on someone’s actual life, it is fair for me to not like it? Like yeah it’s still a book but I can’t really tell if these events happened in real life and the author is just telling it how it is or most of it is fiction. I’m too lazy to research which parts were true or not, so someone let me know.

Dolly’s spirit was quite astounding. She really did fight through the book for her family and people who looked like her. She was determined to avoid people going through the same things she went through. I didn’t think she was the best human out there, but her motivations were solid. Riley does well to expose what this time period was like for a lot of black women and men, and it was really heartbreaking but well needed.

This serves as a great way to learn history. I wasn’t comfortable with a lot of the things the characters did so it was hard to connect to the book, but I'm still glad I read it!

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read Island Queen, but unfortunately I didn't love it like I had expected. I do love a long book if the story is done well, but I think this could have been more tightly edited. The story itself was interesting but there were too many parts that felt like filler and made the story drag a bit. The story felt like it was both too much and too little at once. There are a lot of characters that orbit around Dorothy that are important to her and how and why she is the driven woman that she is, but there are so many that they don't feel as well developed and impactful as I thought they probably should have felt. There are also important historical events and people that Dorothy is associated with that felt almost wedged into the story. I'm having a hard time expressing exactly what threw me off of this one, and I almost put it down a little more than halfway in, but I'm glad that I pushed through and finished it.

Trigger warnings: incest, rape, death of children

Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monica Is Reading*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I chose to listen to this audiobook:
1. I saw the hardcopy at a bookstore and the premise intrigued me;
2. I'm drawn to biographical fiction;
3. the audiobook is available as a free loan on Hoopla; and,
4. December 2024 is my self-appointed "Island Titles" Month!

Praises:
1. this is a very well-researched historical story about Dorothy "Doll" Kirwan Thomas, who rose from slavery to become an extremely wealthy free woman of color in the colonial West Indies;
2. author Vanessa Riley successfully characterizes Dorothy as an outspoken, fiery, intelligent woman with a fierce, but strict, love for her ten children and a powerful determination to be a prosperous entrepreneur; however, Riley also portrays Doll as vulnerable, especially when it came to dealing with her many episodes of postpartum depression and the heartbreaking losses of various loved ones;
3. Riley could've written her main character only in glowing terms, but she included the fact that Doll owned slaves. The creative license she takes believably explains Doll's reasoning for doing so. Whether you understand or not, that's left up to you, the reader;
4. Riley's descriptiveness, especially of the fashions during this time period, is quite vivid;
5. Riley's Author's Note and extensive Bibliography clearly illustrate how believable this story is; and,
6. narrator Adjoa Andoh easily made this a 5-star listen, even though it's over 21 hours long (575 pages)! Her varied accents, intonations, and expressiveness when Doll interacts with others made it so difficult for me to put this audiobook aside when life called. Andoh kept me entertained throughout!

Niggles:
Absolutely none from me!

Overall Thoughts:
Through an accidental discovery of a political cartoon, Riley has taken an underrepresented historical figure and made her, Mrs. Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, come alive in the pages of this book.

Some readers may call this a historical romance, but I view it more as a love story. Not only were Doll's interactions with various men factual, it's obvious that she truly cared for them.

This will definitely go onto my "Favorites" bookshelf. I highly recommend it to fans of historical and/or biographical fiction!

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an epic work of historical fiction that imagines the life story of real-life historical figure Dorothy ("Dolly" or "Doll") Kirwan Thomas - a former slave who works hard and makes the right alliances and eventually buys her own way and her family's way out of slavery, going on to become one of the wealthiest women in the Caribbean.

Let's start with the main strength of this book: Doll herself. Doll is an incredible character - a strong woman who makes plenty of mistakes over her remarkably long lifetime, but who has the wisdom to learn from them. A woman who won't let her rights be trampled on. A dedicated mother who kept on fighting for her (ten!) children, even after she was in the grip of postpartum depression after most of their births. She makes for fantastic, empowering reading and the depths of her emotional connections with her family and lovers is where this author truly excelled.

That being said, Riley chose to focus the vast majority of this nearly 600 page novel on the relationships that Doll had - whether that be familial, friendly, or romantic. As I said, the skill with which those relationships are written is indeed the highlight of the book, but, especially since Doll Kirwan Thomas was such a force to be reckoned with the in the business world and that savvy is what earned her the all-important fortune that would eventually make her powerful, it's puzzling that more time in the book wasn't spent talking about her businesses. Instead, much time is spent showing Doll hopping from one man to another - often because of interesting, realistic reasons including fear of being hurt again - but I found the book ultimately in need of more variety by the end.

And the ending is another sticking point for me. It's very abrupt. All of a sudden the two main points of conflict are resolved and that's that. When we start the book, there are two different timelines - one starting with Doll's early life (we follow her from the age of 5) and another shows us Doll as an elderly woman, paying a visit to a boarding school that she financially supports and which her granddaughter attends. I expected - as the main storyline moved forward in time toward the second - that we'd have an interesting moment of convergence, but that never materialized. I now wonder what the point of that secondary storyline was.

But in short, the things this book does well, it does well. I was so attached to these characters and hated saying goodbye to them when the book was over. But I do think more attention needed to be paid to the back half of the book, which sadly lost steam and needed more variety to keep the reader's attention through a 600-page marathon.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I cannot wait for everyone to have access to this book. It is an epic story based on the real-life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. A woman born into slavery who is able to buy her freedom and that of her family. She then builds several businesses and becomes one of the most wealthy women in the Caribbean. It is a story of injustice but also of strength and dreams. It is also about family and the lengths a mother and grandmother will go to so her children and grandchildren will have what she did not. The men in this story are well-meaning but oh so good for nothing. Well, not nothing but really Dorothy was the driving force in her success and Riley makes sure we know it. Riley's research is always superb but here she has really outdone herself and has written one of the most wonderful works of historical fiction that I have ever read.

Content Warnings: Rape, incest, racism, sexism.

Edit to add that I just posted my video review: https://youtu.be/DrtUbRW-wMM

[Anna Avian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great concept that could have been an exceptional book but should have been more heavily edited in my opinion. The constant jumping of time periods and the vast number of characters made keeping up with the story hard and confusing at times. There was too much focus on Dolly’s romances at the expense of elaborating more on her journey to freedom and success.

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I’m blown away by this book, this incredible story of Dorothy “Dolly” Kirwan Thomas would be an understatement. This book was a chunk to read and the audio was chefs kiss perfection narrated by the spectacular Adjoh Andoh. What a journey. What a ride. Not without it’s heartache, hardship and extreme trials. This book dealt with hard subjects such as—rape, racism, incest, sexism, slavery, death and probably some other things I am missing. Don’t let that deter you from reading though. This book filled me with so much pride & emotion.

“Broken glass still sparkles when the light hits it.”

This is about a woman born into slavery that went through unimaginable things only to be one of the wealthiest women in the Caribbean. The men in this story that captured her heart or should I say that were obsessed with her, we’re just as fascinating to read about. Each one made a huge impact in her life molding and shaping her heart into what it ended up being. The amount of research that went into this story had to be unimaginable. I’m in awe of Vanessa Riley.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1761, Irish planters dominate plantation life in Montserrat. Dorothy Kirwan is 5, the daughter of an Irish planter and her slave mother. As she grows older, she faces extraordinary personal challenges that eventually force her to flee Montserrat or be killed by her half-brother. By 1824 Dorothy Kirwan Thomas is a wealthy business woman, known throughout the Caribbean colonies. But her very existence is threatened by the actions of white colonists against free women of color. So she travels to London to talk to the commanding officer of the colonies herself.

Dorothy is an inspiring and intruiging character. Her number one goal was to be financially independent. After fleeing Montserrat, it took her 16 years to earn the manumission fees for herself, her sister, her mother, and her first two daughters. Once she achieved this she was determined to secure her family’s wealth, and over the years ensured her daughters (7 out of her 10 children) were educated and had marriage contracts that protected their wealth. And she tolerated no shit from no man, white or black, lover or business associate. Her pride and sharp tongue were legendary. But she was also human and Riley spends considerable time detailing her many lovers who fathered her children.

As much as I admired Dorothy I feel that the book didn’t delve deep enough into the obstacles that she faced in building her businesses in the early stages. There’s also little explanation as to why she was accepted by the white class who used her services. Dorothy also made it her mission to buy the freedom of any relative she found. But once this was achieved, that relative was relegated to the back burner. I would have like there to be more page time given to relationship development with these relatives. Her grandmother Sally just becomes a name after Dorothy buys her freedom.

But my biggest pet peeve is with her lovers. Way too much time is given to this in the book. Sadly I got to the point where it just felt overwhelming, and I could think of other aspects that I wanted to learn about rather than her running off to England with a prince!

But I digress and that’s just me. Overall Dorothy’s character development is solid, her trials painful, her triumphs evoke pride. It’s worth a read if you’re into historical fiction and/or romance.

Thanks to William and Murrow publishing for the e-arc.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. The main character was an amazing woman and her story needs to be heard but this book was very frustrating to read. It seems reductive to frame so much of her narrative around the men in her life. If you remove the sections that consist mostly of a man telling her that they love her, it would shave off a third of the book. The cast of characters is very large and that also meant a good hunk of the tale is taken up with the main character reacting to births and deaths. I came away from the whole thing feeling like I didn't learn much more than if I had read a genealogy.

[P.C. Cast · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my favorite listen so far this year! From the first chapter I was utterly captivated by Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. She was an amazing woman whose strength and intelligence blazed a trail in a time when WOC were chattel. Vanessa Riley brings Doll alive with writing that is insightful and rich and so lovely I had to rewind to listen again to several passages. I'm purchasing a hard copy so I can reread at my leisure and display it proudly on my shelf. Riley is now an auto buy for me and I'm thrilled to see how many more of her brilliant novels are waiting for me to read. The performance by the voice actress, Adjoa Andoh is spectacular! What an incredibly gifted actress! Her talent blended so well with Ms Riley's incredible prose. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Read ISLAND QUEEN and be awed by excellence and strength and tenacity and beauty. This book will stay with me for a long, long time.

[Jess Owens]

eARC provided from NetGalley and Audio ARC provided from Harper Audio. in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF (did not finish) this book at 40%. I tried so hard to get through it but it wasn't working for me.

The premise: Based on the true life 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...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."

I was super excited about this book as I love historical fiction. The structure was confusing to me and the writing was jarring, I could never get into a rhythm of reading. I switched to the audiobook, hoping that would help. The narrator has a very distinct accent and even slowing down the audio, I still was so lost and confused. I never knew what time we were in and I didn't know which characters were which. Eventually I gave up which makes me sad but the writing style and narrative structure and the audio narrator did not work for me.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeping family saga that covers sixty years in the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas (aka Miss Doll or Dolly). Born in 1756, she is a no-nonsense strong woman who works her way up from slavery to business owner. She starts a housekeeping business on several Caribbean islands. Her home base is Roseau, Dominica. We meet her various men, many of whom desert her after she bears them one or more children. She is fiercely loyal to her family.

Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was a real person, and Vanessa Riley has done a wonderful job of bringing her to life as a complex personality with many strengths and weaknesses. She overcomes a variety of obstacles such as illiteracy, racial issues, postpartum depression, sexual abuse, and patriarchal laws. It feels a bit lengthy (600 pages), especially toward the end. This book would make a fabulous mini-series.

[Amiee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amazing story about a phenomenal woman but there’s some issues. There is too much reliance on the romance…I consider this more a romance story and less of historical fiction. Also by introducing all her kids, grandkids etc…it was confusing and didn’t add much to the story.

[Arlene♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life this woman lead.

And I did indeed cry, a couple of times.

[Brynn.Gaybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I think this book could be great for some people. Its subject matter fills a great niche for true success stories of black women. I certainly don't mean to knock the book, I appreciate its goal and I'm certain many readers would enjoy it a lot. I however didn't like reading it. Overall the book really drags and should have been trimmed down a little bit. Much of the plot focuses on Dolly's relationship with various men in her life and this got old quickly as her interactions felt very repetitive and dull. It often felt like I was reading a really boring romance novel. A lot of focus was given to the men around Dolly, but I was in the book for Dolly herself. Vital events, like deaths, seemed to pop up and happen very suddenly, these could have used more exposition. I wish more time had been devoted to how she actually built her empire as I feel I didn't quite understand how it all happened. I appreciated her relationship with her family and how her relationship with slavery was portrayed a lot. It was technically well written and many parts were even compelling, but overall it felt repetitive and boring.

[Danielle Morrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas is fascinating. This book however was not nearly as interesting as she was. The time line jumps around in confusing ways and there are so many characters that it is pretty impossible to keep them all straight. I think the book could have used a heavier hand during editing too. I got tired of reading some of the same things over and over again. I truly wish I enjoyed the book more.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It won’t be released until July but I was lucky enough to win a copy of this phenomenal story. Based on the real life of Mrs. Dolly Kirwan Thomas, a woman born into slavery who worked hard to buy her freedom and build an empire. Highly recommend.

[Rhonda McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanessa Riley has grown a following of faithful readers by introducing us to the overlooked presence of free Black people from all over the diaspora who lived in the regency era. It is much appreciated. As a lover of regency, I have devoured every one of her books. With this story, we meet a real person in historical figure Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. Her achievements and courage are remarkable and arguably unique, not because she as fierce and strong, because many of our people, enslaved or free, fit that description, it was the wealth building that set Dorothy Kirwan Thomas apart. Kirwan, a free woman of color, rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies, yet she has been relegated to a paragraph in “some” history books. In the books, I grew up with, she had no place, not even behind a comma. This was a story that needed to be told.

Using expertly peppered, but clearly detailed research, Riley delivers an engaging and cleverly devised fictionalized account of Ms. Thomas’ life from childhood through the later years of her life. We meet Doll (Dorothy) as an enslaved child who eventually bought her freedom and that of sister and mother. She suffered many harsh realities and experienced a great deal of pain as she struggled with the politics and power struggles in a male dominated society.

Island Queen took me on a literary journey through beautifully executed, often heart thumping prose that I will not soon forget. I enjoyed the romance, the surprising twist and turns and victorious ending that was Doll’s.

Rest in heaven, fair Island Queen. We know who you are now. We see your power and we thank you for fighting for all the little black girls you cared for. They could have been my ancestors.

[Michelle Lindo-Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dolly or Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was enslaved living in Montserrat. She was able to purchase her freedom for herself, her mother and sister after many years. Following that huge milestone, Dolly used her smarts and opened her own businesses, amassing a huge amount of wealth. Equally fascinating is Dolly's personal life - the men and her children. Her distinct beauty and wit captured the eyes of many men--some she welcomed and some she didn't. But this all made for a fascinating tale.
First and foremost, I commend Vanessa Riley on her research. Her dedication and diligence in this project is evident. Vanessa Riley brought Dolly to life and as I read, I was fascinated at everything this woman had to endure, while admiring her grit and strength.
Second, I love that there were women of color who made a name for themselves and triumphed despite the harsh realities of the time. Vanessa tackled each subject matter, not shying away from the ugly but definitely bringing the good.
It was a lengthy read and there was a lot covered about Dolly's life but it was told with such skill, that it kept my interest. I had never heard of Dolly before but I admired her grit. Dolly wasn't a perfect heroine but I did always understand--even if I didn't agree--with some of the things she did.
Finally, what an amazing amazing cover. Island Queen's cover art is simply gorgeous. But, please open the pages, you'll enjoy. I loved the Author's Note which highlighted the research and other fascinating information.
Thank you #Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love historical fiction and desperately wanted to love this unique sounding historical fiction epic about a formidable Black woman. However while the historical details and descriptions were richly portrayed from dresses to furniture, the rest of the novel fell flat. This novel is also guilty of a trait I've often read about in reviews of historical fiction but never personally encountered, Dorothy's voice was often too modern, the dialogue too contemporary. It was unsettling and something that I felt could easily have been changed by an attentive editor. The book also needed an editor to cut it down drastically. The story is told in very distracting 2-4 page chapter fragments but instead of being a short read it drags on (unnecessarily) for 592 pages. What's even more disappointing is that the majority of those pages are spent focused on men. I didn't think this was a romance so I was frustrated by the constant focus on Dorothy's many paramours as opposed to her family or business acumen. I wanted to know more about her friendship with the women in the Entertainment Society, and to know more about her businesses, how she ran them, how she achieved all that she did. For such a long book it's very short on key details or interesting thoughts.

Given the focus on Dorothy's romantic conquests I wish there'd been a character map or family tree because it was very difficult to keep track of who was who and whose child was whose. I missed some heightened drama because I never remembered which partner she was lying to about paternity. We also don't see her interact with the men much beyond their initial encounter with the exception of Cells and Thomas. I love a sexually empowered woman but we're mostly told that's the case, we see very little of their encounters. The story is also told in a very confusing fashion, there's dual timelines but they never overlap and a dramatic showdown is hinted at in the opening of the story but the eventual meeting is very lackluster. I do appreciate that Riley presented Dorothy in all her slave owning complexity, having her wrestle with it and present reasons as to why she might have made the decision that she did. Her behavior isn't excused but I appreciated the speculation. I also liked that Dorothy's faith and family were important to her even though we never really understand why or see her interact much with her family beyond her children. While the children all blended together for me the author makes an interesting choice to have Dorothy suffer from postpartum depression and that storyline is movingly depicted. But ultimately those things were not enough to salvage this lengthy historical fiction story.

ISLAND QUEEN is a somewhat enjoyable, poorly executed historical fiction novel about an incredible woman who deserved better from both the author and the world. The characters needed more depth, especially Dorothy and the focus of the novel needed to tighten with less expository and repetitive writing. There are also a few things left unsaid or unexplored, such as why Dorothy is illiterate. I didn't understand why the author contrived a plotline about postpartum depression but skipped an important, actual fact about Dorothy's life that would have been fascinating to probe. Will this make an exquisite TV series or mini series? I think so. The story is very cinematic and I can see this getting the Bridgerton treatment since the author spends so much time focused on the men. But I wish it had showcased more of Dorothy's wit and entrepreneurial drive along with her risque escapades.

[Kaia Alderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. Dorothy “Dolly” Kirwan Thomas was not born into an easy life but she did “handle” every twist and turn that was thrown her way. 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 this overlooked “hidden” queen.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was both good and a slog and a necessary bit of history? Can something be all things at once?

[Melanin Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorothy (Dolly) Kirwan Thomas was born into slavery on the island of Montserrat to a slave mother and an Irish slave owning father. Dolly saved the money she earned from huckstering and was able to buy her families freedom from her Irish father. From there Dolly worked to build wealth and power for her family.

When I finished this book the first thing I said was “WOW”. There were multiple reasons why I had this reaction 1.) I haven’t read a historical fiction where I learned as much as I learned in this book. It took me forever to read this book because I kept stopping, doing research, and taking notes. 2.) The story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was amazing, the woman herself was amazing and Vanessa Riley’s telling ‘of Dorothy’s life was captivating. 3.) I felt so many different emotions while reading this book; anger, sadness, frustration, and pride.

After reading the first couple of chapters I was fully immersed in this book. When I bought this book my first thought was this book is too long it’s gonna take me forever to read it, WRONG. I could not put this book down except when I was doing research. From the moment I read about the rebellion in Montserrat in 1761 I knew I was in for an emotional rollercoaster. Dolly went from being this innocent five year old who wanted her pa to stay home and didn’t understand the world around her, to a slave girl who was determined to buy her families freedom, then a free woman with a family that she financially supported as she continued to build her self made wealth. The resilience Dolly had made me proud. Dolly had every obstacle thrown her way from rape to political power used to try to tear her down but she never let it break her. I loved that Vanessa Riley didn’t just write her as this super woman who had all this strength but as a woman with flaws who experienced depression, who was lonely and craved a mans touch, who cried when she needed to, got discouraged when the white men used politics to hold her back, but in spite of all that she used the power of her village to get back up and kept moving to accomplish her dreams.

I learned a lot of historical facts while reading this book. First I never heard of most of the islands in this book like Montserrat, Dominica, and Demerara so of course I didn’t know about slavery there. Slavery on the islands was the same while also being different than the US. I also had never heard of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas and while this isn’t US history I for one think this is a part of Black History that we all should know. There was so much untold history in the book that I truly appreciated.

The one thing I felt was missing was the relationship building between Dolly and her older sister and Dolly and her grandmother. Dolly paid for their freedom but there wasn’t much said about her relationship that she built with them. The grandmother and older sister were mentioned a couple of times but that was it. I would have liked to of gotten more from those characters but it didn’t take away from the overall story.

Dolly was a women with needs, see had eleven kids and more than a couple baby daddies. I didn’t really think less of Dolly’s story because of that. To me it’s no different than the women of today who have multiple partners only difference is there is birth control now so women don’t always end up with as many kids and baby daddies like back in the day. I had no problem with Dolly having several lovers especially since they all loved them some Dolly.

This was a great story, I appreciate Vanessa Riley for giving us this fictional telling of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas’ life with so many historical facts. This is a long book but it spans from 1761 to 1824 during Dolly’s prime so the additional pages were necessary to truly capture Dorothy Kirwan Thomas’ story.

[Emily Coffee and Commentary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible true story of resistance, innovation, and loving oneself. We follow Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, born into slavery, rising through rebellions, politics, and prejudice in order to buy not only her own freedom, but the freedom of her entire family. Fascinating and told in Dorothy’s bold and bright voice, we see the ever changing cultural and political landscape of the colonial West Indies. Anyone interested in history should read this.

[Tamyka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried so many times. According to my library app I picked up the book 62 times and read for 17 hours 16 minutes but I’m going to finally have to call it and make it a DNF at 63% completed. It just wasn’t for me, and I’m trying to stop putting myself through unnecessary suffering when I could instead just move on.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I said I'd finish it in August, and I did! But sadly, I won't be giving it as high a rating as I originally thought because of the slow rough patch at the halfway point and the decision made at the end that neither Riley or Dolly fully address.

Island Queen started out strong, though it is more of a romance than I was expecting. From Riley's Author's Note, I take it that was largely unavoidable with the amount of relationships and children the real Dolly had. Either way, I was soon fatigued with the seemingly endless parade of white male suitors.

This book hit a real rough patch for me when Dolly left her family for 6 months to sail with Prince William and this wouldn't have been that boring to me if Riley hadn't made the decision to jump in time to the year 1824 where I know she ultimately ends up as Dorthy Kirwan Thomas. So I found this little trip to be pretty pointless since it didn't last.

My favorite of Dolly's suitors and partners was Joseph Thomas since he is the only one who helped her achieve freedom before being romantically involved with her. Her own father didn't free her, and Cells didn't free her, even when it was well within their power to do so. How resentment doesn't overgrow love in those circumstances -- I will never know. Also, another reason Thomas is the best is because he beats Dolly's racist rapist of a brother unconscious.

And on the topic of Cells, Dolly's first unofficial marriage and the consenting father of some of her brood-- their relationship is the reason I could not give this higher than 3 stars. Cells starts out as her friend, knows her as a child even before they became more, and at the beginning I liked their relationship. That was until this ragamuffin, rat bastard of a man literally stole Dolly's passing baby to raise as white across the sea .

I was done with the man after that, and am still horrified and saddened that the feeling was not mutual for Dolly. I can understand forgiveness, but can reconcile a woman so loving of her children, still being in love with the man who stole one from her, and weaponized his whiteness and gender against her , knowing there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Despite that, Dolly rekindles her relationship with this scrub two times, and Riley writes their reunion and reconciliation as a happy ending without fully explaining Dolly's feelings towards the matter or why she still loves him at all.

I lose a great deal of respect for her as a woman because of this decision, and was extremely disappointed Riley's author's note, did not offer any more information on the decision. Which sadly tells me she sees it as a non-issue.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the weather and temperatures change into winter in Canada, I decided to pack my bags and take a trip to the Caribbean . . . You just can't go wrong in countries where the weather and temperatures are always tropical :)

I decided to use that time to read historical fiction author Vanessa Riley's novel Island Queen, and educate myself into the extraordinary life of Dorothy "Dolly" Kirwan Thomas.

Before reading this novel, I have never heard of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas before nor heard of the old Dutch colony 'Demerara' (which is now part of Guyana). I have to say now that I've completed Island Queen, that I am glad I read this novel and expanded my knowledge.

This novel is "long" in the sense that it covers MANY years (1756-1824), but the chapters are short but very well researched & well written. I believe that this novel had to be "long" to truly tell the story of this remarkable woman, her relationships/business dealings but also the things she had to overcome in the course of her life.


Dorothy "Dolly" Kirwan Thomas

If you're at all interested in historical fiction novels about little known pieces of history and/or historical fiction novels set in the exotic world of the West Indies, please check out this novel.

As well, please be sure to read the author's notes at the end of the novel, as the author provides an extensive background piece as well as lists her bibliography sources used as her research. I do have to say, this novel as per the author was a reconstructed story of this individual's life, as per her author's notes, Mrs Dorothy Kirwan Thomas didn't leave a diary.

I am most definitely going to be checking out this author's next upcoming historical fiction novel Sister Mother Warrior slated for July 2022 which has to do with a couple historical figures during the Haitian revolution.

[Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an incredibly detailed book featuring the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. However, I found it curious the details she highlighted and the ones she overlooked. So much focus on Dorothy's romantic pursuits and home life and not enough showcasing her business acumen.

For example, Part 2 allotted too much space to Dorothy's relationship with Cells and the sexual tension between them. I would have really enjoyed seeing her entrepreneurial skills in action and how she was able to cull together the money for her manumission as opposed to a couple of sentences about how she was able to convince women to leave brothels and find them jobs as housekeepers. To me, those would have been interesting scenes if there was opposition from the brothel owners and the conversations with the women.

Part 5 chronicling her relationship with William was insufferable. I couldn't wait for her to ditch him and continue building her empire. And then she ends up in a relationship with Joseph Thomas and after 10 kids and grandchildren I couldn't keep track of her family members.

The one thing I liked was how the author decided to title the chapters.

[Julia Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely feat of writing and research, Island Queen is told with incredible insight. Dorothy Kirwan Thomas comes alive on the page as a real, complex woman whose story must be read. I can't wait to see what Vanessa Riley does next in historical fiction!

[IslandGirl Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an story of epic proportions; based on the real-life Dorothy Kirwan Thomas; a woman born into slavery who eventually bought her freedom and that of her family. She would go on to build several successful business and became one of the wealthiest women in the Caribbean. To say she was a legend is an understatement. Dorothy (Dolly) lived life on her own terms and through she had her fair share of heartache, she was not one to cower, but would learn from her mistakes and keep it moving.

Some of the drawbacks included keeping up with the many characters as well as the shifting timelines. I would start a chapter and really wasn't sure which island Dolly was on. I also felt like there was too much emphasis placed on her love life and not enough focus on her strong business acumen.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed getting insight into Dolly's character and seeing how she cared for those she loved. She was determined that her children would have the life she couldn't and would move heaven and earth to make it possible. She was definitely a woman ahead of her time.

Many thanks to William Morrow publishers and to Net Galley for an advanced readers copy. All reviews are my own.