Island Queen: A Novel

Written by Vanessa Riley

Narrated by 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 bestselling 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 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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jul 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063002876

Vanessa Riley

In addition to being a novelist, Vanessa Riley holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. She currently juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women’s and STEM events. She loves baking her Trinidadian grandma’s cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her porch in Georgia, with a cup of Earl Grey tea. Riley lives in Atlanta. 

Reviews for Island Queen

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gorgeous descriptions, but while Dolly's hard work and rise to successful business woman was there, it seemed to always take a backseat in the narrative to her love life.

[Brígida Tomé · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A true masterpiece of story telling ! I‘ve loved it !

[Omphile Raleie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a force! Vanessa Riley is officially a fave! I need to now get myself a paperback so I can touch the book physically. Enjoyed this thoroughly. I loved the women in this story, and all the men were just *sigh* Men.

[Margaret Long · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t stop listening to this book! It was so good! I cried and laughed and cried some more! Such a beautiful story and to find out Mrs. Dorthy Kerwin Thomas was real is so beautifully inspiring!

[Andrea Author · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This literary novel is an astonishing achievement. Doll was born into slavery, but her hard work and entrepreneurial endeavors allowed her to buy freedom for herself and her family. Beautifully written and often heart-wrenching, this fictional account primarily dramatizes important events in her personal life.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Josheda · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the best audiobook actresses I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.

[Celia Cook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was one f the best book that I have read for the month
Good read

[jean Campbell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The history of the Islands by the different European Countries and use of slaves. The free slaves and how they built their lives and fortunes. The lives of women in this situation.

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

audiobook - adult fiction (based loosely on the life of a real person)I am slogging through the audio a little (it's quite long, and I'm aware that there are other people still on the waitlist for it) but overall I find Dorothy Thomas' story fascinating. Even if only the most basic details about her life are true--enslaved woman flees the rapist son of her enslaver, has many kids by multiple men, and builds an impressive empire for herself through which she is able to pay her manumission fees and those of her mother, sisters, grandmother, and children--this is someone that you would want to sit down with and hear their story.The audio narration (in a Caribbean accent) is also excellent, and I never mind re-listening to parts of the story that I've managed to miss (due to my multitasking, not any fault of the author's).

[nancyjcbs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Island Queen is an interesting work of historical fiction focused on the incredible Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. Born a slave Dorothy earns the money to buy her freedom. An enterprising woman she becomes one of the wealthiest merchants in several Caribbean locations. The setting in Montserrat, Dominica, British Guiana, Grenada and Barbados is unique to most historical fiction novels I've read.I enjoyed learning but found the sections on Dorothy's romances and struggles with her MANY children and grandchildren either less interesting or difficult to follow. She had eleven children and lots of in-laws. I sometimes had a difficult time remembering who was who.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My initial thought upon finishing this book is that someone should really make a movie about the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, the central character of this novel. My second thought was curiosity about why more historical figures like this woman aren't featured more frequently in historical fiction. The author's note at the conclusion offers some ideas on this thought and I appreciated the author's research and how she clearly worked with the available information to create a believable portrayal of Dorothy Thomas's life. If this book has a flaw, it's the length combined with the number of children and grandchildren Dorothy has (I couldn't keep them all straight by the end). I almost wonder if Dorothy's story could have been a trilogy of novels instead of just one. Still, I would highly recommend this book for historical fiction fans and I hope to see more novels like this published.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If I had not done some research, I would have thought this was pure fiction, but the story is based on a real woman, Dorothy Kirwan. Born on the tiny Caribbean Island of Monserrat, she bought her freedom along with that of her sister and mother. She worked hard to gain freedom from her Irish planter father. She was a creative entrepreneur, merchant owner of a hotel and planter from Dominica and Barbados to Guiana on the South American continent. She had many white men seeking her love including a prince of Britain. I am so glad this amazing, strong woman is now immortalized in historical fiction.