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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was not a book i expected to frustrate me as much as it did. there is an impulse i think, in publishing, that if a story is deemed important--especially if it's part of an untold or buried--that it must be untouchable. that to tell the story of a life extraordinarily lived, no detail or emotion can be spared. there's a world in which this book is the exact same length and every page is earned, and there's a world in which this book is half its near-600 page count and every page is earned. however, as it stands, island queen is long without reason. it seeks to tell the story of six turbulent decades in the life of one astonishing women, but goes about it in a way which becomes laborious. apart from a small handful of chapters which zip forward in time to when dorothy is an old woman, the narrative hits the same emotional beats over and over again, taking tiny steps forward while the plot remains largely stagnant. a more daring timeline would have made this less of a drag. not every moment, every birth, every conversation we've heard before is necessary to the story. you can tell the story of a life without including every moment of it.
despite the hefty page count, the chapters are rather short. i read this on kindle, but it seems that the majority of the chapters were 2-4 pages in a hard copy. they're easily wrapped-up vignettes that rarely ever change the status quo or leave the reader surprised. and with so much dialogue in comparison to description or internal depth, this is a book made to be adapted for the screen and i do unfortunately mean that in a disparaging way. the page-count could have worked if this were a more baroque book and took inspiration from some of the style and techniques of emerging novels. or, perhaps if characters spoke with something more than pith. instead it's a long story with a lot of very short moments, which kills any sense of pacing makes the story plod far more than it needed to.
vanessa riley's writing background is writing historical romance, which is something i wish i had known before starting the book. it wouldn't have discouraged me from reading it, but it would have tempered my expectations. about halfway through, i looked her up to see how established of an author she is, and when i saw that her other books were histroms i had an 'ohhhhh' moment. technically, this is a story about a woman, but it's anchored so that the timeline and the emotional payoff almost exclusively revolves around men. i understand that dorothy's relationships with several powerful men are integral to the story and the way she grew to understand her own agency but GOD does it grow monotonous. in a story about female empowerment, readers still understand the heroine's emotions and accomplishments through men. it doesn't help that to me, personally, the romances all blur together because riley uses the same phrases and evokes the same emotional beats regardless of which man dorothy is currently involved with. the romances are largely interchangeable even if the men are not, and the i stopped keeping track of the kids and grandkids around kid #6 because apart from her eldest daughters, they serve very little purpose. sidenote: WHY was there not a family tree or a character list or SOMETHING? or a map, i love a good map.
in doing this, island queen falls into the same trap as a ghost in the throat, where the author wants her readers to understand that her historical woman is empowered, and has been swallowed up by the tide of history because of that, but cannot see empowerment beyond being a wife and mother. how many times are we told about dorothy's business of training the best housekeepers on whichever island she currently inhabits? other characters bring this up constantly, whether they're trying to praise or undermine her. but we never actually get any insight into what that entails or who these girls are. there isn't a single scene actually featuring the housekeepers who exist as a faceless, anonymous mass of girls through which we're supposed to understand dorothy's knack for commerce. she has money, enough to buy freedom for her family, but we so rarely see where it comes from. the same goes for the entertainment society, who are introduced in the final quarter and...don't really matter? they're a group of like-minded women for dorothy to associate with and name-drop when she mentions some of her (again, unseen) work. they hardly say anything, and they hardly mean anything to the plot. i don't understand why riley was so determined to show dorothy as a businesswoman--a housekeeper trainer, a hotelier, even a plantation owner--when it's clear that she cares very little about any of it in comparison to the interpersonal relationships!
i did enjoy some of the descriptions, especially of the clothing and material culture, which does a lot of work to ground it in the varying eras, and there are a few excellent turns of phrase (however they're far, far outweighed by the same wording or images that are constantly evoked. every single person in this novel chuckles constantly). dorothy is a strong character, but she's the only one! the rest of the cast are almost entirely one-note, their characterization mechanical, their voices stilted. 3 stars for good bones and for introducing me to a fascinating historical figure. desperately in need of a better editor or another draft to tighten it up.
i do want to end this review on a high note because even though i've been quite critical of this novel, i'm still giving it a rather high rating. i cannot gush enough about how wonderful the cover is! from the colour choices to the movement of the feathers in her hat mimicking ocean waves to the way the letters interact with the image. it's a masterclass in cover design.
despite the hefty page count, the chapters are rather short. i read this on kindle, but it seems that the majority of the chapters were 2-4 pages in a hard copy. they're easily wrapped-up vignettes that rarely ever change the status quo or leave the reader surprised. and with so much dialogue in comparison to description or internal depth, this is a book made to be adapted for the screen and i do unfortunately mean that in a disparaging way. the page-count could have worked if this were a more baroque book and took inspiration from some of the style and techniques of emerging novels. or, perhaps if characters spoke with something more than pith. instead it's a long story with a lot of very short moments, which kills any sense of pacing makes the story plod far more than it needed to.
vanessa riley's writing background is writing historical romance, which is something i wish i had known before starting the book. it wouldn't have discouraged me from reading it, but it would have tempered my expectations. about halfway through, i looked her up to see how established of an author she is, and when i saw that her other books were histroms i had an 'ohhhhh' moment. technically, this is a story about a woman, but it's anchored so that the timeline and the emotional payoff almost exclusively revolves around men. i understand that dorothy's relationships with several powerful men are integral to the story and the way she grew to understand her own agency but GOD does it grow monotonous. in a story about female empowerment, readers still understand the heroine's emotions and accomplishments through men. it doesn't help that to me, personally, the romances all blur together because riley uses the same phrases and evokes the same emotional beats regardless of which man dorothy is currently involved with. the romances are largely interchangeable even if the men are not, and the i stopped keeping track of the kids and grandkids around kid #6 because apart from her eldest daughters, they serve very little purpose. sidenote: WHY was there not a family tree or a character list or SOMETHING? or a map, i love a good map.
in doing this, island queen falls into the same trap as a ghost in the throat, where the author wants her readers to understand that her historical woman is empowered, and has been swallowed up by the tide of history because of that, but cannot see empowerment beyond being a wife and mother. how many times are we told about dorothy's business of training the best housekeepers on whichever island she currently inhabits? other characters bring this up constantly, whether they're trying to praise or undermine her. but we never actually get any insight into what that entails or who these girls are. there isn't a single scene actually featuring the housekeepers who exist as a faceless, anonymous mass of girls through which we're supposed to understand dorothy's knack for commerce. she has money, enough to buy freedom for her family, but we so rarely see where it comes from. the same goes for the entertainment society, who are introduced in the final quarter and...don't really matter? they're a group of like-minded women for dorothy to associate with and name-drop when she mentions some of her (again, unseen) work. they hardly say anything, and they hardly mean anything to the plot. i don't understand why riley was so determined to show dorothy as a businesswoman--a housekeeper trainer, a hotelier, even a plantation owner--when it's clear that she cares very little about any of it in comparison to the interpersonal relationships!
i did enjoy some of the descriptions, especially of the clothing and material culture, which does a lot of work to ground it in the varying eras, and there are a few excellent turns of phrase (however they're far, far outweighed by the same wording or images that are constantly evoked. every single person in this novel chuckles constantly). dorothy is a strong character, but she's the only one! the rest of the cast are almost entirely one-note, their characterization mechanical, their voices stilted. 3 stars for good bones and for introducing me to a fascinating historical figure. desperately in need of a better editor or another draft to tighten it up.
i do want to end this review on a high note because even though i've been quite critical of this novel, i'm still giving it a rather high rating. i cannot gush enough about how wonderful the cover is! from the colour choices to the movement of the feathers in her hat mimicking ocean waves to the way the letters interact with the image. it's a masterclass in cover design.
5 stars! This book was truly heart breaking. I will make you cry every chapter! Our main character Dolly is such a strong woman.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
FINALLY.
An insightful, powerful, mesmerizing portrait of one of the most underappreciated women in history.
The things we learn have been curated to fit HIS STORY narratives, and I absolutely loved this story about a woman we should all have on our radar as a G.O.A.T.
Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was born into slavery in the Caribbean in 1756. She managed to earn her freedom and spent 16 years freeing her mother and sisters from slavery as well. She was one of the richest women in the world and had a vast web of interconnected businesses that all came to fruition because of her entrepreneurial spirit.
I cannot wait to read Sister, Mother, Warrior!
An insightful, powerful, mesmerizing portrait of one of the most underappreciated women in history.
The things we learn have been curated to fit HIS STORY narratives, and I absolutely loved this story about a woman we should all have on our radar as a G.O.A.T.
Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was born into slavery in the Caribbean in 1756. She managed to earn her freedom and spent 16 years freeing her mother and sisters from slavery as well. She was one of the richest women in the world and had a vast web of interconnected businesses that all came to fruition because of her entrepreneurial spirit.
I cannot wait to read Sister, Mother, Warrior!
4 stars. Island Queen by Vanessa Riley surprised me in the best ways. This book is long; it is almost 600 pages. It is set in the West Indies in the mid 1700s/early 1800s. This is a dynamic historical fiction story based on the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. Mrs. Thomas was born to a slavemaster in Montserrat. She is raped by her half-brother, and when her sister, Kitty, defends the child he fathered with her, their brother beats Kitty and takes her to be sold.
Dolly (as Mrs. Thomas is known throughout the book), runs to her neighbor, Cells, another slavemaster, yet a kindly neighbor who is very friendly to Dolly, and asks him to buy Kitty. Then she, Kitty and Cells leave Montserrat and move to Demerara where she and Cells begin their relationship and Dolly begins her adult life.
Over the course of the next seventy plus years, Dolly experiences love, lies, abandonment, loss, friendship, family, and freedom. She begins an affair with Prince William Henry of England in 1786. She marries the love of her life. She gives birth to 10 children (it may have been 11-there were so many that I lost count). She ensures that her children and grandchildren are educated in Europe. Over the course of her life, she becomes one of the wealthiest and most powerful free black women in the Caribbean.
I enjoy learning about a part of history that I was not aware of. I googled Mrs. Thomas a few times during the reading of this book to see if the extraordinary tales were true. While this is historical fiction, Ms. Riley did take some creative license with the details of Dolly’s life. Overall, this was a very good story and I enjoyed spending my time learning about this amazing woman who I had not previously known of.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #WilliamMorrow for the advanced e-copy of #IslandQueen. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Riley.
Dolly (as Mrs. Thomas is known throughout the book), runs to her neighbor, Cells, another slavemaster, yet a kindly neighbor who is very friendly to Dolly, and asks him to buy Kitty. Then she, Kitty and Cells leave Montserrat and move to Demerara where she and Cells begin their relationship and Dolly begins her adult life.
Over the course of the next seventy plus years, Dolly experiences love, lies, abandonment, loss, friendship, family, and freedom. She begins an affair with Prince William Henry of England in 1786. She marries the love of her life. She gives birth to 10 children (it may have been 11-there were so many that I lost count). She ensures that her children and grandchildren are educated in Europe. Over the course of her life, she becomes one of the wealthiest and most powerful free black women in the Caribbean.
I enjoy learning about a part of history that I was not aware of. I googled Mrs. Thomas a few times during the reading of this book to see if the extraordinary tales were true. While this is historical fiction, Ms. Riley did take some creative license with the details of Dolly’s life. Overall, this was a very good story and I enjoyed spending my time learning about this amazing woman who I had not previously known of.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #WilliamMorrow for the advanced e-copy of #IslandQueen. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Riley.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A travel through history
I must say the history and story of Dolly was empowering while still very emotional. It’s a must read for anyone who enjoys history and romance.
I must say the history and story of Dolly was empowering while still very emotional. It’s a must read for anyone who enjoys history and romance.
i just can't get into it and i would rather be reading something else tbh! i read the Wikipedia article about Dorothy Kirwan Thomas and that was good enough for me, and honestly if i want to read more about her i'll look up non-fiction sources
This was unexpectedly looooong. Though I found it to be pretty fast paced and engaging. My only real pet peeve was the (seemingly unnecessarily high) instances of the phrase "death mask"