A review by treberry
The American Queen by Vanessa Miller

hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

โ€œ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐›๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง ๐›๐ž๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฆ.โ€
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Did you know that there was a Black king and queen in the US? Neither did I!
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Meet the Happy Landers. Formerly enslaved people who were migrating from Mississippi to the north, to find a home where they could be free.
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Their voyage led them to the Appalachian mountains across North & South Carolina where they created The Happy Land, where the motto was โ€œAll For One and One For Allโ€. (Iโ€™d love to visit there)
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Their journey was not without pain, doubt, and loss along the way. But Queen Louetta had a vision, foresight and a blind faith that she and her people would no longer be held in captivity and strife.
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What a beautiful, testament to the resilience, determination and courage of our ancestors who wanted to create a new free world for generations to come. Louella was surely the Queen of the story. She was quick-witted, deeply caring, determined, unstoppable and deeply committed to the 300+ people who resided on the land.
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There was so much emotion in this story, and thankfully it wasnโ€™t all pain and sorrow. It was full of hope and light. The author did an incredible job of adding her personal touch to the facts she gained through research. I found it fascinating to learn about her creative process in bringing this story to life.
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I am both in awe and stunned that this book is based on true history!! This is the beauty of reading - learning about powerful history that has been weeded out. My ancestors are my wildest dreams. I want to share this story with the little people in my life to let them know there is nothing that we canโ€™t do.
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This is the second @authorvanessamiller story Iโ€™ve read, the first being โ€œthe light on Halsey St.โ€. I appreciate the range, depth and heart she puts into each story. Sheโ€™s earned a spot as one of my new favorite authors! Excellent book club selection @litjava!
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In Vanessaโ€™s notes she said that it was an honor to write this story. As a reader, it was my privilege. 5 glorious stars โญ๏ธ