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#Montserrat
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Hooked_on_books
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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Pickpick

Born enslaved on #Montserrat, Dorothy works her way to freedom and eventually a business empire stretching across multiple nations. Based on a real person, this novel looks across Dorothy‘s entire life. It‘s long but worth the time. I enjoyed this.

#ReadingAmericas2023 Also works for #Dominica #Greneda #Guyana

Librarybelle On my to read list! 1y
psalva I‘m so behind on Reading the Americas, but I‘m hoping to check off a few more in the coming months. Stacked! 1y
47 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Texreader
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Mehso-so

Lally Brown‘s Treefrogs book was sweet and well-written. This book read like a catalogue of volcanic activity, which would have had substantially more impact had it focused on the major events. Sadly, the author switched between verb tenses often within chapters (more in the first half), but sometimes within paragraphs or sentences making for a very uncomfortable read (who knew?). I did learn a lot about #Montserrat, especially compared to the ⬇️

Texreader Island Queen‘s birth on the island as a slave in the 18th century. #readingtheAmericas 2y
BarbaraBB Interesting review! 2y
Librarybelle That‘s frustrating about the writing style! 2y
46 likes3 comments
quote
Texreader
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This is probably entirely inappropriate of me, but I can‘t help but wonder just which Caribbean island he was vacationing on, when he took this side trip.

#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

review
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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Pickpick

Based on the true life of Dorothy (Doll) Kirwan Thomas, born a slave in #Montserrat, she worked countless years to buy her (& her family‘s) freedom to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in the Caribbean. Repeatedly raped by her white brother, surviving multiple rebellions, saving a sister from auction, her beginnings were so harsh. She is written as a very real person, with her past very much shaping how she approached life. ⬇️

Texreader I would have liked a bit less about the many men in her life, although they were all clearly very important in her life. I would have liked much more of her business building, which was made all the more difficult for a freed black woman. The coverage of that aspect of her business life developed more at the end, especially when she had to buy slaves herself (she owned the most where she lived). The most impactful part of the book is her ⬇️ 2y
Texreader view of slavery from a tender age of five when she hadn‘t quite grasped that she was “owned.” As she grew up and through her life her views on slavery also grew up. It was eye-opening and poignant. #Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#readingtheAmericas. Also can work for #Barbados and #Jamaica. The author is from #Trinidad, so that works too.

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
(edited) 2y
Bookwormjillk This audiobook was $51! Felt like an efficient use of a Libro.fm credit! Thanks for the recommendation. 2y
Librarybelle I just picked this up as a Kindle deal! 2y
Daisey I hope to get this one sometime this year! 2y
53 likes5 comments
quote
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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From the author‘s notes.

I also just learned the author is from #Trinidad, so this book can work for that country. There are also smaller parts of the book that work for #Barbados and #Jamaica

#Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Catsandbooks

blurb
Texreader
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I‘m still slogging through the tagged book and I‘m kind of glad I am because it has been a very interesting experience to learn about the main character‘s early life in slavery on #Montserrat in the Island Queen and reading about the island‘s terrible encounters with its volcano in the 1990s. This tiny island has been through a LOT!!

#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

blurb
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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This week‘s business trip with evenings in the hotel with nothing to do when I finish working has been good for my reading—I finished both these books! Reviews to come. #foodandlit #Syria

#Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Catsandbooks

blurb
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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Julsmarshall So true. And boy, are they making their fear known lately. 2y
32 likes2 comments
quote
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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The lawyer in me loved this quote, when the MC insisted on a marriage contract despite her daughter‘s insistence they were truly in love.

In my practice, a contract is always preferable to the handshake.

#Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

blurb
Texreader
Island Queen | Vanessa Riley
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The map from the accompanying pdf to the tagged audiobook

#Dominica
#Grenada
#Guayana
#Montserrat
#readingtheAmericas

@Librarybelle @BarbaraBB