A Story of an Indomitable Woman: Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

I spotted this novel on my library's new book shelves and was intrigued by the lead character, Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, often called Dolly, or Doll. Thomas was a real-life historical figure, a woman of color born on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in 1756 who lived on several of the other islands, and died in Demerara, Guyana (once a Dutch colony and then British Guiana) in 1846. Thomas was born a slave who was eventually able to purchase her freedom and that of many of her family members. She became an extraordinarily successful businesswoman and became known as one of the wealthiest women in the Caribbean.

She had 10, possibly 11, children with several partners (including her husband Joseph Thomas), who were variously White or Creole (people of mixed race), and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, some of whom became famous and/or successful in various professions. She was a great believer in education, though she was said to be illiterate or nearly so, but had excellent business instincts.

Riley's novel follows Thomas's life from her impoverished, violent childhood in slavery, to her final years, but kicks off with a prologue dated 1824, that introduces her as a leading woman of Demerara (part of the British colony then based in Georgetown, Guiana), who has traveled to London (one of a number of trips) to meet with Lord Bathurst, the British secretary of state for war and the colonies, to plead with him to revoke an unfair tax on successful women of color in Demerara. Following the prologue, the book is divided into several sections, with chapters headed with the location and year, and generally moves in chronological order, with the occasional back and forth jump. A map of Caribbean and the northeastern part of South America, showing the location of Demerara, is included, which makes it easier to trace the story.

Riley has done extensive research on her heroine, and nearly all of the characters and events follow the documented course of history, though Dorothy's inner thoughts and feelings and the dialogue have to be imagined, along with the intimate details of her various relationships, the supposition that she was a beautiful woman with a very dark skin tone, wavy hair and fine features, the descriptions of her clothing, hats (the hats are fabulous), and the decoration of her and other characters' homes and estates. All of those details add a tremendous sense of what must have been her vibrant and commanding personality. From the lavish descriptions of the locations, we also get a true sense of how it would have been to have lived in the various settings.

What is most important, however, is the opportunity for the reader to gain some education about and understanding of an environment that had White Anglican (British Protestant) males of property at the top of the heap, and Black women, especially enslaved ones, at the bottom. In between came everyone else of different combinations of races and religions. Catholics (mainly French who had acquired and lost control of some of the islands) experienced prejudice and violence, and those who were Creole or Black, even more so. The author even includes a Sephardic Jewish character (another real-life person, though he may have been Prussian or Polish per Wikipedia) who marries one of Dorothy's daughters.

The novel covers a historical period of often violent unrest including slave rebellions, and the effects of the War of 1812 between the British and Americans. It is easy to see how these events carry through to the current time, throughout the Caribbean, in South America, and here in the United States, where we have our own version of the legacy of slavery and racial hatred.

With all that in mind, the book makes for some very thought-provoking reading, despite the depictions of suffering experienced by many of the characters. There is romance and beauty enough to lessen the sting, and Dorothy comes across as an amazing woman. I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction – I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Interested in more from this author? Check out Vanessa Riley for more.