The American Queen

The audiobook was amazing! The narrator did a phenomenal job. I heard the hymns that Louella sang, the hurt and angst in her voice and the triumphs. Very well done audio!

The American Queen: a beautiful story told by Vanessa Miller, who is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This is the story of Louella and William, two former slaves who led their friends and family to a place of peace after slavery ended. They found a place where everyone could be treated equally and they lived that dream out. Based on true events, this story will capture your heart and bring you joy. It will also remind you that trusting in the Lord, even when it’s hard, is always the best choice.

5 Stars!

This book is an amazing story. Everyone should know about The Happy Place and the King and Queen. I am so glad I got to read this and will be talking about it and recommending it to everyone. This book is set just after the civil war when the slaves were freed. A brave group of people overcome their horrible circumstances by coming together and build a community. This is a story of love and friendship as well. It is based on a real place and real people. The narrator of the audiobook was so good!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is stunning! Fiction, but based on facts. I loved the mc Louella. She is a powerful woman, hopeful, courageous, and most importantly chases after her dreams after emancipation.

Many thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Net Galley for an audio ARC of this book for an honest review.

One of the reasons I love historical fiction is learning about moments in history that I previously knew nothing about. I am so thankful for authors like Vanessa Miller, who do such an amazing job of bringing these historical events and people to light.

*The American Queen* tells the story of a group of formerly enslaved Americans who were forced out of their homes in Mississippi. They travel northward in search of their own land where they can settle and establish their own community, and they do just that under the leadership of their sweet queen and king in a series of providential events. This is a beautiful story about loyalty, survival, trust, power, love, and forgiveness.

I loved this audio version. My favorite part was when the narrator would sing. She really brought Luella to life. I love how this book shows how God works in ways we can’t even imagine. This definitely came through at the end of this book.

Content warnings: violence, death, stillborn birth

I love historical fiction because is a lovely way to learn some history and see the work of brilliant authors with a storyline.
The American Queen* tells the story of a group of enslaved Americans who were forced out of their homes in Mississippi. For me is a brilliant audiobook, I love the way the story was tells the descriptions the narrative of the same. The way each character had a voice. The author is for sure one I will read again

"The American Queen" is a captivating historical fiction novel that delves into an inspiring, lesser-known story centered around Louella Montgomery, a remarkable woman who leads the Happyland Kingdom-a community settled by a group of freed slaves in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Vanessa Miller’s gift of storytelling provides readers with vivid insights into the challenges faced by the freed slaves as they strive to create a home where each person is treated with dignity and respect.

The story's intrigue and suspense will keep readers engaged and invested throughout, making for a story worthy of television or film adaptation.

It is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and anyone interested in reading novels with enlightening and enthralling storylines.

WOWZA! That is nowhere close to adequate to express how this book left me feeling. First let me give a disclaimer that I struggle at times reading books written about black history because, let's be honest, it was brutal. I also can struggle at times to read this type of book because of bitterness from the author who is writing it seeping on to the pages, and that can unwittingly take away from the impact of a book.

ALL OF THAT TO SAY....this is NOT one of those books! The author (and narrator!) did such an amazing job of telling this st0ry (that is based on a true story) and bringing the characters to life in a way that I mourned finishing the book. While I certainly wasn't a slave, Louella's spirit and resiliency struck such a deep chord with who I am as a person. I think it is fair to say I felt *seen* on a personal level through reading this book. I definitely want to live at Happy Land, the community Louella and her husband set up for freed slaves to live in and thrive together as a team.

Vanessa Miller does a masterful job of telling this story and weaving the love of God through the trials of humanity across centuries and millennia. While there is "nothing new under the sun", this book will impress upon you a fresh perspective of the plight of freed slaves, the fierce love of community, and the undying faithfulness of our God especially in the face of our own insufficiency.


I received an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is an absolutely unforgettable historical fiction book about faith, perseverance, love, grief, and overcoming during the emancipation of slavery in the United States. The story mostly follows Louella, who was freed after the Civil War ended, but experienced extreme loss and trauma both before, during, and after the war. She struggles with her desire to see the goodness of God, and the conflicting evil that she’s experienced first-hand in the world. Her husband William is an amazing character who helps to lead her both spiritually and physically into a place where they can help others. Their strength and story is amazing, and the fact that it is based on true people of history make it even more incredible. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read an encouraging book of faith, and a glimpse into a lesser known part of history that deserves more light.

I listened to the audiobook version and it was amazinggg. She even sang the hymns beautifully. This audiobook was a full experience. And I don’t say that lightly.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the fascinating true story of former slaves coming together as a collective to create a free community in North and South Carolina right after the Civil War. Many of these former slaves were sharecroppers for their former slave owners. However when the former owners reneged on their agreements and cheated them out of their wages and lands these people banded together and traveled to N/S Carolina and were able to purchase some amount of land for themselves as a group. Their motto was 'All for one, and one for all'. They pooled their resources and called their community 'The Kingdom of the Happy Land'. As a group they thrived under the leadership of their King and Queen, William and Louella Montgomery, both former slaves. They created a socialist type of society that actually worked quite well.

I loved this book, It is so well researched and full of so much interesting information regarding this period of history. It was difficult to read about the atrocities of slavery of course, but the author did her due diligence and told the unvarnished truth. I liked the snippets of hymns sung by the narrator during the telling of this audio book. This is excellent historical fiction. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to listen/read an ARC version of this fascinating audio book.

This is one of those books that's going to stick with you long past the ending. "The American Queen" by Vanessa Miller is complimented completely by the excellent narration by Angel Pean and is the best audiobook I've listened to so far in 2024. I really enjoyed the rich, historical content of this historical fiction novel.

The narrator did a great job with the spoken parts and is a narrator I'd like to listen to again and again. The author did a great job incorporating African American spiritual songs into the book and the narrator brought those songs alive to the listener with appropriate emotion voiced. I liked how the well known spiritual songs reflected the emotions and lives of the main character Louella, who was the one singing them in the book.

This story was well researched and showed the many struggles, the rampant racism in the south, the passion, hopes and dreams of former Mississippi slaves Louella and William Montgomery and their people. They left Mississippi after the Civil War with several former slaves from their area heading somewhere north with a vision of a land where they and their people could prosper and be free. They picked up many along the way to their final destination which ended up being on the boarder of North and South Carolina. They ended up calling their settlement "The Happy Land" and thrived there for many years after the war.

This is based on true events, embellished by the author who did a great job at the end telling fact from fiction during her end of story epilogue. I had never heard of this American queen or the Happy Land so received quite the education on this little known facet of American history.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson/Zondervan Audio for the chance to listen to the audiobook. This in no way influenced my review of this excellent book.

Loved it so much. I’ve never heard of the community of The Happy Land, or the King and Queen of it, not too far away from me in North and South Carolina. I wish it was more well known with how amazing and unique it and Louella Montgomery were.

The journey she and her people took after being freed from slavery, but still treated as such, was inspiring, as was the way she led her Kingdom, despite so many injustices - both with racism and violence, but also with others’ poor decisions.

I realize that it’s a fictionalized version and much is filled in, but it was well done. It was moving and I was fully invested, wanting to know what was going to happen next. While I would have liked a little more of how Louella grew as a character rather than just understanding that she did, I loved how she stood up against injustice, wrestled with God when she didn’t understand him, or dealt with loss and grief. I loved her character so much and what she did as the Queen of Happy Land for as long as she did is truly amazing. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for and advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

This book drew me in immediately. I found myself gasping, crying, and feeling what the main characters were feeling! Excellent read!!!

Author Vanessa Miller has penned a brilliant novel and narrator Angel Pean brought it to life! I loved everything about this audiobook. Having already read the ebook I fell in love with the story. I loved it enough to want to hear the audiobook. I was not at all disappointed. The team of Vanessa Milker and Angel Pean are a match made in heaven. I highly recommend adding this audiobook to your collection!

This book is everything! Truly heartbreaking to reverential to hallelujah moments abound, in Vanessa Miller's THE AMERICAN QUEEN. The author had me at the first sentence...This book tells the horrors and abomination of slavery, the heartbreak of the attempt of trying to ruin a people, it catches in my throat..the stark and horrifying meanness of white slave owners..yet, Ms. Miller tells a tale of truth as well as a story based in truth about Queen Louella and her husband, King William, who left Mississippi to find a home for her people, a land they could own and build their homes on and have a place completely that they can call their own! What a book! I was and still am enthralled...after finishing it. I listened to the audio which was awesome. The narrator sang all the songs! This book needs to be read by every person alive. Thank you, Ms. Miller, for your incredible story which YOU brought to my life!

Absolutely stunning and educational. It was great to hear of the one and only Black American Queen. I will definitely recommend this to people who love historical fiction.

I read the novel in paperback format, so I knew the story and have reviewed it. The AudioBook performance was outstanding. The pacing and voice were wonderful. The narrator even sang. It was well-done.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞
This is a stunning book, wrenching at my heart. I admit I even cried at one point. But there are also many heartwarming and joyous moments as well.
This story is a beautiful retelling of Queen Louella, coming from slavery and building her kingdom on american soil. The story is based on real events and I really liked that the author explained at the end the differences from her work and historical events.
There were songs in the book and the narrator sang them that was a cool experience, in general the narrator had a mesmerising voice and her accent fit well with the premise.
This book was so emotional, inspirational and informative, I would recommend everyone to read this, especially to learn a part of American history that few know.
Long live Queen Louella in our hearts and minds!

An excellent and powerfully important novel. Heart breaking yet beautiful storyline. The characters were intriguing and the story telling style resembles the work of some of the most talented historical fiction authors including Sadequa Johnson, Dolen Perkins Valdez, Yaa Gyasi, and Toni Morrison. The narration was well paced with good vocal quality and sentiment reflecting the population and subject matter.

The American Queen
by Vanessa Miller
The end of the civil war did not change the environment of the south. The resentment of the loss of fortune by the slave owners, of work for the overseers, and the violence causes untenable situations. The young house slave, married to the oldest mixed race son of the master has no protections from these violent times. The struggle north, although dangerous, with night riders, animals, and violence is the only solution. They found a place for themselves, they shared all they earned as a group. The Happy Land was born. It was a communist like community, with a king and queen who managed to help their people. They were people who once lived but not included in the history books.

Just an amazing story about slavery during and after the Civil War.

This title caught my attention because I was not aware there had ever been an American Queen. I really liked the cover of this book as well. This is a story of a group of slaves and what they did after they became free. Freedom is great, but once you have it, you still have to have shelter and food. And the southern states were not in a great place after the war. They had large plantations and no one to work them. If the slaves stayed to work, the land owners had trouble paying them and in most cases probably did not. There was also a food shortage after the war was over.

Louella hated oak trees - where slaves were whipped or hung, including her and members of her family. I love the description of this group of slaves and how they worked together to build a better life. Their goal was to treat each other with dignity. This book made it sound like they created a good community founded on principles in the bible. This group of people had to take fear and build it into trust and hope in the Lord.

I really enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook - Angel Pean.

An incredibly fascinating, well-written, and extraordinary historical fiction. I was in awe of this book. What a fascinating series of events. I could not believe that this community existed during such tumultuous times. I hope this novel makes its way into Hollywood.

Thank you, Harper Collins and NetGalley for this ARC. #TheAmericanQueen #NetGalley

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

I absolutely loved this book. It was a joyful experience to learn about the creation of the Happy Land and how freed, previously enslaved persons were able to come together to build such a beautiful community.

Vanessa Miller also did a masterful job of handling the character development for the Happy Landers. I loved watching Louella grow as an individual, and become the complete embodiment of a queen for her people - and likewise for William as the Happy Land's King. With Robert, on the other hand, we just had the tiniest plot hole left by the three children that Robert had in Spartanburg. I would have liked to get a little bit of additional backstory on their mother, the circumstances in which they were born, and their upbringing. There also seemed to be the unanswered (minor!) question of how their existence in Spartanburg seemed to impact Robert's debts. But this was at a point in the story where the conclusion was already approaching, and there were already some creative liberties taken with their characters, so it definitely didn't take away from the story.

Overall, this book was beautiful and uplifting and I would instantly recommend this book to anyone interested in wrongly overlooked chapters of American history. Fantastic read!

This book was difficult to start because it began with graphic and gritty descriptions of slavery and injustices. But I am glad I stuck with it. This beautifully written novel captures time in history about which I was unaware. Louella is easy to love and cheer for. I am thankful to have learned about the HappyLanders and their ability to live with and for one another and happiness after the abolition of slavery.

The American Queen

The only Queen who ruled on American Soil!

Wow! You read it correctly. This was my first reaction to The American Queen.

Talk about Historical Fiction at its finest. This story informs, educates, and captivates your attention from the beginning to the end as you learn about Queen Louella and the people of the Happy Land.

This is truly a wow factor read with all the feels. I literally had to sit with my thoughts and let them simmer while savoring the moments.
The American Queen is totally book hangover-worthy and worth every bit of the hype. It is like Good Morning America quoted in their 15 New Books to Read for the New Year “This Powerful story must be told and retold,” indeed. This is definitely a favorite of 2024. It is a story that I want to tell everybody to read, and I have been doing just that.

It is such a bonus to listen to the audiobook of this amazing story and hear the words come alive from the pages. It is next-level reading creating a remarkable listening experience.

The audiobook is highly recommended.

I just finished listening to this book. I don't even know what to say. This book tackles so many tough subjects in addition to the tough topic of slavery--loss, grief, abuse, doubting. All of the characters in the book are flawed in very human ways, and there are beautiful moments of redemption. To say that I enjoyed this book isn't quite right, but I am so glad that I listened to it. I learned, I cried, and I thought about some of my own times of grief.

The narration was beautifully done, and the historical notes were very helpful. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this free audio-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is an important book. Before opening it, I had never heard of Louella Montgomery, an African American woman born into slavery in Mississippi, in the 1850s, and freed once slavery was abolished in 1865. The American Queen is a fictionalize story, based on what is known of Louella. Louella and her husband, Reverend William Montgomery have to leave Mississippi, as tensions grow following the recession and recovery of the Southern states after the Civil War. Together, they travel with other freed people through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and finally to the South Carolina/North Carolina border, where they find a place to settle. During their journey their group grows from almost 40 to over 200 people. As they settle, they name their settlement, The Happy Land.

Louella is a force to be reckoned with. She faces hardship from the time she is born, to the time she passes, but with each tragedy, she continues to fight for human rights and women's rights. Ms. Miller's book ensures not only will Louella not be forgotten, but she will sit in an honored place in American history.

I received a complimentary copied of this book in both audio and ebook formats. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Both formats are a delight. Every time I started up the audio, I felt comforted and excited to hear about the next chapter in Louella's life.

The American Queen is a captivating journey from the beginning to the very end, leaving me looking for more. This page turner was masterfully written with standout aspects including impeccable character development. Each character is meticulously crafted, with layers that unfold throughout the story. I loved eery part and quickly grew a love hate relationship with one character in particular.

Overall, the storyline itself is incredibly told with the information the author was given about facts,, drawing readers into a world that feels both familiar and captivating. With its captivating plot and relatable themes, it's a must-read for anyone looking for a deeply immersive historical fiction experience.

If you were to ask Google if the United States ever had a queen, inevitably it would say there was never an American monarchy, or it would reference Queen Elizabeth I from the time before independence. This novel tells a different story, the true story of Queen Luella who along with her husband, King William, ruled over the Kingdom of the Happy Land. This self-proclaimed kingdom was started in 1869 on 25 acres along the North and South Carolina border, purchased by a group of former slaves. The Kingdom lasted about 40 years and was based on a socialistic style of government. William and Louella were humble and very involved in the lives of their citizens. One touching scene in the book shows Louella's efforts to teach everyone to read.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes' and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Clara's eyes filled with wonder as Louella read the passage from the Bible. "I've never heard that before."

"And now you can read it for yourself." Louella handed Clara the Bible...

This verse must have meant so much to former slaves after all they endured. Louella wanted to make sure all her citizens could enjoy the freedom that knowing how to read can bring. Louella as a character takes quite an emotional journey from the hate she carries from her slavery days in Alabama to being a mother figure and Queen to the citizens of the Happy Land. Along the way, she suffers great personal loss and has to find the strength to carry on.

This is a slower book, but there are so many poignant and yet uplifting moments in the book. I found it to be an enjoyable read and I'm so glad to have learned about this lost chapter in history. I had to do a little more online reading after finishing this book. I'd love to look for the Happy Land next time I get near Henderson County, NC.

This book is a must read!!!! Though the telling is fiction, the story is so beautifully and respectfully wrapped in the actual historical reality of the original people of Happy Land. I had never heard of this place prior to reading this book, so I'm very appreciative of the detailed author notes that were included. I think she did a great job connecting the pieces that could not be accounted for through the historical texts. This story was about people navigating their way through freedom and the woman that was both bold and resilient enough to see those dreams achieved. Queen Louella and her Kings, built a community of likeminded people and families who were able to experience a little piece of harmony and paradise after the harrows of enslavement. This book brought tears to my eyes at several points as the author evoked so many emotions within a short piece of work. The narrator was awesome and brought so much life into the characters. Angela Pean did the damn thing on this audio book with her angelic singing. I was mesmerized every single time. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book for my home shelf. This book should be added to school reading lists so they younger generation have better access to this part of their story.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins Christian Publisihing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the audio Arc of this book.

I eat everything Vanessa Miller writes up!! This is my third book by her and I could not put it down. The detail in the story made it come to life - it was as if I was watching a movie, or I was actually in the story.

Books like this are why I read like I do! I want new information, to be delighted by surprise and to know that sometime, somewhere right triumphed. . .for a moment or two, the heavens rolled open and poured out weighty approbation. . .it happened - really happened - for Louella Bobo Montgomery aka The American Queen .

I am so pleased that my time here didn't pass without me hearing and learning this story, based on true happenings that "history" forgot. Fortunately for us, there was a Ms. Patton who made sure her research survived in a corner of a library until the old historians shuffled off, and crews with a better-wiser view recovered it, the planets aligned and pointed to this Author, and Here We Are: I've read it, and recommend it to you, dear Reader, 5+ stars worth. Lucky me, I read (someone taught me!) and listened (technology affords possibility) to this one. Both are excellent formats. Again: Vanessa Miller - thank you for the education and efforts in getting this story out to us, out to me. I'll be thinking about it for a very long time.

You'll find yourself reading a hard story, a true tale for more than just these characters based on real people - examples of hard times and truths. More than a little guilt is felt for past crimes nationally tolerated. But then these persecuted wayfarers rise phoenix-like, above their challenges and circumstances and find a way, providing a message of hope that never grows old or unnecessary, in any age, era, or generation for every family or individual.

*A sincere thank you to Vanessa Miller, Thomas Nelson--Fiction, HarperCollins Christian Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheAmericanQueen #NetGalley

This is an amazing book. I finished this audiobook in two days. It was well read and engaging.

This story went from being enslaved to owning their own land. The people of Happy Land worked together as though they were all family to keep everything moving to have a life of their own.

I love Louella. She was a woman that you didn't want to play with. Very strong, spoke her mind when it was needed and stood on business.

William (King) and Louella (Queen) worked well together as a team. Don't get me wrong, they had their disagreements, but who doesn't.

Robert, Robert, Robert! He was all about helping himself.

All in all, I feel that everyone should read this book. I can honestly say that I learned a few things.

I have no words. This is my first time reading a story like this with so many details. It was amazing. Actually, it was an honour to read it. And to think these were true events that happened is all the more outstanding. The author did a stellar job with this book. I enjoyed the story immensely.

Louella was a force to be recokned with. Her strength and grit despite slavery was so inspiring. Her mind was as strong as the Oaks she hated, but in the end, she became an “oak” for her people. I loved reading about the people of the happy land. They lived for each other. They were their brother’s keeper.

I was touched by the sacrifice of a few for the good of many. I saw the themes of faith in God in the most difficult situations.

King Williams, with a few words but more of lifestyle, converted his wife to a life of faith in God and positivity.

I listened to the audio version of the book, and the narrator did a fantastic job. It’s really wonderful. She brought so much colour to the book. I enjoyed her narration.

I received a copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion.

What a story. The best way to sum this up for me is : authentic, heartbreaking and beautiful all rolled into one.

"For sure and true".

I picked this up on a whim the day I did and got so invested that I couldn't put it down. Don't you love when that happens?

I loved the determination of our main character Louella- she was fierce and a force to be reckoned with in the best way, the love depicted within here and the community aspect of it all as we embark on a journey in history that was rough, following people being freed from the plantation and led to a new place in hopes of being truly free from fear. They even pick out new names to mark this day and that entire scene - so incredibly impactful.

The American Queen encompasses to much within the pages- you'' find familial struggles, betrayal, confusion, the notion of passing & what that looks like /how it impacts others, sickness, love, friendship-- just so many emotions and events as one would expect throughout this time and it was explored wonderfully. You truly got a sense of what was going on, how the characters reconciled with things and nothing was included in here just to be there.

As a believer, I felt the faith within here was AMAZING. It showed true struggles of faith and I loved seeing Luella grapple with things but just kept on keeping on and watching her preacher husband who never wavered in his faith which in turn encouraged hers. One (of the many) quotes I loved was "She loved God and that was that. She didn't understand the God she sang about and doubted she ever would...her husband had showed her his love for God even when he couldn't trace him so she had learned to say Hallelujah anyhow." Yes. We must sing Hallelujah anyhow. He is always there even when we don't feel or see him in the way we want or how we think we should. So powerful.

I can gush about this for a while - but I am so grateful Vanessa Miller shared this piece of history with the world and she did so in such a genuine way that hits you in ways you don't expect. It caused me to read more about this & I was able to have many conversations due to it and when books can do that- that's another level. And yes, I did cry, so get tissues ready because you just don't know when it'll hit but phew- it will.

I finished this a while ago now (I'm writing this review in June and I read this in May) and am still thinking about it. I highly encourage you to check this one out.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced listening copy of this story. All opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!! I just finished an amazing historical fiction titled, The American Queen by Vanessa Miller, and I have experienced a range of emotions.

This book is based on true events, about Louella and William Montgomery-formerly enslaved people, left Mississippi to find a place away from William’s biological father (slave owner) plantation that would allow them to truly be free and live happy.

This book is rich with history of several families plight to escape lynchings, deaths, and living the life of slaves though slavery had ended 😳. Louella and William found a place that they called “The Kingdom of the Happy Land” where they ruled and led the people thru a communal and family concept. Trying to find a place to call home when there were still white men that refused to regard them as free, made their journey tumultuous, and scary. But having faith, knowing God, gave them the grit to journey on.
Reading this book upset me10 times over as I was reminded how Blacks were treated as slaves and after. This book also brought me so much joy as I learned about the first recorded Queen in America who was a Black woman. I loved the use of herbs for medicine (bcuz that’s my flex), and totally enjoyed the consistent evidence of faith, they relying of scripture (another flex). The author did a tremendous job with researching and retelling the documented story about these people, and creating space in literature for such a heartwrenching breathtaking story.

This is a must read!!!! This is most definitely 5-star book. Vanessa Miller did a fantastic job with this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Vanessa Miller, and Harpers Collins Christian Publishing - Thomas Nelson Imprint for providing me an ARC, ALC copies of this book for my honest review.