The American Queen, by Vanessa Miller, is based on the life of Luella Montgomery. A former slave in Mississippi, she married another slave, sired by the plantation master. After the War Between the States, they moved a group of people to a new land to build a community where everyone was to serve each other. Luella and her husband were named the King and Queen of Happy Land. Luella was strong, determined, and carried the weight of the community on her shoulders. It was her dream to build a place where emancipated people could do more than survive, a place where they could thrive.

Luella Montgomery is hardly known outside the area of Hendersonville, Greenville, and Spartanburg on the North and South Carolinas border. She is a woman we should know. This is a compelling story of dreams, sacrifice, and love for others. Luella is the only queen in American History. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Inspired by the amazing true story of the Kingdom of the Happy Land, THE AMERICAN QUEEN details the story of Louella and William Montgomery and their people. Formerly enslaved and burning with a fire for justice, Louella convinces her reverend husband and a group of 50 people to leave Mississippi and move towards the freedom of the north. Along the road, their numbers swell to over 200 before they finally find their promised land on the North and South Carolina border. There, the couple and their followers work the land and in the surrounding towns until a flourishing kingdom is established with the motto "One for all and all for one".

Miller did a a wonderful job of bringing this story to light-- her commitment to accuracy and passion for the narrative of the Happy Land shines through her storytelling. THE AMERICAN QUEEN is a wonderful piece of Christian Historical Fiction that showcase's a little known, inspirational part of American history.

I didn't realize going in that this was a true story. What an incredible life these people lived in such a dark time in history. The story telling itself read a bit like a legend and of course because of the times and culture there was a lot of religious language intertwined. Not a style I normally gravitate towards but I'm happy to have read the Queen's story.

The American Queen
by Vanessa Miller
Pub Date: January 30, 2024
Thomas Nelson Fiction
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I requested this book and was eager to read it after being approved.
The American Queen located in the historical fiction category piqued my curiosity with an immediacy that required satisfaction. The story is about the life of Louella Montgomery, former slave turned Queen of Happy Land.
Excellent book! Highly recommend.

I loved this book! The American Queen follows a group of former slaves on a quest for freedom and a place they can call home. Louella Montgomery, alongside her husband William and fellow companions, emerges as a true visionary in leading her people to the Happy Land. The characters are deeply relatable, and the story evokes a range of emotions—from joy to sorrow—capturing the essence of their journey. Be prepared for an emotional ride; tissues might come in handy. Vanessa Miller's author notes add an intriguing layer, revealing the inspiration behind the narrative. Her skilful writing makes this a standout piece, and I highly recommend it. I eagerly anticipate diving into more of Miller's works in the future. Overall I gave this book a 4.25 star

This book...I loved it. Louella's story had me feeling so many emotions. It brought me to tears at times. Vanessa Miller did a wonderful job writing The American Queen and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, or read another book by her.

The American Queen by Vanessa Miller is a beautifully written historical fiction story.
Woah, TAQ is a powerful yet emotional read and I found myself a couple of times with tears in my eyes.
It’s been a hit minute since a novel has done that. But wow this story sure did.

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Once I got into this book, I could not put it down. Given that the current climate is either rewriting or erasing African-American history, this is one of the most important works of our time. It is a story of perseverance and overcoming despite all the hardships that were presented to recently freed enslaved people. To know that people who were born enslaved built a community of over 500 families blew me away. The amount of research the author did (included in the Author’s Note) was phenomenal and reminded me why I loved Yellow Wife. I loved Louella so much. She is the epitome of “men are the head but women are the neck and we can turn the head any way we want”. While both she and William are the king and queen, she is the true leader of this kingdom. Learning that this was based on a true story has me wanting to visit South Carolina and pay respect to Happy Land.

If you liked Yellow Wife, Carolina Built, The Personal Librarian, or The Great Mrs Elias, I highly recommend you read this one and learn about Queen Louella. It is another hidden secret of African-American History that everyone should know and celebrate. You can’t call yourself an ally or advocate and not want to celebrate this beautiful fictionalized history of African Americans.

Inspired by true events, The American Queen, focused on Louella Bobo Montgomery and her journey with other recently emancipated slaves from a Mississippi plantation to Queendom in “Happy Land” near Henderson, North Carolina. The book tells the story about a group of people who started out as slaves who wanted to be free. Once they became free, they started a journey to find a place they could call their own. Louella Montgomery was a true visionary who helped lead her people along with her husband, William, and others to the Happy Land. My emotions were all over the place in this book! I enjoyed the read. #netgalley #theamericanqueen

I absolutely loved The American Queen. Vanessa Miller brings to like a piece of African American history that has been hidden for decades. I found the story of Queen Louella Montgomery an emotional read that was riveting, fascinating and inspiring. Ms. Miller takes read error a journey of grit, as William and Louella take a trek from Mississippi to the Kingdom of Happy Land. Fellow readers I experienced the emotions of sorrow and joy in this great book written by one of my favorite authors, Vanessa Miller. Kudos on a well written story.

The American Queen covers a small segment of the Reconstruction period immediately following the Civil War that I didn't know existed. A group of recently emancipated enslaved people left Mississippi in search of a new and safe home. They created Happy Land, a site that straddled North and South Carolina. This is the incredible fictionalized story of their founder and queen, Louella Montgomery. I had never heard about this part of American history so this story did make me curious to dig deeper into Happy Land. While the underlying story of Louella Montgomery and others who lived or were connected to Happy Land is extraordinary, the depiction of the characters in the book felt a bit flat for me. Although this isn't a YA book, there was something in the writing style that seemed to overly simplify this decades-long story and the emotions and perspectives of the characters. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the e-ARC.

The American Queen by Vanessa Miller, I did not think a book could pissed me off one minute, bring tears to my eyes the next, piss me off again and finally let me cry and grieve for all that was lost, destroyed, tricked, beaten and how they survived moving from a slave planation thru North and South Carolina, with little food and surrounded by hateful people to finally their “Happy Place” and for Louella and her husband to become King and Queen to a place where African Americans were treated like humans. I admire Vanessa Miller's for the research she did on this book. I understand that the political feeling of the day is to hide or lie about the truth, but it’s authors like Vanessa Miller that will never let it go and it’s booksellers like me who will not allow anyone to hide my black history. In conclusion, the character, Louella was heroic, with a determined Spirit, and fearless, just like Ms. Miller. There are not enough words to describe going from hated to a joyful and God loving spirit, but Ms. Miller did just that.

Once I got into this book, I could not put it down. Given that the current climate is either rewriting or erasing African American history, this is one of the most important works of our time. It is a story of perseverance and overcoming in spite of all the hardships that were presented to recently freed enslaved people. To know that people that were born enslaved built a community of over 500 families blew me a way. The amount of research the author did (included in the Author’s Note) was phenomenal and reminded me why I loved Yellow Wife. I loved Louella so much. She is the epitome of “men are the head but women are the neck and we can turn the head any way we want”. While both her and William are the king and queen, she is really the true leader of this kingdom. Learning that this was based on a true story has me wanting to visit South Carolina and pay respect to Happy Land.

If you liked Yellow Wife, Carolina Built, The Personal Librarian or The Great Mrs Elias, I highly recommend you read this one and learn about Queen Louella. It is another hidden secret of African American History that everyone should know and celebrate. You can’t call yourself an ally or advocate and not want to celebrate this beautiful fictionalized history of African Americans.

SN: this book does not include the graphic violence of Yellow Wife

Inspired by true events, The American Queen, focused on Louella Bobo Montgomery and her journey with other recently emancipated slaves from a Mississippi plantation to Queendom in “Happy Land” near Henderson, North Carolina. Happy Land (the actual name for their safe haven) was their dream carved from rural, untamed wilderness with backbreaking labor in exchange for ownership. It embodied an “one for all, all for one” edict in a family-oriented cooperative setting where all resources, work, and food was shared and money was pooled to support the needs of the greater community. They thrived and life was great for a while, until it wasn’t. Things fell apart largely due to broken, bitter, and racist white Southerners, defeated and impoverished in the aftermath of the Civil War. Envy, greed, and desperation set their sights on the newly cleared and cultivated land – and one can surmise what happens in relatively short order. Over time, acreage was abandoned and lost for various reasons – families relocated for work, nonpayment of taxes, and legal challenges over deeds and disputes regarding (Black) land ownership.

The book is simple storytelling making it a quick read. For those familiar with the genre – nothing new is presented within the enslaved experience; that is, outside of the mention/creation of Happy Land being a relatively obscure freedman’s haven lost to many and rarely/barely mentioned in history books, so I learned about its existence and that’s a good thing.

Note: The “King” is a pastor and the many of the main characters are devout Christians, including Queen Louella, so be prepared for a lot of Biblical scripture quotes, calling on God for faith-based decisions, Negro spiritual references, and praying.

Thanks to the publisher Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Netgalley for the opportunity to review.

The American Queen by Vanessa Miller caught my eye because it brought up a historical figure I knew nothing about in the time of Reconstruction. The last few years, I've really been interested in the years immediately after the Civil War, as the politics and actions taken by those in power in the years following the Civil War still reverberate today and we can see their impact. I also love to read the stories of those who have been previously overlooked in "mainstream" history, as so much of what is taught in the United States (and written about in popular fiction and nonfiction) are the same popular characters of those who held power, not those of people such as enslaved and formerly enslaved women.

The novel starts with Louella and what remains of her family on the plantation in they had been enslaved before emancipation. We follow her story and the horrors she and the rest of her group experience as they try to find a place of freedom. Based on a true story, we learn about the difficulties (an understatement), they experience establishing their new home, the things they have to take into consideration just to own land, and how they build community. The legal ownership piece really stuck with me on how much chess Louella had to play to try to first purchase land and then to keep the land in their possession. The community that Louella creates and grows is a huge testament to her as a person, and a vision as to how things could have been for so many had Reconstruction not gone backwards the way it did. Louella's sheer perseverance and determination made better lives for so many, that this story should be more widely known and I'm glad this American Queen is getting a wider audience. The prose of this story is a different style than I'm normally used to, but it makes for it's own unique reading as you get to know the characters. The history and interpretation really lend to the overall rating of the book, and I really recommend this to readers to learn about a chapter in history that has been largely overlooked if not intentionally squashed. Who knows how many other stories are out there, untold, because they don't fit a popular narrative or undermine the power dynamics people rely on.

Please be advised I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Readers Copy of this novel.

Absolutely mesmerizing and brilliantly researched. I learned about a part of history I had never heard of before. Kudos to Miller for carefully excavating this "needs to be told" story of an amazing woman and her amazing community.

I could tell that Miller is fascinated by this research and as in awe of this breathless story as I was... it comes across on every page.

This was an amazing story. The amount of trauma that that these people went through is unbelievable. I can’t imagine walking from Mississippi to South Carolina in search of belonging and true freedom. But they had to deal with so much to make it.
Louella was something else. Very strong willed. She definitely has the heart for the people with a touch of stubbornness as well. A lot of times she didn’t want to listen to what her husband was saying but he has the patience to deal with her.
William was a man of faith who looked out for all of their followers. He kept being positive even when he should have been more cautious. He kept seeing the good in that brother of his and that truly irked me.
Robert was a selfish man. He got a little redemption however he was the cause of a lot of their turmoil in the end. And I truly hated that. These people worked hard to build their homes and be there for one another for some men to come up and try to take the land from them. I truly hated that but understand that is how things are. Even today. They will do all they can to take.
Overall I enjoyed this story. Glad to have learned about this being that I am a North Carolinian.

This story isn't an easy fiction read. It comes from a place when horrible atrocities took place to people. It's a book that needs to be read though as the reader can learn about the strength of the people who lived in Happy Land. William and Louella led their people through extremely trying times and sought the Lord first throughout it all. Mama Sue was another great character with her steady presence in the background to the leading characters. To learn that William and Louella were "real people" made the story even more endearing.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

It's been awhile since I read a 5 star book...but I think that this book deserves it. No it isn't like some of my other 5 star books, but I really can't take any stars away from this one.

The American Queen explores a rarely known REAL place from history in North Carolina on the border with South Carolina called Happy Land. It was established by newly emancipated slaves and created to be a refuge for all slaves who would come. In the book, the policy of the leaders for the land was simple--contribute something and you will be taken care of because (in the words from 3 Musketeers) "All for One and One for all!" Regardless of your age, infirmity, or capabilities, you will share in the blessings equally. This was created because of their inhumane and debase experiences as slaves for cruel masters. Being able to own something for themselves and to better themselves how THEY desired must be experienced. We obviously see it as socialism and the author discusses that aspect in the author notes at the end. And highly recommend reading the notes about where the story came from and details about what was real in the telling.

This is a Christian Fiction book and there are so many aspects of faith. Faith when nothing good is happening. Faith in the midst of cruelty. Faith in the good when all around you is the bad. Questioning the purpose God has. Questioning who He even is when all around you is pain and suffering and evil. I don't care who you are--if you are a Christian you've experienced at least some of these questions in your journey of faith.

Some quotes I noted from the book:
<blockquote>"If God wanted them to see goodness, then why so much pain? Where was God in her darkest of hours? All these things were her inward thoughts, but she did not--would not--say any of it out loud. She lifted her face to the heavens, silently telling God, I need answers...I am undone. My heart is heavy with grief."</blockquote>

I mean. Wow. I know there are so many out there who could have said this themselves in their darkest time. So so many. Louella will speak the heart of so many men and women out there.

<blockquote>"There were so many days that Louella had wondered if God was listening or if she was praying in vain. She had no way of knowing how or why God answered some prayers and left others hanging out in the wind. Even so, she had learned to bless God through it all and wait on the miracles He sent her way."</blockquote>

Honestly--this one is definitely one that I've pondered myself.

And I loved this advice from the lead character's best friend...
<blockquote>"the truth is, everything didn't go the way you planned it, but life can still be good..."</blockquote>

So. Much. yes.

This book had very very hard spots to read since it was trying to capture the inhuman way that the slaves were treated. You will wince. You will be ashamed of humanity. And you will marvel at the attitudes of the faithful who never gave up on God.

I highly recommend this book.

5 Stars.

**I received this book as an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.

A Happy Land rises from oppression in this inspiring historical novel

This is a fictionalized account of the true story of Louella Bobo Montgomery. She was born into slavery on a cotton plantation in Mississippi, emancipated after the Civil War, and the co-founder, with her husband William, of a free and entirely self-sufficient community of formerly enslaved people in the Appalachian Mountains on the border between North and South Carolina. The Happy Land was established in 1869 on acres of the former Oakland Plantation that the people cleared and purchased from the owner. The plantation’s former slaves quarters were located on that section of land.

Many of the facts of Louella’s life are heartbreaking, and difficult to read about. She and her family were the victims of senseless and ceaseless brutality for decades at the hands of the White slaveowners, and this treatment continued beyond the emancipation as the former slaves were uneducated, lived in abject poverty with no means of earning an income, and under constant threat of violence due to widespread, unapologetic racism. But Louella and William were resilient and refused to accept that Black people could not have better lives. They were so courageous and charismatic that they inspired over 200 people to join them on a journey of faith across the South (largely on foot) to find a refuge of peace and safety.

The story of the American Queen is one of inspiration, hope, family, and faith. It is so clear that this project was an absolute labor of love for the author, and the depth of her research so that she could give a voice to the Happy Landers is apparent throughout the novel. One of the things that I really enjoyed was her straightforward writing style. The third-person narrator was direct and mirrored the tone of the colloquial speech patterns of her characters. As a result, the prose never condescended to or patronized the characters.

While the pacing of the novel was uneven in places, the importance and the need for this story in the world outweighs any negative criticisms.

This was one of my favorite quotes:

“'It used to scare me the way you speak your mind, but lately I’ve been thinking that the good Lord must’ve put you on this earth to help those who can’t help themselves.'”

Her grandmother then laid down on her pallet on the opposite side of the fire, as if she hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary, but she’d said a mouthful. All her life Louella had been told to shut her mouth, mind her manners, and stop being so insolent. When all she ever wanted was to be heard. To be seen as more than some no-count enslaved girl. Her grandmother’s words blessed her very soul."

Thank you, Vanessa. My soul was blessed from reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.