In Queen of Exiles, Vanessa Riley presents her readers with the full and dramatic life of Marie-Louise Christophe, Haiti’s first and only queen.
With historical depth and great respect for her subject and the time period, Riley offers a story with both historical accuracy and emotional resonance.
Readers are given a personal invitation into Marie-Louise’s inner world, exploring her family and the relational tensions attendant to establishing something new – a royal kingdom in northern Haiti from 1811 to 1820.
This story skips through time, unraveling the narrative of both Henry I and Marie-Louise’s ascensions to the throne and their reigns – with their focus upon education, dignity, and self-determination – as well as Marie-Louise’s years in exile in Europe after Henry’s death.
With no model to follow, Haiti’s queen charts her own course with determination, grace, wisdom, and courage as she strives to define her role as an advocate queen for her people at home. Then, after the kingdom’s fall, she raises her daughters, Améthyste and Athénaire, abroad in England and across Europe as a royal exile.
As a history student and a writer of historical fiction, I was delighted to finally read this important novel. I sat with Vanessa on a panel last summer at the Columbus Book Festival, and her acumen, passion, and devotion to her subject matter immediately impressed me. When I opened the pages of Queen of Exiles, I was immediately swept away by the narrative and by a chapter in history of which I knew little.
Riley’s dedication to her research is extraordinary. She knows the details of Marie-Louise’s life and times so well, yet, more importantly, that research never overpowers her narrative. She keeps Marie-Louise’s dynamic and layered story the focal point, allowing us to come alongside this dynamic queen and experience her work, trials, and loves with depth and intimacy.
Queen of Exiles lingered with me long after the last page, the true sign of a magnificent and compelling read.
Award-winning author Vanessa Riley will be Georgia Writers Museum’s Meet the Author presenter on May 7 at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday for a 7 p.m. start.
The event will include Haitian and Italian hors d’oeuvres, and décor fit for a queen. After her presentation, Riley will sign copies of Queen of Exiles in The Plaza lobby.
To order a copy of the book or purchase tickets ($40), register online at georgiawritersmuseum.org.
-Contributed by Katherine Reay, a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels. Her most recent book is A Shadow in Moscow.