I received the book a few days ago and have just finished Part One. Hope to finish it this weekend, because it’s a Page Turner that I wish I could read the book in one day from from beginning to end! Great pacing, characters, setting, plot, conflict, theme, point of view, tone and style.
Welcome Kathleen, glad you joined BookBrowse—the best place to read and discuss good books! I grew up in New England but have lived in North Carolina for many years. What a culture shock — STILL learning about the “peculiar” history of The South.
The American Queen is also an historical fiction book.
But I plan to read it, too — thanks to your preference for Vanessa Miller’s book!
Welcome to BookBrowse! I have the same feeling as you about historical fiction. For a while, I avoided it — felt like authors and/or publishers were cranking out the same old tropes just to make $$$. Happy to recently find books in this genre that aren’t the same old, same old stories!
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I’m so grateful for the clarification @BlueRidgeJeanne I don’t know where I got the idea that this was nonfic. I’m still planning to read it.
The Happy Land was a revelation — I had no idea these communities existed. It speaks to a real gap in how history is taught, even at the university level. Black history is too often framed around suffering and oppression, without equally honoring the extraordinary strength, resilience, and self-determination of the people who built thriving communities like this one entirely on their own terms
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I preferred the Luella portion, but the author did a good job of pulling it together in the end. I felt such sadness for the struggles of Luella and the Kingdom to hang on to their land against the modern struggles of Mother Rita to do the same.
I really enjoyed Happy Land! I could have happily read a whole book about the Luella and the building of the Kingdom. I did appreciate how the modern day story with Nikki shows how we are still impacted by what happened to our ancestors today.
Thanks, I’ve just put the book on hold from the library
The story pulled me in from the first pages and held me to the end. The dual timelines worked great, enhancing both storylines. I learned about a new part of history and did so in an enjoyable and engaging way.
I had Happy Land on my library hold list for quite a while so I was “happy” to be gifted a copy by BookBrowse so I would finally read it. I enjoyed the book. I did find it drawn out a bit but still an interesting read. I definitely learned about a place I had not heard of before. Mother Rita reminded me of my mother. They both lived in a rural area (my mother in Virginia); they both had substantive flower gardens, and they both spent time in the local library. I could be compared to Nikki’s mother in that I didn’t really like the immediate area my mother lived in so I probably didn’t visit as often as she would have liked, but we still had a very positive relationship.
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This was a very nicely told story over a dual timeline that was easy to keep track of. I especially enjoy stories of Black history that doesn’t put all the focus on the “white man”. Even though this book did that a bit, it wasn’t heavily based on that part of the history - it’s nice to learn about other parts of their vast and long history too and to focus on their strength and perserverence instead, and this book did a wonderful job of it.
So far I am really enjoying the book!!! I had received it day before I left on cruise that was work related so didn’t start it till a few hours ago. Sorry I am late to the party!!! 
I really enjoyed this book. This made me look at this time in history a different way.
I enjoyed the book overall, but there were times, especially with Luella, that I had difficulty understanding her decision making. Rather than having convictions, she seemed to be swayed by whoever was with her at the time. Papa provided guidance, but she talked about it and then ignored it. There were times, I literally wanted to shake her and say, “Quit worrying about the man. Grow a spine and do what’s right. To me, getting the reader to invest in a character(s) is a sign of a good author. Learning about Kingdom of Happy Land was enlightening and something that the descendants of its inhabitants should be proud of. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will share it with friends.
I want to know about other “hidden” Black communities. I have always loved the idea of utopias and learning about them within the context of the post reconstruction America is fascinating and makes me want to know more. I also love all books where the hero is curiosity and learning!
I loved the book! I became a huge fan of Dolen Perkins-Valdez when I read Take My Hand, which is another astonishing work of historical fiction that I highly recommend. Both Take My Hand and Happy Land are engrossing, enlightening, and richly emotional stories. Dr. Perkins-Valez’s writing has a cinematic quality while simultaneously creating a sense of intimacy that pulls readers into the narrative. Happy Land was actually inspired by real events which, in light of the what is happening in the U.S., seems too fantastical to be accurate. The beautifully crafted story is illuminating and thought-provoking.
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It was a great book!!! Really enjoyed reading it.
I genuinely loved this book. I found the story captivating. I cared for the different people in the book and their stories. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and plan to read her other book. It was a five star read for me.
Loved it!!! Never knew about these communities. Very interesting, well- written.