Feature Friday

Thank you WilliamMorrow Books for this gifted copy.

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 is the tale of a remarkable Black woman of history—a canny and bold survivor who chooses the fire and ideals of political struggle, and then is forced to rebuild her life on her own terms, forever a queen.

𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘙𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪’𝘴 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦-𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘦𝘳𝘢.

The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.

In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indifference from former allies in Britain and the new United States. Louise desperately tries to steer the country’s political course as King Henry descends into a mire of mental illness.

In 1820, King Henry is overthrown and dies by his own hand. Louise and her daughters manage to flee to Europe with their smuggled jewels. In exile, the resilient Louise redefines her role, recovering the fortune that Henry had lost and establishing herself as an equal to the kings of European nations. With newspapers and gossip tracking their every movement, Louise and her daughters tour Europe like other royals, complete with glittering balls and princes with marriage proposals. As they find their footing—and acceptance—they discover more about themselves, their Blackness, and the opportunities they can grasp in a European and male-dominated world.

💬 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆?