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There are currently 16 member reviews
for Happy Land
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Ilene M. (Longmont, CO)
Excellent book!
This is another great story told by the author of Take My Hand. Another historical fiction tale that had me completely engaged. The author's skilled writing made me feel that I was right there with her characters. Bravo!
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Rebecca M. (Gulfport, FL)
Always Learn Something From Historical Fiction
I love a great historical fiction book, especially when I learn a piece of history that I knew nothing about, especially with US history.
This story is told in alternating sections, one is current time with Nikki, as she heads to see her Grandmother, Mother Rita, who she has not seen in many years. Mother Rita has reached out to Nikki as she needs help with something but once Nikki gets there, Mother is not immediately forthcoming with what she needs help with. Nikki pieces things together during her visit & it has to do with multi generational history.
The other section of the story is told from the POV of Luella, a young woman during the Reconstruction era. Her family is now free & a group of them move on to land near the SC/NC border & they form their own "kingdom" called Happy Land.
The old history & new part of the story merge together over time.
There's current family turmoil- 4 generations of women, Mother Rita, her daughter who is Nikki's mom, Nikki & Nikki's daughter. Nikki's mom has never believed the story that has been passed down over generations about this kingdom with a King & Queen, called Happy Land. This causes a rift over many years & Nikki works to find the truth.
A great piece of history that I am sure many of us never heard of before.
Thank you Dolen Perkins-Valdez for researching this & writing this wonderful novel.
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Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)
Interesting story
I thoroughly enjoyed Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. The story kept me interested in finding out how the different situations would be resolved in both stories and when both stories would intertwine. I don't usually like novels that have 2 interconnected stories from 2 different time periods, but I very much enjoyed this novel, and it was easy for me to follow. Learning about what some slaves did after The Emancipation and how this group banned together to protect themselves and take care of each other was amazing. The present day story was intriguing, but I kept wondering why they let their disagreements go on for so long. The legal aspects of real estate in this story was interesting as I didn't realize how intricate it could be. I will be recommending this book to my book club and will read other books by this author.
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Brenda W. (Wilkes Barre, PA)
Emotional read
Happy Land by Ellen Perkins scales is an emotional and wonderful read. It is well written with depth to the characters.
It is a dual timeline story which I love. It goes from the past, how Happy Land came to be and the present.
Mama Rita, the matriarch, is a complex character. Strong ,stubborn and family is important to her.
Her granddaughter, Veronica, who goes by Nikki, comes to visit her grandmother , whom she has not seen in awhile, to try to find out why her mother and her grandmother had a falling out.
The story is a good pick for book clubs. It delves into slavery and the complexities of how slaves were still treated when they were first freed.
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Gail B. (Albuquerque, NM)
A Great Find
Happy Land is based on post-Civil War Reconstruction era freed slaves in South Carolina. These people created their own kingdom in the mountains near Hendersonville, North Carolina. The Montgomery brothers envisioned moving persecuted ex-slaves to their own safe community. William is first King, followed by his brother Robert. But Queen Luella Montgomery emerges as the glue that holds Happy Land together.
Flash ahead to present day, the Lovejoys: Mother Rita has lived in Happy Land for all her years. She contacts her granddaughter Nikki, a realtor in Washington, to visit, learn about her heritage and continue the fight to hold onto Happy Land. As the story develops, we learn the history of the kingdom, written skillfully by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. It's exciting to find a new (to me) author with amazing talent. Happy Land makes me want to search for her earlier works and look forward to future historical novels.
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Liz B. (Dallas, TX)
Wonderful Historical Fiction
Dolen Perkins-Valdez has written another stunning novel in Happy Land. The story follows the Lovejoy family of women as the timeline moves between present day and the time of the Kingdom of the Happy Land. I enjoyed both sides of the story and was especially interested to learn the story is based on actual historical facts. These are strong women who want nothing more than to restore the land of the Kingdom and allow future generations to thrive there. Characters are well-developed and you'll find yourself rooting for them right to the very satisfying end.
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Karen S. (Allston, MA)
Royalty reigned in a corner of North Carolina's Reconstruction
Historical fiction helps me learn about history and events I know very little about. This time I learned about a part of Reconstruction that I had truly never heard about. The story line links the early times and founders of HappyLand in North Carolina, with their modern descendants. The author created a convincing sense of a very separate and protected land, where dreams and royalty reigned. The current event in this book are not protected by the magic of a little known history, and were not as intriguing for me. However, they fit the story and served to unwrap the early days of Happy Land. The struggles, victories, changing relationships, and setbacks for the members of this unique community were interesting throughout the book. I found myself thinking about other attempts to form better communities, and not about the stilted communities that can occur with royalty.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in this era of American history.
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