Happy Land
A woman learns the incredible story of a real-life American Kingdomโand her familyโs ties to itโin this enthralling novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning author of Take My Hand.
As featured in The Washington Post โ People โ Harper's Bazaar โ NPR โ TODAY โ ELLE โ PopSugar โ Reader's Digest โ SheReads โ Womanโs World โ Real Simple โ BookBrowse โ and more!
Nikki hasnโt seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, sheโs determined to learn the truth while she still can.
But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.
It sounds like the makings of a fairy taleโroyalty among a community of freed people. But the more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her familyโs secrets are wrapped up in these hills. Because this land is their legacy, and it will be up to her to protect it before it, like so much else, is stolen away.
Inspired by true events, Happy Land is a transporting multi-generational novel about the stories that shape us and the dazzling courage it takes to dream.
As featured in The Washington Post โ People โ Harper's Bazaar โ NPR โ TODAY โ ELLE โ PopSugar โ Reader's Digest โ SheReads โ Womanโs World โ Real Simple โ BookBrowse โ and more!
Nikki hasnโt seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, sheโs determined to learn the truth while she still can.
But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.
It sounds like the makings of a fairy taleโroyalty among a community of freed people. But the more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her familyโs secrets are wrapped up in these hills. Because this land is their legacy, and it will be up to her to protect it before it, like so much else, is stolen away.
Inspired by true events, Happy Land is a transporting multi-generational novel about the stories that shape us and the dazzling courage it takes to dream.
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Community Reviews
Happy Land was a fantastic story that immediately drew me in. The writing carried a sense of elegance that made me feel like royalty as I turned each page. Beyond the beauty of the storytelling, it sparked a deeper curiosity in me about my own history and heritage. This book wasnโt just entertaining, it was inspiring. It reminded me how powerful stories can be in connecting us to the past while empowering us in the present.
This is both a wonderful work of historical fiction and a coming of age story. I loved learning about Happy Land and following this story of a family finding their way back to each other and the land that sustained their ancestors.
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is a remarkable novel. Perkins Valdez ability to weave this narrative between a century of time yet not lose her reader is exceptional. Her primary storytellers are imbued with a strength and depth of love that is formidable.
๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฌ:
* Robert Montgomery - He broke my heart; and healed it.
* Mr. Weaver - ๐คฌ
* Chapter 36 - Brought me to tears and filled my heart with a sorrowful heaviness. Not because Perkins-Valdez makes some unbelievable disclosures, quite the contrary, it is because this type of harm against Black people is not only a truism, but it continues ๐ก๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฆ! I had to put the book down at the end of this chapter and gather myself.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ:
* Learning about Heir Property and, I am now on a quest to learn more.
* The strength of the women.
* The ease of her writing
* DPV is an amazing storyteller - wow!
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ:
๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐
i is my very first Perkins-Valdez novel. Iโve already recommended it and am excited to read more.
This is another of those novels that you simply will not want to put it down. I began it last night and finished it this eveningโsurprising myself!
Thank you Perkins-Valdez - what a great novel. Indeed one I can read more than once.
I really enjoyed reading book. The historical facts alone made it a must read. Also because I live in Virginia and you never heard much about "Black Mountain" people. I love how it went back and forth between present day and the 1800s. It really had me appreciating the land I inherited. Since I am an only child and have no children it has me thinking who will I pass it down to, how will I discover who has appreciation for it and treat it well so the land can treat them well.
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