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SUGAR TIME
What if you got one last chance at both love and success but getting one meant giving up the other? That's the kind of choice a woman makes one way when she's still young - when more of the future is before her than behind her - but when she's Sugar Kane's age (between her first issue of Modern Maturity and her first Social Security check - what to do is much harder to decide than it was back when she believed she could have it all. Sugar hasn't had a hit TV series in years, but now she's older, wiser, and ready to prove she can still deliver. When she meets Alex Carroll, she starts to believe that maybe having everything is possible after all. Then she faces a crisis that threatens everything she holds dear, including her life. A smart, funny, resonant novel about love, sex, money, work, family and friendship by best-selling self-help write rand psychologist Jane Adams.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 28, 2016
"I was watching a Seinfeld re-run and picking at some leftover kung pao chicken when an octopus curled its tentacles around my midsection and squeezed."
This is how Charlotte 'Sugar' Kane, a wordly-wise (and wise-cracking) New York writer who hasn't had a hit TV show for 20 years, describes the pain of her first angina attack. She is told by her doctor to take it easy and avoid stress, around the same time as her agent tells her that her new story has got the go-ahead for a pilot show. Sugar as 'a woman of a certain age' feels that time is slipping away from her and she really needs this job to pay the bills.
I think this exchange between the doctor and Sugar is one of the funniest in the book.
Doctor speaks first
"Eat lots of fatty foods? Besides the kung pao chicken, that is."
"Hardly ever." Not if you didn't count pizza, pasta alfredo, and Krispy Cremes. "You know, the French, who eat a lot of fat, have fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans." I told him.
"You don't say. Do you drink?"
"Just red wine occasionally, with dinner. Italians, who drink excessive amounts of red wine, also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans."
"Your point being?"
"You might as well eat and drink what you like. It's speaking English that kills you."
Well, it made me chuckle anyway! A lot of Sugar's dialogue was made up of fast and funny quips like that.
While Sugar tries to ignore her heart condition, she doesn't tell even her closest friends, she moves across the country to the studios in Los Angeles, and gets an even bigger shock when she discovers that her younger assistant is trying to take over her role for herself. She feels that she has to work even harder and longer to justify her position.
She then meets and falls for Alex, a wealthy man who owns a prosperous company ............ and he is also keeping a secret.
This is a book I enjoyed reading, it kept my interest throughout and I could believe in all the characters, especially Sugar, she was likeable and frantic as she knew this was her last chance to make a name for herself in TV and didn't want anyone to take that away from her.
If you like reading about women over 50 then another book I would recommend would be Beachcombing by Maggie Dana.
This is how Charlotte 'Sugar' Kane, a wordly-wise (and wise-cracking) New York writer who hasn't had a hit TV show for 20 years, describes the pain of her first angina attack. She is told by her doctor to take it easy and avoid stress, around the same time as her agent tells her that her new story has got the go-ahead for a pilot show. Sugar as 'a woman of a certain age' feels that time is slipping away from her and she really needs this job to pay the bills.
I think this exchange between the doctor and Sugar is one of the funniest in the book.
Doctor speaks first
"Eat lots of fatty foods? Besides the kung pao chicken, that is."
"Hardly ever." Not if you didn't count pizza, pasta alfredo, and Krispy Cremes. "You know, the French, who eat a lot of fat, have fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans." I told him.
"You don't say. Do you drink?"
"Just red wine occasionally, with dinner. Italians, who drink excessive amounts of red wine, also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans."
"Your point being?"
"You might as well eat and drink what you like. It's speaking English that kills you."
Well, it made me chuckle anyway! A lot of Sugar's dialogue was made up of fast and funny quips like that.
While Sugar tries to ignore her heart condition, she doesn't tell even her closest friends, she moves across the country to the studios in Los Angeles, and gets an even bigger shock when she discovers that her younger assistant is trying to take over her role for herself. She feels that she has to work even harder and longer to justify her position.
She then meets and falls for Alex, a wealthy man who owns a prosperous company ............ and he is also keeping a secret.
This is a book I enjoyed reading, it kept my interest throughout and I could believe in all the characters, especially Sugar, she was likeable and frantic as she knew this was her last chance to make a name for herself in TV and didn't want anyone to take that away from her.
If you like reading about women over 50 then another book I would recommend would be Beachcombing by Maggie Dana.
February 13, 2010
Sugar Time by Jane Adams is the story of an actress over the age of 50 who is on the verge of a comeback if her television script is picked up. She's also helping her son and daughter-in-law with their new baby. And she's worried about her health.
Sugar Time by Jane Adams opens with a wonderful visual of an octopus squeezing the life out of Charlotte "Sugar" Kane. It ends up being angina and a wake up call to take charge of her life and her health if she wishes to live long enough to see her career relaunched and the birth of her first grandchild. The octopus makes a few more cursory appearances but isn't developed into the robust motif and metaphor he should have been.
The octopus should have been on the cover. There is an octopus at the start of each chapter which serves at reminder of how much stronger Sugar Time could have been. There's a lot to this novel that felt like a series of original but undeveloped ideas.
Having an older protagonist is refreshing but she never gets a chance to prove she's been in the business as long as we're supposed to believe. There are a few throw away lines sprinkled throughout the book but no truly memorable scenes that I can point to as a concrete example.
Behind the scenes plots can be fascinating and humorous portrayals of the madness that is Hollywood. Instead of putting a personal spin on the television part of the industry, Sugar's days mostly show the drudgery. If this is television, why does she love it so?
I received the book for review from the author and have since released it through BookCrossing.
Sugar Time by Jane Adams opens with a wonderful visual of an octopus squeezing the life out of Charlotte "Sugar" Kane. It ends up being angina and a wake up call to take charge of her life and her health if she wishes to live long enough to see her career relaunched and the birth of her first grandchild. The octopus makes a few more cursory appearances but isn't developed into the robust motif and metaphor he should have been.
The octopus should have been on the cover. There is an octopus at the start of each chapter which serves at reminder of how much stronger Sugar Time could have been. There's a lot to this novel that felt like a series of original but undeveloped ideas.
Having an older protagonist is refreshing but she never gets a chance to prove she's been in the business as long as we're supposed to believe. There are a few throw away lines sprinkled throughout the book but no truly memorable scenes that I can point to as a concrete example.
Behind the scenes plots can be fascinating and humorous portrayals of the madness that is Hollywood. Instead of putting a personal spin on the television part of the industry, Sugar's days mostly show the drudgery. If this is television, why does she love it so?
I received the book for review from the author and have since released it through BookCrossing.
August 3, 2009
Charlotte "Sugar" Kane is on the verge of making a comeback. It has been years since she last produced a hit television show. Unfortunately life hands her an unexpected surprise. She ends up in the hospital with a medical condition that if not treated properly could kill Sugar.
It is not easy being in your middle fifties, especially when you are a woman in Hollywood. That's why Sugar won't let this speed bump stop her from her dream once again. Besides Sugar's assistant would be more than happy to swoop in and steal Sugar's idea. That is why Sugar decides to keep her medical condition a secret from everyone she loves.
Sugar meets the most amazing man..his name is Alex Carroll. Alex and Sugar first met in the nursery wing of the hospital. Sugar and Alex share chemistry together. How long will Sugar be able to keep her condition a secret from Alex. Also how will Sugar react when she learns that Alex also has a secret?
I liked the fact that these characters were real people that readers could relate too. Though expect for the two main characters, everyone else were a little self-absorbed. Sugar had to deal with getting older. Her and Alex made a perfect couple together. Alex is such a gentleman. He allowed Sugar to deal with her problems but also showed her that life is too short not to live it like it was your last. As much as I enjoyed this book, towards the end of the story, my interest started to falter and I couldn't get engaged again. For anyone who is looking for a quick read with good characters then give Sugar Time a try.
It is not easy being in your middle fifties, especially when you are a woman in Hollywood. That's why Sugar won't let this speed bump stop her from her dream once again. Besides Sugar's assistant would be more than happy to swoop in and steal Sugar's idea. That is why Sugar decides to keep her medical condition a secret from everyone she loves.
Sugar meets the most amazing man..his name is Alex Carroll. Alex and Sugar first met in the nursery wing of the hospital. Sugar and Alex share chemistry together. How long will Sugar be able to keep her condition a secret from Alex. Also how will Sugar react when she learns that Alex also has a secret?
I liked the fact that these characters were real people that readers could relate too. Though expect for the two main characters, everyone else were a little self-absorbed. Sugar had to deal with getting older. Her and Alex made a perfect couple together. Alex is such a gentleman. He allowed Sugar to deal with her problems but also showed her that life is too short not to live it like it was your last. As much as I enjoyed this book, towards the end of the story, my interest started to falter and I couldn't get engaged again. For anyone who is looking for a quick read with good characters then give Sugar Time a try.
July 20, 2009
This is one of those books that I started to read as soon as I got it home and didn't stop until I was finished. I absolutely love Chick Lit but I find myself becoming bored with what is offered. Maybe it is because I am not in my thirties any more -- heck, I am almost out of my forties now, so after reading the description of this book I knew I had to read it. It is so wonderful that authors are writing stories about "older" women.
The one liners in this book are worth the price of admission. There are no wasted words as well which get the point across without being bombarded with a thousand details that don't add to the story. All of the characters have life and you truly wouldn't mind having them as a friend.
I also wouldn't mind a sequel to this one as well....just to make sure everyone does live happily ever after. I highly recommend this one!
The one liners in this book are worth the price of admission. There are no wasted words as well which get the point across without being bombarded with a thousand details that don't add to the story. All of the characters have life and you truly wouldn't mind having them as a friend.
I also wouldn't mind a sequel to this one as well....just to make sure everyone does live happily ever after. I highly recommend this one!
August 14, 2009
Not my thing. The book's main character, Sugar Kane, is a sassy, spry, Jewish firecracker who is a Television writer/producer. Now, just using the word "spry" should tell you that this lady has been around the block a few times, dropping names from the movie business, the television business, and even publishing. All the makings of a great character are there, I just felt the storyline fell flat. Call me a prude, but the language was a little too crass for my taste, as were the sex scenes. Hey, but that's just me. All in all, it was just an ok book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews