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Sugar Land
Fiction. This is the story of the Smithers sisters -- Kit and Kiki. As children, they performed throughout Texas as the Sugar Babes, but those glory days of county fair stages, adoring fans, and glod lame gowns are long gone. Now Kit and Kiki are grown up. All that remains are the blues these sisters sing as they learn to cope with the vicissitudes of real life: withering marriages, cheating spouses, balloon mortgages, lost opportunities, the demands of motherhood. Heartbreaking and hilarious, SUGARLAND is the story of how two modern goddesses earn their wings by coming to terms with life and death and everything in between. Every character in this novel resonates with life. This talanted author knows how to bring paper-and-ink people to flesh-and-blood fufillment -- Southern Living.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
18 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Joni Rodgers
25 books33 followersNYT bestselling author Joni Rodgers was born into a family of gospel/bluegrass musicians and grew up on stage, opening for huge-haired country music legends of the 60s and 70s. She continued performing until 1994, when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and used the chemo downtime to complete her first two novels, both of which were published to critical acclaim. Joni's memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair (Harper Collins 2001), garnered glowing reviews around the world, was excerpted in Good Housekeeping, condensed by Reader’s Digest, and is still in print after ten years. It also launched Joni's public speaking career and brought her to the attention of celebrities and others who began asking her to help them tell their stories. She's known on both coasts as a ghostwriter, book doctor and memoir guru who applies the fine art of fiction to the creation of well-crafted narrative nonfiction.
Between novels and ghostwriting projects, Joni volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and blogs about books and publishing on "Boxing the Octopus". Married to jet plane mechanic/wine maker Gary Rodgers since 1983, Joni is the proud mother of two fine young adults. She lives in Houston, Texas. Her latest book debuted at #6 on the NYT bestseller list.
“A mix of Moly Ivins' blowsy wit and Anna Quindlen's suburban logic...Rodgers manages the rare literary feat of being funny and painful in one urgent breath.”
~ Entertainment Weekly
Between novels and ghostwriting projects, Joni volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and blogs about books and publishing on "Boxing the Octopus". Married to jet plane mechanic/wine maker Gary Rodgers since 1983, Joni is the proud mother of two fine young adults. She lives in Houston, Texas. Her latest book debuted at #6 on the NYT bestseller list.
“A mix of Moly Ivins' blowsy wit and Anna Quindlen's suburban logic...Rodgers manages the rare literary feat of being funny and painful in one urgent breath.”
~ Entertainment Weekly
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 7, 2012
i've no explanation for why i loved this book so. funny, pathetic, lurid, engaging. it's all there from the double-wide to the baby-daddy dilemma to the wife-beater and the Swedish Lothario. oddly endearing, and exceptionally well-written by an author who doesn't think so much of herself that she can't turn out a read like this. oh the jewels one can find on the "top 100 free" list!
June 6, 2012
Sugarland by Joni Rodgers exemplifies exactly what I'm looking for in a novel from any genre - and yes, you've guessed, I'm not discussing the plot but I am urging you to buy and read it, even if you're an octogenarian named Cyril who has never read anything but Ian Fleming.
February 17, 2012
I wrote the following review for the Spring 1999 MSRRT Newsletter:
It isn't often that the same book can make me break down in sobs and burst into raucous laughter. Sugar Land brought out both of these intense emotions.
This story of two adult sisters dealing with marriage, motherhood, and cheatin' hearts is a long way from my single woman reality, but after reading only a few pages, I felt invested in their lives. As with the best novels, this one has vivid, well-developed characters complete with weaknesses as well as virtues. They love and hate, feud and reconcile, laugh and cry, wound and heal. Often when a character seems understandable, a new twist on the individuals' past or personality is revealed and all assumptions must be abandoned.
Joni Rodgers' use of language captures the richness of Southern thinking and speaking without relying on caricature or stereotype.
Unfortunately, her plot is sometimes implausible. (For example, most battered women are not as fortunate as the protagonist whose abusive husband is whisked away by a tornado.) These few faults are easily forgivable because the book is otherwise so darn good.
The greatest strength of Sugar Land may be its accessibility to women who do not consider themselves feminists. While she shows normal women facing adversities and finding their strength and power, Rodgers never resorts to preaching or rhetoric. These characters may not know feminist theory, but by the end of the story, they are liberated in their actions and provide readers with models for their own change and empowerment. This work is more than an escape into other people's realities, not just a soap opera designed to make readers more content with their own existence. It inspires hope that we can alter our lives in positive ways.
It isn't often that the same book can make me break down in sobs and burst into raucous laughter. Sugar Land brought out both of these intense emotions.
This story of two adult sisters dealing with marriage, motherhood, and cheatin' hearts is a long way from my single woman reality, but after reading only a few pages, I felt invested in their lives. As with the best novels, this one has vivid, well-developed characters complete with weaknesses as well as virtues. They love and hate, feud and reconcile, laugh and cry, wound and heal. Often when a character seems understandable, a new twist on the individuals' past or personality is revealed and all assumptions must be abandoned.
Joni Rodgers' use of language captures the richness of Southern thinking and speaking without relying on caricature or stereotype.
Unfortunately, her plot is sometimes implausible. (For example, most battered women are not as fortunate as the protagonist whose abusive husband is whisked away by a tornado.) These few faults are easily forgivable because the book is otherwise so darn good.
The greatest strength of Sugar Land may be its accessibility to women who do not consider themselves feminists. While she shows normal women facing adversities and finding their strength and power, Rodgers never resorts to preaching or rhetoric. These characters may not know feminist theory, but by the end of the story, they are liberated in their actions and provide readers with models for their own change and empowerment. This work is more than an escape into other people's realities, not just a soap opera designed to make readers more content with their own existence. It inspires hope that we can alter our lives in positive ways.
April 14, 2013
I loved this book--it was much better--deeper, more literary, more metaphorical--than I was expecting.
February 17, 2012
How sad lives can become when people fail to communicate.
August 31, 2017
What an excellent glimpse into mundane lives. What an incredible commentary on deep topics. It's not something I thought I would love, but oh how I did.
October 11, 2013
This modern retelling of the Psyche and Eros myth, is also a realistic look at the life of two sisters. Both were local celebrities (child stars) in Sugarland Texas, a town outside of Houston. When the story begins, both sisters are now housewives, still living in Sugarland. Their marriages are not what they use to be. Though they have very different difficulties in their marriages, both of their marriages are stifling them at this point and they don’t know what to do about it. This is a story of self-discovery and growth. The sisters find out what they are really capable of and what they really want out of life.
The author, Joni Rodgers, was herself a child performer, born into a family of bluegrass/gospel musicians. From those days, she has grown up and gone on to become a New York Times bestselling author. The book, Sugarland, was a PMA Benjamin Franklin Award finalist.
In Sugarland, Joni Rodger shows her skill at writing emotion. She’s crafted an earnest and heartwarming novel, and at times a tear jerker. I cried at parts of the book. The characters are fleshed out and you have to keep reading to find out what happens to them. The story is an emotionally compelling page turner. I highly recommend it.
The author, Joni Rodgers, was herself a child performer, born into a family of bluegrass/gospel musicians. From those days, she has grown up and gone on to become a New York Times bestselling author. The book, Sugarland, was a PMA Benjamin Franklin Award finalist.
In Sugarland, Joni Rodger shows her skill at writing emotion. She’s crafted an earnest and heartwarming novel, and at times a tear jerker. I cried at parts of the book. The characters are fleshed out and you have to keep reading to find out what happens to them. The story is an emotionally compelling page turner. I highly recommend it.
March 9, 2008
This was one of the better books I've read of late. One of the reviews on the back compares it to "the best country music," and I can think of no better way to describe the feel of this story. Our two protagonists were very believable and easy to relate. Many of the characters were full of surprises. A great book about wanting what you've got and simultaneously not settling for less than you deserve.
September 6, 2008
another winner with great vivid characters from Joni Rodges. sisters in the south with a character of a mom. I loved the reference to country music lyrics. the scenes are alive with color and expression. Very quick read..
June 10, 2012
By the end of this book, I almost felt like the author was just trying to come up with as many weird twists as she could manage. It was ok, but I really don't recommend it if you have anything else to read.
Read
November 1, 2012Once I read the second chapter, the voice of this novel drew me in. I could picture every character, and even though their stories didn't resonate with me, I still wanted to know what happened to them.
June 19, 2009
This was a okay book to read. Its about a family and there misfortunes and the realtionship between all the characters in the book.
February 3, 2012
fantastic book! read it in one day
June 17, 2016
Got this book because it had a 4 1/2 star rating on Amazon and it was a free Kindle deal. Definitely not my type of book! Very "soap opera-ish". I quit reading it about 2/3 through.
November 11, 2012
Loved it. Loved the characters!
March 13, 2013
Good sister book
January 16, 2015
Some really interesting writing and characters but way too many sex scenes for my taste.
August 24, 2015
Sugarland
I enjoyed this story and would have rated this book higher, but I found that the flashback transitions were awkward and confusing. I enjoyed the story except for this.
I enjoyed this story and would have rated this book higher, but I found that the flashback transitions were awkward and confusing. I enjoyed the story except for this.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews