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Queen Sugar
A mother-daughter story of reinvention—about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana
Why exactly Charley Bordelon’s late father left her eight hundred sprawling acres of sugarcane land in rural Louisiana is as mysterious as it was generous. Recognizing this as a chance to start over, Charley and her eleven-year-old daughter, Micah, say good-bye to Los Angeles.
They arrive just in time for growing season but no amount of planning can prepare Charley for a Louisiana that’s mired in the past: as her judgmental but big-hearted grandmother tells her, cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley must balance the overwhelming challenges of her farm with the demands of a homesick daughter, a bitter and troubled brother, and the startling desires of her own heart.
Penguin has a rich tradition of publishing strong Southern debut fiction—from Sue Monk Kidd to Kathryn Stockett to Beth Hoffman. In Queen Sugar, we now have a debut from the African American point of view. Stirring in its storytelling of one woman against the odds and intimate in its exploration of the complexities of contemporary southern life, Queen Sugar is an unforgettable tale of endurance and hope.
Why exactly Charley Bordelon’s late father left her eight hundred sprawling acres of sugarcane land in rural Louisiana is as mysterious as it was generous. Recognizing this as a chance to start over, Charley and her eleven-year-old daughter, Micah, say good-bye to Los Angeles.
They arrive just in time for growing season but no amount of planning can prepare Charley for a Louisiana that’s mired in the past: as her judgmental but big-hearted grandmother tells her, cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley must balance the overwhelming challenges of her farm with the demands of a homesick daughter, a bitter and troubled brother, and the startling desires of her own heart.
Penguin has a rich tradition of publishing strong Southern debut fiction—from Sue Monk Kidd to Kathryn Stockett to Beth Hoffman. In Queen Sugar, we now have a debut from the African American point of view. Stirring in its storytelling of one woman against the odds and intimate in its exploration of the complexities of contemporary southern life, Queen Sugar is an unforgettable tale of endurance and hope.
372 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2014
1334 people are currently reading
13205 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Baszile
9 books431 followersNatalie has a M.A. in Afro-American Studies from UCLA, and is a graduate of Warren Wilson College’s MFA Program for Writers where she was a Holden Minority Scholar. An early version of Queen Sugar won the Hurston Wright College Writer’s Award, was a co-runner up in the Faulkner Pirate’s Alley Novel-in-Progress competition, and excerpts were published in Cairn and ZYZZYVA. She has had residencies at the Ragdale Foundation where she was awarded the Sylvia Clare Brown fellowship, Virginia Center for the Arts, and Hedgebrook. Her non-fiction work has appeared in The Rumpus.net, Mission at Tenth, and in The Best Women’s Travel Writing Volume 9. She is a former fiction editor at The Cortland Review, and is a member of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Natalie grew up in Southern California and lives in San Francisco with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,377 reviews
May 30, 2019
I'd give this story a 2 but I'm adding a whole star for the cane. I really enjoyed learning about sugar cane.
This wasn't as eye-roll-worthy as The Fixer Upper though the two books are quite similar in that Dad gives yankee daughter property in the south and she has to go clean it up and make it work. Helpful men abound, bitchy old ladies terrorize, and handsome Suthrn Gentlemen come a-callin'
Charly isn't as dim and ridiculous as Dempsey, but she is still quite incapable. She's more like the innocent, wide-eyed, can-do-no-wrong...well, she's the Shirley Temple that she hates so much in those movies her daughter and grandmother watch together. Even when she does screw up, someone (a man) swoops in to save the day and her little oopsie is nothing more than a teaching moment. Yay.
She's one of those parents who uses her kid to justify what she wants and then expects the kid to be happy about it. No, Charly, you did NOT go to Louisiana because it would be good for your daughter. You did it because you needed an out and you needed someone (Miss Honey et al) to take care of you. Your daughter's none-too-pleased with this change in her life and she's mad at you for the whole ordeal so stop expecting her to be excited and stop making up stories to calm her fears. Just...be honest with yourself and your kid, ok?
She's not so good at research but is amazingly good at picking up farming skills. Also, like Dempsey from The Fixer Upper, she is never sore or in pain for more than an evening after learning newfound skills like cutting cane or driving a combine. I guess all her time teaching art to kids back in California was like cross-training and now she's physically able to tackle any manual labor-related task. And while she gets points for doing that tackling, those points get swept under the rug because she, like all good Southern women, apparently, has men swarming around her to protect her and take up the slack.
Can I tell you how stabby that makes me?
Yeah, I didn't like Charly.
And the men! They're either evil or amazing. The sugar barons = evil. Her brother = evil. Remy, Denton, and Alison = saints. No in between. Remy makes an asshole comment at one point, one that way too many white people make (myself, included) because they/we're completely oblivious, but he realizes the error of his ways and she forgives him and he becomes a paragon of perfection and tra la la! It's so beautiful.
There's a pseudo love triangle, too! She likes Remy who likes her back, but Hollywood also likes her and she strings him along. Oh, yes, she is certainly stringing him along though she does so in the sweetest, most charming fashion...hanging out with him, the poor simple friendless soul that he is, but making sure to use the "I'm glad we're friends" phrase once and never being too affectionate, knowing full-well he's interested in her. But she's using that interest to her benefit so that she's got someone in her corner whenever she needs him. But again, she's so sweet and she tries so hard and she's non-confrontational so it's ok.
You know who I did like, though?
Aunt Violet - if she would have inherited the sugar cane farm, shit would have gotten done and it wouldn't have been such a ridiculous struggle. Plus, she stands up to Miss Honey's bullying and never would have buckled to the Hire Ralph Angel commands. This woman does it all and is awesome about it. I wish this would have been her story.
Ralph Angel - he is a piece of work, especially in contrast to Hollywood. OMG, the Peter Pan syndrome, the undying belief that everyone owes him, that he deserves what he wants simply because he wants it, the he's been victimized and treated unfairly all his life and he just can't catch a break and why is the world so meeeeeaaaan to him? I know this guy. I know several of them. Two of them are women, actually. These guys, they come through the shop all the time, expecting to be paid highly for a very small skill set and an even smaller work ethic. They land in jail regularly but it's never their fault. And there's nothing you can do when they shove off, down the spiral, gleefully yelling, "YOU OWE ME!" I believed Ralph Angel 100%, detestable, pitiful, and loathsome as he was.
And that's why I was confused about the message at the end
Thank goodness for the cane fields. I see other reviewers felt that part was booooring. I loved it. I've never seen a live cane field; I've only been to the south a handful of times and I either stayed in cities or I was there in winter. My grandfather, though, he used to go home to Alabama and Florida every few years and when he came back to Colorado, he'd bring oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and sticks of sugar cane. That stuff is amazing. It's like a mix of bamboo and super sugary rhubarb, all stringy and pithy but surprisingly juicy once you start chewing it. It was sweet and weird-tasting and fun to gnaw on and spit out. We loved it and learning about how cane grows, how it's harvested, all the different varieties, its history, it reminded me of the squealing joy we felt when PopPop handed those cane sticks to us at Christmas. So thank you for that, Ms. Author. I'd give you a grateful hug, if I could.
This wasn't as eye-roll-worthy as The Fixer Upper though the two books are quite similar in that Dad gives yankee daughter property in the south and she has to go clean it up and make it work. Helpful men abound, bitchy old ladies terrorize, and handsome Suthrn Gentlemen come a-callin'
Charly isn't as dim and ridiculous as Dempsey, but she is still quite incapable. She's more like the innocent, wide-eyed, can-do-no-wrong...well, she's the Shirley Temple that she hates so much in those movies her daughter and grandmother watch together. Even when she does screw up, someone (a man) swoops in to save the day and her little oopsie is nothing more than a teaching moment. Yay.
She's one of those parents who uses her kid to justify what she wants and then expects the kid to be happy about it. No, Charly, you did NOT go to Louisiana because it would be good for your daughter. You did it because you needed an out and you needed someone (Miss Honey et al) to take care of you. Your daughter's none-too-pleased with this change in her life and she's mad at you for the whole ordeal so stop expecting her to be excited and stop making up stories to calm her fears. Just...be honest with yourself and your kid, ok?
She's not so good at research but is amazingly good at picking up farming skills. Also, like Dempsey from The Fixer Upper, she is never sore or in pain for more than an evening after learning newfound skills like cutting cane or driving a combine. I guess all her time teaching art to kids back in California was like cross-training and now she's physically able to tackle any manual labor-related task. And while she gets points for doing that tackling, those points get swept under the rug because she, like all good Southern women, apparently, has men swarming around her to protect her and take up the slack.
Can I tell you how stabby that makes me?
Yeah, I didn't like Charly.
And the men! They're either evil or amazing. The sugar barons = evil. Her brother = evil. Remy, Denton, and Alison = saints. No in between. Remy makes an asshole comment at one point, one that way too many white people make (myself, included) because they/we're completely oblivious, but he realizes the error of his ways and she forgives him and he becomes a paragon of perfection and tra la la! It's so beautiful.
There's a pseudo love triangle, too! She likes Remy who likes her back, but Hollywood also likes her and she strings him along. Oh, yes, she is certainly stringing him along though she does so in the sweetest, most charming fashion...hanging out with him, the poor simple friendless soul that he is, but making sure to use the "I'm glad we're friends" phrase once and never being too affectionate, knowing full-well he's interested in her. But she's using that interest to her benefit so that she's got someone in her corner whenever she needs him. But again, she's so sweet and she tries so hard and she's non-confrontational so it's ok.
You know who I did like, though?
Aunt Violet - if she would have inherited the sugar cane farm, shit would have gotten done and it wouldn't have been such a ridiculous struggle. Plus, she stands up to Miss Honey's bullying and never would have buckled to the Hire Ralph Angel commands. This woman does it all and is awesome about it. I wish this would have been her story.
Ralph Angel - he is a piece of work, especially in contrast to Hollywood. OMG, the Peter Pan syndrome, the undying belief that everyone owes him, that he deserves what he wants simply because he wants it, the he's been victimized and treated unfairly all his life and he just can't catch a break and why is the world so meeeeeaaaan to him? I know this guy. I know several of them. Two of them are women, actually. These guys, they come through the shop all the time, expecting to be paid highly for a very small skill set and an even smaller work ethic. They land in jail regularly but it's never their fault. And there's nothing you can do when they shove off, down the spiral, gleefully yelling, "YOU OWE ME!" I believed Ralph Angel 100%, detestable, pitiful, and loathsome as he was.
And that's why I was confused about the message at the end
Thank goodness for the cane fields. I see other reviewers felt that part was booooring. I loved it. I've never seen a live cane field; I've only been to the south a handful of times and I either stayed in cities or I was there in winter. My grandfather, though, he used to go home to Alabama and Florida every few years and when he came back to Colorado, he'd bring oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and sticks of sugar cane. That stuff is amazing. It's like a mix of bamboo and super sugary rhubarb, all stringy and pithy but surprisingly juicy once you start chewing it. It was sweet and weird-tasting and fun to gnaw on and spit out. We loved it and learning about how cane grows, how it's harvested, all the different varieties, its history, it reminded me of the squealing joy we felt when PopPop handed those cane sticks to us at Christmas. So thank you for that, Ms. Author. I'd give you a grateful hug, if I could.
February 28, 2014
This book was extremely difficult to read; I couldn't finish it. Not because it was overly challenging, there was just an absurd amount of over description. I can't count the number of times I read "with its..." or "like a..", followed by a run on sentence of descriptions that weren't integral to the development of the story. They were just descriptions for the sake of it. The story context was something I've never seen before and I would have liked to see how it turned out. The characters were another issue for me, they all seemed too undecided. On one page the grandmother is curt and harsh, the next page she's caring and considerate with no transition in between on what changed her attitude. The daughter is young and afraid, then she's rebellious and aloof which is normal for an adolescent, but it isn't described that way, she just changes.
I tried really hard to finish the book but I just couldn't. The cover art is beautiful though.
I tried really hard to finish the book but I just couldn't. The cover art is beautiful though.
March 12, 2014
You know what's strange for me about this book? It's very descriptive and meandering and yet I felt like the ending was rushed. I liked the story and characters - it was interesting to read about life in the South and what it would be like returning someplace like Charley does after so many years. I got increasingly frustrated with Miss Honey and her adamant stance on Ralph Angel, but at the same time, I found it very believable (I have seen this kind of behavior before). Like I said, though, I found the ending rushed. I had only 30-40 pages left and there was still a lot of conflict to happen. The storylines played out too quickly, I thought. Regardless, I enjoyed the book.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.
January 18, 2015
Charley is a young widowed, African-American, mother, living in Los Angles with her pre-teen daughter when she receives her father's sugarcane plantation in Louisiana.
A completely different environment and lifestyle --there will be many adjustments for both mom & daughter coming from Southern-Sunny California. (modern-city of he world) ....To "Miss Honey's" home in Louisiana, with no cell phone service, no computers, no call waiting, or caller ID, no coffeemaker, no blender, cable, or satellite dish. Miss Honey does have a DVD player with tons of old movies! And she is a damn fine cook!
We watch Charley and Micah find their way living in the south. Micah has an interest in photography --and takes to gardening.
Charley is worried about two things: The Farm and her daughter!
Charley had hopes the move might bring she and daughter closer together. Not at first, but as time goes on...'yes'.
Charley also tries to save her fathers farm --with hopes of passing it down to her daughter one day.
Coming from California --she has zero experience with digging ditches, cleaning drains, driving trucks and tractors, or hauling or grinding sugarcane. With 'less' than limited funds --and limited workers to help ... its not clear if Charley will be able to save the farm.
With determination and hard work, Charley gives her 'all'. As the 'reader', there is a point where its really not clear if she will be able to save the farm or not--but 'also' as the reader....I felt either result would be OK. I really believe when a person gives 'there all'....then succeed or fail...is all one can ask from any one person. Charley gives her all! You'll have to read this story yourself to see what happens with the farm...
but...there is another theme running through this novel which is equally as interesting to me as the sugarcane/Louisiana story. (maybe more so)....That is of her brother "Ralph Angel".
Ralph Angel is Charley's older brother. Considered troubled. He is desperate for respect --but is always the victim. He is easily angered - People do not want to work with him --and he did not receive any inheritance from his father. It all went to Charley.
How do siblings grapple with experience of love between each other when their parents make dividing choices? Ralph felt cheated --treated unfair -- at the same time he brought on his own problems --
yet --on the other hand --the novel points to a childhood abuse by an outside family member that had to have left lifetime scars.
There is another complicated theme --(although the novel only touched on the subject) --- and that is the sensitivities and prejudices between a black and white couple in the South. Even though it was no longer the 1950's, some people did not change easy with the times. (especially with the South's history).
The characters are well developed --
The storytelling is good.
At times, I felt the story was a little long. Yet, this story is one I'll remember -- had heart, ... I can almost smell Miss Honey's 'grits & eggs', (from Louisiana to California where I sit now), for morning breakfast!
Great first novel!!! I look forward to reading more by Natalie Basile in the future!
Thank you Netgalley
A completely different environment and lifestyle --there will be many adjustments for both mom & daughter coming from Southern-Sunny California. (modern-city of he world) ....To "Miss Honey's" home in Louisiana, with no cell phone service, no computers, no call waiting, or caller ID, no coffeemaker, no blender, cable, or satellite dish. Miss Honey does have a DVD player with tons of old movies! And she is a damn fine cook!
We watch Charley and Micah find their way living in the south. Micah has an interest in photography --and takes to gardening.
Charley is worried about two things: The Farm and her daughter!
Charley had hopes the move might bring she and daughter closer together. Not at first, but as time goes on...'yes'.
Charley also tries to save her fathers farm --with hopes of passing it down to her daughter one day.
Coming from California --she has zero experience with digging ditches, cleaning drains, driving trucks and tractors, or hauling or grinding sugarcane. With 'less' than limited funds --and limited workers to help ... its not clear if Charley will be able to save the farm.
With determination and hard work, Charley gives her 'all'. As the 'reader', there is a point where its really not clear if she will be able to save the farm or not--but 'also' as the reader....I felt either result would be OK. I really believe when a person gives 'there all'....then succeed or fail...is all one can ask from any one person. Charley gives her all! You'll have to read this story yourself to see what happens with the farm...
but...there is another theme running through this novel which is equally as interesting to me as the sugarcane/Louisiana story. (maybe more so)....That is of her brother "Ralph Angel".
Ralph Angel is Charley's older brother. Considered troubled. He is desperate for respect --but is always the victim. He is easily angered - People do not want to work with him --and he did not receive any inheritance from his father. It all went to Charley.
How do siblings grapple with experience of love between each other when their parents make dividing choices? Ralph felt cheated --treated unfair -- at the same time he brought on his own problems --
yet --on the other hand --the novel points to a childhood abuse by an outside family member that had to have left lifetime scars.
There is another complicated theme --(although the novel only touched on the subject) --- and that is the sensitivities and prejudices between a black and white couple in the South. Even though it was no longer the 1950's, some people did not change easy with the times. (especially with the South's history).
The characters are well developed --
The storytelling is good.
At times, I felt the story was a little long. Yet, this story is one I'll remember -- had heart, ... I can almost smell Miss Honey's 'grits & eggs', (from Louisiana to California where I sit now), for morning breakfast!
Great first novel!!! I look forward to reading more by Natalie Basile in the future!
Thank you Netgalley
November 17, 2016
I bought this book at the last SC Book Festival, although none of us knew it would be the last one at the time. I liked the author's approach and her reading made me want to read the book.
For a first novel, this is a solid read. I think I was more interested in the story than others might be after my book club read Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire, which is basically the story of slavery and sugar cane. This novel takes that history into the present day, with a woman inheriting a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana and having to figure it all out.
I liked the main character of Charley and the minor characters. They weren't racial stereotypes, rather, there was a wide spectrum of types within the communities of black and white farmers. The brother was slightly ominous and I felt we could have had even more of his story. I also would have liked more of the father's story. I am not usually saying a book should be longer, but I did find myself wanting more about some of the characters. Also the ending wraps up so swiftly it made my head spin. I think another 150 pages or so and this would have been a five-star read.
For a first novel, this is a solid read. I think I was more interested in the story than others might be after my book club read Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire, which is basically the story of slavery and sugar cane. This novel takes that history into the present day, with a woman inheriting a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana and having to figure it all out.
I liked the main character of Charley and the minor characters. They weren't racial stereotypes, rather, there was a wide spectrum of types within the communities of black and white farmers. The brother was slightly ominous and I felt we could have had even more of his story. I also would have liked more of the father's story. I am not usually saying a book should be longer, but I did find myself wanting more about some of the characters. Also the ending wraps up so swiftly it made my head spin. I think another 150 pages or so and this would have been a five-star read.
August 13, 2018
A very good read!!
I really enjoyed listening to this book. The author made the characters come alive in your mind and touch you with their struggles in life. I highly recommend this book to all readers.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. The author made the characters come alive in your mind and touch you with their struggles in life. I highly recommend this book to all readers.
August 25, 2016
I kind of had a feeling I'd be bored with it, but I wanted to support the author since she's local. I told myself I'd at least read 25% of it and if I still didn't care about the story line, I'd put it down. Good writing but after 1/4 of the way through this thick novel, the story line still hasn't grabbed me so back to the library it goes. It still gets 3 stars because I'm sure it might get better and like I said, the writing is good. Just not my cup of tea, and my reading list is too long to wait around any longer.
February 1, 2016
When I heard that OWN network was making a TV show out of this novel, I dug it out of my mental TBR pile and decided to finally read it. I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Based on some of the other reviews that I've read that said it was slow going, I was expecting a story bogged down by navel-gazing where a lot doesn't happen, but that wasn't the case. I loved the characters (reminded me of my Southern family) and loved the well-crafted details about sugar cane farming, southern culture, black culture, and Louisiana. While its not a book where things are happening every chapter (it's more character driven than plot driven), the story does move forward and there seems to be a point to the subtlety. (In other words, it's not writing for writing's sake.)
The ONLY problem I had with the novel was the characterization of Ralph Angel. Thank god you had Denton in this novel or I'd said the representation of black males was woefully depressing. (SPOILERS ahead)
While Ralph Angel was described as a character "who constantly faced injustice," he came off to me as whiner who reached too fast, too far, and never wanted to own up to his own short comings. Yes, he wanted better for himself and for his son, Blue, but when it came to actually doing anything, he was more talk than walk. When he finally suffered his fate/came to his climatic end, I can't say I felt too sorry for him. My thought reading that passage was, "well, who didn't see this coming?"
Overall, a good book! I know Baszile took many years to write this debut and I hope she writes a second. I'd read it.
The ONLY problem I had with the novel was the characterization of Ralph Angel. Thank god you had Denton in this novel or I'd said the representation of black males was woefully depressing. (SPOILERS ahead)
While Ralph Angel was described as a character "who constantly faced injustice," he came off to me as whiner who reached too fast, too far, and never wanted to own up to his own short comings. Yes, he wanted better for himself and for his son, Blue, but when it came to actually doing anything, he was more talk than walk. When he finally suffered his fate/came to his climatic end, I can't say I felt too sorry for him. My thought reading that passage was, "well, who didn't see this coming?"
Overall, a good book! I know Baszile took many years to write this debut and I hope she writes a second. I'd read it.
July 24, 2016
I liked the characters and I thought the author had a good concept for the story. I wish the characters were more complex. Its a plain story about everyday life, but I needed more. There was never a wow moment. I felt like the author puts the reader on a chase waiting for something grand to happen.
May 19, 2015
NetGalley Feedback: I started recommending QUEEN SUGAR to friends almost as soon as I started reading it, and I was jonesing for a mini-series adaptation* before I'd even hit the halfway point. In short, I LOVED this book, and I'm so glad that it was added to NetGalley for its paperback release because otherwise, it may never have hit my radar.
I loved getting insight into an industry about which I previously knew nothing (cane farming), and I loved that this is a story about a woman taking over a farm and doing the best that she can. It's not overly romantic about farm life, because farm life is HARD, but it also allows her to become competent and fulfilled as she goes.
I loved that racism and sexism are addressed straight on but without positioning either as the main hurdle for Charley to overcome over the course of the story. They're simply part of her existence, just like everything else: her children, her extended family, her deceased husband, her new love interest.
There are some flaws, most of all towards the end when things started to feel a little rushed, but at the same time, I almost wonder if everything was tied up exactly how it needed to be? It really doesn't matter to me: this is a wonderful book.
In short, as I mentioned in one of my Goodreads updates, QUEEN SUGAR is "a perfect fit for readers looking for diversity and feminism and inspiration and a straight up good story."
*Ava DuVernay is directing an adaptation for Oprah's TV network and I am SO EXCITED!
I loved getting insight into an industry about which I previously knew nothing (cane farming), and I loved that this is a story about a woman taking over a farm and doing the best that she can. It's not overly romantic about farm life, because farm life is HARD, but it also allows her to become competent and fulfilled as she goes.
I loved that racism and sexism are addressed straight on but without positioning either as the main hurdle for Charley to overcome over the course of the story. They're simply part of her existence, just like everything else: her children, her extended family, her deceased husband, her new love interest.
There are some flaws, most of all towards the end when things started to feel a little rushed, but at the same time, I almost wonder if everything was tied up exactly how it needed to be? It really doesn't matter to me: this is a wonderful book.
In short, as I mentioned in one of my Goodreads updates, QUEEN SUGAR is "a perfect fit for readers looking for diversity and feminism and inspiration and a straight up good story."
*Ava DuVernay is directing an adaptation for Oprah's TV network and I am SO EXCITED!
August 15, 2020
What happens when a 32 year old widow, art teacher, and mother to an 11 year old daughter inherits land from her late father? In this case, Charlotte "Charley" Bordelon packs up her daughter, Micah, and the life they've been living in Los Angeles, and moves to begin a new life in rural Louisiana with her grandmother, Miss Honey. Charley's father, Ernest, has purposely left his son, Ralph Angel, out of his will and made her the sole heir of 800 acres of sugarcane land with clear stipulations that if she runs the farm she will receive all profits once the bank is paid, but "If I walk away, the land goes to charity." Charley knows nothing about sugarcane farming and her brother Ralph Angel is a troubled, unemployed single dad to a young son.
Natalie Baszile's descriptions of the natural world and Louisiana geography are beautiful and grounding; her depictions of the process of sugarcane farming are a meditation on what it means to "work the land". I love that she didn't rely on stereotypes of southern life. She handles well the idea of "reinventing oneself" by juxtaposing aspirations for a fresh start in life with the truth that making a success of one's venture can be discouraging and back-breaking, as well as satisfying work that broadens one's heart and mind.
The structure of the book is uneven, beginning in June of one year and ending 10 months later with the month of June requiring 10 chapters and all of October thru March crammed into seven chapters! It felt as if Baszile genuinely enjoyed writing about her characters and the world they inhabit, but then, out of some necessity??? she had to quickly wrap things up and bring "closure" to all manner of difficult and dynamic situations---including romance and murder.
I think Natalie Baszile is the sister of writer Jennifer Baszile, who wrote a book called The Black Girl Next Door: A Memoir, which I am going to add to my to-read list.
Natalie Baszile's descriptions of the natural world and Louisiana geography are beautiful and grounding; her depictions of the process of sugarcane farming are a meditation on what it means to "work the land". I love that she didn't rely on stereotypes of southern life. She handles well the idea of "reinventing oneself" by juxtaposing aspirations for a fresh start in life with the truth that making a success of one's venture can be discouraging and back-breaking, as well as satisfying work that broadens one's heart and mind.
The structure of the book is uneven, beginning in June of one year and ending 10 months later with the month of June requiring 10 chapters and all of October thru March crammed into seven chapters! It felt as if Baszile genuinely enjoyed writing about her characters and the world they inhabit, but then, out of some necessity??? she had to quickly wrap things up and bring "closure" to all manner of difficult and dynamic situations---including romance and murder.
I think Natalie Baszile is the sister of writer Jennifer Baszile, who wrote a book called The Black Girl Next Door: A Memoir, which I am going to add to my to-read list.
April 17, 2017
Charley Bordelon has just inherited 800 acres of a sugar cane farm from her father. So she uproots herself and her daughter from their life in California to Saint Josephine, Louisiana. She moves in with her grandmother, Miss Honey and tries her best to raise a successful cane farm. With other family members stepping in her way, this can prove to be difficult at times. Charley is doing the best she can, but will it be enough to keep the farm or will she be forced to sell it and head back to California.
I watched the series for this book on OWN and I loved it. If I would have known about the book, I definitely would have read that first. They always say, the book is better than the movie, but in this case, I will say that the book was not as good as the series. The characterization is a little different and the TV series definitely added a lot more drama to the situation. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and look forward to other books by Natalie Baszile.
Charley Bordelon has a lot on her plate. She has an adolescent daughter who hates the idea of leaving her home in California to live in a remote area of Louisiana. She has a sugar cane farm she has just inherited and she knows nothing about sugar cane. Her older brother Ralph Angel feels as though he is entitled to something, but he feels that way about everything in his life. Dealing with hurricanes, quitting farm hands, no money, and flooding back lots, there is a lot to learn and most people in the area, don't think she can do it.
The book takes you on a journey through Charley's first season of Cane Farming and all the trials and tribulations she endures during this time. I enjoyed the book and I look forward to the new season of the show coming this summer!
I watched the series for this book on OWN and I loved it. If I would have known about the book, I definitely would have read that first. They always say, the book is better than the movie, but in this case, I will say that the book was not as good as the series. The characterization is a little different and the TV series definitely added a lot more drama to the situation. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and look forward to other books by Natalie Baszile.
Charley Bordelon has a lot on her plate. She has an adolescent daughter who hates the idea of leaving her home in California to live in a remote area of Louisiana. She has a sugar cane farm she has just inherited and she knows nothing about sugar cane. Her older brother Ralph Angel feels as though he is entitled to something, but he feels that way about everything in his life. Dealing with hurricanes, quitting farm hands, no money, and flooding back lots, there is a lot to learn and most people in the area, don't think she can do it.
The book takes you on a journey through Charley's first season of Cane Farming and all the trials and tribulations she endures during this time. I enjoyed the book and I look forward to the new season of the show coming this summer!
January 16, 2015
3.5 stars
After reading this novel, I now know more than I ever possibly wanted to know about sugarcane farming . I have to admit though that it was interesting to learn about what a complex operation a sugarcane farm is .
The story too was complex in some ways and it was definitely not as predictable I thought it might be . Charley Bordelon , an African-American Art Teacher living in California with her 11 year old daughter can barely make ends meet. Life has not been easy so when her father leaves her a sugarcane farm back home in Louisiana, she's willing to take the chance and see if she can give it a go.
She's not prepared for what she finds on the farm , or finding that it's not so easy to go back home and that sometimes family history doesn't always change for the better . In addition, there are racist overtones when she discovers that there are white farmers who will do what they can to insure her failure .
I liked Charley and although her daughter , Micah at times is a bit of of a brat, I couldn't help but feel for her . She's lost a father , suffers a traumatic accident and is uprooted to a place which is foreign to her . My favorite character is the kind and smart Prosper Denton without whom, Charley could not embark on this endeavor which will change her life .
This is a story of life challenges , family problems but you will also find hope and love and possibilities . Baszile is a debut novelist worth watching .
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin and NetGalley.
After reading this novel, I now know more than I ever possibly wanted to know about sugarcane farming . I have to admit though that it was interesting to learn about what a complex operation a sugarcane farm is .
The story too was complex in some ways and it was definitely not as predictable I thought it might be . Charley Bordelon , an African-American Art Teacher living in California with her 11 year old daughter can barely make ends meet. Life has not been easy so when her father leaves her a sugarcane farm back home in Louisiana, she's willing to take the chance and see if she can give it a go.
She's not prepared for what she finds on the farm , or finding that it's not so easy to go back home and that sometimes family history doesn't always change for the better . In addition, there are racist overtones when she discovers that there are white farmers who will do what they can to insure her failure .
I liked Charley and although her daughter , Micah at times is a bit of of a brat, I couldn't help but feel for her . She's lost a father , suffers a traumatic accident and is uprooted to a place which is foreign to her . My favorite character is the kind and smart Prosper Denton without whom, Charley could not embark on this endeavor which will change her life .
This is a story of life challenges , family problems but you will also find hope and love and possibilities . Baszile is a debut novelist worth watching .
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin and NetGalley.
February 11, 2014
Natalie Baszile does an incredible job evoking Louisiana - I felt like I was there. Her writing is compelling and also beautiful, and her understanding of family and of human determination - and also human foibles - all have the ring of truth. This is an amazing debut novel - the first of many books, I hope!
September 9, 2016
This may need a re listen... It started off a little slow then picked up but then I felt it kept dipping into some dull points. I also have a lot going on at the moment so I may not be giving it a fair assessment. I'll definitely amend my review when I listen again but I'd rather do it when my head isn't so cloudy... :-/
February 6, 2017
DNFed 3 pages in.
"Well, the Native Americans I know like to be called Indians. Bunch of 'em live in the woods behind my house."
"They built a big casino... nothing over there but a pack of jackals if you ask me. Jackals and sinners."
Yeah, hey, fuck you.
"Well, the Native Americans I know like to be called Indians. Bunch of 'em live in the woods behind my house."
"They built a big casino... nothing over there but a pack of jackals if you ask me. Jackals and sinners."
Yeah, hey, fuck you.
November 21, 2018
This was a pretty meh book. It drags a lot, but it is apparent that Natalie Baszile is a skilled writer by ways of her prose and her ability to craft a story that would take the reader through a range of emotions before its end. The story had its moment where it felt as if the characters were circling the drain on their problems, but the ending was tidy enough.
I can't personally say I'd recommend the book. However, I do admire Baszile for venturing to tell such a comprehensive story about the struggles of being a first-time business owner and farmer just trying to turn a profit. Likewise, her attempt at trying to show an African-American woman fighting against all the odds to make something of herself and do right by her family legacy was a beautiful thing. Heck, I even admire how Baszile attempted to tackle the often ignored narrative of "the black man who has been coddled too long by his maternal figures" with the character of Ralph Angel. Yet, I can't lie and say I didn't want more from Baszile's novel. Hopefully, the OWN series will make good on what the barebones of Baszile's novel promises.
I can't personally say I'd recommend the book. However, I do admire Baszile for venturing to tell such a comprehensive story about the struggles of being a first-time business owner and farmer just trying to turn a profit. Likewise, her attempt at trying to show an African-American woman fighting against all the odds to make something of herself and do right by her family legacy was a beautiful thing. Heck, I even admire how Baszile attempted to tackle the often ignored narrative of "the black man who has been coddled too long by his maternal figures" with the character of Ralph Angel. Yet, I can't lie and say I didn't want more from Baszile's novel. Hopefully, the OWN series will make good on what the barebones of Baszile's novel promises.
August 17, 2016
I read this in preparation for the tv show. Saw the trailer before reading and soon realized that the show is different from the book. I was biased in thinking and expected the book to be as intense and dramatic as the trailers showed. That almost ruined it for me but then I had to separate the show from the book and was okay to continue reading. I was pleased with it. I found Alison to be pretty funny with his "unfiltered-ness" and hope he's in the show. I have family in Louisiana so the culture and characters described were familiar to me.
August 24, 2016
I read this to prepare for the Ava DuVernay adaptation, which I understand takes a lot of liberties with the storyline -- and I can see why. It isn't so much that not much happens in this book. Things happen, but the stakes are too low for me to fully invest as a reader. Every revelation fell flat for me. Why did Charley's dad buy a huge cane farm, cashing in all his other viable properties and leaving behind no assets? That reveal seems not to justify the purchase (especially given that he's leaving it to his daughter who has zero history with sugar can farming). Will the farm's crop survive? For that to be the central plot of this entire book, I didn't really care if it did or didn't. The things that threatened it -- her not having enough money, the tractors being rickety, not having enough hands, a hurricane -- were all really mundane to read about. She has a romance that is also supposed to be a point of tension but that tension feels forced.
As for Ralph Angel, Charley's ne'r do well half-brother... Sigh. This dude is cartoonishly evil and as invested as the author is in making him pretty irredeemable, she's equally invested in trying to make us sympathize with him. And that's a strange sensation as a reader, being show repeatedly that this dude is entitled, violent, thieving, and ungrateful and then also insisting we know he cares about his son and had a rough upbringing is just... okay? His story arc is just baffling to me, mostly because I think we're supposed to really feel for him in the end but knowing what I know by then, I think the resolution of his plot was probably for the best for all the other characters (except his son).
I read an arc of this boom so I'm not sure if it underwent additional am edits afterward, but it could've. It's well-written but definitely longer than it needs to be.
As for Ralph Angel, Charley's ne'r do well half-brother... Sigh. This dude is cartoonishly evil and as invested as the author is in making him pretty irredeemable, she's equally invested in trying to make us sympathize with him. And that's a strange sensation as a reader, being show repeatedly that this dude is entitled, violent, thieving, and ungrateful and then also insisting we know he cares about his son and had a rough upbringing is just... okay? His story arc is just baffling to me, mostly because I think we're supposed to really feel for him in the end but knowing what I know by then, I think the resolution of his plot was probably for the best for all the other characters (except his son).
I read an arc of this boom so I'm not sure if it underwent additional am edits afterward, but it could've. It's well-written but definitely longer than it needs to be.
October 13, 2016
Brilliant writing style...deserved a book award or something in that realm!
5 pleasing stars *****
NOTE: I can see this "Queen Sugar"being placed on required reading lists in the near future!
5 pleasing stars *****
NOTE: I can see this "Queen Sugar"being placed on required reading lists in the near future!
August 13, 2019
I was really excited to start this book after I began watching the OWN series, which is excellent. Many of the characters are completely different, so it was interesting to compare how I liked the two.
I truly appreciated learning about sugar cane farming in Queen Sugar. I found myself driving through fields in the south and Baszile's vivid imagery would run through my mind. There were also a couple of scenes that were written so well I felt I was there and they were brilliant.
The development of characters was a bit weak in my opinion. Denton and Alison were the only characters I enjoyed. (Aunt Violet was too much of a clichéd syrupy-drawled southern woman in the Audible version I listened to.) Charley's relationship with her mother could have not been mentioned at all. Her handling of Micah was irritating in that the things Micah did that would warrant a very human response of anger didn't seem to affect Charley. Hollywood was portrayed as a pathetic shell of a man and Charley seemed to regard him as such. Miss Honey was both motherly and infuriating in her babying of Ralph Angel. She turned really nasty towards the end for very illogical reasons that were maddening.
I had the most issues with Ralph Angel. This is a character that starts out similar to the TV series character; he seems to make some poor decisions but wants to better himself for his son, Blue. This doesn't last long. Ralph Angel turns out to be a terrible character with no redeeming qualities. None. He can't get along with anyone and can't do anything right. He is a spoiled, entitled liar with narcissistic tendencies; delusions of grandeur and thinking much higher of himself than he deserves. I have never disliked a book because of unlikeable characters before. Characters with issues are great because they're realistic. But Ralph Angel was not realistic. He became a caricature in my opinion. An unnecessary distraction that drew away from the rest of the book. In the end we are supposed to feel sorry for him, but he was too horrible of a character for me to feel any empathy.
Baszile's writing style is very descriptive and it worked for several parts, but was overdone for a lot of the book. I read "...with its..." to begin long similes more times than I cared to. The book drags on in areas because of this. Except for the ending, which seemed rushed. It felt thrown together to get it over with, which was disappointing. It was also unrealistic and unbelievable.
All in all I think this book is worth a read because of its different subject matter, but you may find yourself rolling your eyes through many parts as I did. In this instance, I felt the series adaptation was MUCH better.
I truly appreciated learning about sugar cane farming in Queen Sugar. I found myself driving through fields in the south and Baszile's vivid imagery would run through my mind. There were also a couple of scenes that were written so well I felt I was there and they were brilliant.
The development of characters was a bit weak in my opinion. Denton and Alison were the only characters I enjoyed. (Aunt Violet was too much of a clichéd syrupy-drawled southern woman in the Audible version I listened to.) Charley's relationship with her mother could have not been mentioned at all. Her handling of Micah was irritating in that the things Micah did that would warrant a very human response of anger didn't seem to affect Charley. Hollywood was portrayed as a pathetic shell of a man and Charley seemed to regard him as such. Miss Honey was both motherly and infuriating in her babying of Ralph Angel. She turned really nasty towards the end for very illogical reasons that were maddening.
I had the most issues with Ralph Angel. This is a character that starts out similar to the TV series character; he seems to make some poor decisions but wants to better himself for his son, Blue. This doesn't last long. Ralph Angel turns out to be a terrible character with no redeeming qualities. None. He can't get along with anyone and can't do anything right. He is a spoiled, entitled liar with narcissistic tendencies; delusions of grandeur and thinking much higher of himself than he deserves. I have never disliked a book because of unlikeable characters before. Characters with issues are great because they're realistic. But Ralph Angel was not realistic. He became a caricature in my opinion. An unnecessary distraction that drew away from the rest of the book. In the end we are supposed to feel sorry for him, but he was too horrible of a character for me to feel any empathy.
Baszile's writing style is very descriptive and it worked for several parts, but was overdone for a lot of the book. I read "...with its..." to begin long similes more times than I cared to. The book drags on in areas because of this. Except for the ending, which seemed rushed. It felt thrown together to get it over with, which was disappointing. It was also unrealistic and unbelievable.
All in all I think this book is worth a read because of its different subject matter, but you may find yourself rolling your eyes through many parts as I did. In this instance, I felt the series adaptation was MUCH better.
November 11, 2016
From the amazon.com book description: When Charley unexpectedly inherits eight hundred acres of sugarcane land, she and her eleven-year-old daughter say goodbye to smoggy Los Angeles and head to Louisiana. She soon learns, however, that cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley struggles to balance the overwhelming challenges of a farm in decline with the demands of family and the startling desires of her own heart
My reactions
I was introduced to this book as a result of seeing the author at a literary luncheon event. I liked her presentation, so got the book. There is a good premise here but Baszile’s debut work didn’t completely capture my attention, and I think it has some problems.
I wanted to like Charley and, basically, I did. But I had to agree when her grandmother said, “you ARE whining.” I get that Baszile was showing the many obstacles put in Charley’s path, and trying to show that she was working hard to overcome them, but I felt she focused too much attention on her becoming a cane farmer. I would have liked to have more attention on the relationship between Charley and the other women in her life – her daughter, her mother, her grandmother, her aunt. And show her interacting more with the community.
I thought Ralph Angel was a complete distraction and not really necessary to the main plot of a woman finding her roots and her new strength. He seemed to be there just to provide additional tension in the family and a convenient final challenge for Charley to overcome. Interestingly enough, when he first appeared in the novel, I pictured him as a white man … and despite my reading and knowing he was Charley’s brother, I kept picturing him as a white man. Certainly made for a different picture in my head than what the author probably intended.
The plot moved along fairly well and I certainly learned much about cane farming. I thought her descriptions of the landscape, the heat, the bugs, the back-breaking work gave a real sense of the place. But I wasn’t captivated and it took me over a week to read it.
Final verdict: an okay debut, but nothing special.
My reactions
I was introduced to this book as a result of seeing the author at a literary luncheon event. I liked her presentation, so got the book. There is a good premise here but Baszile’s debut work didn’t completely capture my attention, and I think it has some problems.
I wanted to like Charley and, basically, I did. But I had to agree when her grandmother said, “you ARE whining.” I get that Baszile was showing the many obstacles put in Charley’s path, and trying to show that she was working hard to overcome them, but I felt she focused too much attention on her becoming a cane farmer. I would have liked to have more attention on the relationship between Charley and the other women in her life – her daughter, her mother, her grandmother, her aunt. And show her interacting more with the community.
I thought Ralph Angel was a complete distraction and not really necessary to the main plot of a woman finding her roots and her new strength. He seemed to be there just to provide additional tension in the family and a convenient final challenge for Charley to overcome. Interestingly enough, when he first appeared in the novel, I pictured him as a white man … and despite my reading and knowing he was Charley’s brother, I kept picturing him as a white man. Certainly made for a different picture in my head than what the author probably intended.
The plot moved along fairly well and I certainly learned much about cane farming. I thought her descriptions of the landscape, the heat, the bugs, the back-breaking work gave a real sense of the place. But I wasn’t captivated and it took me over a week to read it.
Final verdict: an okay debut, but nothing special.
September 25, 2016
First of all this book is/was nothing like the TV series (after the few episodes I watched), nothing. It started off different and was able to maintain on its own path.
The storytelling is at its best, the writer does such a great job bringing you there which is small town living in southern Louisiana. Sad is an emotion I have found myself in for most of the book but the happiness that peaked out overshadowed the sadness.
It started off slow because I was expecting the TV series but if you treat it as his own entity and allow yourself to get enveloped you will love the book.
One thought: I often wonder what makes a book perfect for the screen and if I read this book before seeing the TV series I would always questioned why a TV series about it was made. Great book but I would never have thought this would turn into a TV series, sorry I believe a debt was owned or a favor was done.
The storytelling is at its best, the writer does such a great job bringing you there which is small town living in southern Louisiana. Sad is an emotion I have found myself in for most of the book but the happiness that peaked out overshadowed the sadness.
It started off slow because I was expecting the TV series but if you treat it as his own entity and allow yourself to get enveloped you will love the book.
One thought: I often wonder what makes a book perfect for the screen and if I read this book before seeing the TV series I would always questioned why a TV series about it was made. Great book but I would never have thought this would turn into a TV series, sorry I believe a debt was owned or a favor was done.
September 28, 2016
This story was very original and very sad in many aspects. Every triumph seemed to be met with another challenge which spoke to the spirit of what many of the characters were up against. I really wish I’d found more characters to root for. I didn’t like either of the two main characters. Ralph Angel was a terror. I found Charley to be exceptionally weak on a personal level which was strange given how strong she proved herself to be as she worked to bring life to her father’s farm. In her roles as mother and sister especially I never saw growth there.
I would encourage anyone reading this review to read this book instead of listening to it. I went the audio-book route and I found the narration distracting. I’m not sure if that was because of the author’s overly descriptive writing style but it just made the book a difficult listen. The story is very original and compelling. Worth the read. For fans of the new TV show, be warned, the book is TOTALLY different!!
I would encourage anyone reading this review to read this book instead of listening to it. I went the audio-book route and I found the narration distracting. I’m not sure if that was because of the author’s overly descriptive writing style but it just made the book a difficult listen. The story is very original and compelling. Worth the read. For fans of the new TV show, be warned, the book is TOTALLY different!!
September 22, 2018
Natalię Baszile zawczasu namaściła królowa amerykańskich serc Oprah Winfrey, kreując debiutującą pisarkę na jeden z kolejnych głośnych głosów powieści amerykańskiej. Jej stacja stworzyła serial na podstawie powieści i tym samym ugruntowała rolę Baszile w świecie współczesnej literatury. Czy słusznie? O ile „Królowa cukru” jawi się jako poruszająca kobieca i rodzinna opowieść o zmaganiach i dziedzictwie, to sama jej forma i styl nie wyróżniają się niczym specjalnym na tle innych podobnych historii. Powieść czyta się szybko i lekko, z zainteresowaniem obserwując działanie współczesnych południowych plantacji, przenikając do świata bohaterów, ale… tylko na chwilkę, bez szansy na większe emocje. Zabrakło szczypty magii, czegoś mniej przyziemnego, mniej schematycznego, co nadałoby „Królowej cukru” tej nutki wyjątkowości, jak chociażby w przypadku powieści Toni Morrison czy Sue Monk Kidd. Potencjał jest, więc może przy kolejnej powieści Natalii Baszile uda się ująć moje serce?
October 4, 2018
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway!
i liked the book. it was not WOWish but a good story and i'd probably read more by the author.
The name was familiar to me because it's a TV show.
The entire time i reading it i am wondering who plays which characters.
in the sections that bore me i wish i could see them instead.
The sections that bored me are the usual suspects- scenery descriptions, machinery description, farming techniques- ya know the minutiae that are great details but i don't really need to know them in order to follow the story of what is going on with the characters' lives.
i didn't like how many phrases she had in french/creole and did not translate them. i did not like how many references she had to local foods and places in Louisiana and again didn't explain what they were in the book. i blame that on her being a new author but her editors should have helped her to do it. one or 2 cultural references that are not explained is ok but she had many that i guess were food or stores or something but i don't really know.
I liked most of the characters but especially liked Blue and Mr. Denton. The main character Charley was a bit annoying at times as well as Micah and Miss Honey. I guess that is what made them so interesting though.
i hope the TV show does well because i'd like to know what happens to the family and how her farm does. awwww man just read the synopsis on the TV show. so much is different. :-(
i liked the book. it was not WOWish but a good story and i'd probably read more by the author.
The name was familiar to me because it's a TV show.
The entire time i reading it i am wondering who plays which characters.
in the sections that bore me i wish i could see them instead.
The sections that bored me are the usual suspects- scenery descriptions, machinery description, farming techniques- ya know the minutiae that are great details but i don't really need to know them in order to follow the story of what is going on with the characters' lives.
i didn't like how many phrases she had in french/creole and did not translate them. i did not like how many references she had to local foods and places in Louisiana and again didn't explain what they were in the book. i blame that on her being a new author but her editors should have helped her to do it. one or 2 cultural references that are not explained is ok but she had many that i guess were food or stores or something but i don't really know.
I liked most of the characters but especially liked Blue and Mr. Denton. The main character Charley was a bit annoying at times as well as Micah and Miss Honey. I guess that is what made them so interesting though.
i hope the TV show does well because i'd like to know what happens to the family and how her farm does. awwww man just read the synopsis on the TV show. so much is different. :-(
June 7, 2018
This was such a good story! I so wish that there were more books that feature these characters. Miriam Hyman did an excellent job narrating. I was disappointed that I couldn't find any more audio books narrated by her either.
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Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
February 27, 2019
Before I start my review of Queen Sugar I must say that I had to separate the book from the television series. In order to do so, I cataloged the differences, put the book down for a couple of days and then resumed reading. There are plenty of places online to compare the two, so I will not do so at this time. I would hope the merits of this review will be based on the book alone.
The story begins as Charley Bordelon and her daughter Micah are heading to her home in Louisiana after her father leaves her a huge sugarcane and its land. Leaving Los Angeles is no doubt difficult for Charley and Micah, but perhaps they can start again. Things do not go easy, however, because there are a lot of obstacles. For one thing, a black woman owning such a large business will most certainly be a challenge in the rural town. Also, weather plays a heavy hand. In addition, Charley must contend with specific family members, including grandmother Honey. Her brother, Ralph Angel, now an ex-con, does not make things easy for her either.
There is quite a positive influence in Charley's life now, though. That is her Aunt Violet. Her relationship with Violet has its struggles, but it does lend her strength. Meanwhile, Charley has some romantic entanglements to continue. A widow of several years, she is attracted to Remy, someone quite knowledgeable about the sugarcane business and a big help to the family. But there is also Hollywood, her brother's former best friend, who likes her quite a bit.
I got this book in two formats from my library, both in audio and in an e-book. I mostly listened to the audio version and it was done quite well, Miriam Hyman was the narrator. I felt this lent well to a story similar to what I have been viewing on the small screen.
This debut novel by Baszile hits on a host of issues. The dynamics exposed here can no doubt be felt by the hordes of people who have read this book. I enjoyed the masterful nature in which this story was told. I felt the drama affecting me as I glided through the pages of this book. I am very interesting in seeing what else this author has in store.
The story begins as Charley Bordelon and her daughter Micah are heading to her home in Louisiana after her father leaves her a huge sugarcane and its land. Leaving Los Angeles is no doubt difficult for Charley and Micah, but perhaps they can start again. Things do not go easy, however, because there are a lot of obstacles. For one thing, a black woman owning such a large business will most certainly be a challenge in the rural town. Also, weather plays a heavy hand. In addition, Charley must contend with specific family members, including grandmother Honey. Her brother, Ralph Angel, now an ex-con, does not make things easy for her either.
There is quite a positive influence in Charley's life now, though. That is her Aunt Violet. Her relationship with Violet has its struggles, but it does lend her strength. Meanwhile, Charley has some romantic entanglements to continue. A widow of several years, she is attracted to Remy, someone quite knowledgeable about the sugarcane business and a big help to the family. But there is also Hollywood, her brother's former best friend, who likes her quite a bit.
I got this book in two formats from my library, both in audio and in an e-book. I mostly listened to the audio version and it was done quite well, Miriam Hyman was the narrator. I felt this lent well to a story similar to what I have been viewing on the small screen.
This debut novel by Baszile hits on a host of issues. The dynamics exposed here can no doubt be felt by the hordes of people who have read this book. I enjoyed the masterful nature in which this story was told. I felt the drama affecting me as I glided through the pages of this book. I am very interesting in seeing what else this author has in store.
February 21, 2015
I had to force myself through the first couple of chapters, something about the pace or writing style slowed me down. I am glad I kept at this one. While the resolution to the climax(es) of this story was fairly unsurprising, the writing was solid and engaging. The book tells a story and shares a point of view that is not widely available.
This story moves and African American woman and her daughter from California, back to the south, Louisiana as a sugar cane farmer. The struggles of why her father left the south come to light, both the racial challenges and his personal obstacles or missteps. Still Charley finds herself and her history, unfortunately and realistically, by overcoming obstacles of her own, some which echo those of her father.
Though I was not surprised in her Ralph Angel's demise, it was still disappointing. I found that plot line to lend a sense of inevitability or "sins of our fathers" tone to book. It also provides a rather timely insight, not overly heavy, in to the struggle between African Americans and the police, even when needed.
As the daughter of a farmer, I thoroughly enjoyed Baszile's teaching on sugar cane. It lends a structure to the story, a frame really, and it adds to the context I have of slavery and the work of slaves, though it does not refer to it directly. She shared quite a bit on the physical, scientific aspects of farming sugar cane, and also the business, social aspects of it.
This story moves and African American woman and her daughter from California, back to the south, Louisiana as a sugar cane farmer. The struggles of why her father left the south come to light, both the racial challenges and his personal obstacles or missteps. Still Charley finds herself and her history, unfortunately and realistically, by overcoming obstacles of her own, some which echo those of her father.
Though I was not surprised in her Ralph Angel's demise, it was still disappointing. I found that plot line to lend a sense of inevitability or "sins of our fathers" tone to book. It also provides a rather timely insight, not overly heavy, in to the struggle between African Americans and the police, even when needed.
As the daughter of a farmer, I thoroughly enjoyed Baszile's teaching on sugar cane. It lends a structure to the story, a frame really, and it adds to the context I have of slavery and the work of slaves, though it does not refer to it directly. She shared quite a bit on the physical, scientific aspects of farming sugar cane, and also the business, social aspects of it.
December 15, 2016
Really enjoyed this one which is about a young woman changing her life after she inherits a sugar plantation . In the blink of an eye, her life is transformed from an inner city teacher to experiencing the backbreaking work, unforgiving weather, and financial burdens of a sugar farmer. Added to this transition are the joys and sorrows which rekindled family relationships brings.
The narration by Miriam Hyman was extremely well done and enjoyable . I was surprised she was the only narrator listed because she does a great job with the various characters' voices.
I don't know if I will watch the Oprah miniseries. Upon reading the last word, I feel pretty complete. However , perhaps I will at a later date .
The narration by Miriam Hyman was extremely well done and enjoyable . I was surprised she was the only narrator listed because she does a great job with the various characters' voices.
I don't know if I will watch the Oprah miniseries. Upon reading the last word, I feel pretty complete. However , perhaps I will at a later date .
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