Reviews

Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy, Emily Boyce

nicetsukki's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

pteroskaska's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

luciearan's review against another edition

4.0

Tohle je kniha, která vás s sebou vezme na místo, vonící rumem a cukrovou třtinou, místo, kde se prolíná realita s magičnem. A i když je to kniha poměrně útlá, vypráví velice komplexní, vrstvený a poeticky laděný příběh, ukrývající v sobě mnoho emocí a překvapivou hloubku. Příběh, který přečtete jedním dechem a ke kterému se v myšlenkách, budete vracet ještě několik dní.

ageorge1877's review against another edition

3.0

Yeah man this is decent. Some old ass pirate treasure gets buried deep under a Venezuelan village and three hundred years later everyone's still thinkin about it. 'Wouldnt it be nice to find the treasure,' say this one family. 'Let's pursue this in a very healthy and normal manner.'

It's a technically solid story and a good easy to follow allegory for the colonisation of this part of the Americas. It doesn't really do anything wrong, but it doesn't really lurch to any great heights either. I think I would have liked Bonnefoy to get a bit closer to the characters and the setting and to really build up the sense of the community here. As it is, the more stood-back, tale-round-a-fire style of storytelling made it feel a little bit meat n potatoes. There was an opportunity here for something with much more emotional force had the author (treasure joke coming this is a treasure joke okay here it is treasure joke) dug a little deeper.

henry_edwards1's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

It's okay, but just read 100 years of solitude instead.

noahd's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

vontoutcourt's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mojostdennis's review against another edition

4.0

popsugar challenge 2019: read a book with "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title

tommooney's review against another edition

4.0

BLACK SUGAR by Miguel Bonnefoy.
I quite liked Bonnefoy's debut Octavio's Journey but found it incomplete - Black Sugar is much better. Both a fable of the evils of greed and a satire on colonialism, it begins with the fictional death of real-life pirate bastard Henry Morgan. It then fast forwards 300 years to tell of three generations of the Otero family and another fictional rendering of real life - the establishment of Captain Morgan's rum.
It is nicely written, light and fun, with richly drawn characters.

hiroto's review against another edition

3.0

Il y a un petit quelque chause de Gaudé, dans la manière de conter.
Malheureusement, l'histoire n'est pas inoubliable.