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beebliobibuli's review against another edition
4.0
Ezequiel et Candelaria Otero mènent une vie simple, s'occupent de leur ferme et de leur fille unique Serena qui passe son temps dans la foret à rechercher et cataloguer les plantes qu’elle y retrouve.
La vie de cette famille change le jour où Severo Bracamonte arrive au village à la recherche du fameux trésor du capitaine Henry Morgan perdu il y de cela des siècles.
L'histoire suit le destin de cette famille et même celui des générations qui suivent.
Ce roman est riche en images et en descriptions merveilleuses, de la foret tropicale à l'industrie de la canne à sucre et du rhum.
Sucre noir se lit rapidement, le style est fluide et agréable, on a l'impression que c'est plus une fable qu'un roman. Les personnage sont tellement bien développés qu'à la fin on a l'impression de les connaitre.
Un petit roman qui vous offre un grand voyage.
La vie de cette famille change le jour où Severo Bracamonte arrive au village à la recherche du fameux trésor du capitaine Henry Morgan perdu il y de cela des siècles.
L'histoire suit le destin de cette famille et même celui des générations qui suivent.
Ce roman est riche en images et en descriptions merveilleuses, de la foret tropicale à l'industrie de la canne à sucre et du rhum.
Sucre noir se lit rapidement, le style est fluide et agréable, on a l'impression que c'est plus une fable qu'un roman. Les personnage sont tellement bien développés qu'à la fin on a l'impression de les connaitre.
Un petit roman qui vous offre un grand voyage.
entamewitchlulu's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this one for the Popsugar prompt "a book with 'pop', 'sugar' or 'challenge' in the title'
I really....have no idea what the point of that was. I kind of felt like I was being told a story by someone's grandparent, as there was a LOT of description and yet no real depth to it. Part of it may be chalked up to the fact that this is a translation, and it may in fact have sounded better in its original language, but I was just massively bored throughout the whole story. Being told all of the little details about the rum business or the economy or the town gossip, none of it felt important or engaging, and I still have no idea what the whole point was. What was the takeaway? What was I supposed to think or feel? I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either, it inspired no strong feelings and it just makes me feel like I wasted my time.
I have no doubt there WAS some important thing in here to learn, and there was something interesting in learning more about Venezuela in what it did talk about, but I didn't really grasp the importance. I also really haven't the slightest clue where the 'magical realism' that it was labeled as came in. It seemed pretty realistic to me.
I really....have no idea what the point of that was. I kind of felt like I was being told a story by someone's grandparent, as there was a LOT of description and yet no real depth to it. Part of it may be chalked up to the fact that this is a translation, and it may in fact have sounded better in its original language, but I was just massively bored throughout the whole story. Being told all of the little details about the rum business or the economy or the town gossip, none of it felt important or engaging, and I still have no idea what the whole point was. What was the takeaway? What was I supposed to think or feel? I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either, it inspired no strong feelings and it just makes me feel like I wasted my time.
I have no doubt there WAS some important thing in here to learn, and there was something interesting in learning more about Venezuela in what it did talk about, but I didn't really grasp the importance. I also really haven't the slightest clue where the 'magical realism' that it was labeled as came in. It seemed pretty realistic to me.
blanche_l's review against another edition
4.0
Une histoire de trésor et de femmes, le tout porté par une écriture pleine de poésie et de sensualité. C'est un roman qui se lit vite, et qui se lit bien. J'ai beaucoup aimé les deux personnages féminins centraux, chacune représentant quelque chose de différent.
lit's review against another edition
4.0
Azúcar negro es una sensual novela épica que relata tres generaciones de la familia Otero. La novela comienza con la desaparición del barco de capitán pirata inglés Henry Morgan, hundiéndose en mitad de la selva con un fabuloso tesoro. Trescientos años más tarde, un pueblo ha crecido sobre el lugar en el que el tesoro puede encontrarse, y muchos van y vienen, obsesionados con encontrarlo. Es tan afamado ese tesoro, que se convierte en casi una leyenda urbana. La familia Otero lleva una vida sencilla pero, en el día de los difuntos, una antigua propietaria de la casa donde viven los Otero, aparece… y poco después, un extraño y avaricioso hombre, Severo Bracamonte, hace acto de presencia.
En esta breve, pero intensa novela, Bonnefoy hace uso del estilo de García Márquez en el sentido que usa temáticas como el destino, el amor no correspondido y los lazos familiares. Pero eso no significa que el autor no use su propio estilo: los personajes están muy bien delineados, tienen su propia voz, deseos etc. También hace muy buen uso del leguaje, por ejemplo: “la ventaja de ser pobre, es que sólo te puedes hacer más rico” y “en casa del ahorcado… no se menciona la soga”. Y se nota que se divierte escribiendo y creando su propio estilo.
Aunque la novela sea relativamente breve, todo pasa, como una tormenta tropical, que llega anunciándose, deja el desastre y se va tan tranquila.
Ha sido muy grato leer esta novela y, de seguro, voy a leer más de este autor, especialmente el último título publicado por la misma editorial, Herencia. Muy recomendable.
En esta breve, pero intensa novela, Bonnefoy hace uso del estilo de García Márquez en el sentido que usa temáticas como el destino, el amor no correspondido y los lazos familiares. Pero eso no significa que el autor no use su propio estilo: los personajes están muy bien delineados, tienen su propia voz, deseos etc. También hace muy buen uso del leguaje, por ejemplo: “la ventaja de ser pobre, es que sólo te puedes hacer más rico” y “en casa del ahorcado… no se menciona la soga”. Y se nota que se divierte escribiendo y creando su propio estilo.
Aunque la novela sea relativamente breve, todo pasa, como una tormenta tropical, que llega anunciándose, deja el desastre y se va tan tranquila.
Ha sido muy grato leer esta novela y, de seguro, voy a leer más de este autor, especialmente el último título publicado por la misma editorial, Herencia. Muy recomendable.
rougecarmin's review against another edition
4.0
Les trésors ne se trouvent pas toujours là où on les cherche.
jackielaw's review
5.0
Black Sugar, by Miguel Bonnefoy (translated by Emily Boyce), is a story of pirates, buried treasure and rum. Set in the forests of Venezuela it charts the country’s development through the twentieth century alongside that of residents of a remote sugar plantation. The elegant, often humorous prose is fable like. There is desire, intrigue, greed and the unstoppable rhythms of life.
The story opens with a shipwreck. Marooned inland, surrounded by swampy forest, Captain Henry Morgan is dying atop his lifetime’s hoard of treasure. As the weeks go by his marooned ship and valuable supplies rot, or are consumed by the land and his hungry crew. There follows a storm, a mutiny, and the captain and his treasure disappear.
Three centuries later the land has been drained and cultivated. A village has been built, the tale of an English pirate and his lost hoard become legend. On the Otero family farm, Ezequiel and his wife Candelaria live modestly with their late born daughter, Serena. The child has developed an interest in botany, observing her surroundings whilst dreaming of new horizons.
Their quiet life is enlivened by the arrival of a stranger. Severo Bracamonte, a young man in his twenties, has purchased documents from a travelling merchant purporting to reveal the location of the English captain’s buried treasure. He asks for permission to stay on the farm while he conducts a meticulous and methodical search. In exchange he offers a share of the booty he is convinced he will find.
Serena is unimpressed by this slight, pale faced man. As the weeks go by with no success she becomes annoyed at her parents’ tolerance of Severo’s continued presence. All this changes when he finally brings back an artifact. Serena’s reaction causes him to rethink his ambitions.
With Severo’s help the farm grows in size and wealth. He branches out, creating a mill and distillery. Serena works alongside him, keeping the farm books but yearning for a child. The arrival of another stranger, an Andalusian treasure seeker, changes their prospects once again.
Treasure comes in many forms, what use it is put to determining its value. Each of the characters achieves, but not necessarily what they thought they desired. Greed is shown to be a disease, wealth an entanglement. This is a deft and gratifying evocation of the cycle of life in an ever evolving land.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Gallic Books.
The story opens with a shipwreck. Marooned inland, surrounded by swampy forest, Captain Henry Morgan is dying atop his lifetime’s hoard of treasure. As the weeks go by his marooned ship and valuable supplies rot, or are consumed by the land and his hungry crew. There follows a storm, a mutiny, and the captain and his treasure disappear.
Three centuries later the land has been drained and cultivated. A village has been built, the tale of an English pirate and his lost hoard become legend. On the Otero family farm, Ezequiel and his wife Candelaria live modestly with their late born daughter, Serena. The child has developed an interest in botany, observing her surroundings whilst dreaming of new horizons.
Their quiet life is enlivened by the arrival of a stranger. Severo Bracamonte, a young man in his twenties, has purchased documents from a travelling merchant purporting to reveal the location of the English captain’s buried treasure. He asks for permission to stay on the farm while he conducts a meticulous and methodical search. In exchange he offers a share of the booty he is convinced he will find.
Serena is unimpressed by this slight, pale faced man. As the weeks go by with no success she becomes annoyed at her parents’ tolerance of Severo’s continued presence. All this changes when he finally brings back an artifact. Serena’s reaction causes him to rethink his ambitions.
With Severo’s help the farm grows in size and wealth. He branches out, creating a mill and distillery. Serena works alongside him, keeping the farm books but yearning for a child. The arrival of another stranger, an Andalusian treasure seeker, changes their prospects once again.
Treasure comes in many forms, what use it is put to determining its value. Each of the characters achieves, but not necessarily what they thought they desired. Greed is shown to be a disease, wealth an entanglement. This is a deft and gratifying evocation of the cycle of life in an ever evolving land.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Gallic Books.
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