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bellhore's review against another edition
4.0
My Lord. This was going to be a three-star rating until the last 20 or so pages of the book. This was a great story, I love seeing people leave everyday comforts in pursuits of a dream or goal. To see that person persevere and go through rough patches with God's grace, that is the story of my life.
To start off, I felt like nothing major really happened until I was 80% through but I appreciate Bazile's slow build into the major plot twist. But uh, is the farm still flourishing? Curious.
****Character Highs & Lows****
Charley- The protagonist of the story, very head-strong and bad-ass. Smart as hell but also stubborn as hell. Love her. I personally would have gone for Hollywood instead of Remy, ESPECIALLY after that "you're not like the black folk around here, it's almost like you're not even black" comment. Good night and good luck, sir.
Ralph Angel- I spent the majority of this book being so fucking angry with him. Every time he'd have a fresh start somewhere, as lowly as it might seem, he deemed himself too good for it. And it's just so tragic what happens to him, and I feel for him, witnessing the atrocities that police brutality has brought upon the black community in America today. But Ralph Angel...people gave you so many chances and you blew it every time. You don't get to treat people however the fuck you want. Yes, you were wronged in so many ways, you did not deserve what happened to you, you deserved another chance. You had a good heart. You should have just been honest with everyone and let your pride down for a moment.
Denton- Thank you for being that redeeming grace figure that we all need.
Micah-Really needs a lesson in humility. When Ralph Angel said that she talked all of the time and was just a French-speaking know it all (ok the french-speaking part is mine), I couldn't help but agree. At some point, you gotta stop letting a child walk over you like this. ESPECIALLY A CHILD LIKE HER. Disrespectful. Not here for it.
Blue-God bless that poor child. Only out here with his action figure trying to balance out his father's anger.
Hollywood- GOD BLESS YOU. Please come mow my grass and hand me $50K that you're not using!
Now I'm ready to watch the show!!! Speaking of, I'm thinking that Nova's character will be more of the Charley I was thinking of. I'm curious to see how they've adapted the show from the book.
To start off, I felt like nothing major really happened until I was 80% through but I appreciate Bazile's slow build into the major plot twist. But uh, is the farm still flourishing? Curious.
****Character Highs & Lows****
Charley- The protagonist of the story, very head-strong and bad-ass. Smart as hell but also stubborn as hell. Love her. I personally would have gone for Hollywood instead of Remy, ESPECIALLY after that "you're not like the black folk around here, it's almost like you're not even black" comment. Good night and good luck, sir.
Ralph Angel- I spent the majority of this book being so fucking angry with him. Every time he'd have a fresh start somewhere, as lowly as it might seem, he deemed himself too good for it. And it's just so tragic what happens to him, and I feel for him, witnessing the atrocities that police brutality has brought upon the black community in America today. But Ralph Angel...people gave you so many chances and you blew it every time. You don't get to treat people however the fuck you want. Yes, you were wronged in so many ways, you did not deserve what happened to you, you deserved another chance. You had a good heart. You should have just been honest with everyone and let your pride down for a moment.
Denton- Thank you for being that redeeming grace figure that we all need.
Micah-Really needs a lesson in humility. When Ralph Angel said that she talked all of the time and was just a French-speaking know it all (ok the french-speaking part is mine), I couldn't help but agree. At some point, you gotta stop letting a child walk over you like this. ESPECIALLY A CHILD LIKE HER. Disrespectful. Not here for it.
Blue-God bless that poor child. Only out here with his action figure trying to balance out his father's anger.
Hollywood- GOD BLESS YOU. Please come mow my grass and hand me $50K that you're not using!
Now I'm ready to watch the show!!! Speaking of, I'm thinking that Nova's character will be more of the Charley I was thinking of. I'm curious to see how they've adapted the show from the book.
astoldby_cece's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
tiffanis29's review
2.0
I obtained the audio book for my work commute. It was worth the listen. The reader was excellent. Her methods of acting made it more interesting than if I had read it myself. I became interested in the book from watching the television series, which is similar yet pleasantly different. The book was ok. A nice story to listen to. It just seemed incomplete at the end.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/queen-sugar/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/queen-sugar/
mcoovert's review against another edition
4.0
I had to let this book simmer a bit, but it was beautiful. The context of race relations in the South, in the subtle and not so subtle ways, really touched me, as I can see the stories played out on the news each night.
fluoresensitive's review against another edition
Idk if I can stand it...you can tell when a book about the south or about impoverished people is written by someone who's scared of the south/grew up comfortable, and you can tell when a Black person has been brought up about white people, it's a vibe and that vibe is radiating from these pages
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent writing! I listened to this one and the story sucked me right in. The MC is drawn into sugar cane farming by her father’s legacy that completely leaves out his older son who has a lifetime of bad choices behind him. They are both single parents, but are reaping the benefits of different mothers and childhoods. The characters are layered and the plot moves right along to the messy and inevitable conclusion.
bsmorris's review against another edition
4.0
Bittersweet and a bit of romance
Charlie is a well rounded and compelling protagonist. Ralph Angel is also well rounded if a bit less sympathetic. Their struggles feel authentic and the imagery is rich. An enjoyable read, but a bit predictable.
Charlie is a well rounded and compelling protagonist. Ralph Angel is also well rounded if a bit less sympathetic. Their struggles feel authentic and the imagery is rich. An enjoyable read, but a bit predictable.
mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
Thankfully my streak of mediocre books has ended. At least for now.
I wanted to read this book before watching the series.
Charley is a widow. She and her 11 year old daughter Micah move from California to Louisiana. Her father has left her acres of sugarcane land.
When she gets there, things look bleak. She has no one to help her and she doesn't know the first things about sugarcane. Getting the land in working order is going to take a lot of money she doesn't have.
I liked Charley. But there were things I didn't understand. Why did she let Micah get away with everything she did? Throwing away her wedding ring? In the swamp? Was it guilt? Why did she let Miss Honey do the things she did? Don't get me started on Ralph Angel. She just seemed like a sponge. Absorbing everyone's anger.
Ralph Angel. Not an easily likable character. At all.
Even as I read everything he had been through, he took no accountability for his actions.
I also guess taking everything out on everyone else is easiest.
I liked the poetic way it was written, the reminders of race relations in the South. Even now.
I hope the actors playing Charley, Micah, Miss Honey, Hollywood, Violet, Remy, Ralph Angel, and Blue do these characters justice.
I wanted to read this book before watching the series.
Charley is a widow. She and her 11 year old daughter Micah move from California to Louisiana. Her father has left her acres of sugarcane land.
When she gets there, things look bleak. She has no one to help her and she doesn't know the first things about sugarcane. Getting the land in working order is going to take a lot of money she doesn't have.
I liked Charley. But there were things I didn't understand. Why did she let Micah get away with everything she did? Throwing away her wedding ring? In the swamp? Was it guilt? Why did she let Miss Honey do the things she did? Don't get me started on Ralph Angel. She just seemed like a sponge. Absorbing everyone's anger.
Ralph Angel. Not an easily likable character. At all.
Even as I read everything he had been through, he took no accountability for his actions.
I also guess taking everything out on everyone else is easiest.
I liked the poetic way it was written, the reminders of race relations in the South. Even now.
I hope the actors playing Charley, Micah, Miss Honey, Hollywood, Violet, Remy, Ralph Angel, and Blue do these characters justice.
wegetlit's review against another edition
5.0
The book is always better...
Once again, I find myself amazed and awestruck by the poetic beauty that books convey...a beauty that is rarely duplicated I never the film counterparts. I was pleased to meet each character despite their stark differences from those of the television show. Both the title and the main character make so much more sense in the context of the book.
Once again, I find myself amazed and awestruck by the poetic beauty that books convey...a beauty that is rarely duplicated I never the film counterparts. I was pleased to meet each character despite their stark differences from those of the television show. Both the title and the main character make so much more sense in the context of the book.