Queen Sugar

by Natalie Baszile

" 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 initimate in its exploration of the complexities of contemporary southern life, Queen Sugar is an unforgettable tale of endurance and hope"--

• ISBN10: 0670026131
• ISBN13: 9780670026135
• Publish Date: 6 February 2014
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Pamela Dorman Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 372
• Language: English

Reviews

[Heather]

I’m not normally a fan of books that use extensive descriptions, especially on audio. However, this book used descriptions to firmly root you in Louisiana and the cane fields.

Charley Bordelon’s father grew up poor in Louisiana. His dream was to escape to California. Right before he planned to leave he impregnated the girl he was dating. That child’s name was Ralph Angel and he grew up with his mother in Louisiana.

Mr. Bordelon did go to California and became wealthy in real estate. (I wish the book had explained how that happened.) He married an upper class woman and then had Charlotte, who they called Charley. She grew up privileged in California. Ralph Angel came to live with them but was sent back to Louisiana after making several attempts to hurt baby Charley.

Now their father has died and Charley and Ralph Angel are reunited in their grandmother’s house in Louisiana. Charley is there because her father left her a sugar cane farm that she didn’t know he had. She is an art teacher and knows nothing about farming. She is a widow and has a daughter. She needs to start her life over and thinks that this farm may help. She doesn’t realize that her father’s absentee landowner status has allowed the manager to get out of keeping up the farm.

See rest of the review at http://www.spiritblog.net/?p=8816