byashleylamar's review
3.0
Queen Sugar is a bit cliche but it was not nearly as predictable as other books in the same genre. It didn't really surprise me but it also didn't go exactly as I expected. I enjoyed reading it but I'm not feeling like I have to rush out and tell everyone it's a MUST. READ. In short, a city woman inherits a sugar cane farm in Louisiana and moves home with her daughter to try to make it work. There are so many books with similar story arcs that I am just left feeling "ehhhhh" about it. It's not bad. It's not great.
rachel_mft's review against another edition
1.0
The worst thing I have ever wasted an Audible credit on. I gave it a fair chance, but by the end of the book I was rolling my eyes with almost every sentence. Too trite and formulaic--felt like a predictable movie plot.
carolita1128's review
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amakaazie's review
3.0
A well written story about Charley who moves down with her daughter Micah from LA to the south after finding out she inherited a farm from her late father. It’s a homecoming fraught with all the hoopla of family strife and secrets.
This book was more informative than entertaining. I learnt about farming sugar cane more than being engrossed in the storyline. Very well written though. This author is awesome at descriptive writing.
The TV series is more entertaining though. 😊
This book was more informative than entertaining. I learnt about farming sugar cane more than being engrossed in the storyline. Very well written though. This author is awesome at descriptive writing.
The TV series is more entertaining though. 😊
pppaigeee's review
3.0
The plot of Queen Sugar is wonderful and powerful, and Baszile's characters are fantastic, but the book moves reallllllly slowly. The writing is beautiful, but I got bogged down a lot (although less so in the last third of the book). Listening to the audiobook version made it a lot easier to get through the sometimes painfully slow first several chapters; had I been paging through a physical book, I don't know that I would have kept going. That said, it's worth the struggle if you can commit to it.
mrsilvers's review
2.0
I had heard about this book several times, and most of the time heard high praise. But for me it fell short. The plot was intriguing and the characters well developed, but that just wasn't enough to save it. My main problem was the descriptions of everything that were so overdone. Sometimes it's better to just say that the sky was blue and not bother to describe other things at all. It was just too much.
I think the idea was to encourage the reader to be immersed in the book entirely, but for me it just became an unwanted distraction from what was actually happening in the moment.
Also there were a couple of times where it felt like that facts were given incorrectly. Like after the hurricane when Charlie asks if Allison made it through all right, and he says that his wife and kids did fine. However, when introduced to his character beforehand, it is said that his wife is dead and he is raising their grandchildren alone.
I think the idea was to encourage the reader to be immersed in the book entirely, but for me it just became an unwanted distraction from what was actually happening in the moment.
Also there were a couple of times where it felt like that facts were given incorrectly. Like after the hurricane when Charlie asks if Allison made it through all right, and he says that his wife and kids did fine. However, when introduced to his character beforehand, it is said that his wife is dead and he is raising their grandchildren alone.
tonyaalicia's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book after watching the TV series on OWN. I was very surprised to discover that there are main characters on the TV show that are not in the book and vice versa. Also, there was a lot of role reversals as well between characters.
A lot of detail was given about sugar cane farming. The story moved along pretty slowly even though it takes place over the span of almost a year. If I hadn’t watched the TV show, I may not would have enjoyed this book. However, I felt obligated to finish the book to see if there was any similarities in plots/characters. Overall, I felt a little let down. I definitely prefer the tv show over the book. If I hadn’t seen the tv show, I would still think that the book was just okay. Either way, congratulations to the author for her work being the inspiration for a tv show!
A lot of detail was given about sugar cane farming. The story moved along pretty slowly even though it takes place over the span of almost a year. If I hadn’t watched the TV show, I may not would have enjoyed this book. However, I felt obligated to finish the book to see if there was any similarities in plots/characters. Overall, I felt a little let down. I definitely prefer the tv show over the book. If I hadn’t seen the tv show, I would still think that the book was just okay. Either way, congratulations to the author for her work being the inspiration for a tv show!
chyreads29's review against another edition
4.0
Queen Sugar focuses on Charley Bordelon, a widowed Black mother who has inherited her father's sugar cane farm in St. Josephine, Louisiana. Originally from California, Charley decides to pack up her and her pre-teen daughters' lives in search of something new. Knowing virtually nothing about farming, she has to learn the ins and outs of managing fields all while dealing with the racial complexities of the South, her strained relationship with her daughter, and the broken familial pieces her father left behind in his death. One of those broken pieces is that of her (half) brother, Ralph Angel. While Charley grew up in the suburbs with both her parents, Ralph Angel grew up with a mother struggling with alcoholism and mental health issues. Because his father is gone, he has no one else to resent but his sister. When he hears of Charley's return, Ralph Angel decides to do the same and heads towards St. Josephine with his young son, Blue in hopes of salvaging his life as well. This story is one of clashing pain and resilience. It really captures the tangled mess children are often left to clean up from their parents. There were many moments in this story that absolutely stole my breath.
Queen Sugar, the television series, is VASTLY different from the novel. For instance, Nova Bordelon does not exist in the novel. But I am so glad that she does in the television series, as she adds such a nuanced layer to the story. I'm happy I watched the show before reading this. If it were the other way around, I don't think I would have been able to appreciate the bold writing moves that Ava Duvernay made. I actually love how the book and show feel like two completely different worlds and I appreciate both of them for what they are on their own.
Queen Sugar, the television series, is VASTLY different from the novel. For instance, Nova Bordelon does not exist in the novel. But I am so glad that she does in the television series, as she adds such a nuanced layer to the story. I'm happy I watched the show before reading this. If it were the other way around, I don't think I would have been able to appreciate the bold writing moves that Ava Duvernay made. I actually love how the book and show feel like two completely different worlds and I appreciate both of them for what they are on their own.
leslielikesthings's review against another edition
4.0
The narrative is a little slow and meandering, more slice of life and not very plot-heavy. I enjoyed the characters and the details of their situation, so it really worked for me.