Queen Sugar

A Novel

By: Natalie Baszile

Narrated by: Miriam Hyman

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 800 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 11-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 intimate in its exploration of the complexities of contemporary southern life, Queen Sugar is an unforgettable tale of endurance and hope.

©2014 Natalie Baszile; 2014 Penguin Audio

Execellent Read - Worth the wait

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The book was entertaining and imparted knowledge about growing sugar cane. The story was well written and was weave together with excellence.

What other book might you compare Queen Sugar to and why?

12 Tribes of Hattie - Although the 12 tribes had more characters the weaving of characters was similar.

Which scene was your favorite?

the love scene between her and the other farmer

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made proud to read about such a strong determined African American woman pursuing something that was a little out of the norm.

Queen Sugar took a bit to get going, but...

For the first couple of chapters, I had my doubts about this book, whether it would develop its characters and storyline sufficiently. It started off slowly, but, found its verve and more depth, so I began enjoying it and looking forward to hearing-reading. At first, I had my doubts it would be worthwhile or that I’d even finish it. I’m glad I hung in there, as about the time that my doubts were peaking, the characters found their color, voices and the story became more interesting.
Miriam Hyman did a good job of differentiation of the voices & her delivery of the male voices was so well done that I forgot it was she who was reading their parts.
I enjoyed hearing this story of the South and a bit of the sugar cane growing, the land, people and processes that make it all happen. Though I cringed at the mention of the numerous, serious chemicals that are nearly always employed in its farming, as an organic gardener and small farmer on acreage in California, it reminded me of what I hold so valuable about organic farming practices — not easily crafted, often extremely hard, but, well worth the efforts for people, land and the health of all.
Queen Sugar added to my thought processes of learning about a culture and ethnicity that I don’t know, which is something that I’ve tried to do more and more over the past few years.
I wish the last couple of pretty dramatic chapters had been more thoughtfully done: they felt relatively colorless & flat, considering what all was going on and the human emotions that are involved in such situations. That was too bad. It didn’t have to be that way, with a little more care by this skillful author.

I loved it!

I learned about cane farming along the way. A great story of a woman empowered.

Great narrator for a great story

Loved how the narrator was able to embody each character with her change in accent and tone. Amazing narrator. The story was great as well. Kept me engaged and wondering what would happen next.

A Must Read

As always, I wish I would have read the book prior to watching the tv show. Nonetheless, I am highly impressed with how well written the storyline is. The characters were multifaceted and I related to each of them on multiple levels. I was definitely surprised to learn of Hollywood's generosity and disregard to money despite's Ralph Angel's chase for the green. I don't want to give too much of the read/listen away. I would highly recommend this book!

Amazing story of determination

I love the emotions this book took me through. So wonderful. A little sad the show didn't explore that relationship of sister and rejected brother

I found the book very enjoyable

enjoy the book from start to finish. Did not have any trouble keeping my attention.

Too long

This was a great book but it was too long. All the terms used to describe the process of farming were overkill at times. I know she paid Hollywood back but it would have been a good touch if she had taken him to California so he could have seen the houses of the stars and Michi could have seen her grandmother. Also the pay out after the grinding and what was her profits?

Great

Even though the book was different from the tv series it was still very good. Now I’m confused about which characters I like better the book veto or the tv show.

Beautiful & Heartwarming

I never write reviews...but I absolutely loved this story, I loved the detail of the Louisiana landscape, music, food and the tale of this strong female lead. Love. Love. Love!