Name: Queen Sugar
Rating: 3.375 (8 reviews)
ISBN: 9780670026135

Natalie Baszile

Hoping for a new start when she unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm, Charley moves to Louisiana, where she confronts her grandmother's judgmental beliefs while balancing the farm's overwhelming challenges with the needs of her homesick daughter, her troubled brother and her own yearning heart.

Queen Sugar

Bella Baxter

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.

Mahasin S Ameen

This was an amazing book and I'm mad at myself for just now getting around to reading it. I met Natalie Baszile at a library conference and have an autographed copy of this book. It's an excellent book that shows the strength and determination of family, but also shows how the echos of slavery still exist and the importance of fighting for what you think is right.

Francine Corry

Brittany

Bria

The inspiration for the acclaimed OWN TV series produced by Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, returning for season two on June 20th “Smart and heartfelt and highly recommended.” —Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club Readers, booksellers, and critics alike are embracing Queen Sugar and cheering for its heroine, Charley Bordelon, an African American woman and single mother struggling to build a new life amid the complexities of the contemporary South. When Charley unexpectedly inherits eight hundred acres of sugarcane land, she and her eleven-year-old daughter say goodbye to smoggy Los Angeles and head to Louisiana. She soon learns, however, that cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley struggles to balance the overwhelming challenges of a farm in decline with the demands of family and the startling desires of her own heart.

Queen Sugar

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