Sugar : A Bittersweet History [Paperback]

Elizabeth Abbott (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 453 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books Canada, Limited (2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143017136
• ISBN-13: 978-0143017134
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Half a (Sugar) Loaf, August 19, 2010

By 

Harvey C. Greisman (Wilmington, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sugar: A Bittersweet History (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Abbott's elegant and convincing prose, and her adroit presentation of detail make for an engaging, informative read. Only problem is, there's a long excursus on slavery which threatens to colonize the whole book. The chapters which deal with sugar itself constitute a valuable narrative that showcases impressive expository skills. But, oh, dear, someone got distracted. Or maybe that same someone was planning two books, and couldn't decide which one to finish. Or maybe the manuscript was delayed, and a publisher counseled the author to fill in the gaps with material that was somehow related.

What it comes down to is, the chapters on slavery, which make up a third of the book, give the reader a precise, accurate, and chilling account of the Peculiar Institution's history, chiefly in the Carribean. But there's so much overlap with other, magisterial histories of slavery and the transatlantic trade, that this lengthy account is nearly superfluous. And sugar itself fades from the horizon as the slavery discussion takes on a life of its own, complete with tragic human interest cameos which appear to derive in part from Victorian Octoroon literature.

The book on sugar was a tour-de-force. The other one, on the slave trade and slavery, I'd read before elsewhere. An editor might have reduced the slavery discussion to a few chapters, but I guess that wasn't on the agenda.

I'm looking forward to Ms. Abbott's next contribution, with the hope that it will not drift so far off topic.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sugar: A Bittersweet History, April 1, 2010

By 

woodenduckdecoys - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sugar: A Bittersweet History (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Abbot's book, Sugar, is an intimate work that details the history of sugar and how it became on of the most popular and widely used commodities in the world. Abbot shows the reader how sugar is an integral part of world history by beginning the book with a history of early sugar plantations in the Caribbean. From here, she continues by focusing on sugar's involvement with the slave trade, territorial struggles, and modern politics. Abbot is not shy about unpleasant details - in fact she relays many graphic stories from enslaved workers on Southern plantations about their treatment and their relationships with their masters, overseers, drivers, and others. This raw and unapologetic point of view is captivating and focuses on the harsh cruelty of enslaved women and the ruthless treatment that many sugar cane workers endured even after emancipation. Overall, I found Sugar to be very well written, well researched, and an enjoyable read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and well-researched, October 14, 2008

By 

Traven (DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sugar : A Bittersweet History (Paperback)

Abbott clearly lays out the interwoven history of sugar, slavery, and global trade. An easy to read and enjoyable account of the many battles waged and the lives affected by our desire for sugar.