Customer Reviews

Sugar: A Novel

5 star:		(146)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In the writing workshop I recently attended and in the book on writing I am now reading, I am constantly being reminded to hook the reader with that first sentence and paragraph. "Jude was dead" grabbed me from the beginning and had ahold of me until the last page was turned. This hauntingly beautiful tale of a "scarlet" woman and the small town without pity was an exercise in human nature. Sugar comes to Bigelow, a small African American town in Arkansas, in 1955 to live in a house next door to Pearl and Joe. Fifteen years earlier their daughter Jude was brutally murdered. There is something about Sugar that reminds Pearl of her beloved daughter and while the whole town shuns her, she befriends her. Sugar brings out the youth and makes Pearl laugh and enjoy life. Pearl has not laughed so much since before Jude died. Pearl, the virtuous wife and mother, pillar of the church has even taken to dying her hair and visiting the juke joints with Pearl and taken Joe with her. The town is horrified at Pearl taking up with Sugar and their back- biting curiosity turns to venom.
Sugar, abandoned, as a child and growing up around brothels just does what she know best, make men happy. She knows secrets about Bigelow that no one else knows. Sugar has never known love and when she meets Pearl's son she finds out what it is, alas, she is unable to accept it. A tragedy unfolds with devastating consequences that reveal the events of fifteen years prior.
This book is written in rich detail, realistic characterization and superb writing. This writer's ability to capture the look and feel of the 50s Jim Crow south and the people who inhabit this small town are amazing and there is no doubt this is a literary masterpiece. I'm told there will be a sequel; I can hardly wait.

Listen, why are you still reading reviews...you should be ordering this book by now. If anyone has anything negative to say about this book....then they don't know a good read when they see one! LOL

Sugar is [ as they say these days ] off da' hook! There is no doubt that Bernice McFadden has written herself into the creme de la creme of authorship - ok I made the word up. ;-)

Sugar is about two friends that are soooo different, and from totally different backgrounds. Sugar is Ms. Thang and every man wants to "be with her!" Sugar raised to survive using what my moma called "her sweet lucy." There's Pearl who is totally opposite from her new found best friend; she was raised to be the perfect mother, wife, church lady, and model citizen.

The relationship that Ms. McFadden develops between them is soooo touching and dear. You are sure to get caught up in the lives of Pearl, Sugar and the whole town of Bigelow.

Hey, Get This One! Ms. McFadden you've got another Fan....can't wait for the new one to come!

Sugar is Sweet with a tinch of sour!

I finished SUGAR last night and wanted to share this with other readers. I literally carried this book around with me until I finished it last night. I read it under the dryer at the salon, in my car in Atlanta, GA traffic jams, at home in the bed...it was just that good. It's a wonderful story on how people go through unpleasant situations but they still survive. SUGAR and PEARL make you think of old and new friends. It's a MUST read, especially by other book club members! I assure you, you will not be disappointed. If you read and liked "Miss Ophelia" by Mary Burnett Smith then you will surely go out and buy this book today! Hurry up it's in local bookstores all over America, it hit the stands a few days ago!

SUGAR is one of the most engrossing novels that I have read in a long time. McFadden weaves a tale so vividly, the reader is easily transported into the storyline.

1940, Bigelow, Arkansas is where this Southern tale begins, with a scene so disturbingly painful and detailed that it grips your heart and propels you to read further. SUGAR's opening line, JUDE IS DEAD, is powerful, and we learn that Pearl and Joe Taylor have lost their only daughter Jude to a horrific event, and Pearl, a once vibrant, loving wife and mother, finds herself devastated over the loss, a piece of her soul, her heart gone forever.

Move to 1955, where life in Bigelow seems to be normal, and Pearl has buried the pain of Jude's death deep within her. That is, until a scandalously sexy and provocative woman waltzes into their small town, right next door to Pearl, creating rumors and upheavals with the women and gawking and lust with the men. Pearl is struck by the resemblance that Sugar has to her deceased child. Pearl and Sugar have their own personal demons that have plagued them, and this connection sparks a friendship between the odd couple. Through their friendship, and the unfolding of their painful paths, the women become more family than friends, but all is not glorious as the past looms over them, bringing pain, grief, and the reopening of old wounds.

McFadden writes with such beauty that it's easy to get lost in the novel. The plot is full of drama and realism of the time period and will invoke anger and despair, hope and forgiveness in those who read it. The town, the people, the dialogue is so vivid, so realistic, that it's easy to believe every account in the novel, even the truly painful.

SUGAR is an exquisite piece of literature, and it's definitely deserving of being on every reader's bookshelf.

Reviewed by Shonie

Sugar is a masterpiece of descriptive writing that keeps the reader's interest from the first page to the last. This is a tale of small town morality and hypocrisy. The lead character blows into this southern town, and everyone instantly knows that she is trouble, and the busybodies spend most of their time trying to find out exactly why she has come there. Sugar is bold, black and beautiful. The male residents have no problem spending nights with her even as their wives spend their days plotting how to get this "harlot" to go away.

The book opens with a brutal murder that happened about 15 years before the story begins. This sets the stage for what is going to unfold later in the book as the murdered girl's mother is the only one who befriends Sugar -- because she looks like her daughter. No one else understands their friendship, but Sugar and Pearl help each other grow. Her daughter's death exacted a heavy toll on Pearl, and she was barely going through the motions of living when Sugar arrived. The nature of her work made Sugar coarse and cynical, yet she grew fond of the older woman. Pearl almost felt like she has her daughter back, and her husband Joe is the only one who did not question their relationship. The older couple was a good influence on Sugar who eventually fell in love with one of their sons.

This is almost a redemption story save for a nasty turn of events at the end of the book. It was harsh, but I can't imagine that there were many fairytale endings for Black folks during that time. We find out why Pearl's husband did not object to her befriending the town whore, and Jude's killer is also revealed in a particularly brutal episode. The author ties up most of the loose ends, but I still questioned a few of the things revealed in those final chapters. Overall, it was as an enjoyable read.

This book was recommended to me by the author. I read the reviews and went out the same day and brought the book. That was 2 days ago.

From page one I was engrossed into the life of Sugar Lacey. This is a well written novel about the past, hurt, happiness, friendship and mystery. Pearl and Sugar are two unforgettable women. Pearl and Joe showed love to Sugar. Sugar brought life back to Pearl after the loss of her daughter Jude. Be Blessed!

This book was WONDERFUL! It is a book that takes you on a journey. A beautiful journey. Oh! the characters Pearl and Sugar were deep. I was able to experience their joy, their pain, their defeats. Pearl's husband Joe is a man I would love to have in my own life. He was a MAN! A STRONG BLACK MAN who loved his wife and understood his wife and was patient with her. Sugar grabbed me by my mind and soul and forced me to follow her through all her trials. This was a book that I could not move without it being readily available for me to read. I went no where without it. This is ONE gorgeous, delicious, stupendous, and satisfying novel. THANK YOU BERNICE MCFADDEN! There is not enough adjectives to describe my feelings about your novel and the characters you brought TO life and INTO mine.

"Sugar" by Bernice L. McFadden is this author's debut novel and what a striking launch for her writing career. A friend recommended this book and she said it was the best book she's read in over two years and this women ain't never told a lie! Ms. McFadden tells the story of Sugar with boldness and passion. I was amazed at how the story began to unfold connecting the two-neighboring towns with the secret of Sugar's heritage. The past and the present connected smoothly by using the memories of the characters as they reflected on past events. I certainly would not want to reveal the plot of the story and ruin the book for those who have not read it so I will simply say I strongly urge everyone to "buy the book". It's worth every cent. I will say that this novel has earned a place on my "FKS" (Forever Keep Shelf). I'm so glad I purchased the hard copy. Bravo Ms. McFadden, I cannot wait to read your follow-up novel. I give "Sugar" two thumbs up, a flute of sparkling apple cider, jumbo fried shrimp with a loaded baked potato and a cherry jubilee!

There are some books you read that linger in your memory long after you've read them. There are some books which are so powerful that they leave you speechless and awestruck. Sugar is one of those books with its powerful message, vivid imagery and rich characters. Quite simply, Sugar is a stunning debut and an outstanding novel by Bernice McFadden.

I knew that I was in for a good read based upon the first sentence..."Jude is Dead"....in fact, the first paragraph/chapter is one of the most poignant and riveting storylines that I've ever had the pleasure to read! The intensity of the situation was chilling and felt to the bone as I was transported to another time and place that was Sugar's world. McFadden mesmorized us as she told us Sugar's story...On a hot, summer day circa 1940s, Sugar exploded into the small town of Bigelow, Arkansas. A town filled with much tragic, many secrets and plenty of small town gossip. A town that didn't look favorably upon or welcome a single woman who they considered to be loose, lusty, sexy and maybe after their men. But their is one woman who strays from the narrowminded path to befriend Sugar and what initiates as unlikely develops into a strong friendship. Pearl, is old enough to be Sugar's mom, but Pearl knows what shoes Sugar has walked in. Pearl know's loneliness, heartache, a shell waiting to be cracked as well as two souls searching for friendship, love and understanding. Pearl & Sugar's friendship gives the other hope and the other confidence to experience and share the happier, carefree moments of life. Theirs was a cherished friendship and one that the reader experienced vicariously. Through Pearl and Sugar we learn of a kindred spirit due to a tangled web weaved many years ago and as the story unfolds so do we. Sugar was just AWESOME! As I became more absorbed in the story it was hard to tear away from reading...so I gave in and read it in one sitting. Sugar was well-written, refreshing and a change of pace. McFadden is an author to be reckoned with and one who will (hopefully) become a household name. McFadden has mastered the art of writing with an ole' school/classic style but yet a contemporary flair. Her writing is timeless and should be around for years to come. I highly recommend Sugar and after you finish it....go pick up The Warmest December, McFadden's latest book.

Yasmin Coleman

Founder/Moderator, apooo@yahoogroups.com

SUGAR. There is no way to have grown up in the south and not known a SUGAR. A woman whose very name caused "good" women to frown and "good" men to smile. She is the walking epitome of sexuality, and has an aura that draws people to her, even in their rejection of her. Bernice L. McFadden in her first novel paints a riveting, haunting tale that intertwines the stories of Sugar and Pearl Taylor in a way that leaves the reader breathless. You can't help but to feel the pain and sorrow that propels these characters headlong into an unlikely friendship that soon flourishes into a sisterhood, a unified front against an oppressive community that can only see things in shades of black and white, never gray. The journey that these characters make towards an eventual transcendental height of salvation from everything temporal into a place that is filled with forgiveness and love is breathtaking. There is no way to read this story about the Bigelow women without revisiting some of our own haunted pasts.