Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden... A Review

Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden

From the Publisher... When a young prostitute comes to Bigelow, Arkansas, to start over, far from her haunting past. Sugar moves next door to Pearl, who is still grieving for the daughter who was murdered fifteen years before. Over sweet-potato pie, an unlikely friendship begins, transforming both women's lives--and the life of an entire town...

Sugar brings a Southern African-American town vividly to life, with its flowering magnolia trees, lingering scents of jasmine and honeysuckle, and white picket fences that keep strangers out--but ignorance and superstition in. To read this novel is to take a journey through loss and suffering to a place of forgiveness, understanding, and grace.

I didn't know what to expect from Sugar as I read the opening scene of a horrendous murder of a young black girl named Jude and the devastated mother she left behind named Pearl. The year was 1940, the place was a southern black town, and it was the era of segregation...

"No one cared except the people who carried the same skin color"

Bernice McFadden made me feel the anguish of a mother who lost her child; the injustice of the times as it was known nothing was going to be done about it... And then she whisked me ahead 15 years. Pearl is still mourning the loss of her daughter, Jude, in her quiet reserved manner... But there's a new girl in town, and her name is Sugar - a young prostitute looking to change her life. Sugar exudes sex, with her short short skirts, spiky high heels, and BIG attitude. Pearl is a quiet obedient church-going wife. Their unlikely friendship creates amazing changes in both of them... much to the dismay of Pearl's church going friends, but to the delight of Pearls family.

Bernice is a master storyteller. Her prose is beautiful. As the layers of this story unfold, of murder, secrets, jealousy and pride, Bernice seamlessly weaves it all together to an amazing ending. I felt a whirlwind of emotions as I read Sugar; I laughed, I cried and I felt anger. I saw past those short skirts Sugar wore and found a little girl struggling to catch her breathe. And I walked through a small town scared to open its arms to someone who obviously wasn't 'one of them'... or was she? I kept turning those pages... Graphic in nature at times, but not gratuitous, you will appreciate Sugar's sincerity. You'll appreciate the rich, complex and strong female characters fully fleshed out and who don't shy away from sharing their feelings. Bernice has also captured the feel of small town life, with the soft whispers heard between small clutches of people. The story will grab your attention, and your heart, and will not let you go until the very last page.

Sugar is friendship... it's honesty wrapped up in the poetry of words... it's redemption and it's powerful...

Would you like to read an excerpt? Read the first chapter at the publisher's website! You can also learn more about Bernice and her writing at her website, bernicemcfadden.com. There you will also find discussion questions, because Sugar would make an excellent reading group pick! I want to thank Bernice for sending me a review copy! I just loved reading Sugar! And I want to thank Bernice for also letting me know that there is a sequel to Sugar! The story continues with This Bitter Earth! I'm so happy because I wasn't quite ready to give up visiting Bigelow, Arkansas and spending time with Sugar! A wonderful story & wonderful characters, what more can you ask for?!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

*P.S.S. Hey, I'm sharing this review with Cym Lowell's Book Review Party!

The Sunday Salon... The Blogoversary Wrap-up, Books with Buzz and National Women's History Month

Winter comes visiting...

It's been a wintery week here in Connecticut. Above is a photo of a visitor to my yard the other morning. It was so beautiful outside, but I am so tired of snow! It does give me an excuse to stay inside and read... (I can always make an excuse for reading- no snow necessary!)

The Blogoversary Celebration has been so much fun! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and sent their Congrats! And thank you for everyone joining in on the celebrations by entering the great giveaways and following Chick with Books! There have been almost 350 entries in all the giveaways! There's still time to enter the BIG ROMANCE Giveaway, The Power of Half memoir giveaway, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, Alice I Have Been giveaway, The Kindle Book Gift Certificate giveaway, and the BIG Historical Fiction giveaway!

I've been reading a great book this week, thanks to the author Bernice L. McFadden who sent it to me. It's called Sugar, and it is filled with wonderful characters and an amazing story. Bernice had read on Chick with Books that I enjoyed The Help by Kathryn Stockett and thought that I would enjoy her book too. The timeframe of Sugar is the same as The Help- when segregation is at its height, but where most of the action takes place in the homes where the domestics worked in The Help, the story of Sugar takes place in the black community. The story starts with a horrendous murder of a young black girl whose murder makes profound changes in the young girls mother, Pearl. 15 years later Pearl is still grieving for her daughter when a young prostitute, Sugar, moves next door to Pearl. Their unlikely friendship changes them both. I loved this book! Rich characters and great storytelling! Read my review in early March. (*and there's going to be a special giveaway thanks to Bernice!) *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

This week was also a week for some interesting new books... Here are a couple of the Books with Buzz this week...

The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee... From Publishers Weekly, It's a harrowing tale: bleak, haunting, often heartbreaking. The Surrendered bursts with drama and human anguish as it documents the ravages and indelible effects of war. June Han is a starving 11-year-old refugee fleeing military combat during the Korean War when she is separated from her seven-year-old twin siblings. Eventually brought to an orphanage near Seoul by American soldier Hector Brennan, who is still reeling from his father's death, June slowly recovers from her nightmarish experiences thanks to the loving attention of Sylvie Tanner, the wife of the orphanage's minister. But Sylvie is irretrievably scarred as well, having witnessed her parents' murder by Japanese soldiers in 1934 Manchuria. These traumas reverberate throughout the characters' lives, determining the destructive relationship that arises between June, Hector and Sylvie as the plot rushes forward and back in time, encompassing graphic scenes of suffering, carnage and emotional wreckage. Powerful, deeply felt, compulsively readable and imbued with moral gravity, the novel does not peter out into easy redemption. This book has gotten a lot of amazing praise! Penguin Group has a wonderful interview with Chang-rae on their website along with a readers guide. The Surrendered will be released March 9th. I look forward to reading it!*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz... What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings -- wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth -- is about to find out. Wh

at she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. This book is charming. Written for young readers age 7 - 11, this will also capture your heart. The front cover is beautiful, with the book title in a silver foil. Inside their are beautiful illustrations by Angela Barrett. Oh, and the author Laura Amy Schlitz is a Newberry Medal Winner! I have this on my nightstand, so look for a full review soon...

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez... Wench eloquently plunges into a dark period of American history, chronicling the lives of four slave women—Lizzie, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu—who are their masters' mistresses. The women meet when their owners vacation at the same summer resort in Ohio. There, they see free blacks for the first time and hear rumors of abolition, sparking their own desires to be free. A story that raises provocative questions of power and freedom, love and dependence. This book is based on an actual resort! And it's gotten wonderful reviews. I love historical fiction and thanks to Danielle of Harper Collins, I just received this in the mail! It was released in early January. Look for my review later in the month... *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

And speaking of month... March is National Women's History Month! This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of the celebration, which started as a week celebration in 1980, until 1987 when the United States Congress declared March National Women's History Month! This years theme is Writing Women Back into History. You can find out more at the National Women's History Project website.

I hope you've found something to peek your reading interests here! What have YOU been reading?! Share your reading picks here! Happy Reading... Suzanne