Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Sugar Queen

The Sugar Queen The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Book 2 of 3 for the Southern Reading Challenge
Book 77 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was just what I needed. Brain candy. (And yes, that's a pun on the title, but it totally works.) Nothing too deep and somewhat predictable, but just a nice and sweet read that I very much enjoyed. (Yikes, there's another one.)

The Sugar Queen is set in the fall in a North Carolina mountain town. The story revolves around three women about to embark on major life changes. Della Lee Baker has just run away from her abusive boyfriend and ends up in Josey Cirrini's closet. Josey is the 27-year old daughter of the town's most wealthy and prominent citizens and has never left home. She is basically her mother's personal slave, but she's getting restless. (She reminded me some of Valency in The Blue Castle.) Chloe Finley has just found out that the love of her life has cheated on her and she doesn't know how to react. The lives of these three women intersect in ways that will change them forever.

I felt the characters were well-developed and the plot moved along at a good pace that kept me turning pages. The authors signature use of magical realism adds just the right sparkle to this enchanting book. It's fun, it's romantic, and it's great escapist literature.

I really enjoyed Garden Spells when I read it earlier this year. And I'm looking forward to Sarah Addison Allen's next book coming out in early 2010.

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8 comments:

The Reading Momster said...

Sounds really good! I hope to get one of her books soon!

bermudaonion said...

Great plot and characters? Sounds good to me. I have to be superficial and say the cover and title appeal to me too.

Melissa said...

I was wondering whether or not this book was any good. I think I'll bump it up...

Anna said...

Sounds like a good one. I like a little magical realism here and there.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Booklogged said...

I haven't read either of Allen's books yet, but I have them sitting on the shelf. I've heard good things about both and look forward to reading them.

Darlene said...

I really enjoyed this one as well. A lot of people didn't like it as much as her first one but I did, it was just that it was different. That magical element was still there though. I'm really looking forward to her next one. Thanks for linking my review. I'll add yours to mine as well.

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

I have both of them from the library and need to get them read. This one looks so good.

Corinne said...

okay, it's going on the list :)