Download Queen Sugar: A Novel Audiobook

“Queen Sugar is a gorgeous, moving story about what grounds us as brothers and sisters, as mothers and daughters, and all the ways we fight to save each other. Natalie Baszile’s characters put brave roots into inhospitable ground, looking for a place, a person, a community to call home. I alternately laughed and wept as they failed each other, forgave each other, lost each other, found themselves. It’s a wise, strong book, and I loved it. You will, too.”

“Natalie Baszile debuts with an irresistible tale of family, community, personal obligation, and personal reinvention. The world is full of things that keep you down and things that lift you up—Queen Sugar is about both and in approximately equal measure. Smart and heart-felt and highly recommended.”

“After turning the last page of Queen Sugar, I already miss the gutsy, contemporary African American woman who ditches California and migrates to Louisiana to run her inherited cane farm. Natalie Baszile is a fresh, new voice that resists all Southern stereotypes, and delivers an authentic knock-out read.”

“In Queen Sugar, two bulwarks of American literature—Southern fiction and the transformational journey—are given a fresh take by talented first-time novelist Natalie Baszile…[The novel] is a sensory experience, a tableau vivant that Baszile skillfully paints in a palette simultaneously subtle and bold. Queen Sugar is a bright and enticing reminder that, sometimes, you can go home.”

“[A] exploration of family ties and disconnections.”

“In this tightly written first novel…the author blends the ups and downs of Charley’s emotional life with the uneven rhythms of farming over the course of a year to keep the plot moving and readers invested. This family drama featuring a woman facing adversity head-on and finding inner strength should resonate with fans of Ayana Mathis’ The Twelve Tribes of Hattie.”

“Although the pace can be as slow as a humid bayou afternoon, the conflicts eventually ignite, leading to a cathartic close.”

“Through tone and pacing, Hyman brings the characters to life--from the strong-willed Charley, who will do whatever it takes to have a successful harvest, to her equally strong-willed grandmother, who puts responsibility to family above all, and her bitter half-brother, whose attitude of victimhood almost destroys them all. The story’s pace is slow, but the patient listener hears a slice of a little known culture.”