Natalie Baszile

Charlotte “Charley” Bordelon and her tween daughter, Micah, are returning to their roots in Southern Louisiana — for the first time in Micah’s life, and for the first time in quite a long time for Charley, who was born and raised in California. The journey home isn’t complete simply by arriving in Louisiana and moving in with Charley’s grandmother, Ms. Honey. It takes many months, in which Charley reckons with grief, her family ties, relationships strained by race, time, show more substance abuse, aging, and finances, and a large parcel of sugar farmland she has inherited.
The story is a beautiful one, stirring descriptions, fallible characters. It is very dramatic, however, and at times it makes Charley out to be a little too flawless amidst the stew of everyone else’s lives to be believed. show less

Charley's father has just passed away, and she is stunned to learn that he not only owned, but has bequeathed to her, 800 acres of sugarcane fields in Louisiana. A lifelong California girl, but of late feeling like she might be spinning her wheels, Charley packs up and accepts the challenge, heading to Cajun country along with her daughter Micah, to see her farm.

Though there is a persistent, palpable sense of foreboding which accompanies scenes involving Charley's brother Ralph Angel, the show more overall mood of the novel is one of gritty determination — Charley is pretty kick-ass and gathers other strong, good people into her orbit in her agricultural efforts. The sense of place and local culture is also strong, which was interesting to me as I have only passing familiarity with the rural South. show less

Recently widowed, Charley Bordelon faced grief once again after her father died and left this Los Angeles native a sugar plantation in his native Louisiana. She and her 13-year old daughter move to Louisiana to take over the farm without having any knowledge of running a sugar plantation. There she faces the trials and tribulations of the trade while trying to resuscitate a neglected farm. The plot thickens when Charlie's half brother and his son arrive. He is unemployed and did not inherit show more the sugar plantation.

The writing was beautiful and it really gave the reader a sense of place. I would love a story about a woman trying to beat the odds, however, it was difficult for me to get engaged with the story. The main character was likeable and a lot of the elements for creating drama were included, but I found difficulty being truly engaged with the story. show less

Queen Sugar is a strong debut novel for author, Natalie Baszile. The story is intriguing because of the unusual characters and the lovely setting. It immerses you in a different place and introduces a host of characters and weaves an interesting tale.

She did a fine job describing the Louisiana Bayous. It was evident that the author did 11 years of research. It made this book an interesting read. I enjoyed the descriptions of farm life, but I also enjoyed the experience and detail about the show more sugar cane business, it added a more realistic life to the story.

What is fabulous is when you pick up a book and learn something while being entertained. Queen Sugar does just that. I love a novel that is dotted with some historical people or facts or events. She injected some history into the novel, such as the Battle of Irish Bend and the interjection of ragtime Buddy Bolden and. I knew nothing of his legend until I read about him in this novel and did further research.

I found myself rooting for Charley to beat the odds throughout the story, and connected with her struggles and pain. My life proves somewhat parallel to Charley’s. Me personally, coming from a major city in Michigan to a rural town in Alabama. My husband and I are starting a farm on land inherited by his mother’s ancestors. I found a personal connection to Charley and its characters.

When Charley Bordelon is not dealing with the day to day activities of the farm, she spends her time trying to understand the people in her life, especially her daughter and her brother Ralph Angel. Ralph Angel left a history of confusion and mayhem. So, when Ralph Angel eventually goes out to find employment, this part of the book is very humorous. There’s a bit of romance and some colorful and opinionated characters. Drama and suspense is also weaved into the story line. The characters are interesting and the descriptions are beautiful… the sky had a hem!

I really can see this story as a movie. I'm looking forward to Ms. Baszile's next novel! show less