Pearl, a quiet pillar of the small Arkansas town in which she lives and a picture of true Southern decorum, possesses an innate feminine strength that drives her to fiercely protect her own. Her protagonists are fully formed and in the round, which makes their growth and transformations all the more stark. The depth of McFadden’s vision for and understanding of her characters is awesome. Sunday afternoon found him snoring in his second favorite snoozing place, after the far side of the middle pew in Bigelow’s First Baptist Church, the part that was hidden by a column.” “ He was asleep on the sofa, the television watching him, a half-empty glass of Coke sitting on the floor, the ice melting loudly within it, a half-eaten bologna sandwich on a plate next to the glass. Her descriptions of the simplest, meaningless scenes are lush and palpable. McFadden’s writing is masterfully understated and yet filled with vivid imagery. I am cowed that such a prolific and expert voice escaped my (apparently narrow) notice. McFadden, after slugging through “jobs”, came to her “profession” in 2000 with this stunning debut and has since published eight more novels, all beloved and praised by her readers, as is evidenced by the fact that they all hold an average rating of 4 out of 5 or higher on Goodreads. I am so grateful that this Year of Reading Women project and my desire to highlight black women’s voices for the month of February led me to this brilliant author, yet I am abashed that it took this project for me to find her. McFadden’s writing and the women she has created here.

Oh the breathtaking beauty and the relentless, quiet strength of Bernice L. McFadden is the author of the novels Gathering of Waters, Glorious, and This Bitter Earth. To read this novel is to take a journey through loss and suffering to a place of forgiveness, understanding, and grace. 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. Over sweet-potato pie, an unlikely friendship begins, transforming both women's lives-and the life of an entire town. Sugar moves next door to Pearl, who is still grieving for the daughter who was murdered fifteen years before. Sugar speaks of what is real.' - The Dallas Morning News From an exciting new voice in African-American contemporary fiction comes a novel Ebony praised for its 'unforgettable images, unique characters, and moving story that keeps the pages turning until the end.' The Chicago Defender calls Sugar 'a literary explosion.McFadden reveals amazing talent.' The novel opens when a young prostitute comes to Bigelow, Arkansas, to start over, far from her haunting past. 'Strong and folksy storytelling.think Zora Neale Hurston.

Sugar by bernice l mcfadden