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Sugar Money
Martinique, 1765, and brothers Emile and Lucien are charged by their French master, Father Cleophas, with a mission. They must return to Grenada, the island they once called home, and smuggle back the 42 slaves claimed by English invaders at the hospital plantation in Fort Royal. While Lucien, barely in his teens, sees the trip as a great adventure, the older and worldlier Emile has no illusions about the dangers they will face. But with no choice other than to obey Cleophas - and sensing the possibility, however remote, of finding his first love Celeste - he sets out with his brother on this 'reckless venture'.
With great characters, a superb narrative set up, and language that is witty, bawdy and thrillingly alive, Sugar Money is a novel to treasure.
With great characters, a superb narrative set up, and language that is witty, bawdy and thrillingly alive, Sugar Money is a novel to treasure.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2017
140 people are currently reading
2155 people want to read
About the author
Jane Harris
4 books257 followers There is more than one author with this name in the GR database
Jane Harris was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and raised in Glasgow. Her short stories have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and she has written several award-winning short films. In 2000, she received a Writer's Award from the Arts Council of England.
She started writing by accident while living in Portugal in the early Nineties. She says, "I had no TV, hardly any books, no money. And so, just to amuse myself, I started writing a short story. It was about an ex-boyfriend who happened to be a transvestite. I had such a great time writing that story that I immediately wrote another one, about another ex-boyfriend; all my early stories were about ex-boyfriends. I kept writing these stories and they were getting published in anthologies and magazines. By this time, I had moved back to Scotland, having decided that I wanted to be a writer."
She studied creative writing at the University of East Anglia, and then became writer-in-residence in Durham prison. It was there that she began her first novel, structured as a set of short stories. One of these short pieces was about a farmer-poet and a girl he acquires songs from. However, Harris says that as soon as she invented the voice of the girl, Bessy started taking over and she ended up ditching the farmer and focusing on Bessy and "Missus" - the woman who employs her as a maid.
The project ground to a halt at about 10,000 words when Harris started to write short scripts for her husband, film director Tom Shankland; two films, Going Down (2000) and Bait (1999), were nominated for Bafta awards. When she rediscovered her novel in a box in the attic in 2003 she says that she couldn't believe she had abandoned Bessy. She sent the first 100 pages to publishers, and a bidding war took place between Faber, Fourth Estate and Hodder for UK rights. The Observations was published by Faber & Faber (UK) and Viking (USA) in hardcover in 2006.
Jane Harris was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and raised in Glasgow. Her short stories have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and she has written several award-winning short films. In 2000, she received a Writer's Award from the Arts Council of England.
She started writing by accident while living in Portugal in the early Nineties. She says, "I had no TV, hardly any books, no money. And so, just to amuse myself, I started writing a short story. It was about an ex-boyfriend who happened to be a transvestite. I had such a great time writing that story that I immediately wrote another one, about another ex-boyfriend; all my early stories were about ex-boyfriends. I kept writing these stories and they were getting published in anthologies and magazines. By this time, I had moved back to Scotland, having decided that I wanted to be a writer."
She studied creative writing at the University of East Anglia, and then became writer-in-residence in Durham prison. It was there that she began her first novel, structured as a set of short stories. One of these short pieces was about a farmer-poet and a girl he acquires songs from. However, Harris says that as soon as she invented the voice of the girl, Bessy started taking over and she ended up ditching the farmer and focusing on Bessy and "Missus" - the woman who employs her as a maid.
The project ground to a halt at about 10,000 words when Harris started to write short scripts for her husband, film director Tom Shankland; two films, Going Down (2000) and Bait (1999), were nominated for Bafta awards. When she rediscovered her novel in a box in the attic in 2003 she says that she couldn't believe she had abandoned Bessy. She sent the first 100 pages to publishers, and a bidding war took place between Faber, Fourth Estate and Hodder for UK rights. The Observations was published by Faber & Faber (UK) and Viking (USA) in hardcover in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
October 7, 2024
A book based on true events with all the horrific acts of barbarity you would expect from slavery as we observe the inhumane treatment of people in the colonial plantations of Martinique and Grenada. Stop 26 is to the West Indies in 1765. Think money, colonialism and sugar without a ‘sweet’ ending to a very disturbing story.
A French plantation owner devises an audacious plan to recapture slaves from their neighbouring British colonists who have taken ownership of a hospital where 42 slaves had worked for their French captors. The people charged with such a mission are two young brothers Emile and Lucien, who are to risk their lives, their youth and their innocence to achieve the impossible. Hardly a mission for two so young which is to cost them dearly.
The real events used to write this story offered so much potential for a compelling historical novel, but then the whole book fell short which I struggled to comprehend given the glowing Amazon reviews. The author says the writing style was deliberately adopted to capture the culture. language and dialect but it was so off putting at times. Here are a few examples of just how badly the story was written in places, even if it was deliberate….
”He pass by the clump of slim bamboo stems inside which Augustin had conceal himself and then disappeared into the night”.
“On a sudden, I distinguish another sound”
Aside for the writing style I just didn’t / couldn’t connect with this book, but I should have. It’s my kind of story and just what I’m looking for on the world tour.
Nevertheless, I must applaud the author for penning the horrendous stories of slavery, the lamentations of torture and weeping sounds of slavery as many watch their kin die for the most minor of transgressions. These stories are always harrowing because many were denied the most basic of human needs but ultimately their freedom in the name of conquest and colonisation. Except there was also greed at play because despite work in the sugar plantations being labor-intensive, sugar was a lucrative product to trade. The more bodies, the larger the harvest and the more profit!!!
A hard fact. Few people survived more than 3 years in these plantations, due to hard labour, heat and poor diet which meant the labour force needed replenishment from wherever the British and French could find it - other islands most likely but also those convicted of petty crimes at home.
A French plantation owner devises an audacious plan to recapture slaves from their neighbouring British colonists who have taken ownership of a hospital where 42 slaves had worked for their French captors. The people charged with such a mission are two young brothers Emile and Lucien, who are to risk their lives, their youth and their innocence to achieve the impossible. Hardly a mission for two so young which is to cost them dearly.
The real events used to write this story offered so much potential for a compelling historical novel, but then the whole book fell short which I struggled to comprehend given the glowing Amazon reviews. The author says the writing style was deliberately adopted to capture the culture. language and dialect but it was so off putting at times. Here are a few examples of just how badly the story was written in places, even if it was deliberate….
”He pass by the clump of slim bamboo stems inside which Augustin had conceal himself and then disappeared into the night”.
“On a sudden, I distinguish another sound”
Aside for the writing style I just didn’t / couldn’t connect with this book, but I should have. It’s my kind of story and just what I’m looking for on the world tour.
Nevertheless, I must applaud the author for penning the horrendous stories of slavery, the lamentations of torture and weeping sounds of slavery as many watch their kin die for the most minor of transgressions. These stories are always harrowing because many were denied the most basic of human needs but ultimately their freedom in the name of conquest and colonisation. Except there was also greed at play because despite work in the sugar plantations being labor-intensive, sugar was a lucrative product to trade. The more bodies, the larger the harvest and the more profit!!!
A hard fact. Few people survived more than 3 years in these plantations, due to hard labour, heat and poor diet which meant the labour force needed replenishment from wherever the British and French could find it - other islands most likely but also those convicted of petty crimes at home.
December 31, 2017
Sugar Money is a very well written historical fiction that is based on a real even to that took place in Grenada 1765. Not knowing that much about the Caribbean I decided to pick this one up. I'm glad I did despite some of the torturous passages I read to read about the brutality the English put the slaves through. Chilling and horrific! This book is well worth the read and informed me on a bit of this period, 18th century Caribbean and slavery there. The story is full of suspense for the reader. You'll want to continue to find out if Emile and Lucien manage to pull off this feat with success. Very happy that my 2017 ended on a really good book. I definitely recommend to people who like reading well-written historical fiction novels.
February 22, 2019
Unfinished
I had this book as a group read and after 160 pages I gave up. I couldn't get into the story of slavery and its graphic portrayal. The pace of the book was so slow that I just wanted to jump to the last page and close the cover. The life has been sucked out of me so I'm going to stop here.
I had this book as a group read and after 160 pages I gave up. I couldn't get into the story of slavery and its graphic portrayal. The pace of the book was so slow that I just wanted to jump to the last page and close the cover. The life has been sucked out of me so I'm going to stop here.
November 25, 2017
This is one of those saddening times in history, specifically, for the inhumane treatment of people (slaves) on the islands of Granada and Martinique. The author allowed me to eavesdrop into the story that contained snippets of Creole (Kréyòl), a sprinkle of French and a dose of clipped English (no past tense, no plurals) of the period. Nicely done. Unthinkable punishment was routinely doled out for even the most minor offenses. Horrifying beyond imagination. This strong character-driven storyline focused on two brothers. Slaves. The younger brother, Lucien, delivered the first person narrative of this well written, heartbreaking tale.
Emile, age 28 and younger brother Lucien, age 12 were slaves in Martinique - French colony of the Western Antilles. They'd been ordered by a friar to voyage by sea to Granada - purpose, liberate many slaves held captive by the English and return them to Martinique. Their Homeland. Easier said than done. Demand for additional labor was desperately needed in Martinique for harvesting the island's major resource - sugar cane. Sugar was money.
Upon reaching Granada, while in hiding, the brothers secretly made contact with many of the slaves destined to be returned home. Their plight was perilous. The time to escape had been carefully planned. It's execution had to go just right in order to succeed. In the end, it was a race against time. A race fraught with much danger. Life or death.
Jane Harris spent considerable time and effort to her research into this rather short period in time. A few weeks in December, 1765. She went to Granada and followed the actual paths, traveled the historic roads and visited the landmark locations that gave rise to "Sugar Money". Pleasing to the senses, I was enraptured with the colloquialism delightfully found within the narrative. To name just two: "quick-sharp" - something done right away. "Kill-Devil" - their honored Island rum. My thanks for reconstructing these historic events and bringing it all to light.
My gratitude sent to NetGalley and Arcade-Skyhorse Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Emile, age 28 and younger brother Lucien, age 12 were slaves in Martinique - French colony of the Western Antilles. They'd been ordered by a friar to voyage by sea to Granada - purpose, liberate many slaves held captive by the English and return them to Martinique. Their Homeland. Easier said than done. Demand for additional labor was desperately needed in Martinique for harvesting the island's major resource - sugar cane. Sugar was money.
Upon reaching Granada, while in hiding, the brothers secretly made contact with many of the slaves destined to be returned home. Their plight was perilous. The time to escape had been carefully planned. It's execution had to go just right in order to succeed. In the end, it was a race against time. A race fraught with much danger. Life or death.
Jane Harris spent considerable time and effort to her research into this rather short period in time. A few weeks in December, 1765. She went to Granada and followed the actual paths, traveled the historic roads and visited the landmark locations that gave rise to "Sugar Money". Pleasing to the senses, I was enraptured with the colloquialism delightfully found within the narrative. To name just two: "quick-sharp" - something done right away. "Kill-Devil" - their honored Island rum. My thanks for reconstructing these historic events and bringing it all to light.
My gratitude sent to NetGalley and Arcade-Skyhorse Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
April 8, 2018
3.5/5 stars.
When I started reading this book, I thought there was a spelling error. Then I found another one on the same page, and when I found a third one I realized that this was done on purpose. In other words, I quickly realized that the personal tone of voice and the language plays a huge role in “Sugar Money”, and I loved it.
This book is about two brothers living in Martinique in the 1700s. Emile is 28 years old, and Lucien is only 14 which makes him the youngest and therefore the one to look up very much to his big brother. When the brothers are sent on a mission to Grenada, a neighbouring Island, Lucien views this as a grand adventure that will finally allow for him to outlive his dreams and follow in the footsteps of his pirate idols. However, Emile is very apprehensive because he knows the absolute dangers of this mission, however much he tries to hide that from his little brother.
This book is based on facts, but intertwined with these we get a story about brotherhood and growing up under dire circumstances. I loved a lot about the story, but there were also some things about it that decreased my reading pleasure a tiny little bit. This is mostly due to personal preferences as I’m very hard to please when it comes to adventure stories in general. Nevertheless, this one sat very well with me however devastating it was, and it’s one that’s definitely gotten me intrigued in reading more by Jane Harris.
When I started reading this book, I thought there was a spelling error. Then I found another one on the same page, and when I found a third one I realized that this was done on purpose. In other words, I quickly realized that the personal tone of voice and the language plays a huge role in “Sugar Money”, and I loved it.
This book is about two brothers living in Martinique in the 1700s. Emile is 28 years old, and Lucien is only 14 which makes him the youngest and therefore the one to look up very much to his big brother. When the brothers are sent on a mission to Grenada, a neighbouring Island, Lucien views this as a grand adventure that will finally allow for him to outlive his dreams and follow in the footsteps of his pirate idols. However, Emile is very apprehensive because he knows the absolute dangers of this mission, however much he tries to hide that from his little brother.
This book is based on facts, but intertwined with these we get a story about brotherhood and growing up under dire circumstances. I loved a lot about the story, but there were also some things about it that decreased my reading pleasure a tiny little bit. This is mostly due to personal preferences as I’m very hard to please when it comes to adventure stories in general. Nevertheless, this one sat very well with me however devastating it was, and it’s one that’s definitely gotten me intrigued in reading more by Jane Harris.
February 25, 2019
4.5 stars rounded up. The main character Lucien, a 12 year old slave from Martinique, is a highly charismatic and likeable character. The events in this story are based on a true account of an attempted escape of slaves. Lucien, with his love for the cows with the velvety ears on Martinique, his bravery and loyalty attempting to save his brother, and his gorgeous blend of Creole, French , English and a whole lexicon of made up words, was a delight.
January 9, 2018
Well written, engrossing and nearly impossible to put down.
December 20, 2018
Now I have to start this review with an embarrassing confession – I had seen the title of this book mentioned in several end of year reviews and tipped for the Women’s Prize. Subconsciously though I had read the author as Joanne Harris – most famously author of Chocolat (a novel made into a film about a single mother opening a chocolaterie in Rural France – a broad sweet food-based theme she picked up in later books) and I assumed from the title that this novel would follow in a similar theme – perhaps around a small shop selling sweets.
In fact the book is by Jane Harris – whose debut novel The Observations was shortlisted for the Orange Prize – and has been described as a rollicking and funny but dark Victorian pastiche. Her second novel Gillespie and I was also longlisted for the Orange Prize. And while this, Harris’s third novel, is around the making of money from the sale of sugar, it is instead based on the slave-fuelled sugar trade of the West Indies in the 18th Century.
The story draws on true events in 1765 on the Islands of (French-owned) Martinique and (occupied by the English in 1763) Grenada, shortly after a truce is signed between the two nations.
Two mulatto brothers Emile and the much younger Lucien are asked by a mendicant Friar to travel to a hospital and sugar plantation in Grenada, once owned by the French Friars but now overseen by the English. Emile and Lucien are the bastard sons, via rape, of the previous cruel French overseer of the hospital and plantation in Grenada. Their task is to try and persuade some previously French-owned slaves there to flee from their tyrannical English and Scottish masters (who also are actively suppressing their French influenced speech and culture) and return with them to Martinique – although only as slaves there.
The brothers have a Power of Attorney setting out the French claim to the slaves as being in their possession – but its clear that the English are very unlikely to recognise its validity and so effectively the brothers are asked to smuggle the slaves away across the Island.
The book is recounted (we later learn as a written account many years later) by Lucien – in a distinctive colloquial style, scattered with Creole (we later learn translated from the original which was written in a mix of English, French and Creole).
Lucien is simultaneously in awe of his older brother, particularly after discovering his role in some battles on Martinique, and resentful of his brother’s protective attitude towards him which often shades into condescension. The two’s relationship is complicated by them seeing in each other traces of their “vile devil of a father”, although for me one of the most memorable images of the novel is when Lucien recounts that after the two fight
Emile grab me by the shoulders and said through his teeth: Remember our mother. Her blood flows in our veins too, just as much as his. We never have to be like him, not ever.
So that we realise that the brothers are ashamed of the white part of their heritage.
One of Emile’s motivations for returning to Martinique (albeit his slave status gives him little choice) is to meet again his love Celeste (who he was parted from years earlier when taken to Martinique) only to find she is pregnant, seemingly via the English doctor who runs the hospital. Celeste played an important role in bringing up Lucien who loves her deeply, and the complex relationships between the three is the key dynamic of the novel.
The book is, like Harris’s first novel, told effectively as a rollicking adventure tale – with very detailed accounts of the brothers’ adventures on the Island, which I often found myself skipping.
Particularly early on, the adventurous nature of the brother’s quest can seem to obscure the reality of their status as slaves; although, particularly when the brothers reach the sugar plantation in Grenada, the appalling cruelty of the English (and Scottish) treatment of the slaves breaks through in occasional horrific details of some of the punishments meted out to errant slaves.
Overall this book was a little too much of an adventure book for my tastes – however there is much to admire in the conception of the novel and in particular Harris’s braveness in telling the tale, fully conscious that she could be accused of cultural appropriation. Certainly for a British audience, a slavery tale which is set in the Caribbean; and one in which the English (and Scottish – an deliberate decision on Harris’s part was to identify the role of the Scottish in slavery in the sugar plantations) are seen by the slaves as the worst of all possible masters; makes an arresting contrast to the number of recent slavery-based novels appearing on literary prizes which are typically set in the Southern states of America.
In fact the book is by Jane Harris – whose debut novel The Observations was shortlisted for the Orange Prize – and has been described as a rollicking and funny but dark Victorian pastiche. Her second novel Gillespie and I was also longlisted for the Orange Prize. And while this, Harris’s third novel, is around the making of money from the sale of sugar, it is instead based on the slave-fuelled sugar trade of the West Indies in the 18th Century.
The story draws on true events in 1765 on the Islands of (French-owned) Martinique and (occupied by the English in 1763) Grenada, shortly after a truce is signed between the two nations.
Two mulatto brothers Emile and the much younger Lucien are asked by a mendicant Friar to travel to a hospital and sugar plantation in Grenada, once owned by the French Friars but now overseen by the English. Emile and Lucien are the bastard sons, via rape, of the previous cruel French overseer of the hospital and plantation in Grenada. Their task is to try and persuade some previously French-owned slaves there to flee from their tyrannical English and Scottish masters (who also are actively suppressing their French influenced speech and culture) and return with them to Martinique – although only as slaves there.
These new Fathers over there in St Pierre, they’re just white men from Europe same as any other. Lefebure, from what I hear is only interested in making rum. What that suggest to me is, he will do whatever is necessary to get sugar. He’ll work you hard. And Cleophas is no saint. Most of you met him when he was here. You know the kind of man he is. He only wants sugar money. That’s why they [the French] need you [in Martinique]
The brothers have a Power of Attorney setting out the French claim to the slaves as being in their possession – but its clear that the English are very unlikely to recognise its validity and so effectively the brothers are asked to smuggle the slaves away across the Island.
The book is recounted (we later learn as a written account many years later) by Lucien – in a distinctive colloquial style, scattered with Creole (we later learn translated from the original which was written in a mix of English, French and Creole).
Lucien is simultaneously in awe of his older brother, particularly after discovering his role in some battles on Martinique, and resentful of his brother’s protective attitude towards him which often shades into condescension. The two’s relationship is complicated by them seeing in each other traces of their “vile devil of a father”, although for me one of the most memorable images of the novel is when Lucien recounts that after the two fight
Emile grab me by the shoulders and said through his teeth: Remember our mother. Her blood flows in our veins too, just as much as his. We never have to be like him, not ever.
So that we realise that the brothers are ashamed of the white part of their heritage.
One of Emile’s motivations for returning to Martinique (albeit his slave status gives him little choice) is to meet again his love Celeste (who he was parted from years earlier when taken to Martinique) only to find she is pregnant, seemingly via the English doctor who runs the hospital. Celeste played an important role in bringing up Lucien who loves her deeply, and the complex relationships between the three is the key dynamic of the novel.
The book is, like Harris’s first novel, told effectively as a rollicking adventure tale – with very detailed accounts of the brothers’ adventures on the Island, which I often found myself skipping.
Particularly early on, the adventurous nature of the brother’s quest can seem to obscure the reality of their status as slaves; although, particularly when the brothers reach the sugar plantation in Grenada, the appalling cruelty of the English (and Scottish) treatment of the slaves breaks through in occasional horrific details of some of the punishments meted out to errant slaves.
Yes [Raymond] said But for true it has to be better than here [in Grenada, with the English]. Every day now we wondering – who will be next. What will they chop off? Will it be a finger, toe, a hand or a foot? Who will lose his head? How will they torture us? What terrible thing will they make us do? What will they make us eat? Our own ears or worse.
Overall this book was a little too much of an adventure book for my tastes – however there is much to admire in the conception of the novel and in particular Harris’s braveness in telling the tale, fully conscious that she could be accused of cultural appropriation. Certainly for a British audience, a slavery tale which is set in the Caribbean; and one in which the English (and Scottish – an deliberate decision on Harris’s part was to identify the role of the Scottish in slavery in the sugar plantations) are seen by the slaves as the worst of all possible masters; makes an arresting contrast to the number of recent slavery-based novels appearing on literary prizes which are typically set in the Southern states of America.
April 5, 2018
At first I was reluctant to request
Sugar Money
because I'm a weakling at handling slavery stories sometimes. I turn into a puddle of sobs. But, despite being quite detailed about the hardships of slave life in 1765, it was a very engaging read. It doesn't have a very happy ending, as you might surmise, but it tells a story worth hearing, told very soberly and matter-of-factly. You can also read this review on my blog.
The Story Is Very Soberly Told
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Despite being a slavery story, it doesn't contain a lot of drama. Pain, suffering and despair are usually the things that destroy me in slavery stories - but in this book, it's all told so soberly. In the end, it makes sense that even though life is pretty damn horrifying, those people would not be alive if they didn't learn to live with it - the human spirit doesn't fare well, unless it adjusts. A person can't keep reacting to horror dramatically. I felt like it made the story extra believable - it being told like that. The story is also told through Lucien's point of view, and he is a young teen when the events take place. I feel like telling it that way really works well for a male character's point of view as well.
The Actual 'Happening' Part Is Very Tense
I was listening to this book on text to speech, and actually, as I was going, I had to pretty much max out the speed - so I could just find out what happens. The story really does keep you on edge, when things start rolling! At times, it was even a little bit much. But definitely in an enjoyable way - I could just not put it down.
Not Dramatic, But Definitely Emotional
Despite not containing a lot of drama, like I said earlier, there's still emotion. The author has walked a whole 'nother mile, creating backstories to Sugar Money. The stories of why the slaves are where they are. Of why the main characters have these memories, these feelings. Of who they grew up with, who they fell in love with, and... lost. All of these paint a really engrossing image of the community and life for these people. It will also tug at your heartstrings for sure. I really loved the backstory of Emile and Celeste. It also gave me all the #FEELS.
It's Kind Of Between Fiction And Nonfiction
If you're a nonfiction fan, I think you would really enjoy this story. It's definitely still fiction - but it's based on true events and it doesn't feel like the story strays too far from them. You can truly feel the research the author has done, and all the settings are painted in good detail. The sober tone that I've mentioned before really does give it a feel of reading a history book, but not a dry one at all. It's also an important topic to talk about, so I feel like the author has picked an amazing setting and historical event to write this based on. In the end, the point it makes is that even if a slave trusts their owner, it's just an owner - and they will sell them out. Owning a slave and treating them well is not a merit - in the end, it's still just owning a slave. And owning another person is not something a human being should do.
But Beware Of The Triggers
Well, obviously - it's a slavery book. Expect rape, murder, torture, bodily harm and all that. I don't feel like I need to go in more detail. It's not told dramatically, but it's told in detail >(although no rape happpens, it's just talked about as an event that took part in the past.)
I thank Arcade Publishing for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
The Story Is Very Soberly Told
[image error]
Despite being a slavery story, it doesn't contain a lot of drama. Pain, suffering and despair are usually the things that destroy me in slavery stories - but in this book, it's all told so soberly. In the end, it makes sense that even though life is pretty damn horrifying, those people would not be alive if they didn't learn to live with it - the human spirit doesn't fare well, unless it adjusts. A person can't keep reacting to horror dramatically. I felt like it made the story extra believable - it being told like that. The story is also told through Lucien's point of view, and he is a young teen when the events take place. I feel like telling it that way really works well for a male character's point of view as well.
The Actual 'Happening' Part Is Very Tense
I was listening to this book on text to speech, and actually, as I was going, I had to pretty much max out the speed - so I could just find out what happens. The story really does keep you on edge, when things start rolling! At times, it was even a little bit much. But definitely in an enjoyable way - I could just not put it down.
Not Dramatic, But Definitely Emotional
Despite not containing a lot of drama, like I said earlier, there's still emotion. The author has walked a whole 'nother mile, creating backstories to Sugar Money. The stories of why the slaves are where they are. Of why the main characters have these memories, these feelings. Of who they grew up with, who they fell in love with, and... lost. All of these paint a really engrossing image of the community and life for these people. It will also tug at your heartstrings for sure. I really loved the backstory of Emile and Celeste. It also gave me all the #FEELS.
It's Kind Of Between Fiction And Nonfiction
If you're a nonfiction fan, I think you would really enjoy this story. It's definitely still fiction - but it's based on true events and it doesn't feel like the story strays too far from them. You can truly feel the research the author has done, and all the settings are painted in good detail. The sober tone that I've mentioned before really does give it a feel of reading a history book, but not a dry one at all. It's also an important topic to talk about, so I feel like the author has picked an amazing setting and historical event to write this based on. In the end, the point it makes is that even if a slave trusts their owner, it's just an owner - and they will sell them out. Owning a slave and treating them well is not a merit - in the end, it's still just owning a slave. And owning another person is not something a human being should do.
But Beware Of The Triggers
Well, obviously - it's a slavery book. Expect rape, murder, torture, bodily harm and all that. I don't feel like I need to go in more detail. It's not told dramatically, but it's told in detail >(although no rape happpens, it's just talked about as an event that took part in the past.)
I thank Arcade Publishing for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
April 4, 2018
I mainly picked this book up because it is longlisted for the Walter Scott Award in 2018. I am fairly certain, I would have not picked it up otherwise as the other two books by Jane Harris were just ok for me. I am so glad, that I did pick it up though because this certainly had the wow factor for me. The story focuses on two slaves who have been charged by their owner to retrieve some slaves from a neighboring island which is now under British rule. It is a fool's errand and dangerous, but being slaves they have no way of saying no or getting out of it. The story is told in a way that breaks your heart but does not allow you to wallow in any melodrama, there is no sugar sweetness here, no tear jerking, no cry buttons that are being pressed. And I guess that's why some people found the characters to be remote, we are so used to that type of horrific historical fiction to trigger a "weep" response. This is not a tear jerker, this is a book that shows you what the reality of those lives could have been like. Horrific, brutal, de-humanising. Not an easy read, well worth being longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize.
June 10, 2018
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There were a number of things that attracted me to Sugar Money. Firstly, it’s one of the six books shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2018 – always an excellent hallmark for quality historical fiction – and I’m attempting to read all the shortlisted books before the winner is announced on 16th June 2018. Secondly, the book’s setting on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Grenada. I’ve been lucky enough to visit both those islands - admittedly only for a day as part of a cruise itinerary - but I remember loving Grenada, particularly the colourful market in the capital, St George’s, (referred to by its previous name Fort Royal in the book) with the smell of spices in the air. In fact, I’m still using the nutmeg and mace I bought there. Thirdly, I read Jane Harris’s first book, The Observations, some time ago but remember being captivated by its quirky narrator, Bessy.
Jane Harris repeats that feat in Sugar Money. The narrator, Lucien, engages the reader from the start with his distinctive mode of speech that is a mixture of English, Creole, French and his own individual way of describing people, places, events and his own feelings. For example, after taking perhaps slightly too much rum: ‘Indeed, after several further swig, I came over all misty inside and considered myself to be quite invincible.’ I think many of us may have experienced the feeling of being ‘all misty inside’ after a touch too much to drink. There’s some lovely humour as well. During the voyage to Grenada in the rather dilapidated vessel owned by the strange Captain Bianco, Lucien observes a shooting star. ‘Magical sight. Perhaps it were a good omen. For a brief instant, I allowed myself to feel encouraged. But as the star died, trailing silver embers, old Bianco let flee a fart, startling as a blast of musketry, and the precious moment was ruined.’ I laughed out loud at that.
I also really liked the touching relationship between Lucien and Emile. Lucien looks up to his older brother but at the same time he is an acute observer of his moods and innermost thoughts. There might be a good deal of disputation and quarrelling but underneath there is loyalty and a real bond of love and affection. As he says, ‘I found myself too much in simple-hearted awe and adoration of my brother.’
In Sugar Money the author has taken what might be considered a footnote in Caribbean history and fashioned it into an adventure story crammed full of realistic detail. The reader gets a detailed account of the preparations for the mission the two brothers have been given, including the process of convincing the slaves to take part and the discussion about how the escape will be managed. I’ll confess there were times when I felt I was getting a little too much detail and the pace of the book slowed a bit but once the plan is under way the tension definitely builds again.
Behind the adventure story is a chilling depiction of the dreadful atrocities of slavery and the appalling life endured by the plantation slaves. Worked to exhaustion, surviving on meagre food, subjected to the vilest and most cruel punishments, the women frequently the subject of sexual abuse, it is a life of misery and early death. For the slaves of the hospital plantation in Grenada, what is on offer is the opportunity to escape the harsh conditions they are currently enduring in the hope of slightly less harsh conditions on Martinique. The change of location does not offer them the prospect of freedom. They will still be the possessions of someone else, put to work for the benefit of their owners with no say over their lives. In effect, they are being repossessed like objects. Furthermore, there are dire consequences for the slaves should the plan be discovered.
Sugar Money is both a compelling adventure story and a powerful indictment of the cruelties of the slave trade. I really did feel myself transported back to 18th century Grenada with its sights, sounds and smells conjured up brilliantly. In Lucien, the author has proved once again her remarkable ability to create a distinctive, original and engaging narrative voice.
There were a number of things that attracted me to Sugar Money. Firstly, it’s one of the six books shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2018 – always an excellent hallmark for quality historical fiction – and I’m attempting to read all the shortlisted books before the winner is announced on 16th June 2018. Secondly, the book’s setting on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Grenada. I’ve been lucky enough to visit both those islands - admittedly only for a day as part of a cruise itinerary - but I remember loving Grenada, particularly the colourful market in the capital, St George’s, (referred to by its previous name Fort Royal in the book) with the smell of spices in the air. In fact, I’m still using the nutmeg and mace I bought there. Thirdly, I read Jane Harris’s first book, The Observations, some time ago but remember being captivated by its quirky narrator, Bessy.
Jane Harris repeats that feat in Sugar Money. The narrator, Lucien, engages the reader from the start with his distinctive mode of speech that is a mixture of English, Creole, French and his own individual way of describing people, places, events and his own feelings. For example, after taking perhaps slightly too much rum: ‘Indeed, after several further swig, I came over all misty inside and considered myself to be quite invincible.’ I think many of us may have experienced the feeling of being ‘all misty inside’ after a touch too much to drink. There’s some lovely humour as well. During the voyage to Grenada in the rather dilapidated vessel owned by the strange Captain Bianco, Lucien observes a shooting star. ‘Magical sight. Perhaps it were a good omen. For a brief instant, I allowed myself to feel encouraged. But as the star died, trailing silver embers, old Bianco let flee a fart, startling as a blast of musketry, and the precious moment was ruined.’ I laughed out loud at that.
I also really liked the touching relationship between Lucien and Emile. Lucien looks up to his older brother but at the same time he is an acute observer of his moods and innermost thoughts. There might be a good deal of disputation and quarrelling but underneath there is loyalty and a real bond of love and affection. As he says, ‘I found myself too much in simple-hearted awe and adoration of my brother.’
In Sugar Money the author has taken what might be considered a footnote in Caribbean history and fashioned it into an adventure story crammed full of realistic detail. The reader gets a detailed account of the preparations for the mission the two brothers have been given, including the process of convincing the slaves to take part and the discussion about how the escape will be managed. I’ll confess there were times when I felt I was getting a little too much detail and the pace of the book slowed a bit but once the plan is under way the tension definitely builds again.
Behind the adventure story is a chilling depiction of the dreadful atrocities of slavery and the appalling life endured by the plantation slaves. Worked to exhaustion, surviving on meagre food, subjected to the vilest and most cruel punishments, the women frequently the subject of sexual abuse, it is a life of misery and early death. For the slaves of the hospital plantation in Grenada, what is on offer is the opportunity to escape the harsh conditions they are currently enduring in the hope of slightly less harsh conditions on Martinique. The change of location does not offer them the prospect of freedom. They will still be the possessions of someone else, put to work for the benefit of their owners with no say over their lives. In effect, they are being repossessed like objects. Furthermore, there are dire consequences for the slaves should the plan be discovered.
Sugar Money is both a compelling adventure story and a powerful indictment of the cruelties of the slave trade. I really did feel myself transported back to 18th century Grenada with its sights, sounds and smells conjured up brilliantly. In Lucien, the author has proved once again her remarkable ability to create a distinctive, original and engaging narrative voice.
May 28, 2018
(3.5) Weird book serendipity: I happened to read two novels set among the slaves of a Martinique sugar plantation and incorporating snippets of Creole language at the same time. (The other was Slave Old Man by Patrick Chamoiseau, translated from the French.) What are the odds?!
If you’ve also read her first two novels, you’ll know that Harris writes rollicking and utterly convincing historical fiction, and here you can’t help but fall in love with the voice of 13-year-old Lucien. To render his non-standard speech, Harris is inconsistent with his plurals and past tenses, and adds the odd line in Creole, which she either repeats in English or leaves you to understand from the context (usually easy enough, especially if you have some French – a lot is phonetic.) Along with his older brother Emile, Lucien gets roped into their French master’s plan to steal 42 slaves back from their new English masters on the brothers’ home island of Grenada and escape by ship back to Martinique on Christmas Eve 1765. They even bear a written deed that apparently gives the French permission to take back their property.
Of course, it was never going to be as simple as just walking up and taking what they want. Lucien and Emile have many perils to face. While I read the whole novel with interest, I felt the chapters set on Grenada were awfully slow; Harris could easily have lost 100 pages and streamlined the preparations for the slaves’ exodus. Also, the book turns rather dark. I’d liken it to Carol Birch’s Jamrach’s Menagerie, which similarly starts off as a lively adventure story that then goes bleak. Here the editor’s note helps to brighten the picture a bit, but don’t expect a happy-go-lucky story where everyone gets off scot-free.
Favorite passages:
“Having despatch a good slug of tawny liquor, Bianco cork the jug and began to rummage in his lower garments, presently pulling out a long knob, both fleshy and scaly, deformed by protuberances. The sight of this thing emerging from his britches pocket unsettle me greatly until I realise with relief that it was not attach to his person. Thuswise was solve the mystery of what had cause the bulge in his inexpressibles: only a large hand of root ginger.”
“Say what you like about my brother but his eyes so sharp he could see two flea fornicating on a rat in the dark.”
(this line in particular reminded me of Slave Old Man) “Years hence, some fellow might stumble upon the huddle of my bleach bones and wonder who I had been in life.”
If you’ve also read her first two novels, you’ll know that Harris writes rollicking and utterly convincing historical fiction, and here you can’t help but fall in love with the voice of 13-year-old Lucien. To render his non-standard speech, Harris is inconsistent with his plurals and past tenses, and adds the odd line in Creole, which she either repeats in English or leaves you to understand from the context (usually easy enough, especially if you have some French – a lot is phonetic.) Along with his older brother Emile, Lucien gets roped into their French master’s plan to steal 42 slaves back from their new English masters on the brothers’ home island of Grenada and escape by ship back to Martinique on Christmas Eve 1765. They even bear a written deed that apparently gives the French permission to take back their property.
Of course, it was never going to be as simple as just walking up and taking what they want. Lucien and Emile have many perils to face. While I read the whole novel with interest, I felt the chapters set on Grenada were awfully slow; Harris could easily have lost 100 pages and streamlined the preparations for the slaves’ exodus. Also, the book turns rather dark. I’d liken it to Carol Birch’s Jamrach’s Menagerie, which similarly starts off as a lively adventure story that then goes bleak. Here the editor’s note helps to brighten the picture a bit, but don’t expect a happy-go-lucky story where everyone gets off scot-free.
Favorite passages:
“Having despatch a good slug of tawny liquor, Bianco cork the jug and began to rummage in his lower garments, presently pulling out a long knob, both fleshy and scaly, deformed by protuberances. The sight of this thing emerging from his britches pocket unsettle me greatly until I realise with relief that it was not attach to his person. Thuswise was solve the mystery of what had cause the bulge in his inexpressibles: only a large hand of root ginger.”
“Say what you like about my brother but his eyes so sharp he could see two flea fornicating on a rat in the dark.”
(this line in particular reminded me of Slave Old Man) “Years hence, some fellow might stumble upon the huddle of my bleach bones and wonder who I had been in life.”
March 22, 2018
Not to be missed. I Recommend to anyone who enjoys history and learning about slavery in different lands. It’s a punch in the gut page turner. Ms. Harris, unlike many others who write about the slave trade, didn't leave out the gore and deplorable treatment of the slaves. She showed how manipulations of the greedy Friars led others to their deaths. Harris writes where you can understand and sympathize with the slaves, like when they decide not to escape to Martinique. It is a well written story that I won't soon forget. You will be on pins and needles rooting for Emile, Lucien and Celeste. Emile! Emile! I find myself calling him as well.
Over seer Belle
Friar Cleophas
Mr White
Lucien
Emile
Celeste
Martinique
Grenada
Over seer Belle
Friar Cleophas
Mr White
Lucien
Emile
Celeste
Martinique
Grenada
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2018
Is it possible to combine literary historical fiction that focuses on yet another instance of man’s inhumanity to man with a gripping adventure that keeps readers on the edge of their seats?
Before reading Sugar Money, I would have voted “no”. Horrific tragedies like the horrors of Caribbean slavery in the 1700s cannot and should not be minimized. And yet, Jane Harris pulls off this feat, so that at no time is the reader not invested in the human cost of this endeavor.
The storyline – inspired by reality – is this: a group of French surgeon-monks, situated in Martinique, plot to recover their “property” that they “lost” after being expelled from nearby Grenada. Grenada is now under the management of the British, who are even more brutal “masters” than the French – and Jane Harris does not shy away from describing their atrocities.
It’s all about obtaining forced labor for their sugar plantations – hence, the title, Sugar Money. Chosen to execute this plot is Emile, a mulatto man in his late 20s, who is asked to convince the slaves to follow him to a waiting ship as their masters indulge in Christmas revelries. It is a fool’s journey and he is also forced to take along his kid brother, Lucien, our narrator, who is barely entering his teens. Refusal is not an option.
The concept works because Lucien is still somewhat of an innocent, worshipful of his brother, desirous of proving his budding manhood, not totally understanding that the world is stacked so heavily against the disenfranchised. In his mind, his brother can do anything he sets his mind to do. The narration, written in a idiosyncratic English with Creole accents, is beautifully rendered; for true, Jane Harris is a ventriloquist.
There will, I suspect, be outcries of appropriation: can a white woman be the voice of a young slave-boy? I believe that there should be no boundaries on creative expression. (William Styron, a non-Jew, wrote one of the most affecting novels of Holocaust literature with Sophie’s Choice). Judged entirely on its own merits, this daring novel of a little-known historical rebellion works. And it reconfirms the inner courage and tenacity of spirit that often – but not always – enables good forces to prevail.
Before reading Sugar Money, I would have voted “no”. Horrific tragedies like the horrors of Caribbean slavery in the 1700s cannot and should not be minimized. And yet, Jane Harris pulls off this feat, so that at no time is the reader not invested in the human cost of this endeavor.
The storyline – inspired by reality – is this: a group of French surgeon-monks, situated in Martinique, plot to recover their “property” that they “lost” after being expelled from nearby Grenada. Grenada is now under the management of the British, who are even more brutal “masters” than the French – and Jane Harris does not shy away from describing their atrocities.
It’s all about obtaining forced labor for their sugar plantations – hence, the title, Sugar Money. Chosen to execute this plot is Emile, a mulatto man in his late 20s, who is asked to convince the slaves to follow him to a waiting ship as their masters indulge in Christmas revelries. It is a fool’s journey and he is also forced to take along his kid brother, Lucien, our narrator, who is barely entering his teens. Refusal is not an option.
The concept works because Lucien is still somewhat of an innocent, worshipful of his brother, desirous of proving his budding manhood, not totally understanding that the world is stacked so heavily against the disenfranchised. In his mind, his brother can do anything he sets his mind to do. The narration, written in a idiosyncratic English with Creole accents, is beautifully rendered; for true, Jane Harris is a ventriloquist.
There will, I suspect, be outcries of appropriation: can a white woman be the voice of a young slave-boy? I believe that there should be no boundaries on creative expression. (William Styron, a non-Jew, wrote one of the most affecting novels of Holocaust literature with Sophie’s Choice). Judged entirely on its own merits, this daring novel of a little-known historical rebellion works. And it reconfirms the inner courage and tenacity of spirit that often – but not always – enables good forces to prevail.
October 21, 2017
I always say that I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but when I think back, some of my all-time favourite books are, in fact, historical fiction. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Jane Harris's first novel The Observations sit there on my 'much-loved books' shelf.
It's almost ten years since I read The Observations but the lead character of that story; Bessy Buckley remains one of my favourite characters ever. This author has such a skilled and thoughtful way of creating voices for her intriguing characters, and she's done it again in Sugar Money. Lucien and his older brother Emile are wonderfully drawn; characters that the reader cannot help but support, and love and their story is beautifully written.
Beginning in 1765, on Martinque; Lucien and Emile are slaves. Owned by Father Cleophas and descended from the island of Grenada. Father Cleophas dictates that they must return to their homeland and bring back 42 other slaves. He says that they belong to him.
For Lucien, this is an adventure. For Emile, this is a test. Yet they cannot refuse and must set sail with a plan. Their journey is the author's opportunity to tell their back story, and to reveal their characters and their relationship. This really is such a joy to read, even though I'll admit that at first I did struggle with the dialect, it doesn't take long for the reader to be swept along by these voices, and their intriguing and tragic story.
Whilst there is no doubt that this is beautifully written, it is also devastatingly painful to read. The author does not spare the reader from the horrific detail of how the slaves are treated. Rape, torture, oppression; all there, all vividly portrayed, it is breathtaking.
Sugar Money is a powerful, impressively told story. The sense of place is stunning and the reader is transported to a time of deep injustice, of hate and rage. Sugar Money delves deep into the past. The author's eye for detail is so precise, her characters are pure and the story is compelling.
https://randomthingsthroughmyletterbo...
It's almost ten years since I read The Observations but the lead character of that story; Bessy Buckley remains one of my favourite characters ever. This author has such a skilled and thoughtful way of creating voices for her intriguing characters, and she's done it again in Sugar Money. Lucien and his older brother Emile are wonderfully drawn; characters that the reader cannot help but support, and love and their story is beautifully written.
Beginning in 1765, on Martinque; Lucien and Emile are slaves. Owned by Father Cleophas and descended from the island of Grenada. Father Cleophas dictates that they must return to their homeland and bring back 42 other slaves. He says that they belong to him.
For Lucien, this is an adventure. For Emile, this is a test. Yet they cannot refuse and must set sail with a plan. Their journey is the author's opportunity to tell their back story, and to reveal their characters and their relationship. This really is such a joy to read, even though I'll admit that at first I did struggle with the dialect, it doesn't take long for the reader to be swept along by these voices, and their intriguing and tragic story.
Whilst there is no doubt that this is beautifully written, it is also devastatingly painful to read. The author does not spare the reader from the horrific detail of how the slaves are treated. Rape, torture, oppression; all there, all vividly portrayed, it is breathtaking.
Sugar Money is a powerful, impressively told story. The sense of place is stunning and the reader is transported to a time of deep injustice, of hate and rage. Sugar Money delves deep into the past. The author's eye for detail is so precise, her characters are pure and the story is compelling.
https://randomthingsthroughmyletterbo...
July 30, 2017
5 stars for this novel about slavery in Grenada and Martinique.
I don't think I can convey how good this novel is. Jane Harris is the writer of The Observations and Gillespie & I, both of which are memorable and wonderful, so I had very high expectations for Sugar Money - and my expectations have been surpassed, by a country mile.
It is 1765. Our narrator is Lucien, who may be thirteen or only ten years old but hopes to pass for sixteen. He is a slave, living on Martinique with his French masters after they are forced to leave Grenada by British forces. Lucien's voice is incredible: I read and re-read passages to drink in his words; usually I devour good books in greedy gulps but this novel I needed to savour. Lucien talks a beguiling mix of French, English and Creole, in a juxtaposition of idioms with some stiffly formal language into which he breathes life. As well as this, Lucien's narration comprises a mixture of the jealousies, pride and imagined slights of a child or adolescent alongside more adult concerns and thoughts. Lucien's is a forthright, hotheaded and utterly authentic narrative voice (and he is utterly loveable too).
Sugar Money recounts Lucien and his older brother Emile's near-impossible mission to bring back slaves left behind on Grenada, some forty people who are now enslaved by the British. Lucien and the other slaves are owned by les Freres de la Charite who want slaves to replace those who are sickening and dying, in order to tend the sugar plantation and start a distillery. Unwilling to risk their own lives, they send the brothers. And so begins what Lucien hopes will be an adventure that allows him to spend time with the brother he idolises. The brothers' relationship is exquisitely drawn, with Emile's inarticulate, paternal worry and love for Lucien contrasting with Lucien's need for admiration and love from Emile. Much of the beauty in the book comes from the relationships between the brothers, and between the slaves as a family they construct for themselves under 'grandparents' Angelique and Chevallier.
The book also looks unflinchingly at ugly inhumanity. There is an examination of the treatment of slaves, involving immense physical punishments and cruel tortures driving some slaves to mental breakdown. The abuse and rape of female slaves is exposed as commonplace, with resulting paler-skinned 'mulatto' children. I was particularly moved by the story of Miss Praxede, who was made housekeeper and mistress of Dr Maillard until he replaced her with Zabette, a teenage girl. Praxede, aged 'near fifty', was sold on to one of 'those new Scotchmen - Mister Mac-Something', and when she ran away from her new owner was killed by being shot in the back. This is one of many atrocities. The French slavers treat their slaves very badly but time and again we are told and shown that 'the Goddams (the English)' are even more cruel. And in fact many of these 'English' in Sugar Money are Scots: there are Scottish plantation owners, overseers and soldiers in the book.
Sugar Money is based on a true story. It is a story that is saddening and sickening but it is told with great beauty, with an outstanding narrative voice, and it is an important story.
Even the cover of Sugar Money excels, with its eye-catching, gorgeous design. Buy this book!
I received this book free from Faber & Faber.
I don't think I can convey how good this novel is. Jane Harris is the writer of The Observations and Gillespie & I, both of which are memorable and wonderful, so I had very high expectations for Sugar Money - and my expectations have been surpassed, by a country mile.
It is 1765. Our narrator is Lucien, who may be thirteen or only ten years old but hopes to pass for sixteen. He is a slave, living on Martinique with his French masters after they are forced to leave Grenada by British forces. Lucien's voice is incredible: I read and re-read passages to drink in his words; usually I devour good books in greedy gulps but this novel I needed to savour. Lucien talks a beguiling mix of French, English and Creole, in a juxtaposition of idioms with some stiffly formal language into which he breathes life. As well as this, Lucien's narration comprises a mixture of the jealousies, pride and imagined slights of a child or adolescent alongside more adult concerns and thoughts. Lucien's is a forthright, hotheaded and utterly authentic narrative voice (and he is utterly loveable too).
Sugar Money recounts Lucien and his older brother Emile's near-impossible mission to bring back slaves left behind on Grenada, some forty people who are now enslaved by the British. Lucien and the other slaves are owned by les Freres de la Charite who want slaves to replace those who are sickening and dying, in order to tend the sugar plantation and start a distillery. Unwilling to risk their own lives, they send the brothers. And so begins what Lucien hopes will be an adventure that allows him to spend time with the brother he idolises. The brothers' relationship is exquisitely drawn, with Emile's inarticulate, paternal worry and love for Lucien contrasting with Lucien's need for admiration and love from Emile. Much of the beauty in the book comes from the relationships between the brothers, and between the slaves as a family they construct for themselves under 'grandparents' Angelique and Chevallier.
The book also looks unflinchingly at ugly inhumanity. There is an examination of the treatment of slaves, involving immense physical punishments and cruel tortures driving some slaves to mental breakdown. The abuse and rape of female slaves is exposed as commonplace, with resulting paler-skinned 'mulatto' children. I was particularly moved by the story of Miss Praxede, who was made housekeeper and mistress of Dr Maillard until he replaced her with Zabette, a teenage girl. Praxede, aged 'near fifty', was sold on to one of 'those new Scotchmen - Mister Mac-Something', and when she ran away from her new owner was killed by being shot in the back. This is one of many atrocities. The French slavers treat their slaves very badly but time and again we are told and shown that 'the Goddams (the English)' are even more cruel. And in fact many of these 'English' in Sugar Money are Scots: there are Scottish plantation owners, overseers and soldiers in the book.
Sugar Money is based on a true story. It is a story that is saddening and sickening but it is told with great beauty, with an outstanding narrative voice, and it is an important story.
Even the cover of Sugar Money excels, with its eye-catching, gorgeous design. Buy this book!
I received this book free from Faber & Faber.
April 10, 2018
“Cane is sugar, sugar is money.”
This is a simple enough tale made somewhat challenging to read by the fact that it is recounted in a Creole patois, rendered here as kréyòl - this, rather patchily handled. Set in the Caribbean in the year 1765, it is based on a true story: Young narrator Lucien and his beloved older brother Emile are sent from Martinique to Grenada on a dangerous mission to retrieve forty-two French slaves plundered by the English.
Jane Harris is the author of two outstanding novels, ‘The Observations’ and ‘Gillespie and I’, but for me this third one presents something of a puzzle. Its title leads one to expect an altogether different kind of story, one more concerned with the financial politics of the sugar plantations. Slow-going, predictable and also, in my view, slightly patronising, there is more fun to be had deciphering the phonic French than there is following this tiresome adventure.
This is a simple enough tale made somewhat challenging to read by the fact that it is recounted in a Creole patois, rendered here as kréyòl - this, rather patchily handled. Set in the Caribbean in the year 1765, it is based on a true story: Young narrator Lucien and his beloved older brother Emile are sent from Martinique to Grenada on a dangerous mission to retrieve forty-two French slaves plundered by the English.
Jane Harris is the author of two outstanding novels, ‘The Observations’ and ‘Gillespie and I’, but for me this third one presents something of a puzzle. Its title leads one to expect an altogether different kind of story, one more concerned with the financial politics of the sugar plantations. Slow-going, predictable and also, in my view, slightly patronising, there is more fun to be had deciphering the phonic French than there is following this tiresome adventure.
December 30, 2017
Mi è piaciuta la scelta della trama e come l'autrice ha deciso di trattare gli eventi storici romanzandoli ma senza perdere la veridicità della storia. Non conoscevo questo particolare avvenimento storico e sono stata raggelata per buona parte del libro.
Mi fermo a tre stelle però perché ho detestato la voce narrante per la maggior parte del libro. Il narratore è Lucien, un ragazzino molto giovane che viene mandato col fratello maggiore a recuperare gli schiavi a Grenada da uno dei Fréres de la Charité ora di stanza a La Martinica. Lucien è davvero giovanissimo, poco più che un bambino e ha dei comportamenti boh, ma considerando che il racconto è a posteriori, in cui Lucien dice di essere invecchiato, che tuttavia lui sia riportato in maniera così pedante e petulante, a volte facendo i capricci come se non comprendesse la gravità del pericolo della missione, mi ha infastidito parecchio. Mi ha fatto piacere leggerlo, però quando la voce narrante ti dà sui nervi il voto non può salire più di tanto...
Mi fermo a tre stelle però perché ho detestato la voce narrante per la maggior parte del libro. Il narratore è Lucien, un ragazzino molto giovane che viene mandato col fratello maggiore a recuperare gli schiavi a Grenada da uno dei Fréres de la Charité ora di stanza a La Martinica. Lucien è davvero giovanissimo, poco più che un bambino e ha dei comportamenti boh, ma considerando che il racconto è a posteriori, in cui Lucien dice di essere invecchiato, che tuttavia lui sia riportato in maniera così pedante e petulante, a volte facendo i capricci come se non comprendesse la gravità del pericolo della missione, mi ha infastidito parecchio. Mi ha fatto piacere leggerlo, però quando la voce narrante ti dà sui nervi il voto non può salire più di tanto...
January 28, 2018
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. Exceptional well written book. Highly recommended.
February 5, 2018
I've not enjoyed a book this much in YEARS! It's completely rekindled my love of historical fiction. Jane Harris deals with a period in history, that is truly shameful and horrifying, with grace and without too much whitewashing, although I think there was a little...
Our narrator is 12 year old Lucien and I have to say that I've never read a book with such a rounded, believable, non-irritating, child narrator. He is wise beyond his years, speaks with broken English, has childish moments that remind you he is just 12, and yet he carries this story perfectly. I always worry about first person narration, especially from a child's point of view, that we won't get a sense of place. Or if we do, it will seem forced, but his voice never feels like a gimmick, never irritates and the descriptions of the landscape were fitting and evocative. I think it was perfect actually.
There is a sense of foreboding throughout the novel. As soon as they are given the mission by the friars, armed with a power of attorney that neither of them can read properly, you just know it won't have a happy ending. The brothers blossoming relationship, through Lucille's eyes, makes this book even harder to read and at points I really didn't want to finish it, knowing it would be tough.
Now. Onto the potential whitewashing, I'm still not sure. This is a tricky one. On the one hand I believe this could have been a conscious decision. By narrating from Lucien's point of view perhaps we are protected from some of the horrors the brothers encounter. We know Lucien has been whipped in the past as he has the scars from it, but you get the impression his brother has been through a lot worse. When Lucien does witness some of the brutality later on in the book it is all the more shocking precisely because we haven't encountered it yet. We are reminded that the slaves are simply being offered life as slaves somewhere else, but without being told the horrors that Lucien and Emile face on their own island it's hard not to get caught up in the feeling that they're on a rescue mission. Again, this could be entirely consciously done to emphasise how the other slaves may be feeling, or Jane Harris has actively avoided the brutality of the time in order for the book to be and enjoyable romp. It would make a blumming great book club read let's put it that way.
The ending was disappointing for me. The book didn't end in the right place as far as I was concerned. For those that have read it, I could have done without the neatly tied up, afterword type letters at the end. I think the reader could have come to their own conclusions as to what fate our protagonist ultimately meets.
These criticisms did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I thought it was fantastic and has quickly shot up to one of my favourite historical fiction reads of all time. I want to read more about the slave trade, I am shamefully ignorant so if anyone can recommend any further reading I would appreciate it.
My full reviews appear on my blog Notes to the Moon.
Our narrator is 12 year old Lucien and I have to say that I've never read a book with such a rounded, believable, non-irritating, child narrator. He is wise beyond his years, speaks with broken English, has childish moments that remind you he is just 12, and yet he carries this story perfectly. I always worry about first person narration, especially from a child's point of view, that we won't get a sense of place. Or if we do, it will seem forced, but his voice never feels like a gimmick, never irritates and the descriptions of the landscape were fitting and evocative. I think it was perfect actually.
My ears strain to discern any sound beyond the massed flutes and recorders of a million frogs and insects. Now and then, fireflies sparkle past my face like fragments of charcoal carried on the breeze.
There is a sense of foreboding throughout the novel. As soon as they are given the mission by the friars, armed with a power of attorney that neither of them can read properly, you just know it won't have a happy ending. The brothers blossoming relationship, through Lucille's eyes, makes this book even harder to read and at points I really didn't want to finish it, knowing it would be tough.
'Well done bug,' he said. 'Good man.'
Well, that was the first time he had ever call me a man. My heart swelled up like a globefish.
Now. Onto the potential whitewashing, I'm still not sure. This is a tricky one. On the one hand I believe this could have been a conscious decision. By narrating from Lucien's point of view perhaps we are protected from some of the horrors the brothers encounter. We know Lucien has been whipped in the past as he has the scars from it, but you get the impression his brother has been through a lot worse. When Lucien does witness some of the brutality later on in the book it is all the more shocking precisely because we haven't encountered it yet. We are reminded that the slaves are simply being offered life as slaves somewhere else, but without being told the horrors that Lucien and Emile face on their own island it's hard not to get caught up in the feeling that they're on a rescue mission. Again, this could be entirely consciously done to emphasise how the other slaves may be feeling, or Jane Harris has actively avoided the brutality of the time in order for the book to be and enjoyable romp. It would make a blumming great book club read let's put it that way.
The ending was disappointing for me. The book didn't end in the right place as far as I was concerned. For those that have read it, I could have done without the neatly tied up, afterword type letters at the end. I think the reader could have come to their own conclusions as to what fate our protagonist ultimately meets.
These criticisms did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I thought it was fantastic and has quickly shot up to one of my favourite historical fiction reads of all time. I want to read more about the slave trade, I am shamefully ignorant so if anyone can recommend any further reading I would appreciate it.
My full reviews appear on my blog Notes to the Moon.
July 29, 2018
This one really caught me by surprise. For a somewhat dry subject, Harris keeps the narrative flowing fast and keeps the reader, completely engaged, with plenty of adventure and suspense. Historical fiction at it's finest. Looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
May 5, 2021
This review has been edited mainly for clarity.
Sugar Money is based on an unpublished manuscript which details the events of slavery smuggling from Grenada to Martinique. The author uses the fictional character of Lucien as the voice of the unknown author.
Set in 1765, Lucien, a slave mulatto aged 12-14 is commanded by Père Cleophas along with his older brother Emile to retrieve slaves that were left on a hospital plantation in Grenada. The French Dominican priests fled to Martinique after Grenada was handed over to the British. Things are hard and the priests need help to make money through rum. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned.
I have mixed feelings about this book mainly in regard to authorship. Looking firstly at what works well is the choice, though not even sure choice is the right word, to use a young narrator. And Lucien is believable, from his scorn of those less intelligent than him, to his need to have the approval of his older brother as well as his wish to be seen as a man. Not to mention his naivety on certain aspects of slavery and justice. This story relies heavily on the bond between brothers sent to do a risky task. Plus the novel was a great look at a island that had two different slave masters and the treatment that ensued. So for someone looking for an introduction to this time period this would be an okay start. The salute to French, Kriol and English grounds the book well.
There are some gritty and dark look at what slavery actually entailed. The physical and sexual abuses are not quite glossed over. I got the irony of the slave masters, especially those who felt themselves benign. Unfortunately, the afterword raised an issue for me, a black Caribbean reader. In times when there has been a clarion call for own voices, this book may have been better served by including the original author's name. I suspect that though the author used other research, it relied heavily on the unpublished manuscript and its translation. And I have to agree with Leone Ross review in The Guardian newspaper, the adventure approach seems to lessen the gravity of the trauma inflicted during slavery. And I noted the continuous comparison to Robert Stevenson's works by other blurbs. Like her, I suspect that this work will not have the endurance of other books which explore similar themes by black authors.
Sugar Money is based on an unpublished manuscript which details the events of slavery smuggling from Grenada to Martinique. The author uses the fictional character of Lucien as the voice of the unknown author.
Set in 1765, Lucien, a slave mulatto aged 12-14 is commanded by Père Cleophas along with his older brother Emile to retrieve slaves that were left on a hospital plantation in Grenada. The French Dominican priests fled to Martinique after Grenada was handed over to the British. Things are hard and the priests need help to make money through rum. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned.
I have mixed feelings about this book mainly in regard to authorship. Looking firstly at what works well is the choice, though not even sure choice is the right word, to use a young narrator. And Lucien is believable, from his scorn of those less intelligent than him, to his need to have the approval of his older brother as well as his wish to be seen as a man. Not to mention his naivety on certain aspects of slavery and justice. This story relies heavily on the bond between brothers sent to do a risky task. Plus the novel was a great look at a island that had two different slave masters and the treatment that ensued. So for someone looking for an introduction to this time period this would be an okay start. The salute to French, Kriol and English grounds the book well.
There are some gritty and dark look at what slavery actually entailed. The physical and sexual abuses are not quite glossed over. I got the irony of the slave masters, especially those who felt themselves benign. Unfortunately, the afterword raised an issue for me, a black Caribbean reader. In times when there has been a clarion call for own voices, this book may have been better served by including the original author's name. I suspect that though the author used other research, it relied heavily on the unpublished manuscript and its translation. And I have to agree with Leone Ross review in The Guardian newspaper, the adventure approach seems to lessen the gravity of the trauma inflicted during slavery. And I noted the continuous comparison to Robert Stevenson's works by other blurbs. Like her, I suspect that this work will not have the endurance of other books which explore similar themes by black authors.
January 18, 2021
Una storia vera narrata in forma romanzata, affidata alle parole di uno dei suoi protagonisti, Lucien, uno schiavo creolo di circa tredici anni che si occupa di badare alle mucche dei Frères de la Charité in Martinica.
A Lucien e al fratello maggiore, Emile, figli di una schiava e di uno dei frati più dispotici - fortunatamente morto - viene affidato l'incarico di andare a prendere quarantadue schiavi rimasti sotto il dominio inglese dopo l'occupazione di Grenada, tra i quali c'è Celeste, la ragazza di cui Emile è innamorato. Ma i documenti che padre Cléophas consegna ai due fratelli non hanno alcun valore a Grenada, ed Emile capisce che dovrà rubare gli schiavi agli inglesi convincendoli ad andare con loro e affidandosi alla conoscenza approssimativa dell'inglese di suo fratello Lucien. Il tutto perché i frati possano raccogliere la canna da zucchero senza dover pagare la manodopera.
La stuazione che i fratelli trovano sia nei campi che all'ospedale di Fort Royal è brutale: gli schiavi vengono trattati come bestie, ma ancora più bestiali sono gli inglesi, che abusano di loro e li puniscono con una brutalità disumana; tanto che la schiavitù presso i Frères de la Charité sembra paradisiaca rispetto alla vita a Grenada. E così, buona parte degli schiavi accetta di farsi "rubare" da Emile e Lucien.
La voce narrante di Lucien non è sempre attendibile: è evidente che si tratti di un piccolo gradasso che si atteggia a uomo vissuto, che ammira e allo stesso tempo invidia il fratello Emile e che vorrebbe competere con lui per l'affetto di Celeste. In alcuni momenti, però, esce fuori il bambino che ancora è, che ha bisogno di essere consolato e rassicurato e che cerca l'approvazione del fratello maggiore, l'unica figura paterna degna di questo nome per lui. È pur vero che la vita per il ragazzino è così dura che è praticamente costretto a crescere nell'arco di pochi giorni; e che quella che immaginava essere un'avventura di cui vantarsi con i coetanei diventa ben presto un terribile incubo.
A Lucien e al fratello maggiore, Emile, figli di una schiava e di uno dei frati più dispotici - fortunatamente morto - viene affidato l'incarico di andare a prendere quarantadue schiavi rimasti sotto il dominio inglese dopo l'occupazione di Grenada, tra i quali c'è Celeste, la ragazza di cui Emile è innamorato. Ma i documenti che padre Cléophas consegna ai due fratelli non hanno alcun valore a Grenada, ed Emile capisce che dovrà rubare gli schiavi agli inglesi convincendoli ad andare con loro e affidandosi alla conoscenza approssimativa dell'inglese di suo fratello Lucien. Il tutto perché i frati possano raccogliere la canna da zucchero senza dover pagare la manodopera.
La stuazione che i fratelli trovano sia nei campi che all'ospedale di Fort Royal è brutale: gli schiavi vengono trattati come bestie, ma ancora più bestiali sono gli inglesi, che abusano di loro e li puniscono con una brutalità disumana; tanto che la schiavitù presso i Frères de la Charité sembra paradisiaca rispetto alla vita a Grenada. E così, buona parte degli schiavi accetta di farsi "rubare" da Emile e Lucien.
La voce narrante di Lucien non è sempre attendibile: è evidente che si tratti di un piccolo gradasso che si atteggia a uomo vissuto, che ammira e allo stesso tempo invidia il fratello Emile e che vorrebbe competere con lui per l'affetto di Celeste. In alcuni momenti, però, esce fuori il bambino che ancora è, che ha bisogno di essere consolato e rassicurato e che cerca l'approvazione del fratello maggiore, l'unica figura paterna degna di questo nome per lui. È pur vero che la vita per il ragazzino è così dura che è praticamente costretto a crescere nell'arco di pochi giorni; e che quella che immaginava essere un'avventura di cui vantarsi con i coetanei diventa ben presto un terribile incubo.
March 22, 2018
I am sorry to all of you who liked this book but I can not read anymore about man's inhumanity to man. When they were discussing an obviously factual slave situation in Grenada, I almost lost it when they described nailing the slaves ears to the barn wall and then cutting the ear off to release them but when they talked about putting excrement in their mouths, gagging them and then wiring their mouths shut, it was just too much for me. I hope someday to be able to erase this image from my mind. After page 150, I am done.
October 20, 2022
It's 1765 and 12-year-old Lucien, a slave in the hands of French monks on the Caribbean island of Martinique, is sent with his older brother Emile to the nearby island of Grenada to rescue (or steal, depending on the characters' point of view) a group of their fellow slaves who were left behind when Grenada was invaded by the English. Lucien, who narrates in the first person, is keen for adventure, but Emile is aware how horribly dangerous their task is.
The language involves a certain amount of French and Creole, although the words are always either explained or clear from the context. The book does not shirk graphic descriptions of the cruel punishments meted out to slaves, especially on Grenada.
Lucien is an irrepressible and engaging narrator, and I found this both instructive and a lively, compelling read.
The language involves a certain amount of French and Creole, although the words are always either explained or clear from the context. The book does not shirk graphic descriptions of the cruel punishments meted out to slaves, especially on Grenada.
Lucien is an irrepressible and engaging narrator, and I found this both instructive and a lively, compelling read.
November 1, 2017
It's been a few days since I finished reading
Sugar Money
, Jane Harris's third novel. But I've still got Lucien, the 12-year-old narrator, chatting away inside my head in his mash-up of English, French and Creole. I'm still worried about whether he'll be okay. The characters in this book really do get under your skin that much.
Inspired by a true story, Sugar Money is Lucien's account of his mission, alongside his much older half-brother, Emile, to smuggle forty-two slaves from British-ruled Grenada to French-ruled Martinique 1765. Both brothers are slaves themselves and reluctantly embark on the extremely dangerous mission on the command of their French master, Father Cléophas.
Lucien is a cocky, naive kid whose main dual concerns are to compete with his older brother and gain his approval. Emile simply wants to protect his younger brother, though as with younger brothers everywhere, this proves difficult.
What follows is a strange mix of humour and horror. It becomes clear that as awful as the conditions are in French Martinique - beatings, hard labour and slavery passed on through the generations - Father Cléophas is confident the Grenada slaves will agree to attempt to escape with Emile and Lucien because their lives under British rule are even worse.
The horror is muted somewhat through Lucien's eyes. Although he reports on it faithfully, he'll often be more interested in activities such as chatting up the nice young ladies wandering along the road ahead.
Read the full review on my blog.
Inspired by a true story, Sugar Money is Lucien's account of his mission, alongside his much older half-brother, Emile, to smuggle forty-two slaves from British-ruled Grenada to French-ruled Martinique 1765. Both brothers are slaves themselves and reluctantly embark on the extremely dangerous mission on the command of their French master, Father Cléophas.
Lucien is a cocky, naive kid whose main dual concerns are to compete with his older brother and gain his approval. Emile simply wants to protect his younger brother, though as with younger brothers everywhere, this proves difficult.
What follows is a strange mix of humour and horror. It becomes clear that as awful as the conditions are in French Martinique - beatings, hard labour and slavery passed on through the generations - Father Cléophas is confident the Grenada slaves will agree to attempt to escape with Emile and Lucien because their lives under British rule are even worse.
The horror is muted somewhat through Lucien's eyes. Although he reports on it faithfully, he'll often be more interested in activities such as chatting up the nice young ladies wandering along the road ahead.
Read the full review on my blog.
October 1, 2019
Amazing historical thriller.
July 20, 2019
I had read a lot of positive reviews of this, but it seemed like a really tricky premise to pull off, so my expectations were not high. It was really excellent, thoughtful, well-observed, well-written, funny and tragic. It is about a time and place about which I know little, but there's not a learning curve in order to understand what is going on -- at least, I didn't find it so. In order to manage the high-wire act of the tone, Harris cleverly makes the narrator not the heroic, beautiful, romantic Emile, but the child Lucien. There's some really great stuff with Lucien's voice here, he is looking back on this incident as an adult, but remembering himself as a child, we get a sense of what French and Creole feel like as languages without having to have that explained.
Similarly deft, all the characterisations are really, really strong. We see the way the slave community bands together and helps each other, until they can't. We see what a wretched, desperate gamble this whole mad plan will be for them, and why they would stay and why they would leave. We also see how intensely corrupting slave-owning is for the Fathers of Charity, and what it does to them.
In all, really strong.
Similarly deft, all the characterisations are really, really strong. We see the way the slave community bands together and helps each other, until they can't. We see what a wretched, desperate gamble this whole mad plan will be for them, and why they would stay and why they would leave. We also see how intensely corrupting slave-owning is for the Fathers of Charity, and what it does to them.
In all, really strong.
March 3, 2018
I came to this hot on the heels of reading Harris' Gillespie and I, which was fantastic. This one...not so much.
The story concerns two slaves (Lucien and Emile) from 18th century Martinique sent on a dangerous mission by their French masters. Given the barbarism of slavery and the potential punishment that will await Lucien and Emile should they be caught, this book should have been edge-of-the-seat stuff. Instead, it was simply dull.
For me there was a lack of pace throughout and I never felt immersed in the story. There were some nice moments of humour and Lucien had the potential to be a great narrative voice but the novel just didn't work for me.
Also, Emile was a likeable character but he felt a bit too good to be true and his saintly behaviour .
The story concerns two slaves (Lucien and Emile) from 18th century Martinique sent on a dangerous mission by their French masters. Given the barbarism of slavery and the potential punishment that will await Lucien and Emile should they be caught, this book should have been edge-of-the-seat stuff. Instead, it was simply dull.
For me there was a lack of pace throughout and I never felt immersed in the story. There were some nice moments of humour and Lucien had the potential to be a great narrative voice but the novel just didn't work for me.
Also, Emile was a likeable character but he felt a bit too good to be true and his saintly behaviour .
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