The Sugar Queen in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jul 06, 2008 Tara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: loved-it, i-love-being-a-girl-chikbooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the first book I've ready by Sarah Addison Allen and I loved it.

It was a quick read and it made me smile numerous times. I liked the characters and their interractions with each other. It was very easy to figure out which characters you were supposed to like and which you were supposed to hate.

The story begins when Josey wakes up to find Della Lee hiding in her closet. Josey lives a sheltered life, waiting on her mother and trying to repent for the meanness she showed to her moter and th This is the first book I've ready by Sarah Addison Allen and I loved it.

It was a quick read and it made me smile numerous times. I liked the characters and their interractions with each other. It was very easy to figure out which characters you were supposed to like and which you were supposed to hate.

The story begins when Josey wakes up to find Della Lee hiding in her closet. Josey lives a sheltered life, waiting on her mother and trying to repent for the meanness she showed to her moter and the town as a child. Josey's father, Marco Cirrini, made the town of Bald Slope well know for it's skiing and winter activities and everyone in town knows Josey as the spoiled daughter of a self-made rich man. Poor Josey. Enter Della Lee, who starts sending Josey out on odd errands for sandwiches, and then turns down the sandwich when Josey returns, thus resulting in Josey eating the sandwich.

These particular sandwiches are made by Chloe, who owns the small dining shop in the courthouse and who has just broken up with her deputy district attorney boyfriend, Jake, whose father is also a prominent figure in Bald Slope high society. Poor Chloe. She not only has to deal with the fact her boyfriend cheated on her, but she has several persistent books chasing after her. Josey has a woman in her closet and Chloe has books following her around. That right there says that this is not going to be a normal encounter for these two young women.

Della Lee then assists Chloe with attracting the attention of the local mailman, Adam, who Chloe has been "mooning" over ever since he started delivering her mail. Della Lee encourages Josey to wear makeup, attend the annual town fair with Chloe and even have a conversation with Adam. All of this advice comes from Della Lee as she sits in Josey's closet.

Josey and Chloe both discover things about themselves and the town that they did not know and they both begin to face secrets they weren't ready to face, and that's in part thanks to Della Lee. These three women are connected but it isn't until the end of the book that you truly discover what that connection is and why Della Lee decides to take up residence in Josey's closet.

Old wrongs are righted and past mistakes are forgiven. In the end, Josey and Chloe find the happiness they deserve and accept the history of their lives, while developing a truly wonderful friendship. ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Cindy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Entertainment Weekly said that The Sugar Queen was "like a dessert." Considering that I just devoured it like it was a slice of chocolate cake, I would have to agree.

I bought this book several years ago at a book fair. I picked it up in the first place because I loved the cover. This is usually one of the biggest things for me when picking up books by author's I'm not familiar with. Second, after reading the teaser on the back cover I was intrigued. And then finally, I was getting it for $3.50 i Entertainment Weekly said that The Sugar Queen was "like a dessert." Considering that I just devoured it like it was a slice of chocolate cake, I would have to agree.

I bought this book several years ago at a book fair. I picked it up in the first place because I loved the cover. This is usually one of the biggest things for me when picking up books by author's I'm not familiar with. Second, after reading the teaser on the back cover I was intrigued. And then finally, I was getting it for $3.50 instead of $13. I love books, but I also love a bargain.

For whatever reason, The Sugar Queen sat lonely and unread on my bookshelf for several years. A few months ago I moved and both of the Sarah Addison Allen books that I own (I didn't even know I had two!) ended up in the first box of books that was unpacked. There are many, many more still waiting for me.

We are having a little down time at work due to some department changes and I knew that I was going to be bored by 9pm last night (I work until 11p), so I decided to take a book along with me, even though we aren't really supposed to read at our desks. I grabbed The Sugar Queen, settled it in my purse, and headed off to work.

When I got home from work last night I had read the first four chapters and I was hooked. The story is woven, like a web, and each person is a string in the web, so every movement one string makes, it affects the ones around it. Each character, whether they were aware of it or not, and for a long time most weren't, was affecting those around them in such subtle ways. It really is beautifully written.

There is also an element of magic in the book but it's not really a focus so much as just a matter of fact part of the whole. Books follow Chloe from the time she is a lonely little girl living with her great-grandparents. It seems perfectly normal in the context of the world SAA has created, when the first books pops up in front of Chloe, trying to help her handle her feelings. It's just part of who she is.

Josey lives a lonely existence, hoping to one day gain her mother's love, while constantly being reminded that it's not likely to ever happen. You are able to watch Josey blossom like a tulip in springtime between the first and last pages of The Sugar Queen. And while nothing overtly magical happens to or around Josey, you do start to see that she has a magic all her own.

Della Lee, probably the most disadvantaged of the three women, yet possibly, in the end, the smartest, is an interestingly, complex character. But still simple in some ways as well. She's very matter of fact, not a lot of thought needs to go into things. Do you like something? Yes, then do it, have it, eat it, go to it, etc. No, then don't. I came to enjoy the relationship that she and Josey had as much as if she was living in my closet! (That will make more sense when you read the book)

When I went to bed last night I planned to read another chapter or so before going to sleep. After all, I did have to work this morning. But, as so often happens, next thing I knew, it was two in the morning and the story was done.

I like to stop after reading a book and think about the characters and the lives they might be leading now, after I've closed the book on this particular moment of their life. I savored the story of three women, each one different but still a little bit the same, wondering what they might be doing now. I will certainly be picking up more works by Sarah Addison Allen. ...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Agatha Donkar Lund rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, 2010

An idea that was better as an idea than in execution. Also, super saccharine.

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May 30, 2011 Missy rated it liked it

Shelves: listened-to-audio-book

I listened to this one and not consistently, so it took me longer to get into it and follow the storyline, but that was my fault for not being in the car enough! I did enjoy the characters as usual and the magical element of books that find you!!! So true.

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Apr 11, 2011 Angie rated it really liked it

Thoroughly enjoyable. I really like the whimsical, magical nature of Sarah Addison Allen's novels and the interesting characters she introduces us to. This was a quick, cover-to-cover read in a day or two because I just couldn't put it down. ...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Missy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-reads, nook-books, fiction, magic-realism, favorites

Another solid novel from Sarah Addison Allen -
I honestly can't get enough of her enchanting story telling.
I would recommend her novels to anyone looking for a story full of heart and a little magic.

...more

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