Sugar Land

By: Tammy Lynne Stoner

Narrated by: Donna Postel

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Sugar Land is a southern fried novel about love, Lead Belly, and liberation. According to a starred Kirkus Review, Sugar Land "is a postcard of small-town Texas life from Prohibition through civil rights, tracing the treatment and awareness of gay people through these decades. The love child of Fannie Flagg and Rita Mae Brown… [a] ravishing debut.”

It’s 1923 in Midland, Texas, and Miss Dara falls in love with her best friend - who also happens to be a girl. Terrified, Miss Dara takes a job at the Imperial State Prison Farm for men. Once there, she befriends inmate and soon-to-be legendary blues singer Lead Belly, who sings his way out (true story) - but only after he makes her promise to free herself from her own prison. Sugar Land is a triumphant, beautiful novel about the heart’s refusal to be denied what the heart wants.

©2018 Tammy Lynne Stoner. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Outstanding!!!

Wow! Narrator rocked! Writing was magical. The story was very difficult to listen to in the beginning because of the reality of our history in the United States. That being said, don’t turn away. This novel is suuuuper relevant. It deals with the intersectionality of people who experience racism -> homophobia. The main character comes alive in a way that will make you cheer and cry! This is not to be missed.

Faulkner with a twist!

Sugar Land is an incredible, compelling story - I didn’t want it to end. The characters, especially Dara, felt like friends and the author shares an important perspective about what it was like to be gay in that time through a touching story that anyone can relate to— true love. I’d never heard of the musician Lead Belly before reading this book and now I am off in search of recordings!

I truly love this book!

This is going to always be one of my top 10. I didn’t want it to end, well worth the money !!!!

What a great story

I totally enjoyed this book. I learned, I laughed, and I cried. So worth the listen.

a story that feels like an old favourite film.

I loved the film fried green tomatoes. I loved every chance I had to hang out with the characters. Sugar Land felt a lot like this. I wanted more. I didn't want the story to stop, I wanted the characters to get older and older. Some were queer, but not just queer to be queer, this was just one part of who they were and their story. it all felt thoroughly authentic, from the kitchen to her stray cats to the trailer. I sat in my car for a few extra minutes in my driveway while the book ended. I've told as many people who will listen this is a Netflix series waiting to happen.

Is really a book about coming out

I listened to the end to see if there was anything else to learn.

Narrative is only about being a lesbian and the difficulties of trying to hide it and then coming out. Readers should know that it is very sexual. You would not want adolescents reading it.

Narration is Everything

I didn’t get past the first chapter because the narration was so off. I may come back to it and try again in a few weeks, but for now I’ll move on to the next book.

big disappointment

it's really too bad that the author did not even address the issue of internalized misogyny in this book. Eddie is so full of shame from being female even as a very young girl that she can hardly function. This shame is in all of us females probably from birth. Of course, writing about lesbians in the early 20th century is very worthy subject, not to mention poignant and scary. But this author doesn't seem to understand what she's writing. she doesn't seem to understand why Ed has to dress like a guy. Because she is so ashamed of being female. This is so common in our culture. Even if women are not cross-dressing. we all feel it. I just wish this author understood this.