A sinfully sweet southern confection
Written: Jun 26 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Characters, little touches of magic, food descriptions
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: As with Garden Spells, this is a fabulously sensual blend of magic, romance, and food.
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| chiliqueen's Full Review: Sarah Addison Allen - The Sugar Queen |
Much like her charming debut novel Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen's Sugar Queen is a blend of food and magic. Josey Cirrini is fast approaching thirty. She's a plump, painfully shy recluse who hides in her closet stuffing herself with junk food and reading romance novels to find solace from her overbearing mother (the two live together). While her mother Margaret was a classic Southern belle, Josey is mousy and timid, with no friends, no love life, and no dreams. She's expected to stay and care for her mother.
But Josey's dull, predictable life is turned upside-down when bad girl Della Lee mysteriously appears in her closet, smack-dab in the middle of her stash of moonpies, pecan rolls, and Little Debbie snacks. Della Lee is Josey's opposite: she lives fast and hard, has been arrested for solicitation, and seems to be on the run from someone. The only problem is that she refuses to leave the closet.
Desperate to be rid of her, Josey agrees to do several favors for Della Lee, which starts her on a journey of self-discovery regarding her family's past. Della Lee becomes a sort of fairy godmother responsible for giving Josey a newfound sense of confidence, and encouraging her to pursue her infatuation with hunky, injured mailman Adam, who's hiding out from his own secret.
Allen cleverly themes each chapter title around Josey's love of sweets, with the candy names reflecting various plot points: SweeTarts, Sno Caps, Sugar Daddy, Mellowcreme Pumpkins, Candy Hearts, and Mr. Goodbar all make guest appearances. Her talent lies in the clever interplay of characters and fate, with a strong Southern sensibility.
I could identify with the cowed Josey slowly coming out of her shell as she creeps out from under her mother's shadow; but Allen deftly paints Margaret as more than a cardboard caricature of an ice queen. We discover why she is so bitter, and while it doesn't make her likeable, it does make her a more believable character. Likewise, the supporting cast (including the North Carolina ski resort setting) is equally well-drawn.
As I mentioned in a review of Allen's Garden Spells, she possesses that unique brand of magic found in Joanne Harris's Chocolat and Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, blending sensuality, food, and little sprinkles of magic to create a luscious read.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
chiliqueen
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Member: Veggiechiliqueen
Location: Deep in the heart of Texas
Reviews written: 552
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About Me:
"There's no such thing as dead languages, only dormant minds." ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
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