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    This Bitter Earth: The Story of Sugar Lacey
    This Bitter Earth: The Story of Sugar Lacey
    This Bitter Earth: The Story of Sugar Lacey
    Audiobook8 hours

    This Bitter Earth: The Story of Sugar Lacey

    Written by Bernice L. McFadden

    Narrated by Myra Lucretia Taylor

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    This powerful sequel to Bernice L. McFadden’s bestselling debut Sugar follows a young African-American woman back to her Arkansas hometown, where she must confront difficult truths about her parentage and a curse in her family’s past.

    When Sugar Lacey returns to Short Junction to find the aunts who raised her, she hopes they will be able to tell her the truth about her parents. What she discovers is not just a terrible story of unrequited love, but also a tale of black magic that has cursed generations of Lacey women.

    Armed with newfound knowledge and strength in the face of adversity, Sugar must push through the pain to find her absent father and discover the truth about the curse that has befallen her family line in hopes of breaking it before she passes it on to her own child.

    A powerfully realized novel that brings back the unforgettable characters from Sugar, This Bitter Earth is a testament to the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.

    “McFadden’s sensuous prose and folk wisdom conjure a memorable character with complexity and grace.”—People
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 18, 2010
    ISBN9781449832551
    This Bitter Earth: The Story of Sugar Lacey
    Author

    Bernice L. McFadden

    Bernice L. McFadden is the author of nine critically acclaimed novels including Sugar, Loving Donovan, Nowhere Is a Place, The Warmest December, Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors' Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), Glorious, and The Book of Harlan (winner of a 2017 American Book Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction). She is a four-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of three awards from the BCALA.

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    Reviews for This Bitter Earth

    4.5/5

    112 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Beautifully written... Just wow! Bernice has definitely slid right into one of my favorite authors just like that!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Very good sequel to Bernice McFadden’s “Sugar.” I recommend reading “Sugar” first.
    • 5/5
      I love this book so much, sugar and this book are written so beautifully. Every single question I had after reading sugar was answered in this bitter earth.
    • 5/5
      Make sure to read Sugar ♥️♥️ book 1 first, before reading The Bitter Earth so it makes sense and you see how everything ties together.
    • 5/5
      A beautiful read. You must read Sugar first to truly be able to appreciate and understand This Bitter Earth. I love how a lot of what occurred in Sugar is unpacked in this book. Highly recommend!
    • 5/5
      Loved it so much great follow up book to Sugar.
    • 5/5
      I'm no virgin to the writing of Bernice McFadden. This book was wonderful. The characters and plot were so engaging that I could hardly put it down. There were moments that I laughed and cheered; that's when I enjoy a book most, when I get so tangled up that it becomes a temporary reality. I especially loved the way that she wound superstitions of African Americans into the story line. I really didn't want it to end. I'm so happy for Sugar...that's all I will say without spoilers. If these are your types of books, go for it.
    • 5/5
      I can't compare this book to Sugar as I haven't read the first book. However, I did love the sequel This Bitter Earth. It's a story of Sugar's survival although the odds are stacked against her. I thought she was a wonderful main character and in the end, showed herself to be strong and caring.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It was very easy to imagine the characters and how they interacted with one another and their situations. The author did a good job bringing me into the story.
    • 5/5
      All I can say is that this book had me gasping all the way til the end. I can't describe how much I enjoyed this book. Of course we know that Sugar ended with Sugar Lacey leaving Bigelow, AR wounded mentally and physically. This book picks her up walking back to the home she was raised in with the Lacey sisters.At the Lacey home Sugar finally gets the answers she have been looking for all her life. When all the Lacey sisters die she retraces her steps back to Mary's house in St. Louis. In Sugar, she found her "smile" in this very home but now she finds tragedy. Sugar buries Mary and rescues Mercy from a downward spiral. Sugar heads to the only place she knows that heals, Bigelow. Upon arrival in Bigelow, Sugar is immediately confronted with the past.Sugar went backward to move forward and redeemed herself along with a few others. McFadden really grew as a writer from her first novel Sugar to this her third. There was never a dull moment. You would have to read Sugar to really appreciate how McFadden tied every loose end into a knot in This Bitter Earth. I really hated to let this book go. The characters will hold on to me for a while.
    • 5/5
      This novel was a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful story. She walks in the shoes of every character with such honesty and authenticity...it's superb. You find out Sugar's past, present and future in this book. It really pulled the pieces together from "Sugar".Bernice McFadden has the ability to tell a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and will have you dreaming about the story. Sugar, Jude, Joe, Pearl, and Lappy are unforgetable characters and will stay with you long after you've finished the book. I like how all the family ties all came together.