As children, Kit and Kiki Smithers performed as the Sugar Babes, but those glory days are long gone. All that remains are the blues the sisters sing as they cope with withering marriages, cheating spouses, lost opportunities, and the demands of motherhood. Sugar Land is a verdant novel about the healing power of forgiveness, the seemingly impossible task of loving, the resilience of family ties, and what happens when a tornado meets a double-wide trailer. PMA Benjamin Franklin Award finalist (1999) “Every character in this novel resonates with life. This talented author knows how to bring pen-and-ink people to flesh and blood fulfillment…poignantly authentic.” Southern Living “Alternately wrenching and humorous…Rodgers’ strength is her knack for realistic characters…and a womanly wise, laugh-through-tears appreciation of life.” Publisher’s Weekly “Richly appealing…” Library Journal “Bittersweet…priceless…” Chicago Tribune “Pure charm…compelling…full of humor and compassion. Sugar Land is a delight to read, and Rodgers is a terrific discovery.” Tampa Tribune-Times From Library Journal: "As little girls, Kit and Kiki Smithers of Sugar Land, TX, could belt out songs that made audiences love them. As adults, they are finding love harder to handle, as Kiki deals with her philandering, physically abusive husband, Wayne, and Kit feels the love seep out of her marriage to Mel, a good man who is just letting himself - and their relationship - go. When both sisters become pregnant for the third time, suffering ensues: cataclysmic loss for Kiki and overwhelming guilt for Kit, unsure of her unborn child's paternity after a virtual assault by Wayne and a spontaneous tumble with her boss. Their show-biz-agent mother, Viveca, nurtures and nudges the sisters as she herself battles cancer. In snappy prose, Rodgers (Crazy for Trying) creates fully dimensional characters in a story with elements of love, loss, humor, passion, joy, feminism, and even mothers-in-law. As richly appealing as the best country music."
Author
NYT bestselling author Joni Rodgers was born into a family of gospel/bluegrass musicians and grew up on stage, opening for huge-haired country music legends of the 60s and 70s. She continued performing until 1994, when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and used the chemo downtime to complete her first two novels, both of which were published to critical acclaim. Joni's memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair (Harper Collins 2001), garnered glowing reviews around the world, was excerpted in Good Housekeeping, condensed by Reader’s Digest, and is still in print after ten years. It also launched Joni's public speaking career and brought her to the attention of celebrities and others who began asking her to help them tell their stories. She's known on both coasts as a ghostwriter, book doctor and memoir guru who applies the fine art of fiction to the creation of well-crafted narrative nonfiction. Between novels and ghostwriting projects, Joni volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and blogs about books and publishing on "Boxing the Octopus". Married to jet plane mechanic/wine maker Gary Rodgers since 1983, Joni is the proud mother of two fine young adults. She lives in Houston, Texas. Her latest book debuted at #6 on the NYT bestseller list. “A mix of Moly Ivins' blowsy wit and Anna Quindlen's suburban logic...Rodgers manages the rare literary feat of being funny and painful in one urgent breath.” ~ Entertainment Weekly
