Book Review: The Sugar Planter’s Daughter by Sharon Maas

It is 1912. In British Guyana,Winnie Cox is getting married to the love of her life, George Quint. What should have been the happiest day of her life is marred by the drift between her and her sister Joanna. The book picks up from where ‘The Secret Life of Winnie Cox left off.

Joanna doesn’t approve of George or of her sister’s decision. Joanna or Yoyo and Winnie are daughters of an affluent sugar planter while George is a poor black postman. Yoyo cannot believe that her sister has decided to take this path.

Growing up in the lap of luxury, the sisters had been shielded from the reality of life outside their circles, however as they grow up, both sisters take completely divergent paths in life. Winnie chooses a life of poverty but full of happiness while Yoyo chooses to run the sugar plantation in her father’s footsteps.

Winnie blossoms with the happiness in her life, despite living in poverty in the slums of Guyana. She makes do with what she has, and even makes the most of what ever little they have. From a pampered white girl, she turns into an entrepreneurial young woman. Winnie and George have a content life. Yoyo on the other hand, has all the luxuries in the world but no real happiness. Her marriage is a sham, her sister continues to be her mother’s favourite, and to make things worse, her marriage of convenience is a joke. Her husband seems to impregnate every woman in the land, has not been able to give her an heir for the plantation. Torn by her angst, she turns bitter and extremely unhappy. Her focus turns to stealing her sister’s happiness. She goes on a rampage that is guaranteed to break hearts, destroy families and change things forever between the sisters.

The heart-wrenching story of the two sisters, the story of love, loss and betrayal. The book evokes strong imagery of British Guyana. I love the way the author weaves the tale, she gets us entwined in the tale with her words. My heart bled for Winnie, hoped that realisation dawns on Yoyo, hoped that she aborts her mission to destruction.. Characters that you get drawn to, characters that you feel for, real characters. A book I would recommend without a doubt. A wonderful read. I can’t wait to read the next installment in Winnie’s story. I have to admit, I would be more than happy if the author could find a way of getting rid of Yoyo.

A 5/5 read.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the review copy of this book.

About the Author
Sharon Maas was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1951, and spent many childhood hours either curled up behind a novel or writing her own adventure stories. Sometimes she had adventures of her own, and found fifteen minutes of Guyanese fame for salvaging an old horse-drawn coach from a funeral parlor, fixing it up, painting it bright blue, and tearing around Georgetown with all her teenage friends. The coach ended up in a ditch, but thankfully neither teens nor horse were injured. Boarding school in England tamed her somewhat; but after a few years as a reporter with the Guyana Graphic in Georgetown she plunged off to discover South America by the seat of her pants.