Fiction

Black Cake

Black Cake

  • Downloads：4720
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-11 08:52:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Charmaine Wilkerson
  • ISBN：024152993X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Crossing continents and juggling lives， Black Cake is a powerful story of love and loss， kinship and separation， heartache and hope， spanning sixty years in the life of one family

'A story that is as meaningful as it is delicious。 At turns delightfully juicy and then stunningly wise， Black Cake is a winner' TAYLOR JENKINS REID， author of Daisy Jones and The Six

'I was instantly taken in by this multi-generational tale of identity， family， and the lifelong push and pull of home。 This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre， and I felt its beat on every page。 What an extraordinary debut' MARY BETH KEANE， author of Ask Again， Yes

*****

Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth。 So when her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral in California， they discover a puzzling inheritance。

First， a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended。 Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder， a story which cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny。

Second， a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe with a long history that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past。

Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request to 'share the black cake when the time is right'？ Will Eleanor's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever？

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Reviews

Jennifer ，

A great story about different lives， the ripple effects that can happen by the decisions we make， and the ways we are all connected by those decisions。 Also the traditions that are handed down and continued on between generations and cultures。 Beautiful。

Andrea （EvergreensAndBookishThings） ，

Many thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the digital ARC of Black Cake！ This book hit shelves last week and is EVERYWHERE， for good reason。If I were to sum up this novel in one word it would be: SPRAWLING。 Wilkerson casts out so many different characters and storylines， layers upon layers of family drama， and then manages to reel each one in with tantalizing perfection。 For some readers， it might feel scattered。 But I love when an author goes on tangents and， when the characters and settin Many thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the digital ARC of Black Cake！ This book hit shelves last week and is EVERYWHERE， for good reason。If I were to sum up this novel in one word it would be: SPRAWLING。 Wilkerson casts out so many different characters and storylines， layers upon layers of family drama， and then manages to reel each one in with tantalizing perfection。 For some readers， it might feel scattered。 But I love when an author goes on tangents and， when the characters and settings are so vividly drawn， takes the reader on a journey - in more ways than one。 I felt in really good hands with Wilkerson， trusting she would bring the story to a satisfying conclusion。If you love family drama， and books with bon bon sized chapters （more of this please）， Black Cake is a must read。 So good， and deserving the hype！ 。。。more

Caroline Sotile ，

Slow to ramp up， but once you dive into the story it’s hard to put down。 Loved the different point of views throughout the story and the short chapters making the book very easy to read。 Some paragraphs were unnecessary （skimmed through） but the storyline was interesting

Alex ，

I took my sweet time reading this and I’m so glad I did。 This debut novel was amazing。 Every character was someone I wanted to learn more about and the delicate ways in which the author weaves everyone storylines together was magical。 Highly recommend ！

Tiye McLeod ，

Gorgeously written debut novel。 Intergenerational stories are truly my sweet spot。 As a Jamaican American， so many elements strongly resonated with me， but this book contains universal themes that anyone can connect to。

Jean Brown ，

3。5 Stars

Nat ，

Thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Current social issues explored sprinkled throughout the book。 Was that the theme of this book？ And did Byron get the short end of the stick with the letters？

Devin Farmiloe ，

I really enjoyed this book a lot。 Eleanor is such a beautiful character and the narrative was engaging and touching。 I loved the way the story of her life was told and unfolded through the coming together of her children after her passing

Betsy Baer ，

interesting read， family secrets

Iva Deobald ，

Enjoyable…。I liked the way the story “wrapped up” although it is hard to imagine in real life that a wrap would be so complete。

Erin Doherty Gilfert ，

I probably have given it 5 stars if I read it more quickly。 Because I had some gaps in reading， I kept having to go back and remind myself of events because it quickly goes back and forth between time periods and characters。 Really， really great book！

Wendy Cosin ，

There is a lot to admire about Charmaine Wilkerson's novel， Black Cake。 She tells the story of a Caribbean family between the 1950's and present times。 The basic structure - a brother and sister living in Southern California are presented with an audio from their recently deceased mother - works well， although it is not an unusual device to present history and current lives。 The chapters are short， alternating between characters， time， and place。 This works very well， although I have had problem There is a lot to admire about Charmaine Wilkerson's novel， Black Cake。 She tells the story of a Caribbean family between the 1950's and present times。 The basic structure - a brother and sister living in Southern California are presented with an audio from their recently deceased mother - works well， although it is not an unusual device to present history and current lives。 The chapters are short， alternating between characters， time， and place。 This works very well， although I have had problems with this approach in other books because of lack of continuity。 The alternating points of view purposefully create repetition， which I didn't often like。 It is well written in a non-splashy way。 The author discusses the structure in an interview on the "Fully Booked" podcast by Kirkus Reviews on February 14， 2022。The novel "checks all the boxes" for me。 Multi-ethnic characters （the children are a blend of Caribbean and Chinese） living in Jamaica， England， and USA experience racism everywhere; two characters are queer （one lesbian and one bi-sexual）; the women are strong; all of the characters struggle with identity and fitting into expectations。 Loss and adoption are major themes， as are family/sibling relationships。 Domestic violence and rape occur， but while both have a deep impact on the characters， neither is a major vein of the storytelling。 Black Cake is a quick， enjoyable read despite the heaviness of events。After reading the Author's Note， which follows the novel， I understand what my issues were with Black Cake。 I felt that character development and depth was lacking。 The author states: "Despite the use of some historical and present-day context， this narrative focuses primarily on the emotional lives of the invented characters and is meant to be fable-like in its recounting of some of its main events。" I found the depth of the characters to be "fable-like" as well。 I recommend reading the Author's Note before reading the novel （no spoilers）。 I changed my rating from 3 to 4 based on the Author's Note。The audio was quite good， especially the Caribbean voices。 Not surprisingly， food is an important element of culture。 Although I haven't tried it （yet）， Black Cake Company ships the product and would be a great addition to a book group （blackcake。com）。 。。。more

Holly Murphy ，

Took me forever to read。 At first I was intrigued by the back story but I even lost interest in that。 Too drawn out。 Too much time and person jumping around。 Too many coincidences。 I just didn’t like it。

McKenzie ，

This was such an excellent book。 I had a hard time in the beginning with the choppy chapters but by the ending I really feel that they were not only necessary but added a great deal to the story telling。 This novel really portrays how small， inadvertent things can change the whole course of our lives。 How we view our actions completely differently than the people we act against。 The historical and cultural influence in this novel was enlightening， disheartening and truly heartbreaking at times。 This was such an excellent book。 I had a hard time in the beginning with the choppy chapters but by the ending I really feel that they were not only necessary but added a great deal to the story telling。 This novel really portrays how small， inadvertent things can change the whole course of our lives。 How we view our actions completely differently than the people we act against。 The historical and cultural influence in this novel was enlightening， disheartening and truly heartbreaking at times。 But in the end， I was left with a feeling of hope。 This is a wonderful novel。 I highly recommend picking it up。 。。。more

Diane ，

This book definitely deserves more than five stars！ It has all of the elements of a great novel and the title alone intrigued me。 You know I'll be making a black cake soon and learning more about Caribbean history along the way。 This book definitely deserves more than five stars！ It has all of the elements of a great novel and the title alone intrigued me。 You know I'll be making a black cake soon and learning more about Caribbean history along the way。 。。。more

Karrie ，

Loved this book except for about 2 chapters near the middle end。

Beth ，

Wonderfully told story of a woman running from her past and the impacts her secrets have on her children

Robyn ，

I absolutely love family sagas。 And this one was beautiful。 This was actually my first black family saga and this was great。 I would have never guessed this was a debut novel from this author。 I gave it a 4。5 and just rounded it up。

Alisha Conkling ，

An utterly charming book about family， belonging， and our place in the world。 Benny and Byron， sister and brother， are reunited at their mom’s （ Eleanor） funeral。 They begin to listen to a tape their mom recorded and realize they didn’t know their mom at all。

Blake Charlton ，

a heartfelt examination of culture， history， and family

Meghan ，

I really enjoyed the weaving of stories and perspectives across this multigenerational family diaspora drama， but the ending was somehow both rushed and too long。There were so many characters in this book， and not all of them in my opinion needed “loose ends” tied。 Although I can handle a stretch in plot in exchange for a happy ending， I felt this ending stretched for extra plot lines that ended up being unsatisfying。 I can point out where I would have liked the book to have ended， I wondered if I really enjoyed the weaving of stories and perspectives across this multigenerational family diaspora drama， but the ending was somehow both rushed and too long。There were so many characters in this book， and not all of them in my opinion needed “loose ends” tied。 Although I can handle a stretch in plot in exchange for a happy ending， I felt this ending stretched for extra plot lines that ended up being unsatisfying。 I can point out where I would have liked the book to have ended， I wondered if the last 50-60 pages were at an editor’s request。I REALLY DID LIKE THE BOOK until the end， my literal home stretch and last day of reading it！！ Tripped at the finish line 。。。more

Catherine Baker ，

I had a small problem with Black Cake…too many characters and too similar names。 Benny and Bunny—2 different people from 2 different generations but it still irked me！ The characters are sometimes referred to by their given names and sometimes referred to by their nick names （Benedetta becomes Benny…most every character has a nick name）。 Plus between the 2 plus generations we have namesakes with more “nick names”。 It became a chore for me。 Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to draw a family tree I had a small problem with Black Cake…too many characters and too similar names。 Benny and Bunny—2 different people from 2 different generations but it still irked me！ The characters are sometimes referred to by their given names and sometimes referred to by their nick names （Benedetta becomes Benny…most every character has a nick name）。 Plus between the 2 plus generations we have namesakes with more “nick names”。 It became a chore for me。 Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to draw a family tree or make a cheat sheet of everyone—I simply want to read a story。 This bothered me and made it a s-l-o-w read。 。。。more

Val Riewe ，

Black cake - sounds delicious。 Or at least a little sample。 I’m heading to the Caribbean in a few days and I will be on the lookout！ But seriously， there was a lot of time jumping and characters to keep track of。 There were times that It seemed overwhelming to keep track of them all。

Jamie Eaton ，

I…。。don’t know。 It’s hard to review this book。 I appreciated and sympathized with the way Wilkerson strived to bring attention to stereotypes and challenges that multicultural individuals face。 I enjoyed reading in the sense of learning how each character was intertwined， for better or for worse。 But what really made this a challenge to read for me was the writing style。 At first， I really liked the colorful and bright way that Wilkerson presented this novel， but it became very， very， choppy and I…。。don’t know。 It’s hard to review this book。 I appreciated and sympathized with the way Wilkerson strived to bring attention to stereotypes and challenges that multicultural individuals face。 I enjoyed reading in the sense of learning how each character was intertwined， for better or for worse。 But what really made this a challenge to read for me was the writing style。 At first， I really liked the colorful and bright way that Wilkerson presented this novel， but it became very， very， choppy and unintentionally confusing。 This is in part due to the organization of the timeline’s presentation。 Also…。murder mystery？ I just feel like this piece of the puzzle was unnecessary and took away from Eleanor’s （and her family’s） story。 It became rushed and extremely predictable about 75% of the way through。 After reading the author’s note I confirmed that her purpose was to educate， which I thoroughly celebrate - I feel so bad for writing this review but … neutral feelings overall。 Just， eh。 2。5-3 stars （？） 。。。more

Angelica Afanador ，

I enjoyed this book so much！ The collision。 of past and present was so perfectly woven together throughout the story。 I was consistently kept engaged with the need to uncover the hidden family secrets in the recipe and their mother's life。 I'd highly recommend to any lovers of literary fiction and mysteries！ I enjoyed this book so much！ The collision。 of past and present was so perfectly woven together throughout the story。 I was consistently kept engaged with the need to uncover the hidden family secrets in the recipe and their mother's life。 I'd highly recommend to any lovers of literary fiction and mysteries！ 。。。more

jayme b ，

I really enjoyed this storyI was sad when it came to and。 I enjoyed the characters and their relationships as they change and grow。

Dacee Dey ，

I honestly didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did—the synopsis doesn’t do it justice。 I thought this was an alluring story told so well that I didn’t want to put it down。 And super short chapters with rotating timelines and POVs too！ 4。5 ⭐️

Lisa ，

Very interesting story - I recommend！

Lisa Miller ，

3。5 rounded up。 Wasn’t what I expected。 What could have been a truly amazing story got lost along the way for me with too many characters and a confusing， lengthy writing style。

Cindy Wargocki ，

（Maybe 3。5） The book explored the life and history of siblings。 One is prominent in his field， but still struggles with life as a male person on color。 The other is still struggling to find her way and circumstances have kept her from her family。 The language of the book allowed me to visualize the story。 In the end there were so many additional characters。 Perhaps it shows us the many connections we have in life and how small decisions make larger impacts and we often may not know。 This lead to （Maybe 3。5） The book explored the life and history of siblings。 One is prominent in his field， but still struggles with life as a male person on color。 The other is still struggling to find her way and circumstances have kept her from her family。 The language of the book allowed me to visualize the story。 In the end there were so many additional characters。 Perhaps it shows us the many connections we have in life and how small decisions make larger impacts and we often may not know。 This lead to some tangents that I am not sure were always necessary。 I felt like it was a quick "let's finish" end to the book。 Thinking about it， the history element of the story was finished and maybe that was enough。 It was a great book to think about what brings us together， what/who makes us who we are and how situations can alter our course in life。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Black Cake

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Black Cake&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Black Cake&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0