black cake reviews

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NOW A HULU STREAMING SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • Two estranged siblings delve into their mother’s hidden past—and how it all connects to her traditional Caribbean black cake—in this immersive family saga, “a character-driven, multigenerational story that’s meant to be savored” (Time).
 
“Wilkerson transports you across the decades and around the globe accompanied by complex, wonderfully drawn characters.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Malibu Rising

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar, Book Riot, She Reads

We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (November 29, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 059335835X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593358351
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.18 x 0.83 x 7.97 inches
Reviewer: Andrea Kornegay
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A great ending
Review: Reading the book was a great ending after watching the series on television. I so hoped the series would continue. However, it did not, and it left me hanging really bad. The book filled in the gaps beautifully. All the characters held me in place and had me wanting to read more. This is a must-read for everyone.

Reviewer: Mary
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A beautiful debut
Review: This book was in need of a bit of fine tuning. I did enjoy the multiple POV's and multiple timelines with short chapters. However the story was trying to cover too many topics. It went wide instead of deep. Wilkerson juggles a lot within the story, rotating between the past and present in brief chapters that, while written entirely in third person, spirals through the characters to reframe on their specific lives, emotions and thoughts. The style gives each character their individualism while also weaving them together to view each individual as connected through the community of their shared lives. The ending is clean answering of the questions the story raised.It took a bit of time for Black Cake to pick up the pace, and there were way too names keep straight at times. Foreshadowing was overused, I could foresee each and every reveal. The characters would always explain their thoughts, not very subtly, and would repeat their thoughts several times. This I would have edited down. As a reader, I want something to ponder, but this was spoon fed a little too much.Black Cake is a story of Identity: what it means to be who you are, how heritage can either define you or hold you captive, and how place and opportunity can shape your destiny. At first, we are introduced to Benny and Byron's story, and I was intrigued by these narrators and their differing perspectives. The premise was sound, and I thought by story's end I would have a firm sense of WHO these two were and who they could become down the line. At first, the book felt balanced: we got small glimpses into mother Eleanor's life without losing hold of the present-day narrative.As time went on, however, the central theme of the story became more and more divergent, as character after character was introduced, new locations and complications arose, and the book started to lose focus---and lose my attention. The dramatic 'twists' became a bit repetitive, and there was a heavy emphasis on certain themes such as abuse, without any true conclusion. The moment I started to connect to a new character's story line, we jumped to another point in time, a new location, or back to present day, and it left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.After reading about the making of Black Cake which is a cake bursting with fruits, soaked in rum, and browned with sugar (hence the name). I am curious to experiment with some recipes.As debuts go, this is a strong one, and I look forward to seeing what else Wilkerson publishes.

Reviewer: Jax
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Unexpectedly complex look into intimate Caribbean family history…
Review: Alfred Hitchcock couldn’t have done it better! The author weaves life & death, friendship, love and cake into a believable yet almost mystical modern day saga…

Reviewer: DDG
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Magnificent!
Review: I have found another great author! Something I never thought I would experience. I felt like I was being woven into the storyline like the ingredients of the black cake were kneaded together.

Reviewer: LORI L. TULLOCH
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Family Drama
Review: Black Cake started out very slow and I had to make myself stick with it to get to the meatier parts of the story. A black family drama about a woman who decides to confess her truth on her deathbed. I didn't understand why a mother who kept a painful truth all her life about her past a secret decided to implode her children's lives by telling them the truth as she died.

Reviewer: Beverly DeSuza
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Cultural Intrigue.
Review: Black Cake is a wonderful read for any time of the year, but would be an especially refreshing “beach read” that will surely keep the reader looking for more. I really loved how the author, little by little, peeled back the unexpected mysteries of the protagonist and her husband that kept the reader guessing and definitely engaged. The characters were insightfully developed, and I loved how the protagonist and other characters are not only highly skilled swimmers (which is often not associated with local Caribbean life), but are at one with the ocean: their other home, and how the ocean is pivotal to the story, along with the black cake. Yet, even though I liked how the black cake recipe was woven into the story I believe it could have been woven in more seamlessly and more cohesively. But, this is still one of the books I really enjoyed reading in the past year and highly, highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Rosa B
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book but bad shipment from Amazon
Review: I received book with what looks like a box cutter sliced through the back of the book.

Reviewer: Charlie S.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Book club, surprising fave!
Review: This was my August book club book and I didn't think if like it, being mostly a fantasy/sci-fi girlie, but I loved it! I read about 30 pages one night, then picked it up the next day and didn't put it down til it was done. It's told in alternating POVs from probably 15ish different characters, but every storyline was fascinating in its own way. It tells the story of the mother in a way that makes it almost like a mystery-- you know how her story ends, and how it starts, but how it gets from point A to point B is a WILD ride. I never had any clue where the story was going to take me next. The book explores themes of the trials and tribulations of family, loyalty and duty to your loved ones, empathy and forgiveness for others' mistakes, and the parts of our culture and our own experiences that forms identity. I cried multiple times, but in a cathartic way. Immediately upon finishing, I walked out and handed it to my partner so she could read it too and I'd have someone to bask in it with.Not everyone in book club loved it as much as I did, but (how to I say this politely...) as middle aged, upper middle class women of NOT color in a conservative neighborhood, they might not have been the target audience. I think it hit a lot harder for me as a young, queer Title I teacher whose mother grew up sleeping on the floor in front of a wood stove on a tobacco farm. You'll either get the story this book is trying to tell, or you won't.This book does contain mentions of rape, racism, grief, queer characters who experience homophobia, and generally just a lot of emotional turmoil of characters who have led hard lives, so readers be advised.

Reviewer: Pat Challenger
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Read this with my Book Club. We gave it a 4.5 rating. The book held your interest. Liked the style of writing the way the chapters could be long or short. The characters were well developed and you got a feel for each one. It was thought provoking.... would I make those choices... do you blame the heroine for her choices... thought provoking. Definitely recommend it.

Reviewer: Nafeesah
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great book! Drew me in from the beginning!

Reviewer: Paulina
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The story is a bit childish and naive

Reviewer: Shaljami
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: After the death of Eleanor Bennett, her two children Byron and Benny are left behind with an inheritance of a black cake (made from family recipe) and a voice recorded story. A story about a young girl, a promising swimmer who fled her native land as a result of being the prime suspect of a murder.Their world quakes with various questions as she reveals that they have another sister and that they must eat the cake only when the time is right. They will know know when the time is right.The narration oscillates between the past and present setting smoothly. The story unfolds beautifully whilst touching on various themes like family, lineage, racism, survival, cultural diaspora, environmental issues, motherhood and so many more. I particularly enjoyed debutant author's storytelling style, there was an immediate command yet a warm ease to the whole atmosphere. It made me look forward to keep turning the pages for revelations.The characters, each and everyone of them entwined in realistic, flawed relationships. These characters Benny, Byron, Eleanor, Charles, Covey, Pearl, Bunny and Marble will stay with me for a long time. The delicacy of handling blame, regret, guilt, confusion was masterfully crafted.My review will be incomplete if I don't talk about the black cake traditions, the food and culture element in the story. It gave it an added leverage to the story for me personally. The description and details of the setting clasped together wonderfully along the plot.Finally how the plot unfolded and then wrapped up in the end felt just right to me.This is a tale that warms one's heart through and through. There was so much to take away from this tale. I recommend it to all those who love a good historical family fiction.

Reviewer: SMG
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have friends from the islands and this book was just full of culture and a great story. I loved every minute and could not put it down.