Black Cake: A Read with Jenna Pick
Books | Fiction / Women
3.9
(1.4K)
Charmaine Wilkerson
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 RisingONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar, Book Riot, She ReadsWe 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.
Historical Fiction
Coming Of Age
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More Details:
Author
Charmaine Wilkerson
Pages
416
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2022-02-01
ISBN
0593358341 9780593358344
Ratings
Google: 3
Community ReviewsSee all
"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Easily my favorite book so far this year. A story about family, secrets, heritage, identity and so much more. This book is heartbreakingly poignant to the point my throat would catch and tears flow at unexpected moments throughout. My heart would dramatically pause at the brink of prophetic tragedies, betrayal, loss, reunions and the many connections between large and small events…how they unknowingly resonate to the past and future, to loved ones and those not yet met.
I’m kicking myself for how long it took me to get to this one. "
"I listened to this book and I found a little hard to follow at times. Having said that, I enjoyed the story - the struggles of ethnic relations, emigration, family separation but the ultimate pursuit of finding family, accepting differences and the unimaginable decisions made for survival and love. "
"Two estranged siblings learn of their parents’ past lives after their deaths. This book journeys from the Caribbean to Britain to the United States with secret lives and strong character development. I loved this story so much. Thank you Charmaine Wilkerson for this debut novel. I can’t wait to read what other novels and storylines you create. "
M J
Marie J Ervin