Black Cake
Books | Fiction / Women
3.7
Charmaine Wilkerson
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 In development as a Hulu original series produced by Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey (Harpo Films), and Kapital Entertainment 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.
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Author
Charmaine Wilkerson
Pages
544
Publisher
National Geographic Books
Published Date
2022-03-01
ISBN
0593559134 9780593559130
Community ReviewsSee all
"This book, Black Cake, was intriguing and full of surprises. I loved the descriptions of the characters' lives and their dramas, and the settings in the book - a Caribbean island, London, England, Scotland, California, Italy. I liked that the chapters were short, giving us just the information we needed at each interval. The mystery, a whodunit murder, which the reader is teased with, was hinted at but never revealed until the end of the book. I really liked the storytelling style in this debut book by Charlaine Wikerson. I recommend it. I also recommend watching the TV series by the same name on Hulu."
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Pamela Inskeep
"It took me a loooooooong time to get into this one, but it was worth it because it is a great tale! <br/><br/>My takeaway: I need to be more patient sometimes, allowing the characters and plot to develop. I’m so glad I didn’t DNF this one."
Diane Oravec
"This started off strong--I was interested in hearing Eleanor/Covey's story, and even though it bugged me it kept getting interrupted by having to hear Byron's and Benny's thoughts, I was still onboard with learning everyone's stories. However, once we get to the halfway point, there was just too much. Too many different perspectives, too many social issues, too many different timelines. I found myself caring less and less about all of them and skimmed more and more just to push through to the end."
Liesl Prentice
"As I admired the light and airy writing, I kept noticing that this debut novel had a fable-like quality to it in addition to a strong plot line and emotional character development. So I was pleasantly surprised when I read the author’s note at the end of the book: “…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.”<br/>If I have one minor criticism, Charmaine Wilkerson may have tried to develop too many characters and themes. For each of the last several short chapters, I thought, “Now this is a satisfying ending.” Like many novels, the many coincidences are a stretch and border on soap opera-ish. <br/>But Wilkerson deserves five stars for exquisite writing and exposing the heart of the main characters."
Patty Hardwick
"3.5*<br/>I did largely enjoy this book-especially the flashbacks to Covey’s youth. There were some long winded parts and I skimmed through those. <br/>Overall an enjoyable book."
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