✨book review✨ “You can look at a person and truly have no idea what they are holding inside.”

I wanted to love it. This had all the promise to be a winner for me: a multigenerational saga with a dual timeline and Caribbean roots + estranged siblings and an 8 hour video message from their deceased mother who reveals loads of family secrets. I was prepared to be blown away! And just gaze at this cover would you?!

Initially I was drawn to the momentum of the short chapters and alternating narratives, the island food and the mother’s fascinating (and heartbreaking) storyline. Her character was strong and I was captivated when she was speaking and fully invested in her voice.

So where did it fall apart? Let’s break this cake down...
I felt there too many predictable coincidences, inconsistent chapter titles, extra first person narratives of periphery characters, a jumpy storyline, and too many social and political issues were introduced though not developed. This resulted in a chaotic reading experience for me and the focus lost its edge. It really could’ve been spectacular with a tighter edit. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work for me. There are many readers who loved it so I’d encourage you to check it out. I will be interested in what Wilkerson writes next.

Pair with jerk pork, rice & beans, plantains and mango ice cream.

Incredible book by Charmaine Wilkerson! Living the story of Covey, Gibbs and Bunny was an incredible journey and so real. Wilkerson brings the story to life. I could picture this entire book from start to finish and it continuously kept me engaged! I am very much looking forward to reading more by Wilkerson.

I read about 10 pages of Black Cake and it didn’t grab my attention. It didn’t pull me into the story so I abandoned it. I really can’t rate this book because I didn’t read enough of it but NetGalley is wanting me to rate it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (I loved it. Go read this book!)
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My mother was born in British Guyana, which is an honorary member of the Caribbean. Her parents would make a black rum-soaked fruit cake every Christmas, so you can imagine the squeal I produced when I met that very same cake in the pages of this book. The structure of Black Cake also stole my heart (I’ve been a fan of will readings in novels ever since I read The Westing Game as a child). Read this when you are in the mood for dual timelines of dysfunctional family drama with the power of self reinvention as a central theme. It is a Carribbean mishmash of Malibu Rising, Ladder of Years and The Dutch House. Best paired with a black cake frosted with lilac icing. XO, Tara

Few books have been hyped in my circles as much this year as Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake, and once I read it I understood why. I have never read anything quite like this book. First I was intrigued because the main character Eleanor and I share a name, which I never see enough of in books! Then I got sucked into this deep family tale. It reminded me of Homegoing in the sense that it spans generations, and I'm so grateful both books exist.

I just can't believe this is a debut! Wow.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and really enjoyed the backstory in the earlier timeline. I felt like the current/present timeline started off okay but ended up a little bit of a mess toward the end, and I found myself only interested in the flashback parts.

Such a good book, I think people are gonna really love this one. Keep me wanting more the whole way through. Thank you!

At the risk of sounding super cheesy, this story is like a flower blooming…very slowly. It starts out small and stagnant and then the plotline blooms and becomes a very full experience. Overall, my sentiment is the story had a ton of promise and delivers in many areas but slightly misses the mark in others.

The writing, the characters and the story are wonderful. I really enjoyed the second half of the book as well as the ending. For me, the first half dragged as there was a lot of “setup” and not a lot of progression. A slow burn!

Another slight miss was the divergence from the central theme of identity. As the book progresses, more and more characters are introduced along with new complications. The plot tries to accomplish a lot. Unfortunately, these introductions sit stagnant in an aimless and jumbled mess for many chapters. In my opinion, this distracts from the initial focus. But by the end, everything is smoothed out in a satisfying (but not a “neat”) knot.

Some readers have complained of an overt racial agenda. I, actually, did not feel lambasted but instead felt the message was effectively woven into the plot.

I recommend to lovers of family saga dramas.

A reading note: don’t read this book until you have time to “get into it” at the beginning. I think, for me, this would’ve made a big difference in my opinion of the first half of the book.

Audible note: the narrator is very authentic with her accents and I loved that!

This book was a wonderful book that had me engaged from start to finish. I loved all the different directions that this story took me and how all the characters intertwine. It was a powerful novel of family, secrets, hope, and forgiveness. The latter part of the book dragged in pace a little for me, but it was still a gorgeously told, beautiful story.

This was a great book. When Eleanor dies, she leaves a Caribbean black cake and phone messages to her children Byron and Benny. As they start to investigate their mother’s life, they find a host of surprising secrets they weren’t expecting.
I got slightly confused with all the characters, but I really liked it. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cannot believe I didn't finish this book earlier this year because the writing is amazing and the character development especially when grieving was such a ride. For a debut novel, this is one of the best ones I've encountered thus far. I would rate this 4.5 stars.

When Eleanor Bennett passes away, it brings together her two children after not having contact with each other for several years. She leaves behind some audio recordings with a lawyer for her now grown children to listen to that starts revealing many things from her past that her children never knew about. Will the siblings come out of this stronger or strangers again?

This book was woven together in such a unique way, a story within a story. It also touched on several topics such as family, racism, trauma, politics, and more! I didn't know what to expect going into it, but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Once I got to know who was who, I couldn't put this book down! There are so many layers to the story, and I really liked reading the different timelines and point of views from different family members.

This was such a great debut, and I can't wait to read more by Charmaine Wilkerson! I highly recommend this one especially if you're a fan of historical fiction, family sagas, or The Vanishing Half!

Unique novel with a clever plot tool, the reader learns about a mother's secrets through a recording after her death. I really enjoyed learning about these characters and their stories. The references and ties to black cake made it a perfect title. This was a well-crafted, interesting novel about families, secrets and the bonds that link us together.

A fantastic multi-generational family saga. Heartbreaking but hopeful - would totally recommend. Starts out slower/quieter but really picked up and I loved it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE, & I don’t even love family generational stories. This was so incredibly written. A++! Thank you for sending!

A beautiful, sweeping story that takes readers from the shores of Jamaica to the California coastline, with many stops in between. A memorable examination of identity, family, and the foods we carry through generations.

First, I absolutely LOVE this cover!! This story takes place in the West Indies, UK, and the States. This is an amazing story of young girl who has to be strong and resilient while escaping one part of her life to start a new one in a new country with no family or friends. As soon as you think you've figured out what is going to happen next, another turn of events takes place, leaving you wanting to keep reading! Throughout the main character's life she has had to sacrifice her entire being to make sure her family would be safe and her never knowing the real woman she was. Such a great story of resilience, perseverance, love, family, and redemption. Oh and don't forget about the black cake!
I highly recommend!

The mom's story and all the chapters in 1950s/60s Jamaica were so strong. I also enjoyed Benny's character and her journey throughout the book. The beginning and the end gripped me so much that made up for some of the tangents in the present-day storyline in the latter half of the book. The brother's character felt stiff and distant at times and I didn't feel like the events of racial profiling and the workplace equality lawsuit seamlessly fit in with everything else going on. Of course, police brutality and microaggressions at work should be discussed in literature especially now but by the third mention, they seemed shoehorned in. I did enjoy his connection to science and surfing and how in both he felt out of place as a black man. I empathize as I worked in a lab for some time in college and the STEM classes are still predominantly white. Everything was wrapped up nicely and I know my Jamaican mother and grandmother would love and appreciate this book.

I adored this novel. I loved unpacking the complicated and tangled storylines, and I would absolutely compare the richness of this novel to the Black Cake mentioned in the story itself. It's bursting with flavor complexities; fruit, rum, and sugar all combined to make something delicious, but it needs to be baked just right or it can come out a soggy mess. I for one think this entire book was baked just right. Charmaine Wilkerson's “Black Cake” represents history, both culturally and personally, that carries the blood sweat and tears of a woman. There were so many good quotes about identity, loss, family, forgiveness, understanding, and expectations that I wanted to highlight and keep in my pocket.

The story follows siblings Byron and Benny as they try to understand the mother they have lost - brought together again at their mother's funeral. You’ll be transported across decades and the globe as long-buried secrets of their family are revealed. Delightfully juicy and stunningly wise, it's a winner.

Thank you Ballantine Book and NetGalley for this amazing arc!

What a gorgeous book! I loved this family saga told in multiple POV so you really got to know each character and empathize with them. I look forward to reading more from this author.