Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine/Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This novel includes beautiful storytelling of a family and the historical traumas and misunderstandings. We start the story with Bennie and Byron, sister and brother who have learned that there mother has died They are back in Jamaica to listen to a reading of their mother's will and a note from the mother is included that shares family secrets that will change the way they look at their lives and all the things that have come before. I loved the way the author wove Black cake and other Jamaican culture into the story. I highly recommend this book. 4.5 stars.

I liked this book a lot. I wanted to LOVE it, but something was off. It has so many things I like: family secrets, historical and cultural context, short chapters, complicated characters, and female friendship. Reading it felt like being tossed back and forth on the waves. At times it was unsettling as the narrative moves quickly from present to past and from one character's POV to another's. But it was never confusing. A lot of current issues were brought up but there wasn't enough time to look at any of them in depth which made for less of an emotional connection to the story.

The main thing that bugged me was a few coincidences that led to the resolution. I really struggle with a book (or movie or show) when there are too many coincidences to move the story in specific directions.

BUT! I would still totally recommend this book and I practically inhaled it over the course of two days.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson was an amazing story. I had a hard time putting this book down. It is a must read. SO GOOD!!!!

This story will live in my heart for years to come. I loved all of the different point of views and how the different stories weaved together. The transitions were seamless and I loved how the certain symbols were weaved into every story. Black Cake is haunting but also stunning. Lovers of The Vanishing Half will also love this story.

I found this story full of so many experiences and perspectives. It is a multigenerational novel that traverses the sea from the Caribbean to the UK. A riveting story of love, identity, fear, celebrity, trauma, separation, reunion, and a family both pulled together and torn apart. It is easy to become invested in the characters even through the various name changes and at times the sometimes vast number of characters. It felt at times historical in context and overall was an easy intriguing read. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I must confess that the only reason I finished this book was because I needed it for a prompt in a book challenge. I contemplated DNFing it at around 30% but I couldn’t find another book to replace it that interested me. Ultimately, I sucked it up and here we are.

I loved the idea and what the author was going for here, but this book was just TOO MUCH.

Estranged siblings reunite upon the passing of their mother. They must listen to a recording she left for them and then eat her famous black cake when the time is right (and they’ll know when the time is right.) As the book goes on, we learn of their mother’s many, many, many (did I say many?) secrets. This all sounds like it would be a great book, right? Alas.

First of all, there were just too many characters. There was also very little dialogue. You get the characters’ backstories but you never really come to know them or why you should root for them. I skipped so many pages just to get through it—to get to the point.

The recording/re-telling of the mother’s life was like a soap opera; it became ridiculous after a while. And yet somehow something with so much drama was really pretty boring.

This book also had just about every social issue in it you could think of. I love a good book about a social issue that makes a reader learn more about a subject or a new point of view or look at something in a new way, but there was no learning here. It was just issue after issue after issue, all tossed in with the main point of this story which TBH, I’m still not sure what that was.

TL;DR: I think the author had a great idea for a book and the editor fell down on the job.

I did not love this book as much as I was hoping to. It took a decent amount of the story for me to full feel invested in the characters lives. I preferred the chapters based in the past rather than the present, the present chapters made me lose some interest. That was more based on the characters than it was on the story. A little past the halfway mark I started to get more invested.

This book was thoroughly touching. By the end I had teared or cried for almost every character (except Johnny Lyncook. Forget him). The writing is beautiful, the characters become friends and fairly quickly. The connections between generations, personal histories and realities and the love a mother gave to her children and friends is deeply intimate, personal and touching. One of my favorite books of all time.

Finally got around to picking this up after hearing everyone rave about it for the last year. Sometimes when that happens, expectations are too high and it ends up being disappointing. That was not the case here. Hooked from the first page, I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed Black Cake. The mystery, the family drama and learning about other cultures. The back and forth timeline might feel a little choppy to some but I didn't mind it at all. Very entertaining story.

Thank you to Ballatine and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest opinion.

The origin of black cake lies in British plum pudding, but the heart of black cakes lies in the Caribbean. For Benny and Byron Bennett, a black cake is a last gift from their mother Eleanor. A cake and a recording of Eleanor telling her story is their heritage. This book covers a lot social and political ground. Yet, the thread always winds back to Eleanor's story, which is emotional and compelling. Given that this is Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel, I look forward to what she writes next.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/03/black-cake.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Estranged siblings Bea and Bryon come together after their mother died. Ma’s lawyer has a video tape that is eight hours long and which must be heard together and in the presence of the lawyer. The tape tells the real history of their family, not the one that their parents had them believe all their lives. And they are told that they must eat the Black Cake in the freezer at the “right time.”

This wonderful book is beautifully written. It addresses so many issues including family beliefs, immigration, race, identity, sacrifice, tough decisions, sexuality, and the environment. And it does so in a way that doesn’t interfere with the story, but enhances our knowledge of the characters and the hard decisions they made in their lives.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

First things first: I really need to find a good recipe for black cake! This is the Caribbean treat that is part of family traditions. It is saved for important events such as Christmas, weddings, and anniversaries. It sounds delicious.

Charmaine Wilkerson does an excellent job of describing life in the Caribbean for a mixed-race girl, who suffers from racial injustice, a broken family, and many hidden details about her life.

The reader follows Covey, her children, and her friends through many years and ordeals. As the story unfolds, we learn about her surfing and swimming. We hear about her arranged marriage, abusive relationships, and her lifelong struggle for survival.

This was Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel and I look forward to future books.

Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel Black Cake is the story of Eleanor Bennett’s past. Through the stories of her past she leaves in a recorded message to her children and the last cake she made that is in the freezer, her children get to know the mother they never knew, and in doing so, they get to know more about themselves. I voluntarily read and gave an honest review of this complimentary copy of this beautiful, well-written book full of secrets, family, friendships, loyalty, betrayal, and memories. This book will keep you reading to find out the answers to the secrets that have affected many of the characters' lives.

Thank You to Charmaine Wilkerson and Netgalley for the ARC. I had selected Black Cake months before my Book Club picked it for our discussion and read it with my group. While they all thought it was terrific, I found it just ok. I like the story on the island, and the life that was experienced in England, however the build-up to the final pages left me wanting it to not be so buttoned up.

It took me some time to get into this book, but in the end I thought it was done really well and was really interesting. The character development was fantastic, and the story itself was unique.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson was a wild ride. Traveling back and forth in time and between people, two grown children learn about their mother’s past through her recorded oral history. In this novel, we learn about this family’s secrets, cultural histories, and just so many things. Continue reading to get my hot take on this new novel by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Narration
I’ll be honest at first, the jumping between points of view was initially distracting. Eventually, it became integral to the narrative. Eleanor, the late mother of Byron and Benny, and her audio recordings narrative much of Black Cake. In the recordings, she reveals aspects of her and her family’s past. I think the fact that much of this is through an oral history justifies what might seem like unorganized jumping around in time and tangents about random people. This is the recollection of a woman who lived a full life full of secrets and traumatic events; a person will not perfectly lay out their entire history. I know when I tell stories, I often jumble and confuse the narrative.

I think this narration style also helps to reflect the emotions and confusion of Eleanor’s children Byron and Benny. The siblings that were once so close are coming together after years of estrangement. In addition, they are now facing the revelations of what their family’s true history was. What might seem to be at times a jarring narrative really works well to situate yourself in this family’s shoes.

Pace
I admit Black Cake was at times a slow read, but not necessarily a bad way. This is not a book filled with action that keeps you flipping the pages. It is a slow burn as you are taken through this family’s history. I think it also helps you experience it the same way Byron and Benny are experiencing their mother’s audio recording. It takes them several days and sittings to go through and process what their late mother is telling them.

Plot
I think Wilkerson did a great job of weaving in the different aspects of cultural identity and belonging (or not) as we traveled through an unnamed Caribbean island, to the UK, Italy, and eventually the US. I enjoyed seeing how historical (and present) issues such as race, sexuality, and ethnicity are present in Eleanor’s story, as well as the experiences of Byron and Benny. The incorporation of the black cake was an interesting focal point of Black Cake, which lends itself to the importance of culture to this novel.

I suppose one drawback from the plot would be the ending, which did seem to tie up too neatly. The number of people who were still living at the end surprised me. Not that there is murder or war, but this is a multi-generational narrative. Some people I would have expected to have died of natural causes as was the case with Eleanor.

Overall
While it did tie itself up too neatly for some, I think the overall story worked for me. I did enjoy Black Cake as a casual read. It did take some time to get through – not due to being bored, but just by the natural progression of the novel. Wilkerson did address important social issues that I think always have a place in narratives. While stories are supposed to take us away from the world, we cannot forget them. If you get the chance, I strongly recommend you read Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.

I am honestly not sure if I can accurately put into words how I feel about this book. I originally rated it 4.75 stars but honestly, it's been like 2 weeks and I'm still thinking about it, so I should probably bounce that up to a full 5 stars. This is really saying something, since there's a lot of historical fiction to it and that's one of my least favorite genres.

Charmaine Wilkerson just wrote this book so beautifully. From the mix of past and present tenses, different POVs, different cultures.... everything blended so perfectly. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. I will definitely be looking for future releases from her.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and I am shocked it is a debut! I thought the history of the family was really fascinating and kept me engaged, but I felt that the story could have been a lot more immersive with vivid descriptions of the surroundings of the island, the other locations throughout the book, and especially the foods (especially since the title was a type of food).

I loved this book! I don’t think this is a book I would have picked up on my own. Sadly I tend to judge book by their covers and this cover isn’t like the ones I typically choose. I also don’t gravitate toward literary fiction, but since I was invited to preview this book I downloaded it. It had been sitting on my kindle for quite awhile before I gave it a chance. I absolutely loved it! I loved going back in time and learning Eleanor Bennett’a story. I loved how the relationship between B&B ebbed and flowed. I loved the various settings which made me want to visit the Caribbean. The ending tied everything together nicely and gave me a feeling of contentment and happiness. Highly recommend!