Black Cake

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine, Fiction / Wilkerson, Charmaine
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-22-2024
Westgate Adult Books 2-week checkout	Express Shelf Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	2-week checkout	Reshelving
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 04-30-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-08-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-14-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 04-01-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-16-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-06-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-21-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 04-27-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Wilkerson, Charmaine	4-week checkout	Due 05-20-2024

"In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past--a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake. In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean 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 journey 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 family, 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"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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Excerpt
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Black Cake is Delicious! submitted by pamhockey25 on June 15, 2022, 11:08am I enjoyed Black Cake--told from multiple POVs across time, rotating between past and present in short chapters. This book kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed the characters, the glimpse into different cultures, the mysteries that came out, to the social issues explored. A fast-paced, engaging novel.

Enjoyable submitted by russelan on June 20, 2022, 8:24pm I enjoyed getting to know Covey, Byron, and Benny while some secrets unfolded. I liked that Byron and Benny learned more about their mother through audio recordings. One complaint I've read is that this book goes wide (lots of topics) rather than deep on fewer topics, which may be part of the reason this book wasn't a complete home run for me. Despite agreeing that this book may have covered too many topics, I also found it kind of repetitive with some information.

Absorbing Family Saga submitted by mowjac on July 3, 2022, 8:11pm I thought this was a great read in the tradition of family sagas, and refreshing in its diversity of characters. Caribbean American siblings Benny and Byron learn their mother's secrets after her death, in an audio played for them by her lawyer. This device allows the narrative to tell the Eleanor's story through flashbacks. A fast-paced and absorbing read.

Interesting and fun submitted by lballard on July 19, 2022, 5:11pm This was an enjoyable book, looking at a family and their secrets. There is also a fun who done it aspect. Also, I now want to try black cake.

Disappointing book, flat writing submitted by 21621031390949 on June 11, 2023, 10:12pm Aw man, what a disappointment. This book started off well, but by the time I reached the half-way point, I was ready for it to end. It really bogged down under the weight of a lot of extra unnecessary dithering and unlikely/unbelievable events and coincidences. Too many bad things happened to “Eleanor.” It felt like the author had several issues she wanted to address— adoption, race, rape, domestic violence, recipes, art, food, boarding schools — and for some reason she had to cram them all into this one novel. There were so many facts and things and events thrown into the story, with no depth, no description to make it come alive for the reader. The writing was simple, direct, with no complexity so it actually felt a lot like a YA novel.
I can’t recommend this novel to any adult readers who are looking for good literature.

Wishing for more Black Cake submitted by khrobinson on June 25, 2023, 7:54pm A family story told from different perspectives over several decades, set in a larger narrative spanning several hundred years. I was immediately drawn in and couldn’t put this book down.

Couldn’t put it down submitted by zwachtel50 on June 29, 2023, 7:58pm I really enjoyed Black Cake. As the other reviews say, it’s told from rotating perspectives, and describes the life of Eleanor Bennett. I read this in just a few days.

Give this a go! submitted by hannahrice on August 24, 2023, 2:49pm This is SUCH an engaging read...I love the way this story is told. Also wonderful to learn more about Caribbean culture and diaspora. I couldn't put this down!