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Black Cake  By  cover art

Black Cake

By: Charmaine Wilkerson
Narrated by: Lynnette Freeman, Simone McIntyre
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Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Crossing continents and juggling lives, Black Cake is a powerful story of love and loss, kinship and separation, heartache and hope, spanning 60 years in the life of one family.

Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. So when her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral in California, they discover a puzzling inheritance.

First, a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended. Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, a story that cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny.

Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe with a long history that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past.

Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request to 'share the black cake when the time is right'? Will Eleanor's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

©2022 Charmaine Wilkerson (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"I was instantly taken in by this multi-generational tale of identity, family, and the lifelong push and pull of home. This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre, and I felt its beat on every page. What an extraordinary debut." (Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes)

What listeners say about Black Cake

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Amazing storyline

I couldn’t put this book down, there was so much depth to the characters, a rich history and tapestry of their lives. I enjoyed how each character grew and was shaped by the unfolding of the ancestors right to future generations.

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  • GP
  • 08-16-22

Marvelous story, a must-read.

I enjoyed this story and the storytelling very much. Although I’m from the Dutch Caribbean and thus have a different history and heritage, I could relate very well to the recreation of the Caribbean essence, and yes, especially to the black cake. You cannot make a black cake without a story about the past, without creating one in the present, and without some expectation for the future. That’s why the black cake is so significant as a wedding cake, as it does combine all the different tastes and cultures that comprise the Caribbean.

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Beautiful book

Beautifully written and narrated. I loved learning about the cultures and felt the warmth, colors, smells and tastes of the Caribbean. Whenever a book moves me to tears, It deserves five stars. The women characters in this book kick ass. I am definitely cooking a black cake soon.

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Held my attention

Not what I expected, I could not stop listening. Enjoyed it as I was able as a West Indian to associate with a lot of the content.

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