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Black Cake

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About this listen

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 African American Caribbean Creators Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Grief & Loss Historical Fiction Personal Development Relationships World Literature Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Caribbean

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)
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The story comes to life in ways that move you to tears and laughter. Once or twice I found the narrator's voice annoying but in the main she nails it. Brilliant story

I didn't want it to end

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What a special book, superbly narrated and enjoyed every minute. Five star listen for me!

Just wow

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A world of characters circumventing the globe on the tide of capitalism. Showing how the whims of individuals and groups can impact long after the instigators have passed, and also the bravery that the human spirit can muster just to carry on

A book that slowly draws you into another world

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Really enjoyed this book but it did cover a LOT of intertwined storylines. It was also crammed full of social issues. Some authors might have strung all this out over several books. At times I struggled to keep up with or understand why characters behaved in certain ways but that was remedied when I binge watched the tv series which was totally brilliant! Suddenly it all made complete sense and I “got it”, and found the whole saga to be very beautiful and moving. I do hope the story continues with Mabel….

Great book - even better tv series

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I loved this book. I watched the series first, then found the book it's a great book kept in gripped all the way through routing for the main character to have a happy ending.

Great story

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