I started out listening to this book but my loan ran out before I finished. Getting the audiobook again would probably have taken months so I opted to finish reading it. Both ways were enjoyable so take your pick.

Family secrets abound in this book and it takes a while to make sense of what is going on. The plot begins in the Caribbean in the 1960s and winds its way through England and then California and also dips into Italy in the twenty-first century. That's a lot of time and places to cover but, unlike many first time novelists, I thought Charmaine Wilkerson did a good job of developing the plot and the characters.

In the 1960s, on an island in the Caribbean (probably Jamaica), where a girl named Covey was growing up. Her mother, Mathilda, and their family maid, Pearl, had a good business making Black Cake which is a rum-laced fruit cake. Her father, Johnny "Lin" Lyncook, a Chinese shop owner, drank and gambled and was abusive to his wife. One day, Mathilda just disappeared from the house and the island and was never heard from again. Pearl stayed on in order to help raise Covey. Covey became a champion long distance swimmer along with her friend Bunny and a good surfer courtesy of a loan of a board from Gibbs Grant, a boy about a year older than Covey. Covey and Bunny and Gibbs hung out together but all too soon their time together came to an end. Gibbs went off to school in England and Covey's father arranged for her to be married to Little Man Henry, to whom he owed a lot of money. But, during the wedding reception, the groom suddenly died and Covey took off. It looked like Covey had poisoned her husband-to-be. Her wedding dress was found on the shore but Covey's body never turned up. In a recording left by the recently deceased mother of Byron and Benedetta Bennett, the reader learn, along with Byron and Benny, what happened after that. They had never known their parents had other names but an even bigger surprise was revealed to them. They had an older sister who had been born in England and adopted by an English couple. Their mother wanted the three of them to meet and to eat her last Black Cake together. All three of the siblings had to work through a lot of emotions in order to comply with this request. Talk about having your past pulled out from under you.

My only regret with this book is that there is no recipe for Black Cake. That may be because it seems like there are no hard and fast rules or measurement for making a good cake. Still, I'd love to try it. ( )

Upon the death of Eleanor Bennett, her children Byron and Benedetta ("Benny") are left with an audio recording from their mother, telling a life story of secrets that neither of them had any previous knowledge of. As they try to come to terms with these newfound revelations, they also each must come to terms with their own life's demons, trying to repair a relationship that has deteriorated over the years.

Despite its short chapters, it took me almost four months to finish this novel, and I'm not sure why. There was something about it that felt slightly disjointed. At its heart, it was a good story, but I feel like the author tried to put too much in, almost to the point of forcing it, making it feel unnecessary and cumbersome, which bogged this down somewhat. While these side topics are certainly relevant, they didn't quite "flow" seamlessly within the main undercurrent of this story. The ending, too, felt forced and though I knew I was getting close to the end, the very last chapter was abrupt and took me by surprise, not expecting to turn the page and realize I had finished the book. I did not dislike this book and it was fairly decent as a debut, but I do think it could have been more polished. I'm currently 3 episodes into the series adaptation on Hulu, which seems to be true to the book and which I'm enjoying thus far. ( )

I read about 75 books a year, most of which are nonfiction. When I do decide to read a novel, I usually try to make sure it’s a really good piece of literature. I gave this book 3/5 stars mainly because I found it pretty hard to follow. Some of this is on me because every so often, usually when the weather is nice as it is now, I read in fits and starts—a few pages with my morning coffee, a few more while my wife has a movie going, and a few more lying in bed before going to sleep. This isn’t the best way to read a complicated plot, one that is challenging to follow as it is. And this is the way I would characterize “Black Cake.” There are many characters, some related, that span more than one generation. Wilkerson shifts timelines often during the telling of the story, and sometimes I just wasn’t paying close enough attention to follow coherently. My guess is readers who read majority fiction and read in fewer sittings than I did for more time with each sitting, probably found the plot easier to follow than I did. So, I guess my point is, my 3/5 star review is my review for my reading experience. Others have rated the book much higher. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I love how it would switch between characters to give different perspectives.
Byron and Benny are brother and sister, but have been estranged for the past couple of years. They reunited upon their mother's death, where her lawyer tells them of her final wishes. She has recorded her message to them, instructing that they listen to it together. The story she tells, leaves them reeling, wondering who was their mother and who are they. As Eleanor tells her story, the story flashes back to times when she is younger, or others who were important to her tell their story. The story that unfolds shows Eleanor's struggles, her successes and the one common link to her past, her recipe for Black Cake and it's important place in her life. ( )

This is a really intriguing story.. I was hooked very easily. I loved the multiple POVs.

Am I the only one who thinks that maybe the black cake means more than what it is? Anyway I don’t know what it could be but I really want me some black cake. The actual one! ( )