Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

124 reviews

haleysversion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Rape, Homophobia, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

saraavowlerr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Cursing, Grief, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

jj_tj's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Chronic illness

Minor: Murder, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, and Biphobia

amgarrido's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Delectable; appeals to every sense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Addiction, Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death

Minor: Rape

jaduhluhdabooks's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A powerful story about family, loss, and the constant but inescapable linger of grief. It’s about how stories shape and reshape who we are and how we choose to become who we are. It’s about the reality of being children of immigrants, harboring the challenges of biracialism and Black excellence wrapped in the pressures of parental expectation and societal binaries. Journeying with Byron and Benny was sobering and humbling. Mathilda, Pearl, Bunny, Gibbs, Lin, Mathilda, and so many others shaped Covey’s life and so many of the choices that she made to protect her and her family. 

Trivial and beautiful.

I am huge supporter and believer in the power of story and narrative. There is so much life given to words when the speaker is someone who has experienced and lived the realities of what is being revealed. This book reminded of just how powerful narrative is and how much of normative society seeks to control so much of the Black and Indigenous voice. From food to culture, Charmaine take us on a journey of discovering secrecy, loyalty, and all in all, survival - as we travel in grief, longing, and deep deep love with the Bennet family. This is a story about roots and how Black and cultural tradition is a anticolonial stand a against whiteness, intrusive, primitive men who came to take and destroy and reinvent. But the Black Cake stands and withstands generations and time and it is a powerful metaphor of persperverance and family. Many layers to unpack in this read, but I’m honored to have sat in it for some time.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Biphobia, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Rape, Suicide, Police brutality, Racism, Cancer, and Child abuse

falltumn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Biphobia, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

ambersbakesandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Racism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

katelynprice's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Dysfunctional family stories are my catnip, and so are multiple POV coming together to make one big interconnected story. Wilkerson writes both of these elements beautifully in this novel. This was a perfect read for Caribbean Heritage Month because it had a strong sense of place and was steeped in history, culture, and heritage. It was apparent that she did her research! I loved the focus on: the connection between people and nature, traditions in families, loyalty, and identity. Reading this book made me reflect on how much other people shape us as individuals. Plus, I'm always on board for a book with short, easy-to-devour chapters. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Abandonment, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Car accident, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Minor: Sexual harassment

moniipeters's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

hinkleh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Murder