Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

130 reviews

jennabeck13's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? No

4.0

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

About 380 pages

Eleanor Bennett’s family has been in shambles for years. Eleanor and her son, Byron, haven’t seen her daughter, Benny, in years. Including at her husband’s funeral…. So when Eleanor is determining her final wishes and her will, her biggest priority is to get her children back together. But when Byron and Benny are called by Eleanor’s lawyer, they get the last two things they would have expected, their mother’s signature black cake and a recording detailing family secrets. These family secrets completely re-write the past and leave the family reeling. 

Contemporary fiction has become one of my favorite genres over the past year! I think whether I like them is heavily influenced by my ability to connect and empathize with the characters. Charmaine made that quite easy in this book. I loved all of the characters and the complexities of their stories. I think she did a terrific job of meshing the past and present timelines. And everything was beautifully woven together by the end. The pace was a little slow for me, but that is my only complaint! 

Favorite Quote: “The beauty of a thing justified its plunder. And nothing was more beautiful than a girl who was fearless.”

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

fkshg8465's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

So much goodness in here. Lots of strands of stories odien disjointed but ultimately all woven back together. Could’ve used a better editor, but overall, an important story to tell.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

leos_library's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Racial slurs

Minor: Rape and Suicide attempt

emmiemerereads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I LOVED Black Cake. Like couldn't put it down, read it in two days loved. (And that wasn't easy at 385 pages!)
I'm not sure why I was so drawn to this book. I have nothing in common with any of the characters and couldn't relate to the majority of their struggles. Maybe that's the magic! Charmaine Wilkerson's writing was lovely and so easy to digest. The blend of fiction and historical fiction worked perfectly, and I learned a lot without intending to, or even realizing it. The plot was fairly predictable but I didn't mind that. Even with being able to guess what was coming, there still were enough surprises to keep me interested.
I'd highly recommend this book for anyone and hope the author is working on something new!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, and Suicide attempt

readbetweendeelines's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Rape, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

loriforan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide attempt

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

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

“I have lived long enough to see that my life has been determined, not only by the meanness of others, but also by the kindness of others, and their willingness to listen.” 

 

Estranged siblings, Benny and Byron, are brought back together by the death of their mother and the mysterious recording she’s left them. In it, she shares her untold story and offers one last traditional black cake for the siblings to share “when the time is right”. 

 

This saga is painful yet delightful as it examines the trauma one family endures across generations. In some ways it felt like a collection of short stories, with different layers added oh slow slowly throughout the whole novel. I absolutely loved how Wilkerson let the the reader in only a little bit at a time. 

 

Black Cake is an ode to the Caribbean, food, swimming, love, loss, and familial ties. I really enjoyed it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

jasminechocklettslee'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: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Chronic illness, Rape, and Sexual assault

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

mindfullybritt's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent