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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
I especially loved the sections of the book set on the island that were about Covey's life. And the black cake. A book with beautiful heart.
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
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
I was really looking forward to this per all the stellar reviews, and yes, I agree that this is an admirable debut novel. The beginning especially intrigued me with an estranged brother and sister listening to their dead mother's audiotape as she unravels all the twists, turns, and secrets of her Caribbean-island past. The siblings predictably inch closer as the story unfolds, and the prescient parts of the cultures of the Islands and later England are shown.
But...I felt like the story yanked me back and forth into timelines, and then later also jumped from the POV of different characters. This wasn't hard to keep track of - just tedious after reading a couple hundred pages - and I was ready for a continuous flow rather than hopping around. The actual Black Cake I had never heard of, and so that part of the story was rather intriguing.
I just felt like too much was put into the novel, but not much stuck. Added elements of racism, sexual fluidity, secret lives, murder, and gambling was too much to handle in the short span of pages. And, the relationship of the two teens just was not developed enough for me to see them pining over each other for years when the reader hardly sees them at the start, and that is one of the major motivating factors for Covey's move to England. I just didn't see how they were so important to each other besides a summer beach adolescent tryst.
I am glad that I read it, but it's not a novel that will stay with me. One of the recommendations on the back is from Taylor Jenkins Reed (who I also feel is meh), so if you like her writing, you will probably love this book. If not, you may have the same lukewarm reaction that I did.
But...I felt like the story yanked me back and forth into timelines, and then later also jumped from the POV of different characters. This wasn't hard to keep track of - just tedious after reading a couple hundred pages - and I was ready for a continuous flow rather than hopping around. The actual Black Cake I had never heard of, and so that part of the story was rather intriguing.
I just felt like too much was put into the novel, but not much stuck. Added elements of racism, sexual fluidity, secret lives, murder, and gambling was too much to handle in the short span of pages. And, the relationship of the two teens just was not developed enough for me to see them pining over each other for years when the reader hardly sees them at the start, and that is one of the major motivating factors for Covey's move to England. I just didn't see how they were so important to each other besides a summer beach adolescent tryst.
I am glad that I read it, but it's not a novel that will stay with me. One of the recommendations on the back is from Taylor Jenkins Reed (who I also feel is meh), so if you like her writing, you will probably love this book. If not, you may have the same lukewarm reaction that I did.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
Stunning debut family saga. Slow start but worth it
was entranced by the premise, not so much the execution. but i've rarely found myself a fan of a book that tried to tackle more than six character POVs -- i always find they trade depth for breadth of perspective and that isn't really my cup of tea. when the narrative just barely skims the surface of each character's perspective, i come away feeling like they're all strangers to me rather than people i can empathize with. perhaps the story was a bit too ambitious to try and tackle it in the way that wilkerson did.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced