Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

10 reviews

happyblkhippie's review against another edition

Ugh I really wanted to like and finish this but the story was all over the place. I didn't know who's was who, or what's going on. Are we in present or in the past. 

The story just moved too slow for me. I read 40% before dnf'g. I struggled to get through the part I did read. It was boring and confusing. I'm not one to "push through" and waste my time on a book I choose to voluntarily read if I don't like it. I typically only give books about 25% before moving on so I was very generous with this one. 

I think the story was probably heading in a good direction, but just took too long to get there. I also didn't care for the writing style. It was too many characters that didn't add to the story and not enough important information to move the story forward. I listened to this on Audible and didn't care for the narrator either. Overall an interesting storyline but poor execution in my opinion. I would give it a 3.25 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Abandonment, Classism, and Grief

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Racism, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, and Mental illness

Minor: Addiction, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Violence

tinyjude's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

When I found out at the end that this was the first author's novel I was left speechless. What a delight! Every character's voice is distinctive and unique, they are complex and flawed, but over all of them, Covey's voice whenever she just took over in those letters,  completely destroyed me and stood out the most. I could feel without fail all her love, pain and regrets and those were the paragraphs that broke me the most.

The story deals with topics such as immigration, racism, colourism, gambling issues, biphobia, sexual assault, domestic abuse, colonialism (specifically the West Indies-The UK, America and Spain) and its consequences even in the way the characters viewed their oppressors' land as full of opportunities and then became disillusioned and appalled by the bigotry and lies. It also deals with conflicts such as police brutality and abuse, the difficulties both women (just for being women sometimes) and men of colour face in the workfield; as well as how colourism and gender plays a big role in it.

But most of all it's a book about family history, heritage, feeling torn and at a crossroad with your identity (multiculturalism, hybridity, cultural assimilation, etc.), feeling lonely and ashamed by unfair things that happened to you (mostly women), white lies, safety and love. Above all. It's a book about love. A mother's love for her children. Family's love, friends' love, sibling's conflicts and love and romantic affection. Love for yourself, your safety and your life. 

And: What are you willing to sacrifice for x?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Grief, Death, Domestic abuse, Biphobia, Rape, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Classism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent, Mental illness, Slavery, and Trafficking

eve81's review

dark hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Child abuse, Cancer, Abandonment, Biphobia, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Racism, Violence, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape

deannab415's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

This book made me feel every emotion under the sun. The writing was outstanding. Characters were human. Plot moved at a good pace.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Medical content, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Suicide attempt

readingwithgoose's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

saramoser's review

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? Yes

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was fully engrossed in the characters lives and wanted more story. While heartbreaking at some points, and more than hopeful at others, this story was a rollercoaster of emotions. While fictional, it felt as if these characters were real, and I’m sure their experiences while fictional, were close to those of real people’, and the story felt so real.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Death

jaduhluhdabooks's review against another edition

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

kyrstin_p1989's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

A story of loss and unwavering love. A story that asks, what are you willing to do? This book is a slow burn but well worth it. The story of this family and what one woman endured is touching and brilliant. This novel explores the complexities of family, race, immigration, and womanhood while using linguistic mastery to make descriptions richer and more beautiful. The sea is quite possibly the shining character in this novel and it made me long for a trip to see the power of the ocean. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Biphobia, Cancer, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Death of parent, Rape, Sexism, and Domestic abuse

cassidy's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I thought I would like this book a lot more than I did. I liked coveys story and the way that it flipped between characters and plot lines was a little confusing but worked for the most part. Bennys story made no sense to me and I didn’t find her estrangement from her family necessarily believable. I found the last third of the book kinda cringey 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Biphobia

Moderate: Child abuse and Rape

davidrb's review

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

5.0

This was the first book I was able to finish this year, and it was devastating. It's just as much a mystery as a family drama, and engaged me like nothing else. It got to the point where just the title of a chapter/the return of a character's POV made me gasp. Highly, highly, highly recommend. Don't be daunted by the length: it flies by. (That said, it's extremely heavy!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Biphobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

With regards to "police brutality": antiblack systemic racism by the police is a recurring theme. No violence is shown directly, but the possibility is discussed in detail.