Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

3 reviews

angievansprang's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

This is a fantastic historical fiction exploring the importance of heritage and our cultural roots, as well as celebrating our collective humanity. Black Cake details multiple generations of a family of individuals who have all face steep adversity and have had to develop strong senses of self. I felt as though the characters were well-developed, extremely vibrant, and most importantly, believable. I really enjoyed the expansive timelines and locations in this book, it takes you across time and across the Atlantic. I am very excited to watch the Hulu adaptation to see how it compares. 
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leahrosiee's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book was so beautifully written. 
Family dynamic can be difficult to read but the author beautifully displayed the duality of each family member. Disagreements and misunderstandings abound as these siblings find out their parents dark and mysterious past, as well as their true identities. 

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toofondofbooks_'s review

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dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I had the privilege of reading this book early through book of the month and I'm so happy that I chose it. From the first few chapters, I had a feeling that this would be a 5 star read. A lot of times when I think that, I turn out to be wrong, but I was delighted to find that this time, I was right. This book begins with the death of Eleanor Bennett, the family matriarch, who has left a voice recording for her two children Benny and Byron that reveals secrets that stretch all the way back to the Caribbean, where Eleanor originated.

This book was so beautifully written. I tabbed a ton of quotes that I absolutely loved throughout, and often had to close the book so that I could gather my thoughts before opening it up again. I think this book does such a good job at capturing grief, and different types of it. The grief you feel when things are unresolved with a loved one who is gone, the grief of losing someone you were close to, and even the grief you can feel for someone who is still alive, but you're not speaking with. I also liked how it carried the theme of food being a piece of home, a piece of your heritage, to the point where Eleanor Bennett's Black Cake became a character in the story itself.

As for the plot, it was really fun trying to connect the different stories together as everything fell into place, and I loved the parallels that were drawn between different characters in tragic but also heartwarming ways.

This has nothing to do with my feelings on this book, but I wrote in my journal: "Every character in this book needs therapy" and I stand by that!
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