Black Cake
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Black Cake
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Narrated by:
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Lynnette Freeman
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Simone McIntyre
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Crossing continents and juggling lives, Black Cake is a powerful story of love and loss, kinship and separation, heartache and hope, spanning 60 years in the life of one family.
Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. So when her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral in California, they discover a puzzling inheritance.
First, a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended. Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, a story that cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny.
Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe with a long history that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past.
Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request to 'share the black cake when the time is right'? Will Eleanor's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
©2022 Charmaine Wilkerson (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"I was instantly taken in by this multi-generational tale of identity, family, and the lifelong push and pull of home. This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre, and I felt its beat on every page. What an extraordinary debut." (Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes)
What listeners say about Black Cake
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- pyg
- 31-07-22
Great story on life in the Caribbean
The main characters were captivating, diverse n not same old same old. Learnt a bit about the carefree life children enjoyed on the island before they moved to a 'civilised' world in the west.
The struggles human beings go through to make it in life. Loved the depth of Covey n Pringle's friendship even when they were not in contact with each other. Loved the flaws n strengths of each character, the story was weaved through so many aspects of life. Covey will certainly stay in my thoughts for awhile. Really enjoyed it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-04-22
Wonderfully Rich Black Cake
This takes you on a rich, generational, global journey of love. Enduring friendships, loyalty and pain underpin the breadth of this story.
The characters lead you gently by the hand from the Caribbean in the 1960s to present day Uk and the US. You feel their injustices at being female (and male) of colour through the decades starting with the heartbreaking consequences of the 1960s single mother adoption policies. The strength, depth and bravery of each character as their world changes from the death of their mother, truths are unearthed forming bonds with strangers.
As Covey binds and stirs her beloved Black Cake, this story draws you in from the first page, holding you in its twists and turns to the very end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SunShine
- 01-05-22
Love
This book had so many twists and turns. A great mixture of cultures and proof that love always wins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Diane
- 03-12-23
Captivating
Fantastic from start to finish. Highlights very similar stories I’ve heard over the years of the experiences from my parents generation in the Caribbean and life in the UK.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms. S. A. Hammond
- 13-05-24
Loved it!!
Wonderful story telling! Makes me want to ensure that both my children and grandchildren know more about their Caribbean heritage.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-04-24
Insightful
Nothing to dusluk fabulous read. The characters were all so interesting and charming in so in so many different ways.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Noel A Brown
- 26-04-22
New but familiar; gripping from start to finish
I bought the book to ensure I understood the context of the snippets my friend had shared with me. She is in a bookclub. I am not. But she shares books under review. Blackcake was riveting reading. The level of detail of places, food, cultural norms, regional characteristics all gavecredence to the depth of research & understanding the author employed to prepare her to tell the stories. Many stories. Told exquisitely, tugging at all sorts of emotions. 24 hours after completing the book I am looking for Marble in the streets of London. I'm sure I'll know her when I see her!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-06-23
Beautiful ☺️
Made me laugh and cry. I did not want it to end. Took me back in time. My mothers famous black cake
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 23-10-23
Wonderful!
Thoughtful and provocative, wonderful story of one woman's life and her relationships with those who helped to shape her into the person she became, and how she in turn influenced them. I will never look at black cake on the same way again. Excellent story well performed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-10-23
How Many of us hold a secret?
How many of us hold a secret and cover it with lies? But only do it to protect ourselves and the ones we love? Prior to her death Byron & Benny’s mother records the story of her life, to be played to her children after her death by her lawyer who turns out to be more than that in her final years. Who she really was, who their father was, the story of how they have another sibling and why her and her husband never divulged any of this information to them. The story goes back and forward in time. I loved everything about this book it was an enjoyable read and brought a tear to my eye in parts. And most of all the lovely voice of the narrator was a massive plus.
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