Black Cake

A Novel

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published Feb. 1, 2022 by Ballantine Books.

ISBN:
978-0-593-35833-7
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3 stars (11 reviews)

5 editions

Review of 'Black Cake' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

This book was just not for me. I knew pretty quickly I’d have DNFed it if I was reading it on my own. But for book clubs I always finish a book, even if I’m skimming by the end. And I was definitely skimming.

Family dramas rooted in realism are a hard sell for me to start with, but this one had lifetime movie/soap opera energy. Very melodramatic. That can make for a compelling read, so I think I get the high rating here, but it makes me completely disengage. I can’t fall into a story when I feel like it’s ridiculous. It reminded me of The Heart’s Invisible Furies, though at least in that book it feels more intentionally over the top and well structured. With this story, I was getting more frustrated all the time because yet another dramatic thing or crazy coincidence happened.

I also struggled …

Review of 'Black Cake' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

3.5 stars, rounding up so I don't hurt the average. I found this book a bit tough to get into – it seemed to skip around a bit so I wasn't always clear on the characters/timeline/whose perspective the story was being told from. As it progressed and I had a better understanding of the landscape (and the characters' various names/nicknames) I was able to enjoy the story more. The main thing I liked about this book was that I don't think I've read anything set in the West Indies before so I found some of the bits I'd never considered (where sugar cane comes from, shipwrecks, slavery, Asian migration to the islands) interesting.

Review of 'Black Cake' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

At this point I don't remember what prompted me to read this. I think it got a favorable review somewhere and I was looking for books to read during BHM. As for the story itself, there were things I liked and things I didn't. I wished the author had given Covey a better explanation for having to stay hidden/away from the island for so long than just "local thugs." I wish the author had identified the island, but I can understand why she wouldn't have wanted to. I wish someone in any of the reviews I read before starting this had mentioned its written in third person present POV, which was so distracting in the first couple of chapters I thought I wouldn't be able to continue (I noticed my brain eventually made everything past tense anyway).

Other people here have complained about the author trying to pack too many …

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rated it

4 stars
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rated it

2 stars
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rated it

4 stars
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rated it

5 stars