Black CakeBlack Cake
What it's about
When Eleanor Bennett dies in California, she leaves her two estranged adult children a traditional Caribbean black cake and a long recorded message, in which she reveals the story of her past: a young woman who fled an island in the Caribbean after a scandal, and the secrets she's kept from them for their whole lives.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a warm, gripping family saga.
You'll love it if you liked
The Vanishing Half
The Kitchen God's Wife
PachinkoGood to know
It moves between many characters and times.
By the numbers
- Readers51 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller44 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is Black Cake worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 66.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Black Cake about?
When Eleanor Bennett dies in California, she leaves her two estranged adult children a traditional Caribbean black cake and a long recorded message, in which she reveals the story of her past: a young woman who fled an island in the Caribbean after a scandal, and the secrets she's kept from them for their whole lives.
How long does it take to read Black Cake?
About 10 hours (417 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Black Cake?
If you liked it, try The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan or Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.