Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

83 reviews

kaitlyns_katalog's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this read. I like books that bounce timelines and characters POVs but this book did it so much it might be hard to keep track if you're a reader who takes longer breaks between picking your book up. I liked the historical perspectives much better than the present. The children's characters Benny and Byron were a little flat. But I really enjoyed the historical Carribean aspect which was a welcome change in my reading.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Murder

remindmetoread's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I do like this story. I enjoyed the book. I rarely find myself picking up books that are set in the Caribbean and it's so beautiful to feel that vibe in a story and see your culture and history on the page. I loved the book for this. The drama was there. The family was chaos. I just didn't feel attached to it. I started the book loving the short chapters, but now that I'm done I feel it didn't give me time to settle into particular moments. The chapters were short AND switched POV's with each chapter, so it didn't feel like I was really welcomed into the story to get to know Benny and Byron. I don't think I really cared for anyone in particular, maybe Pearl. Towards the end, the author was wrapping up everything in a neat bow and I was finding myself wishing that the ending wasn't perfect. I wasn't expecting a feel-good story after everything and that's pretty much what you get. Eleanor is dead and she gets everything she wanted from the grave. I sort of wish she left the reader wondering.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, and Rape

kmaffett's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

daintydoe's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.0

I can’t remember the last time I was so disappointed in a book. The author seemed really focused on trying to shock the reader rather than develop her characters. The things that needed explanations were ignored & the things that didn’t were over explained. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

aschmitttyy's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

This book follows the story of a female main character, told through a recording to her children after she passes away. This woman has lived 4 lives, and up until this point, her children only know about one of them. It's a story about a child from the Caribbean who escapes the island to create a better life for herself, death, rebirth, family and friendship, unwanted pregnancy, adoption, all wrapped up with racial issues that drive most of the plot. It was a slow start, but in the end, I really enjoyed it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Racism, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Rape, Violence, and Murder

dfriend12's review against another edition

hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5 ⭐️ 

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. I loved the beginning and Covey’s story at the beginning. I felt like there were too many perspectives and stories wound into one that I wasn’t able to get the depth that I wanted out of the characters. They all fell a bit flat even though they had so much potential. I wanted to feel the pain in their stories and not just be told it. Also, I feel like it could have been edited a bit more to cut down the number of big issues the book covered. If there had been a more narrow focus, there could have been more depth. Loved the idea of the story so much. Just left wanting more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Pregnancy

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

This is the story of a Caribbean woman and her family. Her life was full of secrets and mysteries and her children knew nothing about it until her death. Her children come together with their mother’s lawyer to listen to a tape their mother made telling them her whole story from a child of the Caribbean to a mother in California and all of her adventures in between. This book started out a little slow for me, but by the end when all of the puzzle pieces clicked in place, I really enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

ohheyash's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I enjoyed reading Black Cake. I was a mystery, with love, and hardships. I was also glad that it ended with all my questions answered. If you’re looking for an engaging story; especially if you’re in a reading slump, I’d recommend reading this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

dwiparto's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

Minor: Rape and Murder

xennial_reader's review against another edition

emotional inspiring slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual assault