Black Cake - Charmaine Wilkerson

A fabulous book that is easily one of my best reads of this. A story that is haunting and unravels so beautifully while working at so many levels.

Gist:

It begins when Benny and Byron discover their dead mother has left them a voice recording to listen to a special Caribbean black cake in the freezer.

What happens then is unravelling of secrets and some truths of the past sixty years and over so many continents.

My review:

A magnificient story about family, relationships and how time plays a role in deciding what our truths are. 

Loved the characer of Byron, Benny and Eleanor and the way it takes the reader through islands, countries and continents sweeping through so many lives as they tell their story.

The narrative flows so smoothly that one can only admire Wilkerson's ability to create so many different worlds and stay true to them. The short chapters are packed with information and skill and the way the story is told is amazing.

One of my favourite chapters is How to become a college dropout, a chapter of a few lines but which encapsulates the character's life and motivations in a one single paragraph. Amazing.   

A fantastic read. If you are a reader, then this is a book you shouldn't miss out on.

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh - Sufiya Ahmed

 At primary school, I couldn't add to my daughter's knowledge of any British Asian women who she could look up to. Thanks  to Sufiya Ahmed, my daughter and I enjoyed reading the My Story series. 

British Indian Noor Inayat Khan's story was the first one we read and totally loved it! And therefore the excitement for this one too.

Gist:

Little Sophia is travelling to India with her siblings and father when they are asked to get off the Ship and she watches her father Maharaja Ranjit Singh arrested. This is how we are introduced to Sophia and learn about an interesting life that works as an inspiration for many girls.

Review:

The story is told in bits and pieces through many significant events of the princess's life. The style is simple and the narrative flows well to keep interest.

It is not a straightforward tale of struggle and identity but a more subtle one since the princesss leads a so called privileged life. Ahmed succeeds in showing how this princess's life had its own set of complications and yet she manages to rise above those restrictions and crave an identity for herself.

An enlightening, pacy read for adults, an endearing read for young minds.

Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy by Rey Tercerio

A modern retelling of a well loved childhood story. I picked this up for my daughter, but ended up reading it myself. These four girls were my companions growing up and so it was interesting to see how they would have fared in this centure. 

Gist:

Meg,
Jo, Beth and Amy are the four March sisters living with their mother while their father is way at war. All four of them have their own personas and it is fascinating as they get through life, making friendships along the way (with their neighbour Laurie) and as they grow older and discover their own way in life. 

My review:

• I loved how the story is so well modernised. Just like the original version, the story tracks the lives of these four sisters over a year. It marks their trials and tribulations and how they emerge stronger than ever.

• Perhaps because I had read the story before I could see where the changes had been made which made for a fascinating read. But then even those approaching this story for the first time will love it and will want to revisit the older version of it.

• I don't usually read comic novels but I enjoyed this one. The modern retelling along with the graphic novel presentation did enhance my reading experience.

• It was heartening to see how the old story has not been copied instead adapted to suit the modern age themes of mixed race marriages, gender issues and feminism. Also there is a twist to a major plot point which I don't want to spoil. It made me feel so happy to discover how the writer had used it to reflect contemporary society.

• This is a feel good book suitable for 12+ . I have already ordered copies to gift and I know it  will be loved as much as I did!