What do readers think of Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin? Write your own review.

This was a funny, sad, heartwarming read. Angel Tungaraza bakes and decorates the most beautiful cakes. As each of her customers come to see her to ask her to bake one, she hands them her portfolio to look at while she makes them tea. Her best client is Ken Akimoto who regularly holds parties and loves karaoke and the people of the apartment building are usually invited, but those that aren’t never complain about the noise because at one time or another they have been invited.

Each person that comes to see Angel has some sort of problem that she helps them solve. She seems to have an air about her that makes her easily approachable and easy to talk to, however, at the same time, she comes to accept, in her own way, the deaths of both her own daughter and son.

Even amongst all these problems, terrible illnesses and death, it shows us that life does go on and people still find reasons to celebrate regardless of the hardships they’ve faced.

I would recommend this book to others.

In a manner much like Alexander McCall Smith, Gaile Parkin gives vignettes of life in Africa (Rwanda). Angel bakes cakes to sell from her home; the stories revolve around her customers and deal with AIDS, frustrations with societal moires, marital conflict, and women's issues. The stories are compelling and the advice which Angel gives is always sound. Do not miss this wonderful slice of life in Rwanda. It shows warmth and hope in the context of the remnants of the terrible genocide of 1994. It left me smiling through my tears.

I appreciate that this is a first novel for this author and the premise and basis of the story is more than valid. The writing was average and this would be a great book for high school students trying to understand what happened in Rwanda in 1994.
An easy read, divided into sections and characters, where the main character Angel, reaches out to neighbors, friends and strangers, by baking cakes for special occasions in her new world. She tries to create hope in a land that was torn asunder by horrific circumstances.

I felt the characters were underdeveloped and that she tried to pack a lot in, but overall a good summer read.

One might expect a story set in post-genocide Rwanda, with the spread of HIV/AIDS continuing to cut through those in the prime of life, to be weighted with misery. "Baking Cakes In Kigali" hardly ignores those realities but they are blended in with the other human issues of day-to-day life in this sweet, light tale.
Angel Tungaraza has a cake for every dilemma brought her way, and every one goes away from her with a slice of hope. The string of stories that make up this novel are engaging, though they have somewhat repetitive story arcs and similar tidy resolutions. It all rides along on polite and correct conversations that give this the feel of a thoughtful and inventive children's book.

There will be inevitable comparisons to the lady detective Precious Ramotswe of Alexander McCall Smith. Both feature a profoundly decent woman wrestling with the heartaches of life and the foibles of human nature. Both place an emphasis on the positive and the heart warming, and let us see that good can triumph in the end, at least in the small battles.

There is one particularly chilling turn when Angel welcomes in an Army captain as a prospective customer, only to find that this former boy soldier has a hollow moral center and some bad intentions. I expected the story to take a turn into deeper and darker conflict. But the threat the soldier poses quickly fades, and he is last heard from as the crux of an amusing plot twist involving two other side characters.

This book surprised me; although I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. It is a warm and witty story juxtaposed against an insight on HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and the lingering effects of genocide. Its a enjoyable book that opens the readers eyes to appreciate the gifts of life. Very well written. Recommend.

The main character, Angel, bakes cakes. Her cakes are far more than an edible pastry. Each cake she bakes celebrates an occasion that is laced with sadness and despair, as no one has gone untouched by the horrors of genocide Rwanda lived through. If that was not enough, Africa has been haunted further by the impact of the AIDS epidemic. Despite these conditions, Angel brings hope and healing with every cake she bakes. This is a book that cannot be put aside. It begs to be read, just as Angel’s cakes beg to be eaten. I’ll be looking forward to the next “slice” Gail Parkin cooks up!

I found "Baking Cakes in Kigali" by Gaile Parkin to be an uplifting story. Dealing with the subject matter of Rwanda it could have been a very depressing book but reminded us all that even in the midst of tragedy, there is life and celebration of life. I really liked this book and the characters within it. I found Gaile Parkin to be a wonderful writer. I think this would be an excellent book club choice.

The well crafted characters in this wonderful story stay with you. The book describes everyday life, friendships, history, and struggles. It's a read from a writer who delights and provokes thought about a place that most of us Americans know nothing about. It's a book that would have much to discuss for book groups. I will pass this book on as a GREAT read.