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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Of Women and Salt
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Lauri Z. (Washington, DC)
A stirring generational journey of strong Latina women
This book spans five generations of strong Latina women from 1866-2019, transporting the reader from Miami to Cuba, Mexico and then back to Miami. Each of the women carry a different secret that impacts the trajectory of their lives and those of their families. All of these women are in search of escape from their own oppression in favor of freedom and liberty. The connection that ties each woman's journey to the next generation is the 1839 Spanish translation of the book "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo. From this emerges Hugo's quotation"Who are we? Weakness. No. We are force."-This becomes a mantra for each of the female characters. As the story comes to a close, the last woman to receive the book containing that handwritten quotation which now includes "We are more than we think we are", wonders if this is "a cry across time."
I found that to be a very satisfying ending and apropos of the hindsight shared with the reader throughout the novel. The chapters are organized by character name, location and date that the author uses to skip back and forth through time to propel the story forward. I found this to be confusing and often had to reference the family tree introduced at the book's beginning. As a result I found I needed to read the book twice. The second time I was better able to focus on the stories of humanity rather than trying to remember each of the characters' names and place in the family tree.
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Rosanne S. (Franklin Square, NY)
Of Women and Salt
I am feeling very conflicted about Of Women and Salt. I read a portion of it over a few days time and then sat with it until I finished. I think I realized that the only way to read it is in one sitting. The reason I feel this way is because it is written in a nonlinear manner that left me confused and frustrated. Not until I read it continuously did I begin to appreciate the story. That being said, it is an overwhelmingly powerful tale of struggle and acceptance.
Women, mothers in particular, are complex human beings. If you are a Cuban woman, an undocumented woman, an addicted woman, or a ravaged woman, as the female characters here, you are indescribably complex.
Garcia has depicted suffering and strength in raw form. Nothing is sugar coated or softened. Nothing is left to the reader's imagination. Emotion pulsates in every written word and beats in every character's heart and ultimately the reader feels it too.
I'd definitely recommend this novel but I'd strongly suggest it be read in one uninterrupted read. It will make an exceptional book club discussion evoking compassion and controversy.
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Mark S. (Oceanside, NY)
Passing On History
Overall, this book was enjoyable to read. The struggle and horrific conditions of Cubans during the revolutionary periods in their history are well documented as are the hurts and pain which transcend generations. Anyone with a similar background, and those interested in generational dysfunction and how old hurts play in current life will enjoy it.
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Kay D. (Strongsville, OH)
Women: Who are we? Weakness. No, we are force.
Struggled with my rating for "Of Women and Salt" by Gabriela Garcia. Leaned towards a 5, but not quite there for me.
This is a strong book of mother/daughter relationships and also a story of choices made in moments of desperation and their impacts, often for generations to come.
I truly enjoyed Maria Isabel's story, the matriarch of the one group of women, at the beginning of the book. It was well written and engaging. It provided an interesting historical view of Cuba that was enlightening and educational, yet tragic and brutal.
I struggled a bit with the storyline of Jannette throughout the rest of the book (great granddaughter of Maria Isabel) which was a challenge since she is the major thread throughout the intertwined stories of her family and of the entire book. At time it just didn't hold together for me. It was also sometimes difficult to follow with the constant switching of time and narrator from chapter to chapter.
The second storyline - that of Gloria and Ana was linked to the first storyline, but I'm not sure it was necessary and lead away from the Cuban focus of the first storyline. Except to highlight a different treatment of immigrants (they were from El Salvador) it didn't feel necessary to me for this book, although it was intertwined.
Overall, the book touches on so many challenging subjects of today - immigration, addiction, violence, abuse, women's subservience. At times it almost felt like too much in such a short book. I also felt there were some parts of the storyline that were not really necessary and detracted from the story, but probably a good book for discussion.
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Barbara C. (Hamburg, NY)
The Consequences of Silence
This is a novel about mother and daughter relationships and the secrets that haunt them based on the desperate choices they were forced to make. This short novel is about 5 generations of women starting in Cuba in 1866 to present day in Miami. It is also a story of an El Salvadorian mother and daughter that ICE deports from Miami. How the two narratives tie together is the backbone of this story. The writing had moments of remarkable insight and truths which I really appreciated. However, I found certain stories more poignant and interesting than others. My opinion is some of these women's stories could have been expanded and stood alone. This novel would definitely generate some interesting discussion if chosen for a book club.
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Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ)
Mothers, daughters and migration
I was glad a family tree was included so that characters could be identified within their respective relations. I liked that the name, location, and date was the introduction at the beginning of each chapter. I did find the story disjointed and I had some difficulty merging the characters within the chapter. This book could reflect the immigration of mothers and daughters from any country or area. I enjoyed this book, although I put it down often as it didn't hold my interest for long periods.
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Catherine H. (Barnegat, NJ)
Of Women And Salt
This novel traces the lives of nine women from 1866 to present day. It shows their struggles to survive under difficult circumstances. Due to the short length of this novel, I felt the characters were not fully developed. I wanted to know each one a little more. The interwoven storylines of various characters reveals the complex perspective of immigration status in America. Some came as political asylum seekers, others because of social upheaval. An important message in this story is how political and social conditions determine the fate of powerless people. Because this story calls our attention to current issues of immigration, I recommend reading Enrique's Journey the non-fiction by Sonia Nazario.
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