Of Women and Salt
Ratings23
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings23
Average rating4.2
From nineteenth-century cigar factories to present-day detention centres, from Cuba to the United States to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt follows Latina women of fierce pride, bound by the stories passed between them. 'Vivid details, visceral prose and strong willful women' - Angie Cruz, author of Dominicana Five generations of women are linked by blood and circumstance, by the secrets they share, and by a single book passed down through a family, with an affirmation scrawled in its margins: 'We are force. We are more than we think we are.' 1866, Cuba: María Isabel is the only woman employed at a cigar factory. These are dangerous political times, and as María begins to see marriage and motherhood as her only options, the sounds of war are approaching. 1959, Cuba: Dolores watches her husband make for the mountains in answer to Fidel Castro's call to arms. What Dolores knows, though, is that to survive, she must win her own war, and commit an act of violence that threatens to destroy her daughter Carmen's world. 2016, Miami: Carmen, still wrestling with the trauma of displacement, is shocked when her daughter Jeanette announces her plans to travel to Cuba to see her grandmother Dolores. In the walls of her crumbling home lies a secret, one that will link Jeanette to her past, and to this fearless line of women. Of Women and Salt is a haunting story about the choices of mothers and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their truth despite those who wish to silence them. 'A multi-generational story that, at its heart, is a tribute to imperfect mother-daughter relationships and the enduring strength of women' - Stylist 'Extraordinary . . . stunning' - Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory
Reviews with the most likes.
Thrilled I finally got to read this beautiful book, it follows multiple story-lines and characters and deals with ever pertinent themes like abuse, immigration, family, and all in between. Garcia pens a lovely book, one that I think anyone - regardless of backgrounds, favorite genre, or reading habits - would be better off reading. Just lovely.
This book was a very moving glimpse into so many aspects of life that touch everyone in some way or another. The book could be triggering to those with trauma backgrounds. But it touches on sexual assault, addiction, immigration. For those of us who have been born into privilege just based on where we were lucky enough to be born, it's a small peak into what some families have endured on their paths to find safety and security. I listened to the audiobook, and there was a discussion with the author at the end that I found very touching as well.
