Of Women and Salt

Rating: it was amazing

So good. 5 generations of women, in Cuba, Mexico and Miami. A current day ICE deportation in Miami kicks off the story. We learn about immigrants, husbands and wifes, mothers and daughters, sisters, love, lies and betrayals. Very engrossing and important in today's world.

Rating: it was amazing

I’m still thinking about this book even after I finished it. Beautiful, tragic, so powerful in such poetic form.

Rating: it was amazing

OF WOMEN AND SALT is a story of immigration, the relationship between mothers and daughters, heritage, and the choices women make, that can haunt them for the rest of their lives.
This is a powerful novel that still stays with me. I am grateful to have had the chance to read it early, and I loved it.

Rating: really liked it

This book not only took me through five generations of strong Cuban and Mexican women, but also through the memories of five generations of women in my own family. Some of the things in this book were hard to read, I would have liked to see less trauma and sadness and more happiness and beauty. That's something i struggle with when reading about culture. What's too much and what's not enough of the good and bad?

"We are a force. We are more than we think we are."

Thank you for the ARC.

Rating: it was amazing

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I cannot stop thinking about Of Women and Salt. The novel tells the story of five generations of Cuban and Cuban-American women and the challenges each one faced, from political turmoil to abuse to addiction. Intersecting with the lives of the modern women, now living in Miami, are those of Gloria and Ana, a mother and daughter from El Salvador who get forcibly removed by ICE. Through them, we get a different view of the immigrant experience as Gloria and Ana are placed in detention and deported from the country, forced to make a new life for themselves in Mexico before Ana attempts the harrowing journey back to the States.

I finished this short novel in almost one sitting, and it was so truly stunning that it’s hard to process all of my thoughts. The story is much bigger than the characters on the page. Only referred to by their first names, these women represent more than just themselves. While their stories are told in such rich, specific detail, they are universal, they can be anybody, any immigrant who has fought for a new life in a new country. But it’s also much more than a story about immigration. It’s a story of love, of family, of determination, of ideas. The women in this novel are a powerful force, as are all of the real life women that these characters embody.

I’m so glad @sportschicreads on Instagram proposed this as a buddy read because I need somebody to walk me through these garbled thoughts as I process this book, and thank you to @flatiron_books for the #gifted ARC! This is one of my new favorite pieces of Latinx literature, and I can guarantee it will be all over bookstagram after its release in April 2021.

Rating: really liked it

Struggled with my rating for "Of Women and Salt" by Gabriela Garcia. Leaned towards a 5, but not quite there for me. Thanks to BookBrowse for the opportunity to do an early read/review of this book

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 Janette 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.

Rating: liked it

This debut novel is ambitious. Multiple narratives exist within it — on addiction, classicism, anti-blackness, immigration, and socialism in Cuba.
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The novel’s beginning and ending are enough to recommend it — its middle, not arresting, and the pace cumbersome. It doesn’t devolve into trauma porn — the scenes of domestic violence being the most raw — but the storytelling doesn’t add more to what’s already been written, narrative or style wise, although I can imagine that some or all of the storylines will resonate with some. ⁣

It begins in Cuba during the Batista regime; then travels to Miami; then a detention center where Anna, a little girl, is sent after ICE takes her mother away; then to Cuba; Mexico; and back⁣ to Miami. These “stops” are told from the POVs of the novel’s Cuban, Cuban-American or Salvadoran characters. ⁣
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Garcia practically breaks the fourth wall and tells, rather than just shows, the morality of what Cuba’s socialism, and the Obama Administration’s immigration policies, have wrought; neither of which are above criticism, but it’s like leading the horse to water.
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There are moments when the prose lands: ⁣⁣
“𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵? 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.”⁣
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Of Women And Salt introduces us to a new author with a lot to say. It will be up to each reader to decide if it’s worth listening to. ⁣
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Rating: it was amazing

📚𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄📚

Title: 𝐎𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭
Author: 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚
Number of Pages: 204 (𝐚𝐫𝐜)
Genre: 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Publication Date: 04/06/2021
Rating: 📕📕📕📕📕(5 stars)

This is Gabriela's debut novel. I think this has a very beautiful cover.

In this book we follow Jeanette who is battling addiction. As the daughter of Carmen, a Cuban immigrant, she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE.

This was a very powerful novel that takes you from 19th century cigar factories to present-day detention centers from Cuba to Mexico. It was a very moving and heartbreaking story that I know lots of people will want to read. The writing of Gabriela was unlike anything I've ever read. She was able to entail raw emotion into a very moving story making you feel like you are living through the eyes of the individuals involved. This book comes out on April 6th, 2021 so make sure to pre-order your copy today!!!!!

Rating: liked it

I’m struggling with my rating for “Of Women and Salt”. There were parts that were definitely 5 stars but unfortunately 3.5 stars is my overall impression. A short novel about 5 generations of women spanning Cuba in 1866 through present day in Miami. It’s a story of choices made in moments of desperation that impact future generations. In sharp contrast to the present day Cuban/American mother and daughter is the story of an El Salvadorian mother and young daughter that ICE deports from Miami. How the two narratives tie together is the backbone of this novel. I particularly loved the first woman, Maria Isabel’s story and also, Ana, the El Salvadorian daughter’s story. This is a novel about mother/daughter relationships and the secrets that haunt them. The writing had moments of remarkable insight and truths but at times is truly tragic in it’s description of the life of poor women and the choices they are forced to make. I want to thank Flatiron Books and BookBrowse for the ARC and the chance to give an honest review.

Rating: it was ok

I received an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway by Flatiron Books.

This book just wasn’t for me. I had a hard time connecting to and empathizing with the characters because 204 pages is a very short book to be switching between so many perspectives (at least 7). The way some perspectives switched back and forth between first and third person also jarred me a bit. I wondered why we were in so many perspectives. What was the thread holding them together? Yes, they are connected, but what is the significance? I also felt the book lacked emotional imagery. The events were emotional, but I didn’t feel it.

I do think it has a lot of potential, though. The storyline between Ana and Jeanette feels like it should be more center stage than it is, because it is obviously important if it begins and ends the book. I just don’t see that importance for more than half the book.

Rating: it was amazing

Have been reading a lot of multi-character, immigrations novels of late so I was skeptical of this ARC which required a review. Each chapter is a story within itself with enough familial threads to link together powerfully. It covers so much in 200 pages: immigration, addiction, molestation and very complex mother daughter relationships. It also spans from late 19th century Cuba to present day Texas and Florida. It’s very sad with not a lot of happy resolutions but there is hope intermingled between the pages. If you liked American Dirt, you will love this one. These 9 women are a force to be reckoned with!

Rating: really liked it

Thank you Macmillan for providing me with an arc of this book. I want to say first that this was such a beautiful novel, that told such heartbreaking stories. It reminded me in part of books like "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and "American Dirt," but at the same time it held so much unique character and drive. I loved the interweaving of the different characters' stories and histories, and though much of it was quite bittersweet, I also did like how it ended. Good book, quick to read, but not necessarily an easy read. Much food for thought within these pages.

Rating: really liked it

I received an advance copy of this book from Flatiron Books, Thank you.
What an interesting and timely book. This book tells the story of 5 generations of Cuban women. Each has faced challenges making them strong, but also shaping how they looked at the world, and what they taught their daughters. Entwined in their story is a story of another strong woman and her daughter, both illegal immigrants. The author, Gabriela Garcia, really opens the door with her narrative, allowing us to really feel and see their story. Very, Very good book.

Rating: it was amazing

This book was amazing and heartfelt.

I love discovering new authors. And WOW. For a new author.. Gabriela Garcia came out SWINGING. This book packs a powerful punch right in the feels. It is emotional and strong. It had strong female protagonists which is something that I always appreciate in a novel.

More and more books nowadays have diversity. This book not only features a strong cast of female protagonists but it is also about Latin-Americans.

Excellent!

Rating: it was amazing

This is almost five short stories which come together at the end of the book. It is the lives, loves, and tribulations of five women from the US, Cuba and Mexico.

The prose is engaging, and the female characters try their best in the circumstances that fate has dealt them. It is a fascinating look into the ongoing US migration issues.

I am hugely impressed that this a debut novel - the 'force' is very much with Gabriela Garcia.