Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

52 reviews

deanis23's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Murder, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

rebeccamm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

There's a lot of narratives winding through this book, and I think it could have been better with fewer characters but more development of them. And wow, if I wasn't a misandrist already, this book would have made me one. Literally only one of the men has any redeeming qualities. The rest are actively evil, abusive narcissists. All the male characters are entirely one-dimensional, but the women don't fare too much better. 
I'm not sure if I liked this book or if I'm giving it a higher rating just because it tells a story we don't hear about enough.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Violence, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Addiction

Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, Classism, Drug use, Incest, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and War

Sensitive readers may want to proceed with caution.

mamadonna's review against another edition

informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

An exploration of Salvadoran and Cuban women across generations and their immigration to the US.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Drug use

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, War, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, Sexism, and Sexual violence

lilymouse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If I could give this a hundred stars I would. This was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I honestly don't know how I feel other than in absolute awe of the beauty this book held.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Sexual harassment, Racism, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Colonisation, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

charlottejones952's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was such a tough book to read but beautifully crafted. The writing propelled me through so quickly and I was astounded by how vivid each of the characters' lives were. 

I would recommend looking into trigger warnings as this is an extremely dark book at times but with that caveat in mind, I would highly recommend it. Gabriela Garcia is an author to keep an eye on in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Murder, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, War, and Colonisation

bibeanenergy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

gut wrenching and beautiful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

lacunaboo's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, and Sexual assault

jayisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. Nonlinear narratives can be incredible with the right kind of story, and Of Women and Salt would have benefited from having a linear one. It wasn’t particularly difficult to follow what was happening, but there was too drastic of a disconnect between chapters that made it hard for me to get immersed. It was harder to feel any emotional connection to what was happening or with the characters, and the few times I did, the moment disappeared too quickly as the story moved to something entirely different.

That said, Garcia captures ideas and emotions in such a lyrical way, from the tragic to the beautiful, and particularly the bittersweet. There were a lot of unique descriptions that helped bring together concepts often connected to geography in some manner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Rape

Minor: Cancer

ladymirtazapine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Child death, Domestic abuse, Murder, War, Rape, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Violence, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Death, Confinement, and Alcoholism

iamivypark's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I really liked this book!! The first two chapters bore similarities to Infinite Country by Patricia Engel with distressing scenes of deportation and family separation. However this story becomes more of a multi-generational family saga as the novel wears on. 

Following 9 women from Cuba and El Salvador, Garcia’s writing depicts survival in the wake of abusive forces. All suffering from violence in one way or another and having troubled relationships with their mothers or daughters as a result of their survival mechanisms. 

I loved the way the women were all intertwined in some way. One storyline follows Gloria and her daughter Ana who are El Salvadorian immigrants illegally in the U.S. Another following Carmen who migrated to America legally, escaping Communist rule, and her daughter Jeanette in modern day Miami. The novel uncovers 5 generations of Jeanette & Carmen’s family and it was powerful to see where the women came from and the intergenerational trauma carried down the lineage. I found the family tree at the beginning of the book super helpful in following this. I love when books have these!

The prose is stunning! I was taken aback by the very beginning of the book which starts ominously with a mother pleading that her daughter still wants to live on the first 2 pages. 

“I want to know who I am, so I need to know who you’ve been”

The survival strategies of silence and estrangement were particularly stark in the relationship between Carmen and Jeanette. I was struck by the chapter portraying Jeanette’s coming of age in Miami; her naivety & desire to fit in, her innocence and the way she is haunted by stories untold. Garcia’s writing is compelling and raw. 

The book draws many parallels, between the Cuban capitalist elite allowed to enter legally while El Salvadoran’s are not granted the same privilege. As well as the trajectories of Jeanette’s life and those of her cousin & Ana in regards to safety and opportunity. 

Best read if you are in the mood for a family saga and have time to finish in just a few sittings. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Violence, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, and Incest