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valjeanval's review against another edition
5.0
This is a rare book. I've never heard anything but praise for Nalo Hopkinson, and now it's easy to see why. This book is a trilogy of stories about women of color enslaved, both literally and figuratively, by the worlds around them. The characters are united by the presence of a goddess who is trapped within and between them. If that isn't a perfect image for the struggles faced by women of color today, I'm not sure what is. The stories take place in three time periods and places: Alexandria era Egypt, a Haitian slave plantation just before the slave revolt, and turn of the century Paris. It's hard for me to pick one story over the others as a favorite because all three are intriguing and unique. Jeanne, the Parisian dancing girl, is the one that actually made me burst into tears at one point, so I would say that's the one I connected with most strongly.
It is not a typical fantasy novel, maybe closer to magic realism in tone and form. Chapters are fluid in length and style, pieces of poetry are interwoven into the narrative, and the narrator shifts between humans and goddess within each chapter. Personally, I find the uniqueness and elegance makes it well-worth the challenge of reading. It is occasionally very graphic, sometimes a bit too graphic for me, but that graphicness is never gratuitous. We are living these women's lives as they lived them, exactly. As long as that doesn't drive you away from a story, I'd say The Salt Roads is a necessary book to take up.
It is not a typical fantasy novel, maybe closer to magic realism in tone and form. Chapters are fluid in length and style, pieces of poetry are interwoven into the narrative, and the narrator shifts between humans and goddess within each chapter. Personally, I find the uniqueness and elegance makes it well-worth the challenge of reading. It is occasionally very graphic, sometimes a bit too graphic for me, but that graphicness is never gratuitous. We are living these women's lives as they lived them, exactly. As long as that doesn't drive you away from a story, I'd say The Salt Roads is a necessary book to take up.
lulureads365's review against another edition
4.0
Very engaging and thought provoking. There were parts I loved and parts I could have done without, but overall this was a very good story and well written.
innowen's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a eARC of this through netgalley.com in exchange for a review.
Magic realism is one of my favorite writing genres. I spent a lot of time in college reading Angela Carter's works. Nalo Hopkinson's book expands on the tradition and creates a vivid world where a goddess hops into various women to understand the human conditions of love, oppression, and beating the odds. She weaves the stories of three independent woman from three different timelines in such a way that modern audiences can learn to appreciate what they have gone through.
I loved this storyline. It took me awhile to figure out what tied these three stories together. It was when I discovered the use of the "goddess" voice and went back to the beginning that I really understood what was going on. I found that my favorite tale was in Mer, and in Mari (Mary) and their journeys through enslavement and enlightenment.
This book can be a bit hard to grasp at first. But I recommend you stick with it. Hopkinson will draw you in and you'll be wanting to read parts out loud, the voice and lyrical prose is amazing
Thank you for allowing us into a brilliant glimpse of the human soul, and the oppression that the blacks went through and the stories of the woman who dealt with it.
Magic realism is one of my favorite writing genres. I spent a lot of time in college reading Angela Carter's works. Nalo Hopkinson's book expands on the tradition and creates a vivid world where a goddess hops into various women to understand the human conditions of love, oppression, and beating the odds. She weaves the stories of three independent woman from three different timelines in such a way that modern audiences can learn to appreciate what they have gone through.
I loved this storyline. It took me awhile to figure out what tied these three stories together. It was when I discovered the use of the "goddess" voice and went back to the beginning that I really understood what was going on. I found that my favorite tale was in Mer, and in Mari (Mary) and their journeys through enslavement and enlightenment.
This book can be a bit hard to grasp at first. But I recommend you stick with it. Hopkinson will draw you in and you'll be wanting to read parts out loud, the voice and lyrical prose is amazing
Thank you for allowing us into a brilliant glimpse of the human soul, and the oppression that the blacks went through and the stories of the woman who dealt with it.
shelleyanderson4127's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Brilliant. Flawed. And very difficult to categorize. Is it science fiction? Historical fiction with a strong current of magic realism, and some great sex scenes?
Let's just say that The Salt Roads is powerful storytelling. The story is ambitious and spans centuries and continents. Mer is an enslaved woman, in love with another woman, on the French controlled island of Saint Domingue. She is a healer and worships Lasiren, the Goddess of the sea. In 19th century Paris, Jeanne Duval has a taste for the good life and is the mistress of the poet Baudelaire. Thais is a teenager, a 4th century Nubian who runs away from a brothel in Alexandria to Jerusalem, and beyond.
What unites these women is a shared female oppression and spirituality, and the protective spirit of Ezili, the Vodoun Goddess of love and sexuality. The shifts between times and point of view character can be confusing at first, but the writing is so compelling, the characters so engrossing, that the reader continues. And it is worth it: Mer's character is memorable, the depiction of slavery and rebellion in Haiti harsh. Jeanne faces other racial restrictions, but also prevails. Thais is the weakest and least developed character, perhaps because she is only introduced half way through the story. But her story, too, ultimately reaches a satisfying conclusion, as she morphs into the 'dusky' Christian desert saint Mary of Egypt.
This is an ambitious novel about the lives of Black women across the centuries. It might have been too ambitious but Hopkinson is such a strong writer that she pulls it off, despite the flaws. I loved it.
Let's just say that The Salt Roads is powerful storytelling. The story is ambitious and spans centuries and continents. Mer is an enslaved woman, in love with another woman, on the French controlled island of Saint Domingue. She is a healer and worships Lasiren, the Goddess of the sea. In 19th century Paris, Jeanne Duval has a taste for the good life and is the mistress of the poet Baudelaire. Thais is a teenager, a 4th century Nubian who runs away from a brothel in Alexandria to Jerusalem, and beyond.
What unites these women is a shared female oppression and spirituality, and the protective spirit of Ezili, the Vodoun Goddess of love and sexuality. The shifts between times and point of view character can be confusing at first, but the writing is so compelling, the characters so engrossing, that the reader continues. And it is worth it: Mer's character is memorable, the depiction of slavery and rebellion in Haiti harsh. Jeanne faces other racial restrictions, but also prevails. Thais is the weakest and least developed character, perhaps because she is only introduced half way through the story. But her story, too, ultimately reaches a satisfying conclusion, as she morphs into the 'dusky' Christian desert saint Mary of Egypt.
This is an ambitious novel about the lives of Black women across the centuries. It might have been too ambitious but Hopkinson is such a strong writer that she pulls it off, despite the flaws. I loved it.
elizafiedler's review against another edition
3.0
I'm just not interested in reading this much explicit sex and bodily fluids. Unfinished.
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
4.0
What a beautiful book! Hopkinson's language is enough to keep the reader engaged, to say nothing of her intriguing characters and winding plot. She excels at writing about sensuality, comparable to Anais Nin but with more accessible language. Hopkinson is also very good at weaving together the lives of three very different women, entangling goddess myths and rich cultural weavings therein. An absolute pleasure to read, though the subject material is sometimes heavy enough to make it less easy to digest lots in one sitting.
becasaur27's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting, different, literary work. It is not what I expect to read from a Sword & Laser pick and I really wouldn't classify it as fantasy despite the "fantastical" gods aspect. I felt that to be, while not a minor role, as the whole book somewhat centered on that, a more literary mechanism. This book struck me as something that would be assigned reading in a college (or very liberal high school) course. I wouldn't say I did not enjoy this book, but I am glad to be done with reading it and "able" to move on to some lighter fare.
dmahaffey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-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
3.25
disabledbookdragon's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.5