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readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
- 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
2.25
I do really like the topics Garcia wanted to tackle, the relationships between women and cycles of abuse and I completely agree with the author that there is no “one” immigrant story in her short interview with Roxane Gay but I think she really needs to re-examine how she writes non white characters and characters her Mexican and Cuban family don’t fit into since those characters suffered the most. I do really like that she wrote about racism and classism in Mexico and the resentments between different Latino groups even if again that sometimes felt clunky. I especially loved the Cuban families divided less by borders and more by interpersonal issues and with very different and strong political opinions.
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
indydc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Deportation
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Cancer
ekmoore11's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse
annalu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Deportation
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and War
louisa70104's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Deportation
Minor: Cancer and Xenophobia
kaddictwithapen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, and Classism
bookish_baker_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
coderedkira's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Racism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
cora_hreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
When I picked up this book and read the blurb on the back, I thought it'd be a deep slice-of-life story collection, doting on Latinx experiences in and outside of the US. Initially, my expectations were just to be informed of what I didn't know or understand about Latinx people, families, etc. I got so much more than that. What I got from Of Women and Salt was a deep, cutthroat dive into how Cuban and Salvadoran women tried to get to the best they could every day.
A worker
A housewife during the 1950s Cuban revolution, going through any means necessary
A distressed mother and her drug-addicted/drug-recovering daughter, trying to salvage their relationship that was torn in the early 2000s.
All of these stories, these excerpts of lives, struck me in a way that truly made me feel. I was happy when Marìa was able to get out of the factory and start anew; discomfort was written across my face when Jeanette recounted her teenage sex-driven years and the highs and lows of her drug addictions, as well as her toxic relationship. I felt these different ways because of how Garcia varied her prose for each woman. Jeanette was heartfelt but inconsistent, like a constant train of desparate thought was running in her mind. Carmen seemed to be polished on the outisde, but little details crept out of her as you learned more about her. Ana was flat -- she had to steel herself up just to survive. I commend the prose to an incomprehensible extent.
The descriptions of the setting(s) were similar. As the characters moved about, you felt not only the prescence of the land, but also how it felt to each character. I could imagine the dingy, musty smell of the small Cuban town when Maydelis' car broke down -- I imagined bright, false-dream neon lights shining on a young Jeanette after ditching her hook-up. This book was so incredibly vivid; ultimately, it added to the overall appeal in an incredible way.
My only critique is the bluntness of Jeanette's ending -- which I think was intentional. The reader is alluded to it in her final chapter, but it's open ended at the actual last chapter.
Overall, Of Women and Salt gets a 4.75/5 stars for its incredible characters, vivid descriptions, and attention to detail for the readers to consider even after reading.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Death and Sexual harassment
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Gaslighting