Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

55 reviews

readingspells's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

3.75

I really don't know much about this book when I selected apart from it was set in Cuba and so thought it would tick that country of my round the world read. 

I will admit that about a couple of hours into the audio once we switched away from Cuba to present day Miami I found myself struggling to relate the beginning of the story of where we were now. It is a big jump and I was very involved in the early Cuba story and this was a bit jarring but I am really glad I stuck with it and just trust in the author to fill in the missing pieces

This book is about women and I loved that whilst there are male characters in the book none of them are given a voice. All of it told and centres the women's stories in them. However as it is about women it is also about male violence, impossible or complicated choices, identity, Motherhood and grief.  

It is also very much about immigration and who no two immigrants experiences are the same and how even within immigrant communities hierarchies form round immigrants who are viewed as 'lesser' in some way.

The book is a little disjointed in places and I wish we had more of Cecily's story and even her Mother as well as maybe more of Carmen. They felt incomplete but maybe that is the history of women and so is fitting in some way

The ending is both devastating and hopeful and whilst some of the flips from past to present and the various women is a little jarring at times overall I really enjoyed this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

michelle_my_belle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Racism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Cancer, Child abuse, Colonisation, Animal death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Deportation, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: War

catherinew's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Addiction, Child abuse, Grief, Incest, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, and Child death

lorayray's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Look, the prose is well-done. I also love elements of the story. I just… can’t rate a book higher than 2.5 stars if all we can take away at the end is “suffering begets more suffering.” Definitely disappointed with the direction this book took and the way it ended. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Addiction

reads2cope's review against another edition

5.0

"I think about this often, about whether the past is real if we don't bring it into the present. Tree falling in the forest and all that.  I'm okay, I say.  I don't know if I am the tree or the no one who doesn't hear it."

An incredibly well done multi-generational story of multiple families. I loved the way each thread of plots and characters and themes wove together across time and boarders and families. These stories laid bare the atrocities of the immigration systems in the USA in a way that furthered the plots and without disrupting the pacing. A masterpiece of grief and love and struggle and resilience. Every character is nuanced and makes sometimes terrible and almost always necessary choices, and I couldn’t help but love all of them.

“What a luxurious thing, to feel. The pain a tender ache now that she could massage and curl into. For so long, she’s held the grief at bay.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Incest, Drug abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Rape, Grief, Xenophobia, and Addiction

lovealwaysadi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Addiction, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse

vera_cologne's review against another edition

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Best book I read this year. The stories are amazing and the writing is absolutely beautiful. Couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to read more like this!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Racism, Xenophobia, Drug use, Child abuse, and Rape

jcapati's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Deportation, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Racism

siebensommer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad

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

4.25

This is a jail baby-proofed for babies who should not be in jail.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Deportation, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, and Addiction

Moderate: War and Child abuse

danitza's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

I feel conflicted about this book’s rating. There were chapters that were moving, vivid, and worth 5 stars. I think Garcia’s writing is beautiful and flows amazingly when just looking at one chapter.

My main issue is the flow of the book as a whole. Some of the stories didn’t feel like they made sense together, particularly the stories of Gloria/Ana and Jeannette. I also think the novel struggled with the non linear story telling. 

I listened to an interview with the author at the end of the audiobook and found out this novel was originally a series of short stories, which I think explains my issues with the connectivity and flow of the book over all. I am looking forward to what Garcias will publish in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Drug abuse