Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

23 reviews

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

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

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

lidia7's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, War, Cancer, Death, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexism, Child abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Slavery, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Incest, Gore, and Forced institutionalization

kelseystoner's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, War, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, Incest, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

readingwithcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

2.25

One hand I do think Garcia is a talented writer but the novel despite having perspectives for two Salvadorans a girl and a woman multiple times, the Salvadoran characters, the non white Latinos feel like props to the white Cuban women, including the black Cubans who exist largely for the white grandmother and cousin to accuse of theft or be surprised the other has a name. And while it is good to talk about the diversity of Cuba and the racism within it again the black Cuban characters seem to exist only for props or for reader presumed to not be black or non white Cubans. Thus the book feels like a book a white Cuban American or white cuban woman might get something out of but not meant for black cuban diaspora or not but instead for white gringos moreso. Similarly the Salvadoran characters don’t feel like they equally share the story even how prominent their povs are and the author even described in of their brown skins as “burnt” as if that’s not incredibly racist just because it’s burnt sugar. Which makes it unsurprising that that character Gloria perspective unfortunately comes of as patronizing and like the author isn’t aware how smart she is or Gloria doesn’t exist to be Gloria but for the author to share facts about US immigration that read clunky and almost copy and pasted from a nonfiction piece while the cuban family feels much more dynamic and lived in. Like Gloria live is one lived by many people but instead she feels like she exists for white peoples to read and feel bad about maybe even white and/or rich Mexicans but not for Salvadorans and Central Americans to read. This is always why I am unsurprised the blurbs for the book are almost entirely about the white Cuban characters. 

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, War, Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Deportation, Self harm, Child abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Cancer, Misogyny, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Drug abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Death of parent

kaddictwithapen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Torture, Drug use, Murder, Addiction, Misogyny, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Rape, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, War, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Suicide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Classism

kelly_e's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.25

Title: Of Women and Salt
Author: Gabriela Garcia
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: March 30 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Poetic • Heartbreaking • Powerful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Jeanette is battling the grips of addiction, and is endlessly determined to learn more about her family's history. When on a whim Jeanette takes in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE, her mother, Carmen, is resistant. Carmen continues to wrestle with the trauma of displacement, her complicated relationship with her own mother, and raising a wayward daughter. In a quest to understand, Jeanette travels to Cuba to visit her grandmother and discovers a host of secrets from the past.

Spanning 19th century cigar factories to modern detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayal that have shaped the lives of these women.

💭 T H O U G H T S

In 2021 I decided to make my way through the GMA book club selections. Of Women and Salt was one I knew I wanted to prioritize. Maybe I was drawn to the historical aspect and/or the beautiful cover, but I knew little more than that going in. And I definitely didn't know it was so short.

What immediately struck me was Gabriela Garcia's spellbinding language. This novel is beautifully written, with so much emotion captured in the words. The non-linear structure, seeming more like a collection of short stories, was different but worked perfectly in this narrative even though it took me awhile to figure out who was who (thank goodness for the family trees at the beginning). Featuring three generation of Cuban/Cuban-American women, each fully fleshed out and equally flawed, and exploring themes of motherhood, intergenerational trauma, addiction, abuse, immigration and oppression.

I enjoyed this generational saga, and the historical interconnectedness of the characters is something I gravitate towards in books. I appreciated how the ending came full circle in a satisfying way.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• literary fiction lovers
• readers looking for an immigration story
• fans of generational sagas

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"I believe family is whoever we point to. I did not just have you. You did not simply happen to me. I chose. I saw the possibilities and I chose and I would not judge the woman who chooses differently. I decided I would be your mother and family and you would be of me."

"We are more than we think we are. There was always more." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, Violence, Murder, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

Minor: Cancer

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