Reviews tagging 'Death'

Van vrouwen en zout by Gabriela Garcia

57 reviews

cora_hreads's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.75

From the start, I fell in love with Of Women and Salt. I loved the different timelines and how each character had a theme that eventually carried through to Ana's chapter at the end. I felt engulfed by the prose and descriptions that Garcia provided. Needless to say, Of Women and Salt is a book I'd recommend to the masses.

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

losing her husband

in mid/late 1800s Cuba, and starting the family line of women who'd work until their bones were brittle to achieve what they needed to survive.
A housewife during the 1950s Cuban revolution, going through any means necessary

(including murder)

to get her children out of the war-ridden home.
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.

We know what led to Jeanette's death, but why? What caused the relapse?

. I like that it leads me off to question what could've/might've been, like there's no firm ending as to why things happen -- just like in real life.

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and War

Moderate: Death and Sexual harassment

savannahtrice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

i want to curl up in a ball and sob for the rest of my life

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

leahm98's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

theonlybaillie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

samkennedy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Murder, and War

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

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

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

bronteberry's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Murder

Moderate: Death

Minor: Rape

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

Moderate: Alcoholism

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

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, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, and Murder

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