Of Women and Salt
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 12:33:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Gabriela Garcia
- ISBN：1250790980
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Summary
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
This program includes a bonus conversation between the author and Roxane Gay。
A sweeping， masterful debut about a daughter's fateful choice， a mother motivated by her own past， and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born
In present-day Miami， Jeanette is battling addiction。 Daughter of Carmen， a Cuban immigrant， she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE。 Carmen， still wrestling with the trauma of displacement， must process her difficult relationship with her own mother while trying to raise a wayward Jeanette。 Steadfast in her quest for understanding， Jeanette travels to Cuba to see her grandmother and reckon with secrets from the past destined to erupt。
From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers， from Cuba to Mexico， Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals—personal and political， self-inflicted and those done by others—that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women。 A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers， the legacy of the memories they carry， and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them， this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled， honest， human roots。
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
"Of Women and Salt is a fierce and powerful debut。 Garcia wields narrative power， cultivating true and profound work on migration， legacy， and survival。"--Terese Marie Mailhot， bestselling author of Heart Berries
“Gabriela Garcia captures the lives of Cuban women in a world to which they refuse to surrender and she does so with precision and generosity and beauty。”--Roxane Gay， bestselling author of Hunger and Bad Feminist
"[A] beautifully evocative first novel。。。This book is shaped， and given buoyancy， by Garcia’s sharp prose and by Jeanette’s ability to continue believing that the unexpected is possible， even as it repeatedly fails to materialize。" — New York Times Book Review
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
This program includes a bonus conversation between the author and Roxane Gay。
A sweeping， masterful debut about a daughter's fateful choice， a mother motivated by her own past， and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born
In present-day Miami， Jeanette is battling addiction。 Daughter of Carmen， a Cuban immigrant， she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE。 Carmen， still wrestling with the trauma of displacement， must process her difficult relationship with her own mother while trying to raise a wayward Jeanette。 Steadfast in her quest for understanding， Jeanette travels to Cuba to see her grandmother and reckon with secrets from the past destined to erupt。
From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers， from Cuba to Mexico， Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals—personal and political， self-inflicted and those done by others—that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women。 A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers， the legacy of the memories they carry， and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them， this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled， honest， human roots。
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
"Of Women and Salt is a fierce and powerful debut。 Garcia wields narrative power， cultivating true and profound work on migration， legacy， and survival。"--Terese Marie Mailhot， bestselling author of Heart Berries
“Gabriela Garcia captures the lives of Cuban women in a world to which they refuse to surrender and she does so with precision and generosity and beauty。”--Roxane Gay， bestselling author of Hunger and Bad Feminist
"[A] beautifully evocative first novel。。。This book is shaped， and given buoyancy， by Garcia’s sharp prose and by Jeanette’s ability to continue believing that the unexpected is possible， even as it repeatedly fails to materialize。" — New York Times Book Review
Reviews
W。S。 Thompson
，
Life is filled with choices known and unknown。 Whatever we decide our decisions will follow through generations。 This is a story about generations of women linked together through bloodline， heartache， and the illusion of survival。 The ending of this story will leave you wanting to know more。 To me， it felt like it ended too abruptly without closure。 But， so it is with life。 We don't choose our endings we just know our beginnings。 I'll be reflecting on this story for sometime。 Life is filled with choices known and unknown。 Whatever we decide our decisions will follow through generations。 This is a story about generations of women linked together through bloodline， heartache， and the illusion of survival。 The ending of this story will leave you wanting to know more。 To me， it felt like it ended too abruptly without closure。 But， so it is with life。 We don't choose our endings we just know our beginnings。 I'll be reflecting on this story for sometime。 。。。more
Dawn
，
4。25 stars
Monique
，
3。5 stars。 While I enjoyed some of the storylines I did feel it was too choppy between alternating timetables and characters。
Amy Vaterlaus
，
Beautiful writing and not a traditional way of writing a multigenerational immigration story。 All stories are of women and are each different。 Loved this and loved the bonus interview with the author and Roxanne Gay。
Chicasmama
，
3 1/2 ⭐️’s-there were many characters in this book and felt like we just got a glimpse of most of them。
Roxane
，
Gabriela is a former student and I was on her thesis committee so I was there when she started this novel in my workshop and to see it now out in the world warms my heart。 She is an amazing writer and puts in the work。 The language is so lovely in this novel and I love how it is a generational saga。 Lots to love about this novel。
Brittany Prince
，
3。5⭐️
Martha Samsell
，
A great generational novel set in the United States concerning Cuban refugees， one woman wanting to go back to Cuba because of her grandmother。
Honor Kennedy
，
Compelling story of a group of women - immigration， deportation， addiction， abuse， and， then， fortitude。
Misty
，
We are force！We are more than we think we are。
Julia Alberino
，
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars， but in the end my dissatisfaction with the ending led me to decide on 3。 My almost visceral dislike of Carmen as a character also figured into the rating。 But the saving graces for me were the scenes in Cuba over the generations， and a chapter reminiscent of "Anna in the Tropics。" I do think this debut author has the potential for great books in the future。 I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars， but in the end my dissatisfaction with the ending led me to decide on 3。 My almost visceral dislike of Carmen as a character also figured into the rating。 But the saving graces for me were the scenes in Cuba over the generations， and a chapter reminiscent of "Anna in the Tropics。" I do think this debut author has the potential for great books in the future。 。。。more
Meg
，
I’m glad I read this book and would recommend anyone interested in immigration and Cuban history to read it。 But， I can’t help but feel the multi-perspective narrative and timeline hopping just didn’t work for me in this novel。 It felt like too much too keep track of and unpack in such a short book。 I never felt like I got to understand any of the characters on a deeper level， which is a shame， because I would have liked to know more of their stories， especially Isabel Maria’s and Dolores’ that I’m glad I read this book and would recommend anyone interested in immigration and Cuban history to read it。 But， I can’t help but feel the multi-perspective narrative and timeline hopping just didn’t work for me in this novel。 It felt like too much too keep track of and unpack in such a short book。 I never felt like I got to understand any of the characters on a deeper level， which is a shame， because I would have liked to know more of their stories， especially Isabel Maria’s and Dolores’ that took place in Cuba。 I wonder if I would have felt differently if I hadn’t just read （and loved） “Infinite Country。” 。。。more
Shantana
，
The story capture so many aspects of womanhood， culture， racism， history， and family。 It is beautiful and raw。 I absolutely loved it。
Ella
，
from the blurb i thought it would be more like Homecoming but the chapters don’t really relate to each other that much （except most of them being about Jannette）。 I thought some chapters were really good， and others i skimmed through。
Melinda Medlin
，
This was a very short yet intense read。 It follows multiple women in different times in their lives and how they connect with their Latin roots， current events unfolding around them， and their self identity。 Typically I do not like when the ending is vague and you are supposed to "determine your own ending" based on the authors hints and verbiage。 I am of the opinion that unresolved issues make the conclusions of stories frustrating but I feel this one was appropriate and fitting。 I would have l This was a very short yet intense read。 It follows multiple women in different times in their lives and how they connect with their Latin roots， current events unfolding around them， and their self identity。 Typically I do not like when the ending is vague and you are supposed to "determine your own ending" based on the authors hints and verbiage。 I am of the opinion that unresolved issues make the conclusions of stories frustrating but I feel this one was appropriate and fitting。 I would have liked to see a fitting "mother-daughter" closure for multip0le pairs of women， but I am satisfied with what we were given。 。。。more
Karen
，
Thank you to Flatiron books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 This debut novel packs a punch with only 204 pages！ Lots to discuss for bookclubs。 The history of Cuba seen through the eyes of strong women。 Migration， drug abuse and violence against women are just some of the topics in this slim but informative novel。 I look forward to Gabriela Garcia's next novel。 Thank you to Flatiron books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 This debut novel packs a punch with only 204 pages！ Lots to discuss for bookclubs。 The history of Cuba seen through the eyes of strong women。 Migration， drug abuse and violence against women are just some of the topics in this slim but informative novel。 I look forward to Gabriela Garcia's next novel。 。。。more
Sarah Burton
，
Of Women and Salt is the complex story of the survival。 The story is told by strong women over centuries and their stories are at times hard to read。 They have all faced violence and hardship and each woman chooses her own escape route。 The relationships between the mothers and daughters are diverse， some are fragile but all of the mothers fight for what they feel is the best for their daughters。 Some stories are easier to follow than others but overall this is a story definitely worth reading。I Of Women and Salt is the complex story of the survival。 The story is told by strong women over centuries and their stories are at times hard to read。 They have all faced violence and hardship and each woman chooses her own escape route。 The relationships between the mothers and daughters are diverse， some are fragile but all of the mothers fight for what they feel is the best for their daughters。 Some stories are easier to follow than others but overall this is a story definitely worth reading。I was given a copy by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Nikki
，
Incredible debut novel from Gabriela Garcia highlighting intergenerational trauma and abuse， family pathology， and legacy。 Garcia’s elegant and vivacious prose will immediately captured my attention， and left me mourning for each of the women。 Excited to see what Garcia writes next， and I look forward to following her writing career。
Kathy Schouten
，
This book was just ok。 There were parts I liked and the writing was beautiful。 It just seemed to try to cover everything in 200 pages- Cuban history， immigration， addiction ， and the lives of so many different women at many different times of history。
Linda Hutchinson
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Of Women And Salt by Gabriela Garcia left me confused。 The novel starts in Cuba at a cigar rolling factory during the early days （1866） of revolutionary times。 I found this part of the book exciting， but then we moved to present day America， and the whole book shifts。 The story centers on dysfunction and transitions without fluidity。 The story relates the turmoil， tragedy， and strength of some female characters but turns out， in the end， to become a story primarily about the hapless and h ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Of Women And Salt by Gabriela Garcia left me confused。 The novel starts in Cuba at a cigar rolling factory during the early days （1866） of revolutionary times。 I found this part of the book exciting， but then we moved to present day America， and the whole book shifts。 The story centers on dysfunction and transitions without fluidity。 The story relates the turmoil， tragedy， and strength of some female characters but turns out， in the end， to become a story primarily about the hapless and hopeless Jeanette。 Some parts start and end without resolution。 For me， this book was unfulfilling。 I know I'm in the minority on this one。 #cuba #elsalvador #immigrants #women #drugs #addicts #sexualabuse #ofwomenandsalt 。。 #reading #books #bookstagram #book #read #bookworm #booklover #bookish #bibliophile #reader #novel #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife #mmd #modernmrsdarcybookclub 。。。more
Maya Bofa
，
3。5
Jennifer
，
True Rating 3。5 starsThis book was told through a series of vingettes by different characters in a non-linear fashion。 Jeanette lives in Florida and is the estranged daughter of Carmen， a Cuban immigrant。 Jeanette longs to visit her grandma and family in Cuba in order to learn more about her heritage， but she continuously struggles with addiction and other demons。 Carmen wants to reconnect with Jeanette and to help her become sober。 Jeanette's path in life was a hard one。 Gloria is an illegal i True Rating 3。5 starsThis book was told through a series of vingettes by different characters in a non-linear fashion。 Jeanette lives in Florida and is the estranged daughter of Carmen， a Cuban immigrant。 Jeanette longs to visit her grandma and family in Cuba in order to learn more about her heritage， but she continuously struggles with addiction and other demons。 Carmen wants to reconnect with Jeanette and to help her become sober。 Jeanette's path in life was a hard one。 Gloria is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador， she is taken by ICE while her daughter， Ana， is at school one day。 Ana stays briefly with her neighbor Jeanette for a time before ultimately ending up in the same detention camp as her mother。 I wondered whether these two families and divergent storylines would merge at some point。 I enjoyed some chapters more than others。 The first chapter focusing on María Isabel in 19th century Cuba， her romance， the cigar factory， the letters from Victor Hugo， and the rebel uprising was probably one of my favorites。 I wanted to learn more about those characters and Cuban history。 “Women of Cuba， I hear your cries，” Garcia quotes Hugo in the novel。 “Who are we， weakness？ No， we are force。” Overall， I did like Of Women and Salt。 The book is short， I think a little too short for what it wanted to accomplish。 Attempting to construct an account of immigration， deportation， womanhood， mother/daughter relationships， and the loss of innocence is a lot， but the task was made harder by trying to do it all in a short book。 All of the stories were worth telling， but the way it was presented detracted from my personal reading experience。 Perhaps even a small change of at least making the story linear would have helped。 。。。more
Julie Swartzentruber
，
Almost 4。5+
Heidi
，
Book 1️⃣5️⃣ - Of Women and Salt by @gabimgarcia definitely made me think。 Generations of women each with their own struggle can have profound effects on the next generation。 Makes me think of my own family tree and how each woman before me made a decision that somehow effects me today。 No matter how little or big。 I am fortunate in I had a good upbringing。 This book， while not written in my usual style of reading， definitely made me think。 I was surprised by a few twists。 I like how there were t Book 1️⃣5️⃣ - Of Women and Salt by @gabimgarcia definitely made me think。 Generations of women each with their own struggle can have profound effects on the next generation。 Makes me think of my own family tree and how each woman before me made a decision that somehow effects me today。 No matter how little or big。 I am fortunate in I had a good upbringing。 This book， while not written in my usual style of reading， definitely made me think。 I was surprised by a few twists。 I like how there were tiny threads that tied them all together。 Ana in the end has no idea how she is forever tied to Maria Isabel & Cecilia even though she isn’t related。 This book also makes me want to further read about Cuban culture。 Overall a good， quick read。 My daughter’s birthday is today。 This book really makes me realize that my strength and resolve as a single mother will forever shape how my daughter views the world。 I love a book that truly makes a person think。 #yearofreading2021 #36in2021 #ofwomenandsalt #gmabookclub #gabrielagarcia 。。。more
Krista
，
Really effective use of non-linear narrative and multiple perspectives （helpful hint: note the year at the start of each chapter or you'll get lost。） The beautiful writing carries you through some really dark events。 I hate to damn a b0ok by calling it "important，" thus consigning it to high school Modern American Fiction syllabi， but this novel opened my eyes。 Really effective use of non-linear narrative and multiple perspectives （helpful hint: note the year at the start of each chapter or you'll get lost。） The beautiful writing carries you through some really dark events。 I hate to damn a b0ok by calling it "important，" thus consigning it to high school Modern American Fiction syllabi， but this novel opened my eyes。 。。。more
Claire Tierney
，
Happy Publishing Day to Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia ！In just over 200 pages， some amazing voices of women unfold over several generations， leaving men on the edge of the narrative。 Women who are flawed， who endure so much trauma and yet who truly love。。。Motherhood is at its core and its depiction so accurate and raw at times。 These quotes struck a chord with me:"Think how even the best mothers in the world can't always save their daughters"。"Don't believe the mothers who tell you mother Happy Publishing Day to Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia ！In just over 200 pages， some amazing voices of women unfold over several generations， leaving men on the edge of the narrative。 Women who are flawed， who endure so much trauma and yet who truly love。。。Motherhood is at its core and its depiction so accurate and raw at times。 These quotes struck a chord with me:"Think how even the best mothers in the world can't always save their daughters"。"Don't believe the mothers who tell you motherhood is vocation or sacrifice or beauty or anything on a greeting card。 Motherhood: question mark， a constant calculation of what-if。 What if we just gave up？" One last quote I felt so brilliantly summed up the harsh reality of this narrative: "There are no real rules that govern why some are born in turmoil and others never know a single day in which the next seems an ill-considered bet。"And Jeanette ❤️。。。Powerful。Thank you to @Netgalley and @panMacmillan/ Picador for this ARC in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Gabrielle
，
After closing this book and considering what I’ve just read， I’m struggling to find the right words。 I know this: Of Women and Salt is an important book。 It is heavy and raw。 It is painful and poignant。 I want to tell everyone to “just read it and see for yourself。” Of Women & Salt is an accumulation of the stories of several women as recent as present day and spanning back to the 19th century。 It melds five generations of Cuban women and weaves in a Salvadoran woman and her young daughter。 We a After closing this book and considering what I’ve just read， I’m struggling to find the right words。 I know this: Of Women and Salt is an important book。 It is heavy and raw。 It is painful and poignant。 I want to tell everyone to “just read it and see for yourself。” Of Women & Salt is an accumulation of the stories of several women as recent as present day and spanning back to the 19th century。 It melds five generations of Cuban women and weaves in a Salvadoran woman and her young daughter。 We are given glimpses of their lives and the horrors that have shaped them。 The stories jump from a family detention center in Texas， to a sweaty cigar factory in Cuba。 What wouldn’t a mother do to ensure a better life for her children？ What happens to a daughter who carries a shame that shouldn’t belong to her and searches for validation anywhere she can？ What’s really going on in those detention facilities？ How long will we pretend we don’t know the answers to avoid a truth that is inconvenient to us？ How close could these stories be to being our own given a different flip of the coin？ How much longer will we tell ourselves that we have no control on what’s going on？ More and more authors are stepping up to the plate to tackle these difficult but very real issues。 No， you won’t feel comfortable reading this。 That isn’t the point。 It’s our time to listen to the voices that have been silenced。 I feel Garcia does this marvelously。 Her writing gets to the point without a lot of “fluff” and is yet filled with incredibly poetic symbolism and a raw emotion that will stay with you。 Look， I have SO much more to say and I would delve in deeper。 Are there any book clubs covering this book？ If so， hit me up！ （Also， another “hell yes” from me for another Lantinx novel。 “We are force。”） 。。。more
Vanessa
，
I wanted to like this book， but there were too many points of view。 Each sub-story was just too short for me to connect to the characters。 The character with the most word count， Jeanette， was the one I liked least。
Dan White
，
A virtuoso performance by an old soul （in the form of a young author and highly accomplished Steinbeck Fellow）。 Every chapter lands。 The ghosts of history hover just above the shoulders of the living。 Obsessive readers might enjoy tracking the characters as they would in a sprawling Russian novel， perhaps sketching them out on a great big piece of card stock and drawing circles and arrows to help themselves keep tabs on all these romantic or filial relationships， but I wouldn't bother with all t A virtuoso performance by an old soul （in the form of a young author and highly accomplished Steinbeck Fellow）。 Every chapter lands。 The ghosts of history hover just above the shoulders of the living。 Obsessive readers might enjoy tracking the characters as they would in a sprawling Russian novel， perhaps sketching them out on a great big piece of card stock and drawing circles and arrows to help themselves keep tabs on all these romantic or filial relationships， but I wouldn't bother with all that。 If you just let these chapters/stories carry you along， your subconscious mind will glue the potsherds back together。 This is the best fiction offering I've read so far this year （aside from The Vanishing Half。） 。。。more
Marinel DeBerry
，
The lives of the women in this novel evoked emotions throughout。 The characters were complex and yet simple。 The words written brought you into the novel and I appreciated it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Of Women and Salt
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Of Women and Salt&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Of Women and Salt&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0