Of Women and Salt
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- Create Date：2021-05-11 11:51:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Gabriela Garcia
- ISBN：1529031516
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Summary
Five generations of women， linked by blood and circumstance， by the secrets they share， and by a single book passed down through a family， with an affirmation scrawled in its margins: We are force。 We are more than we think we are。
1866， Cuba: María Isabel is the only woman employed at a cigar factory， where each day the workers find strength in daily readings of Victor Hugo。 But these are dangerous political times， and as María begins to see marriage and motherhood as her only options， the sounds of war are approaching。
1959， Cuba: Dolores watches her husband make for the mountains in answer to Fidel Castro’s call to arms。 What Dolores knows， though， is that to survive， she must win her own war， and commit an act of violence that threatens to destroy her daughter Carmen’s world。
2016， Miami: Carmen， still wrestling with the trauma of displacement， is shocked when her daughter Jeanette announces her plans to travel to Cuba to see her grandmother Dolores。 In the walls of her crumbling home lies a secret， one that will link Jeanette to her past， and to this fearless line of women。
From nineteenth-century cigar factories to present-day detention centres， from Cuba to the United States to Mexico， Gabriela Garcia’s Of Women and Salt follows Latina women of fierce pride， bound by the stories passed between them。 It is a haunting meditation on the choices of mothers and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their truth despite those who wish to silence them。
1866， Cuba: María Isabel is the only woman employed at a cigar factory， where each day the workers find strength in daily readings of Victor Hugo。 But these are dangerous political times， and as María begins to see marriage and motherhood as her only options， the sounds of war are approaching。
1959， Cuba: Dolores watches her husband make for the mountains in answer to Fidel Castro’s call to arms。 What Dolores knows， though， is that to survive， she must win her own war， and commit an act of violence that threatens to destroy her daughter Carmen’s world。
2016， Miami: Carmen， still wrestling with the trauma of displacement， is shocked when her daughter Jeanette announces her plans to travel to Cuba to see her grandmother Dolores。 In the walls of her crumbling home lies a secret， one that will link Jeanette to her past， and to this fearless line of women。
From nineteenth-century cigar factories to present-day detention centres， from Cuba to the United States to Mexico， Gabriela Garcia’s Of Women and Salt follows Latina women of fierce pride， bound by the stories passed between them。 It is a haunting meditation on the choices of mothers and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their truth despite those who wish to silence them。
Reviews
Devon Fallon
，
A beautiful and gritty story about choices and family and the meaning （or not） of it all。
Camille Plemmons
，
I read a lot of reviews of this book before I read it， and I worried I wouldn’t like it。 But I really really liked it。 It’s not Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi （though the family tree in the front of the book makes you think it’s trying to be）。 The author is a really good writer， and though the characters might not have been as fleshed out as they could’ve been， I think she did a really good job with their stories。
Bethany Johnson
，
3。5 starsI really enjoyed this novel， but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped。 I’ve seen some reviews about how it was hard to follow six split narratives coming from different time periods， presented in a nonlinear way。 I didn’t think it was difficult to follow， per se， just kind of cumbersome。 It was an interesting stylistic choice。 I wish each woman’s story had been fleshed out a little more。 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve finished a book and thought it should have been about 100 pages sho 3。5 starsI really enjoyed this novel， but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped。 I’ve seen some reviews about how it was hard to follow six split narratives coming from different time periods， presented in a nonlinear way。 I didn’t think it was difficult to follow， per se， just kind of cumbersome。 It was an interesting stylistic choice。 I wish each woman’s story had been fleshed out a little more。 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve finished a book and thought it should have been about 100 pages shorter， but this is the first time I’ve found myself wishing the novel was 100 pages longer - and not because it was so good I didn’t want it to end。 I just wanted more information。 。。。more
Yukari Watanabe
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3。5 stars。 This book would've been better if it was Stories rather than a novel。 3。5 stars。 This book would've been better if it was Stories rather than a novel。 。。。more
Erin
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"Of Women and Salt" traces both five generations of Cuban women and a Salvadoran woman named Gloria and her daughter Ana through what is essentially a series of vignettes that skip around time wise and cover issues like immigration， domestic violence， sexual abuse， addiction and mother-daughter relationships。 I like novels written in that style， though I do think this one is a bit too disjointed， and probably had more POVs than it should have for its relatively short length。 Still， the writing i "Of Women and Salt" traces both five generations of Cuban women and a Salvadoran woman named Gloria and her daughter Ana through what is essentially a series of vignettes that skip around time wise and cover issues like immigration， domestic violence， sexual abuse， addiction and mother-daughter relationships。 I like novels written in that style， though I do think this one is a bit too disjointed， and probably had more POVs than it should have for its relatively short length。 Still， the writing is lovely and， while it didn't blow me away， I enjoyed it overall。 。。。more
Dahlgren General Library
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DA100000031227
Betsy Scherer
，
Had a tough time choosing between a 3 and a 4！
Cait
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A heartfelt book about what constitutes a "good" immigrant; mother; American; daughter; wife。 Reminiscent of Disappearing Earth， the struggles of several women （largely at the hands of men） are displayed in overlapping vignettes。 A central question is， "when （and how） is it appropriate to intervene？" The multiple timelines get confusing and the language is more plain that lyrical， but it's a moving read。 A heartfelt book about what constitutes a "good" immigrant; mother; American; daughter; wife。 Reminiscent of Disappearing Earth， the struggles of several women （largely at the hands of men） are displayed in overlapping vignettes。 A central question is， "when （and how） is it appropriate to intervene？" The multiple timelines get confusing and the language is more plain that lyrical， but it's a moving read。 。。。more
Rebecca McPhedran
，
This book is so beautifully written， and so heartbreaking。 It follows the matrilineal line of two different families， and the struggles each woman had to face。 In the present day， one character is battling addiction， in the 1860's her great great great grandmother is dealing with civil unrest and imminent war。 And they are all dealing with some kind of betrayal， whether personal or political。 This book is amazing。 Will definitely recommend to my friends。 This book is so beautifully written， and so heartbreaking。 It follows the matrilineal line of two different families， and the struggles each woman had to face。 In the present day， one character is battling addiction， in the 1860's her great great great grandmother is dealing with civil unrest and imminent war。 And they are all dealing with some kind of betrayal， whether personal or political。 This book is amazing。 Will definitely recommend to my friends。 。。。more
Aj
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“We are more than we think we are。” Amazing stories of survival， complex motherhood/loss of mothers， and the wreckage from misogyny across generations， for a Cuban and Salvadoran family。 And I mean wreckage， so content/trigger warnings about a whole host of violence towards women as they deal with loving/needing men in their life。
Molly
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I really wanted to like this book more than I did。 I wish it was two separate books - I wanted more of the story of Carmen & Dolores’s family and more of the story of Gloria and Ana。
Chloe
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Breezed through this short， complex novel and really enjoyed it， despite that it is sad。 It felt a little lurchy towards the end as certain threads needed a little more fleshing out for me， although I appreciated that the author didn't waste a single word here。 The temptation among many debut writers is to overwrite and produce 400 page novels， so I admire Gabriela García's courage to leave out as much as she did。 There is so much room for her to grow into an even better storyteller and I am ver Breezed through this short， complex novel and really enjoyed it， despite that it is sad。 It felt a little lurchy towards the end as certain threads needed a little more fleshing out for me， although I appreciated that the author didn't waste a single word here。 The temptation among many debut writers is to overwrite and produce 400 page novels， so I admire Gabriela García's courage to leave out as much as she did。 There is so much room for her to grow into an even better storyteller and I am very interested to see what her next direction is。 。。。more
Nan Williams
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This was advertised as being a kaleidoscope。 No， it's more a pile of broken glass that never comes together。 It's a real mess。 There's a lot of potential in the themes， but there again， there are too many themes which never reach their potential。The time line 。。。 well， there's really not one。 The setting skips over 100 years: back and forth， here， there and yonder with multiple characters wandering on and off the page in various experiences of misery。Having read all the sparkling reviews， I was This was advertised as being a kaleidoscope。 No， it's more a pile of broken glass that never comes together。 It's a real mess。 There's a lot of potential in the themes， but there again， there are too many themes which never reach their potential。The time line 。。。 well， there's really not one。 The setting skips over 100 years: back and forth， here， there and yonder with multiple characters wandering on and off the page in various experiences of misery。Having read all the sparkling reviews， I was excited to find this book。 However， for me， this book was simply an exercise in frustration。 I'm glad others enjoyed it。 。。。more
Lana Hasper
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Well written and moving。
Katherine McLaughlin
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“And I am sorry I had nothing else to offer， Ana。 That there are no real rules to govern why some are born in turmoil and others never know a single day in which the next seems an ill-considered bet。 It’s all lottery， Ana， all chance。 It’s the flick of a coin， and we are born”
Nicole Gaffney
，
Amazing following different stories and how they are all intertwined。 These women are a force to be reckoned with！
Stacy
，
Easy read
Harri
，
Heart wrenching， gritty， brutal and honest is how I would describe this book。 Examining feminism， motherhood， identity， addiction， abuse and immigration。 Some parts were tricky to read and brought tears to my eyes。 I devoured this book in one day， I just couldn’t put it down。 I agree with some of the other reviews that this would work well as short stories about each individual woman。 4。5 stars ⭐️
Maggie Pinson
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Provides an Immigrant Perspective on the American DreamFascinating story of immigrant women across generations。 Ms。 Garcia finds universal parallels between Cuban and South American immigrant experience despite historical and social differences。
Emily
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I have read several books lately with similar themes and this one just doesn't measure up。 Writing was generally a bit stodgy and clunky and all the jumping around between characters， places and time left the reader feeling a bit disoriented and disconnected。 I have read several books lately with similar themes and this one just doesn't measure up。 Writing was generally a bit stodgy and clunky and all the jumping around between characters， places and time left the reader feeling a bit disoriented and disconnected。 。。。more
Abby Soghomonian
，
I found “Of Women and Salt” to be a sobering and gripping multigenerational work of genius。 Garcia brilliantly weaves the stories of several generations of Cuban women into a cohesive narrative and highlights their struggles， both personal and political， while also reminding readers of the struggles faced by immigrants。 Carmen left Her homeland and moved to Miami， where she raised her daughter Jeanette。 Carmen does not speak to her mother and rarely talks about the circumstances surrounding her I found “Of Women and Salt” to be a sobering and gripping multigenerational work of genius。 Garcia brilliantly weaves the stories of several generations of Cuban women into a cohesive narrative and highlights their struggles， both personal and political， while also reminding readers of the struggles faced by immigrants。 Carmen left Her homeland and moved to Miami， where she raised her daughter Jeanette。 Carmen does not speak to her mother and rarely talks about the circumstances surrounding her choice to leave her homeland。 Jeanette is struggling to remain sober and has a tumultuous relationship with Carmen。 One day， Jeanette watches her neighbor be taken away by ICE and is left taking in the neighbor’s 7 year old daughter， Ana。 Once Ana is apprehended， we learn of her and her mother’s struggles， as well as Jeanette’s curiosity about her past。 In the end， despite not always being able to save ourselves， the overall strength and strong will that women possess shines through。 。。。more
Kathy
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Listened to this book。 I appreciate the value of the women telling their stories of living in Cuba and migrating to Miami。 Important。 But， there were too many characters for me to keep them straight。
Jenny
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I enjoyed this generational tale of women from both Cuba and El Salvador。 It's a slight novel and I zipped through it， but that in itself is its downfall。 Gabriella Garcia packs an awful lot in to little over 200 pages - generational trauma， deportation， revolution， abuse， etc。 Too much to cover anything in any real depth and I was left feeling like I didn't really know any of the characters。 This could easily have been a 500+ page epic。 The timeline is confusing， jumping from one narrator to an I enjoyed this generational tale of women from both Cuba and El Salvador。 It's a slight novel and I zipped through it， but that in itself is its downfall。 Gabriella Garcia packs an awful lot in to little over 200 pages - generational trauma， deportation， revolution， abuse， etc。 Too much to cover anything in any real depth and I was left feeling like I didn't really know any of the characters。 This could easily have been a 500+ page epic。 The timeline is confusing， jumping from one narrator to another， from the same narrator but to a different time period。 And she also switches from lyrical， poetic prose to sticato like prose quite often。 But the writing is something I enjoyed。 Ultimately I was a little disappointed in this as I wanted so much more， but I would definitely pick up a future novel from Garcia。Thank you to Netgalley and Granta for this review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alexandra
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Real rating 3。5 stars。 A lot I liked about this book but at times it felt a bit disjointed。
Kathy
，
Debut novel on the current and relevant topic of immigration and deportation。 Eye opening views of the injustice and profound trauma of displacement and the insurmountable struggle to achieve livable status。 Covering five generations of women in Cuba， Mexico and Miami from 1866 to the present with strained mother/daughter relationships a common thread。 Presented as a lot of disjointed stories and a writing style that was not a smooth read for me。
Pamela
，
Each chapter was beautifully written。 Ms。 Garcia is obviously a talented writer。 However， overall the novel felt disjointed。 After the first 3rd of the book I was convinced I was reading a masterpiece but the middle chapters really let the first 3rd down and the ending seemed unrealistic。 All in all， I would still recommend this book for the beautiful chapters but not for the overall story。
Royce Houthuijzen
，
“We are more than we think we are。”
Barbara Switzer
，
This is a little 204 page book， more of a novella than a novel。 The characters are thin， and the plot is choppy。 I quit halfway （page 100）。
Mikaela Wapman
，
I love when a story weaves together different narratives across generations。 I am awed by the way Garcia captures the distinct voice of each character， leaves questions unanswered or plot lines incomplete， and， in particular， how she captures the brilliance and grief inside of Gloria's chapter。 A tale of immigration， privilege， identity， substance abuse， grief， dysfunction， and legacy （with a family connection to an ancient first edition of Les Miserables， which I particularly appreciated！）。 Bri I love when a story weaves together different narratives across generations。 I am awed by the way Garcia captures the distinct voice of each character， leaves questions unanswered or plot lines incomplete， and， in particular， how she captures the brilliance and grief inside of Gloria's chapter。 A tale of immigration， privilege， identity， substance abuse， grief， dysfunction， and legacy （with a family connection to an ancient first edition of Les Miserables， which I particularly appreciated！）。 Brilliant， inspired， whoa！！！ 。。。more
Krisette Spangler
，
I wanted to like this novel， but there were too many things that got in the way。 Some of the sections were beautiful and told a moving story of the plight of immigrant women。 Other sections were just all over the place and filled to overflowing with as much misery and disfunction as an author could possibly dream up。 The language was really bad in some sections as well。 I finally quit reading it， when I realized there was absolutely no cohesion and no point to the novel。
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