What do readers think of Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia? Write your own review.

My first encounter with Maria Isabel occurred in Chapter One while she was working in a cigar factory in Cuba. This vision catapulted me into Bizet's opera, Carmen. In my mind I was able to smell the tobacco and hear the voices of the factory workers as they tightly rolled tobacco into cigars. This book is a powerful narrative of women sharing their generational memories, secrets, and survival strategies. I was raised by my maternal grandmother who immigrated from Eastern Europe to the US. Like the characters in the book she told me bits and pieces of her life story. She survived two World Wars and the Great Depression. She told me of the hardships she endured as an immigrant living thousands of miles away from her family and country of origin .What she didn't tell me was what notions she had to give up in order to move ahead in her new role of wife, mother, grandmother and US citizen.. I often ponder what gave her comfort and support, as I ponder the issues and secrets of the generations of women in Of Women and Salt. It is my hope that you, the Reader will be challenged to research and examine the lives of the women in your family who came before you and contributed to the person you are to today.

I really enjoyed this book even though it was not a linear novel. Usually I do not like books that jump around in both points of view and time periods but the author made this one work. I enjoyed each snippet of each person's story. Just enough information was provided to hold my interest, keep the story together, and provide a backdrop of Cuba that made me want to learn more. I would recommend this book.

Of Women and Salt is a book about unseen forces and how they shape us. For a relatively short book, it covers a lot of ground - two families and a timeline that crosses through many generations. We see the effects of generational trauma on several women, and witness the loss and gain of fortunes. Despite all of this, I never felt there was anything missing or any confusion while reading this lyrical novel. The settings are rich, from Cuba to the U.S., and the characters are complex and interesting. Readers should be aware that Garcia does tackle some difficult topics that may not be for everyone - addiction, sexual abuse, and death, to name a few. Still, there is hope and beauty in this book, and the beginning and ending of the story have a wonderful (yet realistic) symmetry. I highly recommend this novel and I look forward to reading more from this fabulous debut author.

This is the first book written by the author. I felt each chapter of the book seemed to read like a part of a group of short stories. A brief genealogy chart was in the front of the book and the chapters were written about each of these women. I confess I would have been a little lost without this chart to use as a reference. I also had difficulty with the use of words in Spanish or a Spanish dialect. Never less, I enjoyed the story and appreciated the difficulty of the lives of this family. Interesting characters these women were, brave and persistent in living their own lives as they felt they should. I would recommend the book for book clubs as I think it would spark discussion and it is a short book.

There are women and there is salt in this story, or should I say stories. The structure reminds me of a shawl I am knitting. It’s made of leftover yarn, so there are strong stripes of bright colors against rows of bland timeless yarn which are woven in by chance and happenstance. The stories of these generations of women are the bright stripes. It is made of moments that became momentous. These stories, like the lives of the five generations of Cuban and two of El Salvadoran women told here, could have been so much more. Their lives, and this book, fell short of potential.
She knows the geography of her topics. Cuba, Miami, the borderlands of Mexico and the Rio Grande, and even the terrain of Jeannette’s descent into addiction are depicted with beautifully wrought detail. The writing is uneven, but in places, gripping. It is the secrets that the women kept from each other and themselves that are unfortunately kept from us as well.
Garcia takes us places we need to go. Cuban history is checkered with violence and bravery. Central American immigration is also violent and brave. Tell us more, Gabriela, I’ll go back with you again in your next book.

While I did not find this book overwhelmingly engaging, the issues touched upon were real. Gentler than American Dirt, the issues of immigration into the US formed an educational back drop for the mother’s and daughters relationship issues.

This book tells of the agony of women who fought for a better life. The importance of family ties is illustrated throughout the book. The author writes very well and gives an excellent picture of life first in Cuba then on to Mexico and finally back to Florida. Conditions in all of these areas are well described. Especially with the insight into the drug culture and how it affects people it is at times difficult to read. It reminded me of American Dirt which also told of how and why people are so desperate to get to the United States. Overall this is worth reading.

I commend Gabriela Garcia on her first novel that is indeed unique and haunting. It is evident that she spent a hefty amount of time researching pertinent topics regarding immigration, holding facilities, laws, and the struggle to survive. Central to the book are the relationships of mothers and daughters and the manner in which they connect or disconnect. Oh, the secrets that abound, some better left untold and others that would have provided a healthy balance. There are heartwarming moments and disturbing ones as well. Why the title? I urge you to read and ponder. I look forward to reading more reviews of this novel.