From the Bookshelf of Reading with Style…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
It is strange, while reading the Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, I needed a book of fiction based in Paris for a book club challenge. I picked The Book of Salt from a list without really knowing what it was about. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was the later (fictional) history I was reading about in the autobiography..although, this time the focus was based not on Gertrude Stein, but on her cook. A very poetic read.
Let's call my rating a 3.5 -- I was torn between 3 and 4 and decided to round up. This is an incredibly inspired work that brings our narrator Binh truly to life. His life has not been a happy one, but the traumas and tragedies are broken up by the stream of consciousness format and the occasionally moments of love (or at least loving sex) and food. Sometimes this worked beautifully, and sometimes it felt muddled and sapped of feeling.
I expected a little more creative license to be taken on Gert ...more
I expected a little more creative license to be taken on Gert ...more
29 september 14 -- got to page 119. the writing is beautiful, but my brain is broken right now and i feel i am not giving the book the attention it is due. will come back to this one, definitely - when i can better focus.
I agree with many of the reviewers here that say that this book never quite came together, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. I liked finding out a bit about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, empathized with the immigrant experiences of the cook and loved the food descriptions. I believe that Monique Truong will grow as a writer and that I will pick up her next book without hesitation. Recommended for those who enjoy food and cooking.
Feb 21, 2011
Heather (DeathByBook)
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2017
Christi Budd
marked it as to-read
Mar 01, 2021
Anika
marked it as to-read
