alittleoverdue's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the premise of the book and the depictions of addiction, both from the addict and addict's family. However, the jumping between different perspectives didn't work so well. While it was really readable, the book did a lot more telling than showing and ended abruptly and unsatisfyingly. This book had so much potential, but ultimately failed to deliver.
skikatt68's review against another edition
5.0
This book resonated on a personal level that brought closure and healing. Southgate is a wonderful writer.
bklyn76's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. [I haven't been able to finish a book so quickly in the last 3 years or so!]
Fast, easy read that delved into the dynamics of a family affected by alcohol. Though very sad at times, there are moments that warm the heart too.
Fast, easy read that delved into the dynamics of a family affected by alcohol. Though very sad at times, there are moments that warm the heart too.
cowmingo's review against another edition
3.0
This book left me with a sense of the main character's loss. I liked the book, I just feel unsettled and almost voyeuristic into the characters lives.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
3.0
Josephine is one of very few black women in the field of marine biology. She's also the product of a troubled family -- both her father and her brother are alcoholics. Everything about her life has set her up for solitude and she's okay with that: she herself states that she's not sure she has enough love to give. It's not an uncommon response to the kinds of family troubles that Joseie has experienced -- distance yourself from people and they can't hurt you the way others have hurt you in the past. As the book opens, Josie is picking her brother up from his second stint in rehab. Josie intends to hand responsibility for her brother off to her mother in Cleveland then head back to her job and husband in Massachusetts. Southgate then swings the narration into the past, giving the reader insight into Josie's childhood, her parents' troubled marriage, and and the berth of her brother's disease before examining how those events affect present-day Josie's behavior.
Unfortunately, the characters never really grew beyond two dimensions for me and I wasn't a fan of Southgate's shifting narrative. The book was mostly told from Josie's point of view, first-person, but then it would switch to her brother or her parents for a chapter before going back to Josie as an omniscient narrator describing them. I get that Southgate was trying to present a broader perspective, but it really only took me out of the story. The first time she switched, Southgate set it up for us by having Josie announce that she was taking on her mother's voice, imagining what might have been said and reconstructing events -- it felt like reading the Warnings Meant to Avoid Lawsuits at the beginning of memoirs and it just didn't work for me.
I give Southgate credit for writing about middle-class African Americans and for addressing addiction in an honest, frank way, but Josie just didn't resonate with me the way I had hoped.
Unfortunately, the characters never really grew beyond two dimensions for me and I wasn't a fan of Southgate's shifting narrative. The book was mostly told from Josie's point of view, first-person, but then it would switch to her brother or her parents for a chapter before going back to Josie as an omniscient narrator describing them. I get that Southgate was trying to present a broader perspective, but it really only took me out of the story. The first time she switched, Southgate set it up for us by having Josie announce that she was taking on her mother's voice, imagining what might have been said and reconstructing events -- it felt like reading the Warnings Meant to Avoid Lawsuits at the beginning of memoirs and it just didn't work for me.
I give Southgate credit for writing about middle-class African Americans and for addressing addiction in an honest, frank way, but Josie just didn't resonate with me the way I had hoped.
meaganchurch's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, the story engaged me from the start and was a quick read. But I struggled with the first person narrator throughout she knew too much from other people's perspectives and it became distracting at times.
niaforrester's review against another edition
5.0
This is the kind of book I most love to read. Just amazing on all fronts. The plot unfolds mostly in the emotional lives of the characters, all of whom live with sadness and regret. The word that I would use to describe this book, if I had just one word, would be "mournful". Martha Southgate did an incredible job of showing the corrosive effect that addiction can have on families, individuals and the love between a man and woman. I felt Josie's struggle as she tried to live a life that rose above the scars of growing up with an alcoholic father; and later, her struggle to distance herself from a brother, Tick, whose life is plagued by the same demons and who seems hell-bent on self-destruction.
I loved the quiet way in which Southgate shows that Josie's determination to disconnect from her dysfunctional past only leads to further disconnectedness in her present, and in her marriage. I ached for Josie because she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge her pain, enough to even truly feel it. And her being drawn to the silent weightlessness of being underwater I understood perfectly, even though its not a feeling I can relate to.
But because the book was so incredibly sad, I'll need a fair amount of recuperation time before I attempt to read more of this author's work.
I loved the quiet way in which Southgate shows that Josie's determination to disconnect from her dysfunctional past only leads to further disconnectedness in her present, and in her marriage. I ached for Josie because she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge her pain, enough to even truly feel it. And her being drawn to the silent weightlessness of being underwater I understood perfectly, even though its not a feeling I can relate to.
But because the book was so incredibly sad, I'll need a fair amount of recuperation time before I attempt to read more of this author's work.
elibriggs's review against another edition
3.0
good portrait of an african american family and their struggles told through the daughter's POV.
samsanator's review against another edition
5.0
My friend, Amanda, gave me an advance copy of The Tast of Salt a little while back, and I picked it up shortly thereafter because the cover looked pretty and I didn't have anything else to read. I am so glad I did. In this novel, Martha Southgate has woven an incredible tale of addiction and romance, family and friendship. She deals with issues of race and gender and relationships in a way that strikes true at the heart.
Josie Henderson is the only black scientist working with marine mammals in Woods Hole, Mass. She and her husband, David, a white man, work there at the same institution. Quickly after beginning her story, we get the sense that she is running from a dark family secret. Born and raised in Cleveland, we find that she has both a father and a brother that suffer from alcoholism. In Woods Hole, however, she has run so far from these issues that she rarely speaks of them to anyone, including her husband.
Woods Hole hires another black scientist, Ben, shortly after Josie makes a visit home to see her brother, who has just been released from rehab for the second time. Upon meeting Ben, Josie feels an instant connection, and decides she can trust him with her family's secrets. As you can imagine, this causes quite a divide between her and David. Soon, her brother comes to live with her because he can't seem to stay clean, and tragedy strikes. We watch as everything Josie knew to be true slowly and steadily unravels, changing her view of the world.
Martha Southgate has the unique ability to weave a story so bold and beautiful that it is impossible to put down. The story of Josie's family swells and recedes just like the tide of the ocean Josie holds so dear. The story is so delicately crafted that you find yourself excited and devastated with Josie at every turn, and you close the book after the last page truly changed.
I would highly recommend The Taste of Salt. The tentative release date is 9/13/2011, so pick up your copy soon.
Josie Henderson is the only black scientist working with marine mammals in Woods Hole, Mass. She and her husband, David, a white man, work there at the same institution. Quickly after beginning her story, we get the sense that she is running from a dark family secret. Born and raised in Cleveland, we find that she has both a father and a brother that suffer from alcoholism. In Woods Hole, however, she has run so far from these issues that she rarely speaks of them to anyone, including her husband.
Woods Hole hires another black scientist, Ben, shortly after Josie makes a visit home to see her brother, who has just been released from rehab for the second time. Upon meeting Ben, Josie feels an instant connection, and decides she can trust him with her family's secrets. As you can imagine, this causes quite a divide between her and David. Soon, her brother comes to live with her because he can't seem to stay clean, and tragedy strikes. We watch as everything Josie knew to be true slowly and steadily unravels, changing her view of the world.
Martha Southgate has the unique ability to weave a story so bold and beautiful that it is impossible to put down. The story of Josie's family swells and recedes just like the tide of the ocean Josie holds so dear. The story is so delicately crafted that you find yourself excited and devastated with Josie at every turn, and you close the book after the last page truly changed.
I would highly recommend The Taste of Salt. The tentative release date is 9/13/2011, so pick up your copy soon.
serenaac's review against another edition
3.0
The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate is the tumultuous tale of Josie Henderson and her family. Josie is a successful scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, but the journey that helped her achieve her dream was wrought with sadness and anger. Her brother “Tick,” once her ally against their alcoholic father, has just emerged from another stint in rehab and seeking her help, which brings to the forefront everything Josie has tried to push aside and avoid.
The narrative begins in Josie’s point of view and then shifts to that of her mother, her father, her brother, and her husband Daniel. Southgate is trying to tell a well-rounded story about heartbreak and disappointment, but readers may find the additional points of view unnecessary. Even without the other perspectives, Josie’s voice is solid enough to carry the entire story.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/11/the-taste-of-salt-by-martha-southgate.html
The narrative begins in Josie’s point of view and then shifts to that of her mother, her father, her brother, and her husband Daniel. Southgate is trying to tell a well-rounded story about heartbreak and disappointment, but readers may find the additional points of view unnecessary. Even without the other perspectives, Josie’s voice is solid enough to carry the entire story.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/11/the-taste-of-salt-by-martha-southgate.html