A review by greatlibraryofalexandra
The Empress of Salt and Fortune, by Nghi Vo
5.0
This is a delicately bold, quiet and fierce, new age fairytale for the daughters of burned witches, suffragettes, silent sentinels, erased women - and so on. It's subtle, flowery, evocative, and pays homage to feminine resilience and the cunning brutality that bursts out of wronged women in a story that is both light as a feather and heavy as an anvil.
Stunning proof that a book does not have to be long to be rich, intelligent, engaging, and effective. This was subtle, beautiful, and satisfying in the best of ways. It is a fragile and powerful work of art, from the inclusionary nature of its characters down to the ruthless politics. So much breathes beneath the surface.
I would be interested in seeing a film adaptation of this; it seems to be poised perfectly for an immense production on the silver screen, but I fear the male gaze would make it something gaudy and cheap -- so perhaps we should preserve it as a hidden secret of teeth-baring female fantasy.
Stunning proof that a book does not have to be long to be rich, intelligent, engaging, and effective. This was subtle, beautiful, and satisfying in the best of ways. It is a fragile and powerful work of art, from the inclusionary nature of its characters down to the ruthless politics. So much breathes beneath the surface.
I would be interested in seeing a film adaptation of this; it seems to be poised perfectly for an immense production on the silver screen, but I fear the male gaze would make it something gaudy and cheap -- so perhaps we should preserve it as a hidden secret of teeth-baring female fantasy.