The Book of Salt: A Novel
 

The Book of Salt: A Novel

by Monique Truong

The Book of Salt serves up a wholly original take on Paris in the 1930s through the eyes of Binh, the Vietnamese cook employed by Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Viewing his famous mesdames and their entourage from the kitchen of their rue de Fleurus home, Binh observes their domestic entanglements while seeking his own place in the world. In a mesmerizing tale of yearning and... (read more)

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Liked It

Kate E
  • Rated 5 stars

It's told from the point of view of a Vietnamese cook who works for Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. The cook is the narrator, and we learn throughout the story his compelling, and devastating, family history and why he left Vietnam.

I was only a few pages into the book when I realized that I don't have the voice yet for my historical novel I'm writing. Truong has captured a rich, unique voice in her book that is addictive and haunting. I only have ideas and notes, not that voice...

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Didn’t Like It

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
sthurner
  • Rated 2 stars

I chose this book to read right after I read The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, thinking I'd like to understand Gertrude and Alice better. I don't think this book did that for me. I just wasn't interested in the narrator enough to sustain my interest. I wanted to like this novel, but I didn't.

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Community:
  • Rated 3.673469 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3.5 stars
 

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