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Book Review: The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby & Giveaway (US only)

September 5, 2012 by Darlene

The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby is a novel that weaves the mythical with reality but at it’s core it’s about the complexities of mothers and daughters and the relationships they have with each other.

Diana is the type of woman who can’t set down roots and when you’re the mother of two young girls that’s not a good thing. Ruthie and Dolly live a crazy life with their mother. They are always on the go with no home to speak off, they don’t go to school, they don’t eat properly, their mother is a drunk, and even worse they are told on a regular basis that they’ve ruined their mother’s life. Yet the girls are resilient and as all young kids they still love their mother and no matter what Diana does keep her family together.

The bulk of the story focuses on Ruth and later on her daughter Naida. Ruth has faced many tragic circumstances in her life but one in particular when she’s a teen changes the course of her life forever. When she’s left with a baby daughter to care for on her own she goes back to the one place she was happy for a while as a girl. At that time it was a motel but later was turned into a retirement home for old folks. It is there that Ruth finds her calling. She has a compassion and knack for caring for those that nobody else wants to anymore.

Naida is brought up at the retirement home and grows to believe she’s this beautiful, perfect child because that’s what her mother and all the old folks tell her. But Naida has a birth defect that will turn out to have a harsh effect on her formative years and leave her bullied and alone. Being left on her own without friends Naida learns to live in her dreamworld where she’s happy, perfect, and with her father. Unfortunately this obsession with her father and his world leads her to do some pretty dangerous things when it comes to the sea.

The thing that holds strong between mother and daughter is Naida’s father. Ruth had loved him with everything she had but he was a wanderer – a sea man. He came and went like a breeze on the wind. He would show up bruised and battered and tell Ruth that he was fighting to protect the animals. When he disappears for an extended time and comes back wanting to know Naida, Ruth tells him not to come back again. Naida, though, grows up idolizing him and the sea. While her mother has always been terrified of the water, Naida feels a powerful pull towards it. Her imagination tells her that her father wants her and that he and her sisters are waiting for her out there. Will Naida live her life with her mother or will the pull of the sea ultimately be too much for her?

The Salt God’s Daughter is without a doubt a beautifully written novel. So much so that I found myself going back over passages a few times because they resonated so much with me. I enjoyed the folklore weaved throughout the story a great deal and while it’s a complex tale in it’s telling, it is also a captivating one. If you enjoy novels that are deep and beautifully written then The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby is one you should read!

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (US only)

I have one copy of The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby to share with my US readers.  To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
  • For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do be sure to let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
  • For 3 entries blog or tweet this giveaway.

This giveaway is open to my US readers only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, September 22/12.  Good luck!

Source: Review copy provided by SparksPointStudio. No compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: 2012 - 100+ Books, 2012 ARC's, 2012 Book Reviews, 2012 eBooks

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bethie says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:08 am

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    I follow on GFC

  2. Mary says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:19 am

    Beautiful review, Dar! (don’t include me in the giveaway)

  3. Laura Kay says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:52 am

    I’ve been reading such great reviews about The Salt God’s Daughter! I’d love to read it!

  4. Laura Kay says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:52 am

    I’m a follower of your blog (and have been-a novel review laura)

  5. Laura Kay says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:53 am

    I tweeted about the giveaway! Here is the link from twitter:
    https://twitter.com/anovelreview1/status/243315877204860929

  6. dogwood says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:13 am

    This sounds great! Your review has me intrigued.

    dogwoodlane (at) suddenlink (dot) net

  7. dogwood says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:14 am

    I follow you blog – dogwood (gfc)

    dogwoodlane (at) suddenlink (dot) net

  8. ellie says

    September 5, 2012 at 7:48 am

    This book sounds fascinating. Thanks. I am an e-mail subscriber.

  9. Shelby says

    September 5, 2012 at 7:55 am

    Hm, looks like a good book! I follow you!

  10. anne says

    September 5, 2012 at 8:16 am

    What a great giveaway. thanks for this chance. I subscribe via e-mail.

  11. Mary Ward says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:09 am

    I love when the words in a book make me re-read them over and over again.

  12. Mary Ward says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:09 am

    I follow on GFC (mamie316) and by email.

  13. mamabunny13 says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:26 am

    I would love to read this, thanks for the review and giveaway!
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

  14. ANN*H says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:26 am

    sounds like a great book one I will enjoy reading
    thanks for the chance to win

  15. ANN*H says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:26 am

    GFC follower – amhengst

  16. ANN*H says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:27 am

    email subscriber – amhengst at verizon dot net

  17. mamabunny13 says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:28 am

    I follow via gfc – mamabunny13
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

  18. mamabunny13 says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:29 am

    tweet https://twitter.com/mamabunny13/status/243385029496012800
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

  19. Lara says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:50 am

    I love books like that; that are so wonderfully written you want to read certain passages several times. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Google follower

    lafra86 at gmail dot com

  20. Michelle James says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:51 am

    I have tweeted this page at https://twitter.com/macjam47.

  21. Michelle James says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:51 am

    I have read such good reviews about this book and I would love to read it. It is on my TBR list.

  22. Michelle James says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:52 am

    I am and have been a follower of your blog.

  23. Colleen Turner says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:53 am

    I have heard really good things about this book and am excited to get a chance to read it. Thanks for the opportunity to try and win a copy!

  24. Colleen Turner says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:54 am

    I am a GFC follower (Colleen Turner) and email subscriber.

  25. Colleen Turner says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:54 am

    I shared via twitter (@candc320).

  26. Andrew Beck says

    September 5, 2012 at 10:54 am

    Sounds like a very interesting read, especially how it ties into the folklore of the sea, as well as the impact of a birth defect that a young child is not quite aware that she has. What an incredible mind.

    Please note that I follow you (subscribe) via email and look forward to your insightful reviews!

  27. Susan says

    September 5, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Lovely review! I will post this in my blog’s sidebar. Thanks for hosting this giveaway. I’m a follower.

    suko95(at)gmail(dot)com

  28. Bookworm says

    September 5, 2012 at 11:43 am

    I won this one online and I can’t wait to read it. Great review Dar. There’s a ‘Naida’ in this story?! Lol, I’ve never read a book where a character shares my name.

  29. Kirsten says

    September 5, 2012 at 12:29 pm

    I am really intrigued with this book!
    I follow on GFC and by RSS.
    Thanks!

  30. Carl says

    September 5, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Yet another great book at Peeking Between the Pages. Thanks Darlene, for making this new one available to us. I’d love to win it.

    I follow this blog by email: carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx

    I tweeted about the giveaway: https://twitter.com/carlrscott/status/243415556907216896

  31. bermudaonion(Kathy) says

    September 5, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    I’m so excited for Ilie and hope this book is a big success. Your review is great!!

  32. nan says

    September 5, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Interesting premise. Thanks for the chance to win. I’m a follower.

  33. Margie says

    September 5, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    This soun ds like a fascinating book. THanks so much for the giveaway.

  34. Margie says

    September 5, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    blog follower
    -GFC
    -Networked Blogs
    -Facebook

  35. Jenna Evans says

    September 5, 2012 at 3:15 pm

    Sounds interesting, and I have heard good things!

    I also follow your blog.

  36. Anna (Diary of an Eccentric) says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:26 pm

    I’m interested to see how the author weaves in the folklore. Sounds really good. I am a follower.

  37. Lisa Garrett says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    I love books about family relationships.

  38. Lisa Garrett says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:48 pm

    I follow via gfc and email.

  39. Lisa Garrett says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Tweeted: https://mobile.twitter.com/lag32583/status/243496253722337281

  40. Staci says

    September 5, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    I loved your review and am so excited to dive into this one!!!

  41. zibilee says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    I loved this book too, and have heard that some compared it to Housekeeping, but I think it excels in that regard. I am so glad that you liked it and that you gave it such a glowing review. It was a read that I didn’t want to put down.

  42. Nancy says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:51 pm

    Great review I want to know more, thanks for the giveaway.

  43. Nancy says

    September 5, 2012 at 6:52 pm

    I’m a GFC long time follower.

  44. Linda Kish says

    September 5, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    I would love to win/read this book. It sounds terrific.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

  45. Linda Kish says

    September 5, 2012 at 7:34 pm

    I am a GFC follower

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

  46. Rachel W. says

    September 6, 2012 at 10:59 am

    This book looks really great. I’m a follower– thanks for the giveaway!

    Rachelhwallen@gmail.com

  47. Kim@Time2Read says

    September 7, 2012 at 7:10 am

    Wow! This one sounds really good. And I love the cover. I am GFC follower. Thanks for the giveaway.

  48. Donna says

    September 10, 2012 at 2:42 pm

    Sounds like a great book.Would love to win it.

  49. Beverly S. says

    September 12, 2012 at 7:02 am

    Sounds like the perfect book to “escape” with outside in this beautiful fall weather we’re having. Even the cover of this book has me intrigued. 🙂

    I follow on GFC plus I tweeted about the giveaway:
    https://twitter.com/DesignerBev/status/245869279696805891

    Thank you for the chance to win a new book. 🙂

  50. Anita Yancey says

    September 13, 2012 at 7:45 am

    I loved your review. It sounds like a very intersting and moving story. It has a really nice cover. Thanks for having this giveaway.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  51. Anita Yancey says

    September 13, 2012 at 7:45 am

    Follow on GFC as Anita Yancey.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  52. Anita Yancey says

    September 13, 2012 at 7:47 am

    Tweeted giveaway.
    Twitter Name:@Anita Yancey

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  53. Daniel M says

    September 16, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    always like reading about mythology

  54. Nancy Luebke says

    September 18, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    Sounds interesting. I follow on email

  55. Maureen says

    September 19, 2012 at 10:42 am

    It sounds like an interesting book, exploring the mother/daughter relationship

  56. Maureen says

    September 19, 2012 at 10:42 am

    I follow on GFC

  57. Maureen says

    September 19, 2012 at 10:43 am

    tweet: https://twitter.com/MaureenCE/status/248461805582700544

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