As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I waited and waited before reading this book; I found all the possible excuses, like it was out of stock… and they released a paperback version! Like it was too expensive for the shipping cost… and they released an ebook version! It really seemed “they” wanted for me to read it… who they are? My conscience, my heart and my damn love for good historical novels that of course overcome the small voice that was saying, be careful, this book will haunt you. Oh, how much it was right! And unfortunately my voice was not as strong as Jacob’s voice, that made this man the devil that he was.

The book is set during the English revolution of Cromwell and Jacob Cullen is what today you will define a psychopath. For how much I liked him, yes, I did, I was probably liking the man I wanted him to be, the man he could have been if his illness was not making him a monster. When he was able to not listen to his devil inner voice, Jacob was almost a romantic hero; and even if he commits ugly actions, even uglier since they are against the ones he loves more, he is in pain after that… is it enough to make him a good man? No, unfortunately it’s not, since the other Jacob, the one who is following the voice, is like the puppy who bites the hand that is feeding him, for no apparent reason if not that he believes that hand was feeding/loving someone else.

Jacob falls in love for Christopher, and Christopher for him; I truly believe it was love, and I truly believe Jacob is regretting the end of this love (and please don’t be angry, this is not a real spoiler, it’s enough to read any review, or even the blurb, to understand this is not an happily ever after story). Only a man in love could say to the voice (yes, Jacob “talks” with the voice…): “Why did You bid me drown the letter? I have lost something that he touched, and the destruction of it has gained You nothing, for now I no longer read the words, I hear them, as if he implored me face to face: Speak to me, Jacob, do not play the tyrant. Speak to me.” Almost as a precise surgeon, the author chose these words, “Speak to me”, to open and close the first time Jacob went to Christopher, exactly in the middle of the novel, and to close the book, right the last words before the End. Speak to me, Jacob, maybe Christopher was saying, Speak to me and not to your voice? Was Christopher aware that Jacob was crazy, that there was nothing to do to save him?

But there is nothing much to say, Jacob is ill, completely crazy, and for how much Christopher loves him, the other man has dreams that in the end he realizes cannot include Jacob, and that is the moment when Jacob will bite the hand who is feeding him, feeding him love.

You want passion, wrenching love, wonderful and original characters, perfectly carved setting? As Meat Loves Salt is your novel. You want sweet and romance, frilly dresses and comfortable feelings? Avoid this novel as a plague.

Amazon: As Meat Loves Salt
Amazon Kindle: As Meat Loves Salt
Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (March 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007429266
ISBN-13: 978-0007429264

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Comments

[elena-62.livejournal.com]

Cara Elisa,

Thank you for the heartfelt review.

I've heard people raving about this book, so it's one I have on paper. I haven't read it yet, exactly because I suspected what you just confirmed... Still, I think it is a classic and sooner or later I'll tackle it.

Buon fine settimana!

Antonella

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

prepare your heart :-) It's really an emotional rollercoast with a deep downlow in the end.

[carolecummings.livejournal.com]

Yes--everything you said--YES. 'Haunting' is the perfect word for this book. It does haunt me. I read it about five years ago and I will never read it again, but I will never forget it, and as wrenching as it was, I can't regret having had the experience. McCann's beautiful prose just makes it all that much more heartbreaking. I love and hate this book--that's how deeply this story affected me.

When I finished it, I ended up buying copies for a few of my friends, just so I could have someone to help me exorcise some of the emotion it engendered through discussion. It hit me that hard.

You expressed my feelings for it dead-on. Excellent review. I hope everyone who sees your review reads this book.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same, right after I finished the book I was thinking to whom I could gift a copy (not mine of course, that will remain with me) since I wanted to share this experience

[aileenfan.livejournal.com]

I read this novel and I can confirm - all you wrote in this review is true. It was a good read but the ending made me so angry...! Grr...

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

and even so, there was a little hope in me that there was still a small chance it didn't go as it obviously went and that there was still possibility for them

[aileenfan.livejournal.com]

Some authors don't want to give readers an obvious happy ending and I don't blame them, that's their artistic vision but I'd rather see some kind of "open ending" than a sad one, so I can use my imagination:)

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

This book was so well-written, and I enjoyed reading it, but the fact that both Christopher and Jacob were so unlikeable means it's not something I'm likely to re-read. And like everyone else, I found the end frustrating - I would have felt satisfied to have had some redemption for Jacob - but I agree that what happened was perfectly in character for him.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Maybe the author had something other in mind for him? that is the reason why she didn't give him redemption now? or maybe she wanted for him to be true to his character, at the time there was no way to cure him I suppose