The Book of Salt Audiobook By Monique Truong cover art

The Book of Salt

 Preview

$0.00 for first 30 days

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Book of Salt

By: Monique Truong
Narrated by: J. Paul Boehmer
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.88

Buy for $18.88

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

“[He] came to us through an advertisement that I had in desperation put in the newspaper. It began captivatingly for those days: Two American ladies wish...” It was these lines in The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book that inspired The Book of Salt.

In Paris, 1934, Bính has accompanied his employers, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, to the train station for their departure to America. His own destination is unclear: will he go with "the Steins", stay in France, or return to his native Vietnam?

Bính has fled his homeland in disgrace, leaving behind his malevolent charlatan of a father and his self-sacrificing mother. For five years, he has been the live-in cook at the famous apartment at 27 rue de Fleurus. Before Bính’s decision is revealed, his mesmerizing narrative catapults us back to his youth in French-colonized Vietnam, his years as a galley hand at sea, and his days turning out fragrant repasts for the doyennes of the Lost Generation.

©2013 Monique Truong (P)2013 AudioGO Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction
All stars
Most relevant  
I love this fascinating book and had not read anything quite like it before. I hope that Monique Truong writes a sequel to it one day; I would love to read more about Binh's experiences. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an unusual and entertaining read.

A Fascinating and Relaxing Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book and the voice narrator. I was able to put it in a lil speed, while still understanding the story.

Great audiobook

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love this type of book. Taking me to countries, times, lifestyles, and thoughts I could never explore in any depth on my own, Nor would I wish to, to be honest.
The narrator did an excellent job, I thought. The loneliness and anguish of Bin's life were so well done. The self-centered world of his madames so complete.
I don't love excessive descriptions of gay and lesbian love affairs, so I probably would have skipped this one had I known what it contaoned. However, I am glad I I stuck with it. The intimacy is necessary, not gratuitous at all in this story.
I look forward to another by this author!

I will go back for more

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I truly enjoyed the audio version of this story. The stream of consciousness style of writing can be a bit chalet follow but listening made it easier. I will definitely be carrying this one with me for a while.

A Reflection of Life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I don’t usually write a review, but the narrator is completely wrong for this story. He sounds like Brain from “Pinky and the Brain”. It is a wonderful story of a Vietnamese man who becomes a home cook for Gertrude Stein, but the narrator is British and has trouble pronouncing the French and Vietnamese phrases in the book.

Great story bad narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Since this book has so many French words and phrases, it needs a reader with a working knowledge of French. It was painful hearing this reader struggle with the French as well as the Vietnamese proper names. He’s also British, putting on an American accent.That’s really a crime against this book, which is a brilliant study of how French, Vietnamese, and American English are woven together in this story of an Indochinese cook in Paris in the 1930s.

Beautiful novel, poor reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
was supposed to read it for class, decided to multi task, and couldn't stop. didn't even last me 36hrs.

...wow...

time for round 2!

Gotta listen twice. wow.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a lovely, poetic first-person narrative that follows a meandering course but kept me interested the whole time. The choice of narrator, however, is curious.

haunting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved it. I had to read this book for class now I'm recommending it to all my housemates. Gorgeously written and we preformed.

I can't stop crying

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Hearing the words “ my madam” in every sentence for the first 15 minutes of the book was torture. No interest in hearing more

What is a madam?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews