I loved it, I absolutely loved The Weight of Salt (Book One). The setting was my favorite part. I love that it’s set in the early 1900s, and the focus is an Italian immigrant family. I know from my own childhood, and from stories I heard from my grandmother and great grandmother, that the author kept things very authentic. I loved all the characters, both pleasant and unpleasant. Everyone had a unique story.
Angelina was a very easy protagonist to bond. She is a brave, smart, spirited girl who is ahead of her time. I can’t imagine any reader not loving her. -- NICOLE BOCCELLI-SALTSMAN
Sandra has outdone herself with The Weight of Salt (Book One). I can hardly believe this is her first novel. She definitely has A GIFT FOR WRITING. The story, characters, and the beautiful style in which everything is presented makes for an engaging read. It is well-paced, memorable, heartwarming, and compelling. The journey with Angelina, characters has been so enjoyable and rewarding I can’t wait to read the sequel. -- MICHELE PREISENDORF
The writing quality in this story is truly first-class. Sandra paints such a vivid picture of the story in the reader’s mind and maintains a clean, crisp and consistent voice overall. The story is equally powerful.
Each character has a story which collectively makes up a POWERFUL PLOT. The dialogue is realistic and unique to each character. The overall execution of this story is simply exceptional. The world-building is TOP-NOTCH. It immerses the reader right into the world. Angelina is a powerful character. She’s unique in the sense that her desires are simple and straightforward, yet her overall characterization is complex. -- PETER ROCQUE MBULO
For The Weight of Salt (Book One) my answer would be a definite ‘YES.’ I thought the opening of the novel was brilliant in many ways. From the first page, I could immediately see the skill infused in the writing.
The dialogue is absolutely SUPERB. It always felt unique and genuine to the personality of the individual characters. As for settings and world-building, I felt completely immersed in every single corner represented, as if I’d lived it myself. Absolutely wonderful! There was a weight of honesty in the story, in the writing, and the portrayal of every scene.
-- AMANDA NICOLE RYAN
I absolutely love that The Weight of Salt (Book One) is set in 1905, I loved it! The portrayal of a struggling father trying to make the right choices by his oldest felt like I was actually there with Angelina by her side experiencing everything. Sandra gave authenticity that some authors don’t give. It was spot on with the details, but not too overwhelming. Sandra Montanino is an amazing writer and storyteller, AMAZING WORK! -- ARAMI
I loved the plot of Sandra's novel; some parts of The Weight of Salt (Book One) reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a book that I appreciated a lot. I feel that this book is well developed and very rich in details. A lot happens and it’s never boring. Plus, it’s RICH IN pathos with lots of emotions, which are very important to me while reading. I found the characters really, really good. They’re well described and perfectly characterized. The author has been able to be realistic and different. From the beginning, I cried for Angelina, I felt all of the heaviness in her heart. Sandra has a captivating way of telling and describing the story we want to read. -- WOLENBOEKEN