Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Wandering Stars

I just really wasn’t in the correct frame of mind to read this book. I really wanted to like it, but I struggled through most of the first half. I found it too cerebral and metaphorical; I think that was my fault, not the book’s fault. The writing style is unlike anything I’ve read before (in a good way), and it was fun to see that Tommy Orange clearly felt more confident to explore after the success of his first book.

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colormecaro's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ok so first up, I read this and There There chronologically, so:
1 - historical “before” part of Wandering Stars
2 - There There in its entirety
3 - Aftermath & Futures parts of Wandering Stars

I would thoroughly recommmend this way of reading the two books. If I hadn’t been able to follow on immediately after finishing There There, I think I would have rated it worse because it leaves quite a few questions at the end.

Equally, while the historical part seems very short (and I would love to read it in more detail), it provides some very necessary context for the general feeling of displacement and lack of connection to native roots that ripples through both books.

And while I still have some quarrels with the way Tommy Orange writes (a few more full stops instead of commas would have been nice), I loved how in Wandering Stars he focuses on fewer characters and gives them more depth. Something I was missing in There There.

I also hope Tommy Orange will write a book focussing on Lony in the future. That character just made sense to me (I am a white European woman, so this is absolutely a tribute to Tommy Orange and his writing ability).

I know I critiqued the writing so it should only be 4.5 but I want this in my 5⭐️ reads because feelings wise, it definitely was.

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