Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Wandering Stars

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

74 reviews

kailaelders's review

slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

“Simply lasting was great for a wall, for a fortress, but not for a person.” (247)

This was excellent, it gave so much more context and meaning as a follow up to There, There. I love that it has two such distinct parts between the early lineage of this family and coming back to the aftermath of the powwow in the first book. It is dark and heavy and emotional, but also enlightening and heart-warming. I'm so impressed by not only Orange's skill at writing, but also his gift at crafting and interweaving so much symbolism, plot points, language, and pacing into a cohesive larger world. I think these little details are missing from a lot of other books I pick up and this easily filled that void. I also want to give a shout out to the brilliant yet subtle cover design, with its illustrations functioning as both the "Stars" of the family name/history, but also the bullet holes (both literal and the trauma and violence they represent). Read both of these books, but definitely check for trigger warnings beforehand!

Content Warnings

chrism6's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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kmcfall's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

3.0

This book, like There, There, was really bad for my mental health.

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megtall's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Wandering Stars was incredible. Tommy Orange, keep up the incredible writing!

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alayamorning's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-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

4.25

Content Warnings

nerp's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

WOW. I really enjoyed There There but Wandering Stars was INCREDIBLE. Prose, themes, structure, tone—truly incredible. I love Orange’s prose and how he structures his books. It so deeply impacts your experience with it.

This isn’t a plot heavy book, particularly in part one, but the telling of the ancestors was vital to the telling and the whole point. It’s about intergenerational trauma and the lineage of addiction as a coping mechanism for experiencing unbelievable violence. Each story reinforces those. You can read it without There There, although it’s technically a sequel.

Also, the audio is a delight!!

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