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kimmykelly's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Drug abuse, Genocide, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Addiction, Bullying, Drug use, Deadnaming, Abandonment, Self harm, and Violence
lettuce_read's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Gun violence
womanwill's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.75
A multigenerational look at belonging, identity, and family through the lens of colonization, addiction, and generational trauma on the Indigenous communities in the U.S. Set mostly in modern-day Oakland, the land of the Ohlone tribe and a follow up to Orange's There There, his writing is as rich and all-encompassing as ever. I highlighted elite paragraphs of prose dripping with beauty and pain.
I most loved being back with the characters, particularly Opal Bearshield as she fiercely loves her family and 3 grandkids: Orvil, Lony, and Loother Redfeather. As well as their true grandma and Opal's sister, Jacque Redfeather as she worked through alcoholism. This book, also, at parts spans centuries in their family line of Cheyenne ancestors: a family that survives the Sand Creek Massacre, boarding schools, alcoholism and addiction.
This is not a light read but it is well worth its emotional depth and a must read for anyone who wants to read about the harsh survival of "Native Americans".
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.
I most loved being back with the characters, particularly Opal Bearshield as she fiercely loves her family and 3 grandkids: Orvil, Lony, and Loother Redfeather. As well as their true grandma and Opal's sister, Jacque Redfeather as she worked through alcoholism. This book, also, at parts spans centuries in their family line of Cheyenne ancestors: a family that survives the Sand Creek Massacre, boarding schools, alcoholism and addiction.
This is not a light read but it is well worth its emotional depth and a must read for anyone who wants to read about the harsh survival of "Native Americans".
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism, War, Cancer, and Gun violence
Minor: Racial slurs and Mass/school shootings
mandaant1's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is about generations of trauma starting from natives forced into boarding schools. It describes how that trauma affected them which began their addictions. Every generation was built on past and present traumas.
They were losing their identities on how to be a native and what is a native. They were being adopted into white homes and did not know where they came from. Some were half white/half native and did not know what to identify as. I believe this to be a true struggle.
The last generation was affected the most by the opium epidemic. Orvil being shot at the pow wow (Read There, There for the back story).
Everyone in this story was going through their own trauma and were trying to cope with it on their own.
They were losing their identities on how to be a native and what is a native. They were being adopted into white homes and did not know where they came from. Some were half white/half native and did not know what to identify as. I believe this to be a true struggle.
The last generation was affected the most by the opium epidemic. Orvil being shot at the pow wow (Read There, There for the back story).
Everyone in this story was going through their own trauma and were trying to cope with it on their own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Cancer
audreylee's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-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
3.0
Whereas “There There” was rapid bursts of characters which eventually connected, “Wandering Stars” is a slow, concentric, unending ebb and flow of relationships and secrets. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Suicide attempt
Minor: Gun violence
heyreadingpants's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Book review: Wandering Stars
by Tommy Orange
4⭐️
I was so happy to see a follow up to There, There - a book that shocked me by the suddenness of the ending. Wandering Stars both picks up where we left off - with Opal, Jacquie, Orvil, Loother and Lony after the events of the powwow - and takes us back to trace their family through generations.
The historical sections - which were about a third of the book - quickly traced the family from the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado through prisons and residential schools that forced Native folks to assimilate. I wish this section of the book had lasted longer and had more detail - it was a story I’ve never seen told before and told really well.
Once we return to the modern contingent of the family, we see the effect of trauma play out in as many ways as there are characters. We see the choices and impacts of addiction, and how addiction can feel like not a choice at all. Characters throughout both sections make choices that make you want to jump into the story to stop them, they’re that bad. And usually you can see their why, see what made them choose their path. It’s a tough read and a good read.
I loved Opal. I think she will stick with me the most.
Wandering Stars mixes awful, realistic, depressing events and character development with just the smallest bit of hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Abandonment
skudiklier's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
It's hard to overstate how excited I was for this book; There There has been one of my favorites ever since I read it, and I've been checking for news of its sequel for so long now. When I found out I could read it on Netgalley it was the highlight of my week.
That said, this didn't disappoint at all. I will admit it took me a bit to get into it, given how different the first third or so is from There There. But I trusted Tommy Orange and his process, and I found the entirety of the book engaging, even if it took me longer to read the beginning.
I read the last two thirds of this book all in one day, and basically couldn't put it down. I love the way it balances hard depressing real-world shit with love and hope for the future. The characters here go through so much, and at times it can be really hard to read, but I don't think it should have been written any other way. It's a great sequel and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
That said, this didn't disappoint at all. I will admit it took me a bit to get into it, given how different the first third or so is from There There. But I trusted Tommy Orange and his process, and I found the entirety of the book engaging, even if it took me longer to read the beginning.
I read the last two thirds of this book all in one day, and basically couldn't put it down. I love the way it balances hard depressing real-world shit with love and hope for the future. The characters here go through so much, and at times it can be really hard to read, but I don't think it should have been written any other way. It's a great sequel and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Racism, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Animal death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Self harm
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, and Child death
graphic: child abduction, drug overdose, generational trauma moderate: Native boarding schools
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