Reviews

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

mmmbecs's review against another edition

challenging sad medium-paced

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

3.75

fkshg8465's review

challenging emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked it better than There, There, but it was emotionally draining to read. There were too many characters and storylines to get invested as deeply as I would’ve liked. Felt like the author was trying to cover way more ground than made sense for one book, or that it would’ve been a more successful effort if the book had been longer and taken more time to unravel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Cancer, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Addiction, Drug use, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Mental illness, War, Bullying, and Pandemic/Epidemic

tomadavis53's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

4.5

brinnmcnutt's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

3.5

elleinadarat's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-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

Another fantastic read by Tommy Orange. This family of characters was a joy to follow through the generations, even though their lives weren’t necessarily joyful. I was left wanting more more more about the ins and outs of their lives.

Did Lonnie come back? Did Sean get clean? Did Opal find love? Did Orville stay clean? Was it Jackie who wrote on the Alcatraz water tower?

And I want to read more about the topics covered. The Indian schools, yes, but also the takeover of Alcatraz, the reasons why addiction is so prevalent in indigenous families, the work programs that allowed Native Americans to move west. This book planted so many seeds I want to see grow in my brain.

msmichaela's review against another edition

4.5

Gorgeous writing with effortlessly shifting POVs. The first Thurs was exceedingly slow, but things picked up as the narrative reached the present day. This is a dark novel, shot through with humor and glints of light. 

mollybs's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.0

marthamarthamartha's review

4.0

An expansion of the There There universe, Orange has written another novel that weaves together narratives, timelines, and family trees to create a work of art. Though his writing style is beautiful, I found Wandering Stars harder to follow, which kept me from feeling as deeply connected to some fonthe characters. Still, I will read whatever Tommy Orange writes, no questions asked. 

flaico's review against another edition

dark 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

Characters you can really care about. You want to see them doing well. Great job tying in the struggles of previous generations and how those struggles are passed down. Many chapters and moments leave you feeling whole.

Two characters that weren't fully fleshed out: Sean Price and Loother. Sean especially felt like a misstep, and didn't necessarily carry the story forward in a meaningful way.

Orange also has a tendency to write long, clunky sentences that don't make much sense syntactically for force you to re-read the same sentence multiple times. It feels like he's trying to write too poetically, and it gets in the way of his story, which is a great one.

Still, a really thoughtful book, and significantly better than There, There!

brenbrown's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.25