3.47k reviews for:

Wandering Stars

Tommy Orange

4.02 AVERAGE

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark emotional

Godddd settler colonialism is so fucked up!!! I didn’t love this book as much as There, There and I had no idea they were connected when I started reading it. But Tommy Orange continues to be an excellent writer who creates characters that make me cry and laugh. I liked the first half of the book better than the 2nd half. It was hard to read the self destruction of some of the characters. Also how clearly he makes the link from that self destruction to historical trauma is powerful. Reading about addiction hit hard for me in some parts and made me think about people I love that struggle with it.  It was a hard book to read, but good and I’m glad I read it. 
challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Uhg. Such a wonderful read, but it was difficult and very painful at times. Orange weaves such a beautiful story about the gray zone between survival and survivance. Truly stunning.
emotional 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
lessiandbooks's profile picture

lessiandbooks's review

5.0
challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

So, there is clearly something for me in Tommy Orange's writing. Reading There There was almost like a spell and it was the same with this follow-up (greatly helped by the full cast audiobook productions).
I was surprised at how into the historical POVs I got and learning how they survived and adapted. I loved how it played with omniscient narration and 1st, 2nd and 3rd POVs to fit each character. 

There is, of course, a strong intergenerational theme: of what knowledge and history is (not) passed down, addiction to drugs and alcohol, romance and parenthood, trauma and survival. Orange captures both the small and big moments to create a beautiful tapestry of a story. 

No one's surprised that my favourite stories are probably about Sean, a queer mixed kid who was adopted and feels out of place in the world.


That said I was much more into Part One and Two (Before and Aftermath) than Part Three (Futures). Granted, it's quite short to others (which I liked) but I did not truly feel it fit the theme of future, nor did I like how Lony's story concluded. An underwhelming ending to a great story. 
challenging emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
libellules's profile picture

libellules's review

3.25
challenging dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes