Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

86 reviews

librarianjennifer's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was so surprised by this book! Loved this fantastical, female-centric, Western horror story. 

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mburnsides's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75


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ripxw's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25


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sarah984's review against another edition

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

5.0

I really liked this book - the history is interesting and the characters are well drawn. I didn't think the horror was that scary and a few parts were a bit silly to me but overall this is a great story about family, revenge, and the meaning of forgiveness.

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rorikae's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

'Lone Women' by Victor LaValle is an engaging horror novel that focuses on one woman attempting to flee her past by moving east to become a homesteader. 
Adelaide sets her childhood home and her parents corpses afire and then leaves for Montana with only a locked steamer trunk. She's determined to leave behind the life that she lived and the past that has plagued her family. But she's brought along a sliver of it in the steamer trunk and as she finally begins to settle into her new life in Montana, what lurks in the steamer trunk begins to grow restless.
LaValle is an expert at slow, character driven horror and he knocks it out of the park in 'Lone Women.' He slowly unravels Adelaide's truth and what is in her steamer trunk while also building our understanding of her character. By the time we learn what is in the trunk, we're fully invested in Adelaide and her desire to create a new life for herself. This story is very much rooted in the characters and the women who are working to create a new life for themselves by homesteading. This cast is fully fledged and easy to care for, especially when set in light of the more monstrous characters that are their foils. In the end, this story highlights how humans are the true monsters.  

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sshabein's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Outstandingly good, and it actually gets Montana right, history and weather-wise. (Yes, authors, WE CAN TELL when you haven't done your research, and Victor LaValle definitely has.) There's a lot to say here about embracing your whole self and circumstances, who is actually monstrous in this world, and how we all define survival.

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readingbrb's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

4.5


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anna_hepworth's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

I knew going in that this was horror and historical. And yet the opening was still startling, and the slowly developing creeping dread was amazingly well done. I greatly appreciate that the majority of shitty things that could happen were alluded to, and not put on the page. 

This was hard going at times, not least because there are so many things that can go wrong for people living alone with limited resources in winters with much snow, and the 'how will the character(s) get through this' was exhausting. 

The story is incredibly complex, nuanced and layered, and I appreciated it all the more as each layer was revealed. The characters are amazing, the worldbuilding jumps off the page, the writing is sparse and yet lush, and the pacing is exquisite. Highly recommended. 

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thatnerdclaire's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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dilani's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I thought I knew what I was getting into. I have been proven wrong. I was drawn into this life of homesteading and hardship from the very first chapter. I’m not even sure what genre this book falls under, horror-western maybe, but I love it. I’m cheering for all the lone women out there🤎

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