Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Lone Women

A very good book with very, very good writing. It doesn’t all come together—the ending is a little glossy for my taste, and the genre elements don’t quite mesh with the historical fiction as cohesively as I hoped—but LaValle’s writing and characterizations are so sharply nuanced and textured that I was always invested in the story, even if I never felt compelled to rush back to it—which is why it took me a month to finish it. If anything, I wish it had been longer. With some more space to explore the setting, enrich the character dynamics, and delve into the themes, I could see the story becoming something really immersive. But as it is, LaValle accomplishes a lot in under 300 pages and delivers another tonal masterpiece that strikes a nearly perfect balance between the various genre, thematic, historical, and even political edges it’s engaged with.

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mandi_lea's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.5

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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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minimicropup's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

Suspenseful, grim, sincere.

We are following our MC on the run after an incident at their family homestead in California. They are planning to start fresh in Montana with nothing but the clothes on their back and a weighed down steamer trunk. We follow their adventures setting up, meeting the surrounding homesteaders, and developing new friendships.

Set in 1915 Montana

🎧 Excellent narration. Immersive, expressive, and listenable at various speeds.

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:

The beginning half of the story contains more supernatural suspense and the second half evolves with IRL horror elements. It's a smooth transition that unravels mysteries while building them.
Near the end (60% +) I was getting some reader fatigue. This was likely because of the increased action adventure, fight-for-your life parts of the story that I generally struggle with in books.
In the last third of the book we get less about what is going on with Adelaide and more about what is happening with other characters. It feels like dramatic literary fiction vibes replace the suspenseful mystery vibes for a bit, and I just wanted more of Adelaide.
Historical fiction is usually not for me, but I didn't have any problems keeping up here. The author gives historical context in a natural, show-not-tell way, so I was never lost (but also didn't feel like I was reading a textbook). I was also able to relate to the characters and their dilemmas.
If you're here for the homesteading part of the plot, it may be disappointing. A surprising number of characters emerge once our MC arrives on their plot of land, so we don't read much of how she's prepping the land over the years.

Cred Rating 👍😈: Supernatural magical realism

Mood Reading Match Up:

Starting over from scratch in a new land adventure plots
IRL horrors with symbolic supernatural elements
Mysterious historical fiction (early 1900s)
Action-adventure stories with a creature feature
Commentary/themes around disability, disfigurement, and rejection

Content Heads-Up: Transphobic, homophobic, ableist, and racist characters (also includes supportive characters and good rep). Home invasion and theft. Parental rejection.

Format: Library Audio via Libby

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mgresart's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad 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

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tigger89's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

If you don't already know the details of what this is about, do yourself a favor and don't read too many reviews. I'm going to do my best to keep it vague here, but some of the others I've seen have been careless. This is definitely one of those books that benefits from the reader not knowing what to anticipate. All you really need to know about the plot is that this book is about family, secrets, and community.

I loved the way the novel approached the themes of family, both born and found. I also loved the atmosphere and historical context of this book. I had no idea that lone women were a real thing that had happened in US history, let alone that the opportunity had been available to Black women! The novel acknowledges, but doesn't spend much time grappling with, the colonization taking place. If there's anywhere it falls short it's in that respect. The ending rings a bit hollow when you remember that it's taking place not just on stolen land but on newly stolen land, with homesteaders who took direct advantage of the theft. I feel like if the author was going to bring it up then it needed to be better resolved, rather than just left hanging with a "well it is what it is."

Horror elements, while present, are fairly light. I was never afraid while reading this. There's some bloody scenes, along the lines of Carrie in terms of content, though written far less viscerally than King's style. Check content warnings or sample chapters if you're concerned.

Does the horse die? There are many horses owned by a variety of characters, including the protagonist.

Several background character horses die over the course of the story. The protagonist's horse is the only horse we get to know that dies.

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lexistwick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

Although a frequent reader of the 'thriller' genre, horror is pretty new to me - and this was a beautifully executed introduction! I love the setting of the American West (specifically Montana in 1914), and it works perfectly as the backdrop for this strange tale about eccentric folks with things to hide. It takes a particularly talented hand to transform fears into hope, and I'm obsessed with the imaginative ending. A great reminder that belonging and acceptance - but sometimes harsh justice, too - are the ingredients to creating a future robust enough to hold the complexities of our most repulsive, unlovable parts.

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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

dwdillydally's review

pineapplesurvivor's review against another edition

ahhhreadzombiez's review against another edition

billyjepma's review against another edition

mandi_lea's review against another edition

sarah984's review against another edition

minimicropup's review

mgresart's review against another edition

tigger89's review against another edition

lexistwick's review against another edition