Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Wandering Stars

Tommy Orange very quickly became a favorite author of mine after I read There, There for a lit class back during my undergraduate. He came to talk to my college about the writing process for this book, and I was in awe with his process and inspiration. When I saw Wandering Stars was coming out, I was ecstatic. I was on a six-month long waitlist at my library for the Kindle version of this book! In short: I had high, personal standards for this book and was expecting it to be a 5-Star Read for me.

However, it wasn't. It sits very firmly as a 4.5 and most of that had to do with the interconnectivity of the characters and stories. While in There, There there was a clear connection, this connection felt transient. This wasn't a major detraction for me. I simply think I wasn't in the right space to be drawing full connections between the present day characters.

Now, with all this negativity out of the way, I loved this book. Orange is an incredibly talented writer. His writing is an absolute treat to read. He mixes his prose and the history of Indigenous Americans excellently, creating a beautifully informative read. He continues to build on the lives of characters we are introduced to during There, There, which was great for me! I do want to state that reading his previous book is not necessary at all to enjoy this read; it will simply enhance it. I see many reviews calling this book a prequel and a sequel, and I agree with this sentiment. The early part of this book provides the historical contexts for Orvil's family and what they had to go through. While dry and more historical, it demonstrated just how Orvil came to be. I thoroughly enjoyed this portion of the book.

If you are looking for a text that deals with complex histories, discussions on addiction, complex/blended families, and what it means to be Native, Orange's writing provides an interesting perspective.

Content Warnings

biobeetle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

4.5

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cindypepper's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense 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

4.25

Not as cohesive as There, There, seeing as Wandering Stars acts as both a prequel and a sequel. I think if I hadn't read There, There before, I might have felt confused as to what had happened in between, given that the events from the book are referenced. That said, it's a testament to Tommy Orange's writing that the narratives of Charles and Jude and the current generation are strong enough on their own. I'm such a sucker for multigenerational family sagas, and this is no exception. It could have benefitted from a middle act to weave the acts together into a more solid arc, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

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chickaboogawah's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad 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

4.5

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knkoch's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

This was a strong, hard second novel from Tommy Orange, and I had no idea going in (my own fault for avoiding blurbs) that it was partially a direct continuation of the characters and story he began in There There. It’s been quite some time since I read that, and I worried at times that remembering only a loose sense of the details of the first book held me back in the second.

I'm sure they work really well read consecutively, but even if I had attempted that, I’m not sure I would have been successful. This was a really hard story to stick with and absorb, and at times I dreaded it. It’s the sort of book I had to sit with for several uninterrupted hours, as it just felt too heavy to dip in and out of. I think I liked this better than There There, if possible, because it examines the aftermath of the pivotal events at the end of the first book. Wandering Stars is all about aftermath: how do people survive after trauma, massacres, and violence? How do Native people, especially, recover and rebuild after each new wave of institutional erasure and attempted destruction? And how do they draw strength not just from their own resilience but the passed-down stories of those who came before?

This is a detailed and heartfelt examination of one family line, and it was satisfying to see their stories meaningfully summed up by the end. The characters Orange returns to felt well-realized, and he has a strong, distinctive prose style.

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sam_gorny's review against another edition

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4.5

I’d do anything for middle school Lony!!!

Beginning was a little slower for me because i missed hearing about the characters i knew, but i really like how everything wrapped up. The neat bow that tied it all up and noting that he’s still here, could only be that wholesome from Lony of course.

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sponberry's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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