Scan barcode
A review by breannamorin
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
3.0
A very weak 3-stars. On one hand, this was excellence. Lyrical writing, poignant situations, a bit too slice-of-life for my liking. Almost documentary-like, intriguing at times but never entertaining. I considered DNF, more than once, due to indifference. So I can't honestly say that I liked it, let alone really liked it to give it the rating it might actually deserve.
Part prequel, part sequel to [b:There There|36692478|There There|Tommy Orange|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512071034l/36692478._SY75_.jpg|58040066], which I have not read yet never felt amiss. [b:Wandering Stars|174147294|Wandering Stars|Tommy Orange|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695837414l/174147294._SY75_.jpg|181595356] follows one Native American family for 150 years, from Jude Star escaping the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 to the Bear Shield/Red Feather family in present day Oakland, CA. There is a strong theme of addiction and intergenerational trauma throughout. Wandering is an accurate title for this story, rich with history and family drama, that ultimately led nowhere interesting. Its fatal flaw was the many narratives switching between first, second and third person. The redeeming quality for me, being local to the setting, is Orange's accurately detailed description of Oakland and surrounding Bay Area demographic. That — I enjoyed.
Part prequel, part sequel to [b:There There|36692478|There There|Tommy Orange|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512071034l/36692478._SY75_.jpg|58040066], which I have not read yet never felt amiss. [b:Wandering Stars|174147294|Wandering Stars|Tommy Orange|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695837414l/174147294._SY75_.jpg|181595356] follows one Native American family for 150 years, from Jude Star escaping the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 to the Bear Shield/Red Feather family in present day Oakland, CA. There is a strong theme of addiction and intergenerational trauma throughout. Wandering is an accurate title for this story, rich with history and family drama, that ultimately led nowhere interesting. Its fatal flaw was the many narratives switching between first, second and third person. The redeeming quality for me, being local to the setting, is Orange's accurately detailed description of Oakland and surrounding Bay Area demographic. That — I enjoyed.