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A review by loriluo
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
3.0
I have to be honest - I didn't love this book.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, as there are so many persuasive aspects of this novel. Kali Fajardo-Anstine has set up a story in "Woman of Light" that covers several generations of a Native American family, with a focus on the women and their roles in the family. She rotates between the past (the late 1800s) and present (the 1930s) in Denver, Colorado and sheds light to how the characters across these years ultimately tie. The bulk of the story is in the present and focuses on Luz "Little Light" Lopez, a young woman who is struggling to make a life for herself and dealing with a number of struggles that her race and gender bring her during this time period in America. Her talent, the ability to read tea leaves, plays an integral role in her life as well, especially as it begins to morph into something stronger.
What I struggled with, however, is the character development (or lack thereof). Luz remained a fairly one-dimensional character for me, and a number of her decisions later in the novel that bring her loyalties and morals to question made it even harder for me to understand and empathize with her. Also, while I typically enjoy these multi-generational stories, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters that get introduced throughout, which made the storyline even more confusing for me. While this novel raises some pressing issues, especially in the present day, it wasn't one I was able to fully enjoy.
Thank you Random House Publishing for the advance copy of this novel!
It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, as there are so many persuasive aspects of this novel. Kali Fajardo-Anstine has set up a story in "Woman of Light" that covers several generations of a Native American family, with a focus on the women and their roles in the family. She rotates between the past (the late 1800s) and present (the 1930s) in Denver, Colorado and sheds light to how the characters across these years ultimately tie. The bulk of the story is in the present and focuses on Luz "Little Light" Lopez, a young woman who is struggling to make a life for herself and dealing with a number of struggles that her race and gender bring her during this time period in America. Her talent, the ability to read tea leaves, plays an integral role in her life as well, especially as it begins to morph into something stronger.
What I struggled with, however, is the character development (or lack thereof). Luz remained a fairly one-dimensional character for me, and a number of her decisions later in the novel that bring her loyalties and morals to question made it even harder for me to understand and empathize with her. Also, while I typically enjoy these multi-generational stories, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters that get introduced throughout, which made the storyline even more confusing for me. While this novel raises some pressing issues, especially in the present day, it wasn't one I was able to fully enjoy.
Thank you Random House Publishing for the advance copy of this novel!