THE LAST KARANKAWAS by Kimberly Garza is set in Texas and filled with stories about Galveston, especially as Hurricane Ike is on the horizon in 2008. There are many, many characters and the author often centers a chapter around an individual like baseball players Jess or Luis. Booklist calls THE LAST KARANKAWAS "an excellent debut" and says that the author "zigzags from character to character, picking at the fabric of each of their histories." For me, that technique made it more difficult to follow the story and even to develop affection or concern for the characters. A key question that many face is whether to stay in Galveston or to seek a brighter future elsewhere. It is interesting to think about one's hometown, its unique features, and the changes over time; The Wall Street Journal's Sam Sack praised Garza's "affection for Galveston" and says "every city would be lucky for such a tribute."

This is a collection of interconnected stories set in Galveston, Texas, culminating with Hurricane Ike in 2008. The book excels in its vivid depiction of the region's natural environment and the cultures of its Mexican and Filipino residents. Exploring themes of faith, community, immigration, and more, it offers a character-driven narrative reminiscent of works by Gloria Naylor and Tommy Orange. The author's strength lies in rich descriptions and the exploration of diverse themes, though the multiple character arcs lead to a somewhat abrupt ending. While not strictly a novel, this book provides a compelling portrayal of a specific place and its people, making it an engaging read for those who enjoy character-focused, culturally rich storytelling.

I really enjoyed this read. I liked how the characters were weaved together and each chapter focused on a different person. Looking forward for more from Garza.

"Slice of life" is usually so hit or miss for me, but this one hit me at exactly the right moment. It took a while to get a handle on the various threads, but I think this is written very strongly and but the end it all works together. Haunting stuff.

3.5 stars. This is a novel about immigrants and their families in Galveston as Hurricane Ike approaches. It is almost like linked short stories and was very good. There might have been one or two too many characters to keep up with. I listened to most of this on audio and it may have been better suited to read a paper copy.

The Last Karankawas is set in Galveston, Texas, and follows a large cast of characters leading up to Hurricane Ike in 2008. It is difficult to describe this book because it is more of a series of interconnected short stories than a novel. However, it does have several themes woven throughout, namely, faith and religion and the meaning of home and community.

The author does a great job of describing the region, both in terms of the natural world and the cultures of the Mexican and Filipino residents. Additionally, she explores other important themes, such as immigration, veterans, elder care, and abuse. The descriptions of Hurricane Ike were very vividly depicted.

This book reminded me a little of The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor and
There There by Tommy Orange in that it is multiple characters that are loosely related through a geographical location. The Last Karankawas is very much character driven as opposed to plot driven. The ending seemed slightly abrupt, as there were so many characters that needed conclusions.

Overall, it is a strong debut, and I am interested to see what Garza writes in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt for providing the ARC.

I got to review this book for the NYT. It was a pure delight... happy it exists in the world. Here's just one of my many underlinings from the text:

I don’t fear strong emotions. Haven’t I always taught you to permit their passage, allow them to course through controlled that this strength is what makes us warriors? Haven’t I taught you that much?

I really dug this! It uses the texture of Galveston/Houston to great effect as it creates a collage of intersecting lives grappling with what it means to love each other, to find dignity and purpose, and to keep going through the damage. Yeah, I cried a little, so what?

This book was an interesting slice of life following a family in Galveston. The thing with this book is that there are so many povs it was hard to keep everyone straight. Once I looked at some reviews I read it’s better to treat this one as a short story collection and I couldn’t agree more. I really enjoyed this by looking at each chapter as it’s own story. I will also say not sure I am the target audience for this story as well. I feel like people from Texas especially Galveston will enjoy this a lot more this has a lot to do with the heritage and history of this region. I still enjoyed this book and feel like this book definitely has an audience just personally wasn’t a favorite. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

A wonderful story about a subsect of the country that we know very little about. This novel lets you into a seemingly underdiscovered world. What a great introduction into a new group of people right in our own backyard.

Thank you for this arc copy of the Last Karankawas. It wasn't; my type of book but others may like it. I did enjoy the cover picture though.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

In The Last Karankawas, author Kimberly Garza spans decades as she explores the complex and deeply-rooted culture of the Mexican and Filipino American community of South Texas. This is a fascinating and untold story told in a fresh and creative style with a cast of twelve authentic characters. The glossary at the end is wonderful.

'The Last Karankawas,' by Kimberly Garza, is one I have been anticipating. Being from Texas, home of the Karankawas, I was intrigued at how an author would put a modern spin and be able to pull them in. Overall, the work is a literary delight. The structure is non-traditional but not off putting - more akin to a collection of short stories than a novel. The writing is lovely and strong.

The Last Karankawas is centered around Filipino Americans and Mexican Americans in the Galveston, TX area. Rather than being a straightforward plot, the characters' stories are told through a series of interconnected short stories while Hurrican Ike gathers offshore. I enjoyed this book and stayed up way past my bedtime to find out what happened to these characters. I connected to Carly, Jess, Mercedes, and the rest of the Fish Village community. Also, Kimberly Garza knows her way around a beautiful sentence.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC.

This book has a mixed review from me. It started out really strong, and the writing was beautiful all the way through. The part that was harder for me was that it's billed as a novel - it says "a novel" on the cover - but it is actually short stories with some characters that are connected. That in itself is not a bad thing; but I guess I was waiting for them to be more connected and they never were. If I'd gone into it as a short story collection it would have been easier to read. I really liked the perspective of all the characters and the descriptions of the communities they lived in, and their connections with the land and places they grew up.

I'll be honest, I wanted to love this one much more than I did. I think there are books that I like that introduce so many different characters, but others (like this one) made the characters less likable. I've seen that some people read it as a collection of short stories as opposed to one whole story about interconnecting characters, so maybe this is a story to revisit at another time.

I will say that I enjoyed the writing and the description of setting. There's this hurricane building in the background of everything happening, and it highlights some of the other cracks and issues in the community of Galveston, Texas. There are questions about crisis care and how it relates to immigrants, elders, and other overlooked groups that have complex relationships with the state, much less how the state prioritizes different people in the midst of crisis.

Not the book for me but the writing was okay. The characters were not fully developed or very likeable. It was hard for me to get into this book.

Excellent debut from Kimberly Garza! I really enjoyed this book. It is an atmospheric and character-driven novel about a community in Galveston, Texas as they prepare for Hurricane Ike. There are a lot of characters so it really presents like a collection of short stories but the are woven together nicely. I've heard it said that "places have a way of claiming people" and I believe that is exemplified in this book. Garza's writing style is beautiful, almost poetic. I will definitely read another by this author!

The Last Karankawas is collection of short stories. Every story is told by a different narrator.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange of honest review.