The Last Karankawas is a collection of short stories centered on Mexican and Filipino American families in the Galveston, TX area, each culminating in or surrounding 2008's Hurricane Ike. I am not from Texas, and maybe visited Galveston once as a child, so this was really a brand new setting for me, and I did feel invested and involved as I made my way through the stories. That said, each chapter is at best loosely connected to previous ones, and trying to keep all of the characters and their relationships to each other requires a sprawling map that I was struggling to hold. Ultimately it doesn't really matter because each chapter functions as a standalone little story rather than one part of an overarching plot, but it still made me feel lost from time to time. The writing itself is beautiful though, with lyrical prose and descriptors so strong I can almost smell the sea salt and the fish on the island.

This one took me by surprise. It was just moseying along as a 3, when about halfway through...suddenly I was invested. A slice-of-life portrait of Galveston, Texas, at first it was a little tough to get used to the format - essentially a collectionThis one took me by surprise. It was just moseying along as a 3, when about halfway through...suddenly I was invested. A slice-of-life portrait of Galveston, Texas, at first it was a little tough to get used to the format - essentially a collection of short stories that were interconnected and loosely arranged around Hurricane Ike, which hit in 2008. For me, it didn't work until it did, if that makes sense. Also makes me want to visit Galveston, for sure.

3.5 rounded up because this novel took me to a place I haven't been before. of short stories that were interconnected and loosely arranged around Hurricane Ike, which hit in 2008. For me, it didn't work until it did, if that makes sense. Also makes me want to visit Galveston, for sure.

A stunning debut set in a place the writer knows well. Every word drips with poetic precision. I love the revolving characters and watching them interact over time. Their interactions with the setting around them was a highlight for me. Though I personally do not know this area, I felt completely immersed in it. I could feel the hurricane warnings in the sky.

I was crushed by the sections set in Uvalde, though no fault of the author. I have a lot of empathy for Garza having to go through the process of publishing a book partially set in Uvalde amidst what took place this year. I cannot imagine.

This book is the kind of book I hope to read every time I open a new novel. It is perfection.

My only issue, though most likely entirely my own, was that I had a hard time pin pointing which character was who in each section. A possible sooner character identifier would have helped. I figured it out, eventually.

"Populated by indelible characters, this graceful, deeply compassionate work is a moving study of memory, the permeable boundaries it shares with myth, how it roils and folds and persists into the present, and how we are often forced to choose between learning to live inside it and trying to outrun it."

From my Library Journal review.

This is a slow burn, character driven novel. Each chapter is mostly told by different narrators, and they are all loosely connected. It almost reads as a collection of short stories. I loved every page! The characters were raw and well written. It takes place mostly in Galveston, and of course, a hurricane features prominently in the second half. I loved that part especially. And the ending format--the glossary style was fresh and new. This was a great story, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

See review on Lone Star Literary Life: https://www.lonestarliterary.com/content/lone-star-review-last-karankawas

The Last of the Karankawas by Kimberly Garza has been published as her debut novel. The storyline takes place in Galveston, Tx among a community of Filipino & Mexican immigrants. The book reads, in my opinion, as a collection of inter-connected stories from members of the community. Each chapter is a peek into the lives of an individual and how their life on the island has formed who they are, what they believe, and how all this shapes your loyalty toward the place you choose to call home.

I really wanted to love this but unfortunately had to DNF about 30% in. I think a physical copy would keep my attention better, I usually only do light romance or suspense as ereads but this storyline was very intriguing I took a chance. It was a little dry but I will definitely look for it in physical format and try again.

Thank you for the opportunity!

I loved the cultural diversity of the book The Last Karankawas.
This is a pretty fast read, and a love letter to the state of Texas.
The writing is crisp and even poetic.
The character development is strong but it was a bit hard to keep up especially at the beginning.
Focusing on Texas and mostly Mexican and Filipino characters this reads like a collection of connected short stories.
I did love the cast of characters and I recommend this title.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review

I loved the writing. The book felt a little stilted, and so I put it down. Then I picked it back up and started reading it almost like short stories and I zipped through the rest.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of my top 5 reads of 2022. I love THE LAST KARANKAWAS so very much and I didn't want it to end.

Garza is a beautiful writer with real empathy for her characters. She really ensures that the reader is invested in the narrative. As the hurricane barreled closer, I was desperate to find out what would happen. These characters will stick with me.

Gorgeous cover too.

Highly recommended for fans of literary fiction.

Simply, this is an excellent novel. It concerns the intertwined lives of lower- middle class Filipino and Mexican residents of Galveston (primarily). The characters are convincing, presented in their complexities - dignified, unreliable, wounded, loving, heroic - without condescension or romanticizing. The story covers these people living their lives, which are plenty interesting without plot contrivances or exaggeration. Garza's writing is sensitive and descriptive, conveying a tangible sense of place, and she excels at portraying her characters' emotional states with just a few words and actions.

It's one of the best books I've read in the last few years, and I will read anything else Garza writes.

I was initially interested in this book because it was set in Galveston. I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed that the Karankawa tribe was not as prominent in the story as I was hoping. I guess I should have paid closer attention to the synopsis.

There are several family units featured in the book and it reads like a series of short stories. Galveston is not a large city, so it’s natural that these family have intersected at some point during their lives.

The lead up to the hurricane was interesting, but I felt the author just lost interest in the story of the aftermath and how the character’s lives were affected by the damage. It was also hard to keep track of all the character’s and the family members.

I did like how the author captured the personalities of the locals, their resiliency and welcoming nature. I also was pleased to see that the author added quite a bit of pertinent Galveston information at the end of the book.

This will be an interesting read for those who are interested in complicated backgrounds and relationships and those who enjoy reading about Texas and Galveston.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

A lovely kalaiedoscope of a novel set in Galveston, Texas in 2008. It's told in snippets by many characters- members of the Filipino and Mexican American communities and reflects their thinking as Hurricane Ike is lurking offshore. While Carly is the unifying character, it's sometimes the others whose voices come through most strongly. She wants to leave Texas. Her boyfriend Jess and his family are struggling in the wake of his father's imprisonment. Members of the Filipino church have their say as well, especially about Carly. It's very much character (albeit not fully developed character) driven making it one that some might find frustrating. That said, there's a terrific sense of place and time. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

2.5-3 stars

This is a story about a tight-knit community of Mexican and Filipino American families living on the coast of Texas. While I liked the idea behind this story and I enjoyed many of the individual stories and seeing how they related to one another, I unfortunately didn’t see the point of the book overall. At times the characters’ experiences seemed a bit scattered and other times they just ended abruptly with no explanation. The end of the book was what really left me confused because there was no feeling of completion. I expected the story to continue on and hoped to learn what happened to many of the characters, but there was nothing there to bring the story full circle.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for providing a copy of this book to review.*

I am a huge fan of weather-disaster movies and books. The story has something to move towards, an underlying tension that moves beneath the daily lives of the characters. This book had the tension but the big crash of the hurricane doesn’t come. It feels like it’s mentioned in passing and then the characters’ ho-hum daily lives move on. I’m not sure how I felt about this book. There were so many characters but it wasn’t too difficult to keep them straight. I’m always happy to read books about Filipinos so that was a bonus. But the story itself seemed so drawn out and slow. Nothing really happens then the storm comes then nothing happens again. The characters were well developed and interesting. I just wasn’t interested in them. So because I continued to read/listen but didn’t get attached, I’ll leave the rating at 3 stars.

Thank you Henry Holt Books for my ARC!

'Pub date: 8/9/22
In one sentence: The story of Galveston and Hurricane Ike through the eyes of its residents, including Carly, her grandmother Magdalena, and her boyfriend Jess.

This book is a master class in intertwining narratives! Some Goodreads reviewers disliked all the different voices, but they really worked for me. I loved getting a full picture of Galveston and the Mexican and Filipino cultural influences. This feels a lot like a collection of short stories rather than a novel. It's a book that will stay with me, and I'm excited to see what other literary fiction readers think!

Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. for this Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book of interconnected short stories was a satisfying read. In the Acknowledgements, Garza pays tribute to the part of Texas that she loves and where the book is set. It includes Uvalde, now a city better known for its recent tragedy.

Written before the mass killings at a school in Uvalde, this book serves as a love letter to the region. The characters are very much shaped by the setting...the locality is almost another character here.

The author is clear-eyed and confident in her storycrafting. She wields a sharp pen to render well-rounded, heartfelt characters. They appear and some re-appear as the book progresses and encounters Hurricane Ike (2008). The characters are mainly Mexican and Filipino; and each character reflects a facet of life, of survival. There is a grittiness in their struggles, quirks, and imperfections that ring true. In reading these stories, I almost felt as if I were eavesdropping.

I'll add that each story felt complete, ending with a certain resolution or a solid tone. Together, the stories depict a place and a time with affecting and intimate richness.

I readily recommend this title and I will definitely read more from Garza.

Two quotes:

We did not expect that when the next loss came--her man--it would shift again, reshape itself into a grief for the old ways, her old lives in which she belonged to someone. A mother. A man. A country. When she was a child of something tangible in the world. Years from now, it will seem so obvious to use that she was never meant to be a mother or an immigrant.

... We think: We are not ready for this, to be the elders, the teachers, the mothers. We are still daughters and sisters, girlfriends and wives. We have partners who love us, yes? Parents with years yet to pass their words, their stories, down to us. We can still be the girls who dance tinikling, yes, yes. we will never be old, or we already are.

*Publish date - 8/9/22. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an advanced e-copy of this book*

The Last Karankawas refers to an extinct tribe along the Texas Gulf Coast, and the story mainly takes place in Galveston, TX before, during, and after Hurricane Ike with references to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Honestly, I just did not connect with this one like I thought I would as I was living in Houston for the first two and sheltered friends after Hurricane Ike. There were phrases in other languages (Spanish and Filipino) that really slowed the flow of reading in trying to figure out what was said. I also just had trouble connecting with the characters.

I don’t think I love this type of storytelling. The cast of characters is a large one, and it felt more like short stories loosely tied together for each character. I think I prefer less characters and more depth and development. However, the writing was beautiful and I loved what I got from each character - I just wanted more. This will be a home run for a lot of people, it’s just not my preference!