This was a sweeping, complex story across generations of the Indigenous Chicano Lopez family currently living in Denver, Colorado. I fell in love with the beauty of this story and also the characters, from Luz and her brother Diego, to their aunt Marie Josie, their extended family by blood and other ties. The descriptions of the stark landscape of the "Lost Territory" to 1930's Denver made time and place come alive, the characters and their emotions also jumping from the pages. You felt a lot here. It seems the first female born of every generation had the gift to see the future, as well as the past which made Luz's tea leaf reading all the more vibrant. One of my favorite characters was gun-toting Simodecea, a traveling circus performer, Luz's grandmother -- her story being one of the more tragic ones, despite being formidable and possessing endless strength.

Facing racism across many fronts, we see how difficult it was for most of the Lopez family to navigate the big city--where they belonged, where they weren't allowed-- and also learning that they had been driven from their ancestral land by White prospectors. Despite the dangers they face, they manage to find such joy in their daily lives. Fajardo-Anstine offers us a new narrative of the American West told through the eyes of striking female characters -- and also vastly different from most textbook versions. While I am giving this one a lot of praise, especially for the characters, I felt that the plot fell a little short. I was left feeling that the ending was extremely anti-climatic and needed just a bit more to wrap up the stories of all the Lopez women past and present.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Kali Fajardo-Anstine for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
I thought this book was an interesting read. I really liked the alternating stories and the multigenerational aspect. It was a slower-paced book and it took me quite a while to finish because I kept going back and forth on it. I did find the characters and the setting interesting. I just don't think this was the right fit book for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a nice historical mystery/romance. I loved the descriptions of places in France both for their beauty and for their place in WWI history. I know little about the part of Australians in the war other than Gallipoi and I appreciated learning more about their sacrifices.

I had a hard time getting into Woman of Light at the beginning, but then I did get into it. The book shifts between time periods within generations of a family that is indigenous and central American, from the 1860s to the 1920s and the 1930s. Luz and her brother Diego are the youngest family members. Diego is a snake charmer (and woman charmer) and Luz reads tea leaves. This is a different perspective on historical fiction than I've seen before. There are a lot of family members and friends that have cross-overs throughout the years. I wish I got to learn more about Luz's grandmother, who is the most fascinating character in the story. There are some heartbreaking scenes in the book, but also some moments of hope.

All the stars. Luz is one of my favorite characters I've ever read about. I loved how well I got to know her and see her relationships with people develop over time. Diego, Maria Josie and Lizette were incredible side characters that I really enjoyed learning about as well.

The shifting timelines were incredibly interesting and I loved getting to know their family throughout their history and generations. It really helped me understand them as a family and why certain sad or difficult things had to happen they way they did.

Overall, I'm so happy I read this book and am sad I won't get to experience it for the first time again. 5 stars and all my love to Kali Fajardo-Anstine who's backlist I will be running to pick up.

"Daffodils poked their yellow faces up from thin, snowy blankets. Pines existed in two tones, their bases made of hardened, dark needles while their edges were tipped in soft, radiant green."

Women of light primarily centers on the protagonist Luz "Little Light" Lopez as she navigates young adulthood in Denver in 1933. Luz has the ability to read tea leaves and through them can see visions of the past, present, and future. While she does read tea leaves at fairs and festivals for some extra cash, it's not going to provide enough for her to survive on so she also washes clothes for rich folks and subsequently drops that gig to be a secretary for a civil rights lawyer. Her life is turned upside down when her brother Diego is run out of town from a group of angry white men who aren't too keen on his not-so-white skin. In Women of Light, the reader also learns about Luz's aunt Maria Josie's early life and struggles, her cousin's upcoming nuptials, her grandfather Pidre's life in the Lost Territory, and her parents' story and why she ultimately went to live with her auntie as a young girl.

Fajardo-Anstine has a beautiful way with words. As my opening quote suggests, I found many passages that were exquisitely written and I was an underlining fiend as I read along. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of historical fiction plus magical realism that were apparent in this tale. While difficult to consume, it was eye opening for me to read about the true terror Klansmen brought towards not-white folks and those who tried to help them in the 1930s. However, I found this book had some flaws. The plot was a bit too all over the place - if you were to ask me what this book is about, I'd have a hard time answering in a succinct fashion. As such, with so much going on, the end result is this book is not particularly memorable.

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine will either be a hit of miss with the readers. While the love story is real, it was hard to be captivated and keep my attention on the story. The book focuses on a family of Indigenous Chicanos from the 1860s to the 1930s. While hearing a story of people not often heard, there was no plot and left me hoping for more as it wasn't there. Again, this book may hit home for other readers.

DNF at 23%.

I was excited about the premise of Woman of Light, and even more so after reading the prologue, but unfortunately the bulk of the quarter or so I read of the book was a slog. I did find the characters interesting, and I do love a good multi-generational story, but the prose itself was dense, as though Fajardo-Anstine wanted every sentence to pack a punch. Sometimes in reading a paragraph, one sentence would awkwardly jar into the next; I found this particularly troublesome in a scene where a father is referred to both as "father" and as "Benny," as though it should be clear that they are one and the same. The effect means the story lean too much on trying to be Literary Fiction (with capital letters) that it falls flat in what makes for a fun read - and what makes for good Literary Fiction in the first place.

Fajardo-Anstine is definitely an author to watch for - this just lacked the editing that would have made it a stunning read, which is disappointing considering the potential for this story.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

DNFed at 40%. Admittedly I don’t think that the issue here is 100% the book. I’m definitely in a reading slump, and this just didn’t click. That said, I felt, even after having read 40% of the book, I had no sense of where the book was going or what the main point was. The author showed her command and strength of language; however, the plot was lackluster. I seem to be in the minority though, so others may enjoy.

This book is so, so good!! Do yourself a favor and add it to your TBR list now. If you like historical fiction, multigenerational family sagas, westerns, learning about other cultures, and/or great writing, this book is for you.

Set in the American West, the novel spans five generations of the Lopez family from the late 1800's to the 1930s. The author's writing is so rich and flowing, the characters and scenes so vivid and real, that readers will easily find themselves immersed in the story.

It was quite interesting and educational to see the American West through the eyes and experiences of an Indigenous Chicano family. I also love how the author continually ties all the generations together across the various timelines.

Two of my favorite passages are

"... he couldn't help but think that Anglos were perhaps the most dangerous storytellers of all - for they believed only their own words, and they allowed their stories to trample the truths of nearly every other man on Earth."

"I think everything that's ever happened or going to happen to us and the people we love is around... all we have to do is reach for it."

My thanks to Random House One World for allowing me to access an ARC of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Loved reading a bit of Denver’s history from a century ago. The characters were given interesting personalities and experienced the ugliness of prejudice prevalent at the time. The author really has a love of adjectives — never let a noun stand naked! The story seemed incomplete somehow, with explanations or motivations missing regarding a few major plot points, yet I enjoyed this novel and am glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and One World/Random House for the ARC to read and review.

Woman of Light is a family saga beginning at the end of the nineteenth century and continuing into the Great Depression. It follows a large family of Latino and Indigenous Americans living in western New Mexico and Colorado. They're sharp-shooters and snake charmers and fortune tellers, laundry women and miners, all trying to make their way in a largely hostile world. But they are, for the most part, resilient and busy falling in love, making lives and enjoying what they have.

There are a lot of strong characters, all vying for attention here, and the novel jumps around the timeline with abandon. But Fajardo-Anstine's first book, Sabrina and Corina, was a fantastic collection of short stories, so even when I wasn't sure where or when we were at the start of a new chapter, each section worked so well on its own; it didn't matter if I could keep track of the relationships. I don't generally like family sagas, but Woman of Light was a banger.

An epic historical fiction spanning five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family, set in the turn of the century West. A story of love, betrayal, and adversity. The pacing is a bit slow and there are multiple characters to keep up with but overall it's an emotional and inspiring story.

DNF'd at 40%. This book was not giving me enough compelling reasons to continue, there was minimal plot and it was trying to juggle too many characters. The scattered non-linear timeline in particular was not serving the story the author was trying to tell. I may try to finish this at a later date as I was enjoying the writing. If you are a big fan of multi-generational historical fiction this may still be worth checking out!

While Woman of Light does a good job telling a lush story that illuminates a lot of social issues, the characters don't come to life as much as what they are meant to share with the reader. That makes it feel like a good enough experience, but not one that will last with me as I continue to read other books.

Fajardo-Anstine really is a great storyteller. This book is packed full of interesting ideas, and it’s hard to stop yourself from tearing through the book. The characters are well fleshed out, endearing. The structure of the book, with some chapters focusing away from the main character Luz, helped in creating an engrossing, captivating tale. However, the writing wasn’t for me. I found it to be a little awkward and, at times, overwrought. An example:

“Maria Josie inhaled quickly and exhaled slowly, watching her smoke turn inward on itself like time collapsing into the past.”

If you like this sentence, you will most likely enjoy Fajardo-Anstine’s style. Of course, not every single sentence is as lyrical as this last one, but the book certainly had its bouts. I didn’t mind it too much, but I didn’t love it either, unfortunately.

I also thought the ending was rushed, especially in contrast with the rest of the book, where I thought the pacing was perfect. It felt like the author was scrambling to tie up all of the loose ends nicely in the span of just a couple of pages.

I’m still curious to read more of her work, and will make sure to pick up Sabrina & Corina soon.

Woman of Light is the new novel from Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of the fantastic story collection Sabrina & Corina. In it, we follow Luz Lopez, a tea leaf reader in the mountain west in the 1930's. She sees visions of both the future and the past. She is a complicated character who makes some interesting decisions throughout her life. The cast of secondary characters is well-fleshed out. There are moments throughout the book that are resonant with today's world in which certain populations are discriminated against and have difficulties advancing up the economic ladder. This period and place in American history is not often showcased in literature so I think fans of historical fiction will enjoy this novel. She is a special writer and I look forward to what she writes next.

Thank you to Random House (One World) via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

A rich, enthralling story of family, history, social justice, and real-life magic, Woman of Light is filled with memorable characters and set beautifully in known and unknown areas of the Americas. A true work of art. 5 stars!

Sadly did not enjoy this as much as the authors previous book of short stories. The timelines seemed to jump around randomly and the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out. Nothing made me feel particularly invested in Luz... I still think this was an ok book, but my expectaitons were so so high after loving her previous work as much as I did. A bit of a dissapointment.

This is an emotionally heavy historical fiction about people of Indigenous/Mexican descent in Denver, Colorado. The main story takes place in the 1930s, though parts of the book go back to the late 1800s. There is poverty, racism, cruelty. I learned that the KuKluxClan had a strong presence in 1930s Denver. This is also a story of strong family bonds. The ending doesn’t give any clear answers, but does give hope that these family ties will remain strong. Four stars for a well written story, rounded up from a personal three stars