Lone Women by Victor Lavalle is a story of early Montana, of women making in on their own, and of a “demon.” Much of it is historically accurate and interesting. The hard-to-swallow part is the demon that one of the women, Adelaide Henry, has brought in a trunk from California, where it had killed her parents. The demon is a constant worry. It gets out now and then and hurts people. She doesn’t know what to do. She has enough trouble surviving. There are a great many subplots and interesting characters in this story and the overarching plot is very intriguing. Addie makes friends and, of course, enemies. The friends are all women and there are some very interesting characters amongst them: another Negro woman, a Chinese woman, a woman alone with her young son. All women trying to survive the a rough climate.

This is a well-written book: flows easily and is full of nuance. The characters are revealed slowly, in a need-to-know basis, but all multi-facted and worth getting to know. Even the “demon” comes into its own eventually. It held my interest throughout. The plot is respectful of women and shows them in their best light. It takes place in the early 20th Century at about the time of Prohibition, which also affects some of them.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Lone Women by Random House One World, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RandomHouseOneWorld #VictorLaValle #LoneWomen

Read LONE WOMEN by Victor LaValle if you love starting over, familial trauma, big open spaces, steamer trunks, the unsettling feeling that something's not right, intersectional tales about homesteading (seriously), ghost towns, women supporting women, and monsters.

Adelaide Henry has never lived on her own, never done anything she wants to do, and has always been weighed down by her mother's mantra "a woman is a mule."
Now she is free...sort of. Out from under her parents' rules, she makes her way to Montana where she will someday own a plot of land outright if she can cultivate it. This is not an easy path for a woman on her own, and even harder for a lone Black woman in 1914 with a dark secret and a heavy burden she drags along in a steamer trunk.

I was totally entranced with Adelaide from page one. This is a book I would have devoured for the remarkable characters and story alone even if there wasn't any horror aspect woven into this intriguing historical fiction. I was so engaged in this story that it was almost a bonus when the horror crept in. Once I started I could not bear to put it down.

Victor LaValle is a master storyteller. There is a nuance and depth to his writing style that I have rarely encountered. I'm now on a mission to collect everything he has ever written and added him to my very short list of must-read authors. I'm trying hard not to fangirl all over this review but finding it impossible not to gush about it.

Nothing wrong with this, but it wasn't for me. The entire time I was reading it, I felt like I didn't quite "get" it. Adelaide and her adventures with her "secret" was an interesting premise, and I did quite like the reveal of everything (no spoilers), but ultimately, it just left me a little confused.

I also didn't really connect with the pacing here either. The first bit where Adelaide first sets off was interesting enough, and again, I did like the reveal of everything, but the middle half or so just couldn't keep my interest.

This can't be pinned down to any one genre, but I very much enjoyed the creepy elements throughout. Some parts were pretty disturbing, and they were very well written.

Suspense, action fill genre-buster

In the opening line, author Victor LaValle writes that “there are two kinds of people in this world: those who live with shame, and those who die from it.” Ironically, the heroine of his newest novel, “Lone Women,” attempts to escape her shame.

Adelaide Henry flees her family’s California farm in 1915 after setting fire to the house with her parents’ corpses inside. She takes with her an impossibly heavy steamer trunk that she does not like to let out of her sight.
She heads to Montana, one of the few states that allow lone women to homestead. What she finds there is an unforgiving climate, seemingly friendly neighbors—until Adelaide angers them—and only one other Black person for hundreds of miles.

Adelaide is almost completely unprepared to survive the winter and has to rely on some of those neighbors. In addition, a widow and her four sons make an unwelcome visit to her cabin, where Adelaide has just discovered her steamer trunk open and empty. That’s when people start to die.

LaValle’s genre-busting novel is equal parts western, historical, mystery, and horror. There is plenty of action and blood, but there is plenty to think about also. Adelaide contends with loneliness, isolation, allowing herself to trust others, and of course, “her shame.”

Despite some bothersome plot holes and a decidedly weird climax, “Lone Women” will entertain readers with a well-told story, complex and interesting characters, and page-turning suspense.

This book started off interesting enough. About half way through it bogged down and kinda wandered around. The second half was boring to me and I struggled to finish it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

LONE WOMEN
By Victor LaValle

Release Date: March 28, 2023
General Genre: Western, Horror, Fantasy, Historical

A woman attempting to handle a troubling past, makes her way across the American West, dragging along a mysterious trunk at every stop. The secret she tries to lock away may prove to be the very thing she needs to survive.

✨️It starts off incredibly-- full of intrigue and horror. The story is vivid, almost cinematic. I could really sense the land and the people we encountered.
The historical elements were highly present, but I do need to question some of the cursing and slang, given the time period. "Heavy-ass" in 1915?

Part Two takes a break from the action to flesh out the town and its side characters, who I did not find as interesting as the MC, but in the end realized they were necessary-- the ending makes any lull in the story worth the wait! That ending!

I appreciated hearing the voices of strong women, who at the time would've surely been marginalized-- women of color, queer-- experiencing racial prejudices, predatory men, finding resources to survive, and dealing with a demon unleashed on the prairie.

Overall, I appreciated Lone Women.
The chapters are short, and the book slim, but it successfully packs a lot of ideas between its covers-- racial prejudices, queer identity, family, wealth, history, gender, demons...

It is a unique blend of weird-western with dashes of fantasy and horror, surely to please readers looking for something a little different this spring.✨️

3.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

#NetGalley #LoneWomen #VictorLaValle #bookreview #bookstagram #booknerd #historicalhorror #horror #horrorbooks #RandomHouse #readmorebooks #reading #StrongFemaleLeads #westernhorror

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle
Pub date: March 28, 2023

I don’t read enough historical horror and Lone Women has hit that sweet spot that drives home the importance of our history told in a way that should horrify.

Imagine being one of the ‘lone women’ given property in the wild west of Montana and then imagine the journey to settle there in the early 1900’s. It’s almost unfathomable to imagine setting up a homestead now but then? Adelaide is the main focus here and with her, she brings a locked trunk with a terrible secret locked inside, one that is responsible for both life and death.

This story hit me and it isn’t just one thing about this story – it’s in the telling of it, it’s in the characters – some with grit and determination, others with less than honorable intentions, it’s in the secrets and shame, and ultimately, it’s the bond of sisterhood.

This is an incredible balance of horror, history, and suspense with an amazing cast of characters.

My thanks to Random House for this gifted DRC.

"Lone Women" kept me on the edge of my seat with its atmospheric and dark storytelling. It was nothing I expected and I enjoyed every line.

Victor lavatory is a brilliant writer, and never fails to create rich, important, and thought provoking stories.

The events outlined in Lone Women can very much be read as a map leading us out of our complicated, ugly past toward a better, more tolerant future. The novel is, in a word, delightful, and whether or not it is the first Victor LaValle book you pick up, it most certainly won’t be your last.

This book grabs the reader from the very beginning. Adelaide is such a well-written character, and I was instantly hooked. The story masterfully builds up the dread of Adelaide's situation, and the mystery of the circumstances behind her move to the wilderness. As the story progresses and we learn more about Adelaide and the characters she meets along the way, I was struck by how well the world comes together. The harsh wilderness, the struggles for survival both from the elements as well as more nefarious forces come together in this gorgeous story. This is my first Victor Lavalle book but it definitely won't be my last! Marvelous storytelling, rich characters, and genuinely creepy moments make for a fabulous book.

I'm going to start right out by saying that horror/fantasy is NOT my genre. That being said, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I especially enjoyed the diversity of the characters, the multiple strong females and learning about homesteader life in Montana in the early 1900s. I didn't find the "horror" aspect to be too upsetting as there were so many other things happening in the story and believe that the dominant genre is historical fiction. There was a plot line or two that I found unnecessary/implausible even with full acceptance of the fantasy aspect of the novel but overall I found the story to be entertaining.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and #NetGalley for allowing me to read a pre-release of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating - 1.5, rounded up to 2 stars

Man, I really wanted to like this. A survival fiction/horror blend focusing on a solo woman in frontier Montana? That is a concept I'll buy into all day. Unfortunately the execution was just not there for me.

I think LaValle was going for like a "fever dream" sort of vibe,but it mostly felt unfocused. The writing was repetitive and it felt like the POV kept changing between 3rd party limited and omniscient. New POVs were getting added later in the novel and we were still meeting new characters in the last act. Most offensive, I didn't care about the MC at all. Not even to dislike her.

This is the second time I've picked up one of LaValle's pieces and put it down disappointed. He has amazing ideas but his writing style just doesn't work for me.

A western with many elements. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. I would love to see a movie made of this book.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC provided in return for an honest review.

Lone Woman is creepy monster tale that delves into the darkness we all have as part of us. Not evil but the weaknesses, and in this book it is personified. They’re gross characters who put on masks that are revealed but the monster. Unsettling, this story is for horror readers who liked Revelatory by Daryl Gregory, and monster books.

Book Review: Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Lone Women is a historical fiction novel about a single Black woman with a dangerous secret trying to make it on her own on a desolate Montana homestead. It also has elements of western, suspense, fantasy and horror.

When the book opens Adelaide Henry is covering up her parent’s bodies in their bed and burning the house down. As she heads to Montana to start over she only has a small bag of belongings and a heavy trunk of mysterious contents. When she arrives at her small shack in Montana it’s clear she’s not going to make it on her own and eventually finds supplies and companionship in a small group of people. But the secret of the trunk can’t be contained and it puts Adelaide’s life at risk.

Lone Women does an incredible job of detailing the American west in the early part of the 20th century. Adelaide is tough and funny and a heroine like no other. All the characters (both good and bad) jump off the page and feel real. This book isn’t for everyone (there is a fantasy horror component) but I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Victore LaValle.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lone Women (ARC)
Author: Victor LaValle
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: March 28, 2023
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Lone Women by Victor LaValle was a strange book. In 1914, Adelaide Henry left her home in California, where she lived with her parents, and trekked to Montana to buy a homestead. Added to this is that she is a lone woman of African American descent dragging a giant locked trunk for so many miles and across massive uninhabited land. How is she to survive? I liked the book's first part, and I was intrigued to see how she would fare in such a forbidden landscape on her own and without a horse or sustenance. Then came the book's second half, and we discovered what is in the dayum trunk. It’s hard to surprise me, but it is safe to say that I was creeped out. A fast read, and I made it to the end, but only because I thought I had to finish this crazy story. Some people will love this, but it’s not my cup of tea. #fantasy #paranormal #westerns #montana #thriller #dontopenthetrunk #horror #historicalfiction #creepy #LoneWomen #VictorLaValle #novella @netgalley @oneworldbooks
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to One World Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: March 28, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this eARC!

LaValle is an author I’m familiar with and I knew this book would draw me in from the first page. I have been on the hunt for dynamic westerns that feature BIPOC voices and women’s voices to prove that westerns aren’t just about dusty old white men and this one delivered. Every character is so unique and different and seeing them interact with their environment in this time period sheds a different life on what it means to live in the American West. I won’t go into too much detail as to not spoil anything, just read it!! It’s too, I PROMISE!!!

What a magical read. I enjoy really enjoy going back in time especially with a supernatural twist. Following a bold character who drags a mysterious trunk along was captivating. Then when I thought I knew what was in the trunk, I didn’t. This book held my interest from the very beginning until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this copy. Thank you to BOTM for making it a monthly pick. It is well deserved for some recognition.