LONE WOMEN is the kind of novel that resonates so strongly and feels so real that despite its fantastical elements, I am certain my personal sense of Montana's non-indigenous settlement history will be forever imbued with the belief that it was shaped in part by Adelaide Henry and her family, friends, and foes.

While I really thought this book excelled with story building. I was disappointed in several aspects of it. I didn’t like that so much of the town were absolutely awful! It gave a very much “us against the world” feel to it which I do enjoy but that people got worse and worse.

I did appreciate the ending in that Adelaide, Fiona, Bertie and Grace finally made a community where Elizabeth was also included.

Things I loved:
1. Victor LaValle was a new author for me and the creepy, captivating (horror) combined with historical fiction guarantees I will read more of his books!! A combination I did not see coming!!
2. The diversity of characters who were well developed, unique and differentiated was wonderful!
3. I love when the land and surroundings are characters and Montana did not disappoint.

Things I wished were different:
1. Wanted to know more about Adelaide and how she works the claim (a little more historical fiction for me).
2. The ending gave us a lot of POV and it was a little confusing.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is due to be published March 21, 2023.

This book!!! Wow!! Not at all what I was expecting....I knew it was an historical fiction, taking place in Montana, with a single black woman moving so she could have her own free piece of land.

The start of the story leaves you with a question as to who she really is & how did this happen, ( I won't say as it is a huge spoiler). Her journey to Montana & the people she meets along the way set the tone for the rest of the story.

This is totally believable historical, western tale with a twist!!

Do not read too many descriptions of this book, go with it & be surprised!

Now I need to look up some more Victor LaValle books!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I read The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle a while ago and admit that I didn’t find it all that great. The book couldn’t decide what genre it wanted to be. However, this book is solidly horror. Not graphic or anything, but horror with a touch of fantasy. Oh, and it takes place in 1915, so it’s historical as well. That said, the horror plotline is consistent throughout.

From Goodreads:

Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—or redeem it.

This book comes out in March, so if you are a horror fan, mark your calendars. Coming in at just 240 pages, I got through this one in a couple of days. I loved Adelaide and was cheering for her the entire time. The “burden” she carries is immense, but how she reckons with it is admirable. She is a great dynamic character whose shifts make sense. And LaValle does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing. The book starts off with a bang, and you are immediately drawn in. This is one I’ll definitely be recommending.

I just love when I start a book that captures me from the start and this book did just that! I couldn't put this book down! Read it in a few hours and it was so good! The twist and turns and all the WTF moments I had!? LOVED this one!

This is one I could not put down! After reading the synopsis, I wanted to read this book so bad, just so I could figure out what was hidden in the trunk! Once I found out what was in the trunk (no spoilers), I just wanted to know where this book was leading me. Fascinating, horrific read. Thank you.

Victor LaValle does it again! This was such an eerie creepy novel full of so many twists and turns that I could not get enough of.

Who knew a steamer trunk could be the stuff of nightmares. I loved how slowly LaValle peeled back the many spooky layers of this story. Definitely had me hooked and on the edge of my seat from the very first page. The suspense and haunting vibes were immaculate!

Advice: don't read this at night or you won't be getting any sleep!

This memorable supernatural Western marries nonstop action with profound questions about loyalty and shame. In 1915 a Black woman flees her family farm in California to homestead in Montana, carrying a trunk that contains a monstrous secret. Her journey from isolation to solidarity with other frontier women illustrates the difference between the type of loyalty that silences and separates us, and the type that makes us grow in courage and compassion. The former type is personified most grotesquely by the wealthy white doyenne of the town, whose support for her fellow women stops at the color line. Positive LGBTQ representation makes this book a standout as well. LaValle writes convincingly from the standpoint of a female protagonist.

Lone Women is a fantastic story about a black woman named Adelaide who is off to make it in the wilds of Montana. What brings her there is tense and how she survives once she gets there is even more so. The story is full of interesting characters and a demon of sorts. The women who help her are awesome and tough as nails. The setting is so unforgiving and the author really is able to capture that in his writing. I absolutely loved the book and read it in two sittings. Another excellent story from this super-talented author.

LaValle writes incredibly cinematic moments in his tales, and I'm grateful whenever a chance comes to my door.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – One World for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a captivating story that grabs you at page one and drags you spellbound through it to the very end. The setting for it begins in California and later moves to remote Montana. The main character is a very tall, strong, young black woman who flees her family home in California. She sets out to make a new life for herself in Montana. While in Seattle she purchases a forfeited Montana homestead. It is a terrifying tale and one that keeps you guessing all the way through it. The characters are wonderfully crafted and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who and what was happening. This book is set in the early days in the west, in ghost towns, small towns in California and Montana and what life must have been like for the early settlers. See if you can figure this one out. I read it never wanting to put it down and highly recommend it. I will be looking for more books by Victor LaValle.

Montana offered a new start for Adelaide but it was not an easy life for a lone black woman especially one who brings a curse with her. A homestead far away from prying eyes can be a dangerous thing but after a rocky start she finds a few female friends in town - after all lone women need to stick together. There is a secret that threatens her new life. It will not be contained, kept hidden or silenced as Adelaide soon finds out. The hardships that these women face are different from the men and justice doesn't always land on their side but they all show incredible resilience, strength and understanding. Once the trunk is opened you will find out, dear reader, why they call it the wild west.
Horror mixed with a rainbow of characters in complex relationships make this a must read for fans of A DANGEROUS BUSINESS, UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED and WHEN WOMEN WERE DRAGONS. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

In the windswept, flat land of Montana, Adelaide Henry hopes to find a place to hide from the horror of her life. She finds other lonely women, all hiding from something.
A harrowing story tempered by found friendship and comradery of other women. Very deep and emotional. An excellent read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Victor LaValle tells a gritty and intense story in the Montana Landscape. Adelaide Henry and a supporting cast of characters are vivid in my mind, and the wind has taken on a life-like quality. You feel you're in Montana walking in the snow, the cold on your skin, and the fear; it's everywhere and will not let go. This is a fantastic historical horror fiction novel. Praise for Lone Women, always!

Every so often (and all too rarely) you encounter something special – a perfect read. Lone Women by Victor LaValle is that book.

I honestly think that this may be one of my favorite books ever.

The book is mysterious, engaging, and so easy to get completely lost in. It was the kind of book I didn’t want to put down. When I had to stop (yay work?), I was thinking about the book and so anxious to get back to it.

LaValle never (and I mean never) takes this book where you think it will go. Every time I thought I knew, I was wrong.

As for the characters? Iconic. Not only Adelaide, but the other women in this book and a particularly murderous family. They are so vivid!

I loved this – five stars and beyond.

• ARC via Publisher

Absolutely captivating! I adored this genre bending, gothic horror style western. Trust Lavelle to deliver a oppressive supernatural vibe woven seamlessly into a very real world atmosphere. I just love how the themes in this book force the reader to question morality, good & evil, survival, and loyalty.

Lone Women is a very interesting book. I love Lasalle's writing style and The Changeling is one of my favorites but I just didn't relate to this story as much. I wish he had leaned full horror with this story.

A handsome horror story set in historical Montana, with LaValle's immense writing gifts at the forefront. The images are stark and memorable, the characters wonderfully complicated, and the monster is the heart of the story in more ways than one. I appreciate when a monster isn't fully described, when it takes shape like a charcoal drawing, too vast to be caught in more than glimpses. Claws, yes there are claws. And wings, there, a flash of wings. But you can't see it all at once, it's in too much movement.

The side characters are realistic with stories of their own, whether we'd cast them as friends or villains alike. They are proud, they are frightened, they are doing what they have to do. The ending reflects current trends in horror writing: marginalized characters who opt out of mainstream society because they've had enough of trying to "live up" to the status quo. Who realise that this liberty they fought for was just a simulacrum of freedom, was a game that has been designed for them to never win. It's a little obvious and pat, but you are also relieved that Adelaide has finally found a life of her own.

I was sent this ARC because I requested a George Saunders ARC and this apparently had a similar vibe. It was not something I normally would have picked up, but I’m glad it was sent to me because I really liked it. Lone Women follows a woman with a secret as she leaves her home in California to homestead by herself in Montana. She has a lot of “baggage” to say the least. The novel is filled with social commentary about social bias against women of color and against queer women. This is the type of genre defying novel that I love to dive into. And it’s the type that I think I could gain even more from after a second read through. I liked the end of the book and I am going to read more of this author’s work.