There, There was one of my favorite books a few years ago when I read it. I was blown away by the storytelling and character development showcased by Tommy Orange and anxious to read more by him. So I was obviously ecstatic when I was approved by NetGalley and the publisher to read a digital review copy. Although I didn’t connect with this one as much as his previous novel, I am still in awe of the beautiful writing and loved following up with some of my favorite characters.

This novel takes even more of a generational approach than the first novel did, giving us a glimpse into the early lineage of the family who survived the Sand Creek Massacre, the Fort Marion Prison Castle, and the Carlisle Indian School. This provided so much background into the psyche of the characters we had already met in There, There as well as shining a spotlight on generational trauma and the indigenous experience through the past 150 years of U.S. history. Bringing us back to the present day with the characters in the aftermath of a tragedy and learning to cope (often unhealthily as addiction can also be a legacy handed down), this book is a heavy hitter in terms of scope and emotional depth.

One of the most rewarding experiences of reading this novel was seeing the present-day characters continue to struggle with their Cheyenne identity given that they don’t know the language or didn’t grow up with a lot of the cultural elements. This is where the historical context offered in the beginning is so important in showing the efforts the United States government went to in order to wipe out these cultures and peoples, and novels like this one are a proud testament to the fact that indigenous Americans are still here and forging their own identities in a modern era.

This is definitely not an easy or quick read as the writing style often forces you to grapple with it, often feeling more like a series of vignettes than a cohesive story. This style is very purposeful and rewarding to read, but this is definitely not a book to just pick up and read casually. If you are a fan of family sagas or want to learn more about the Native American experience throughout history, I cannot recommend this one enough. It is very rewarding for all that take the time to read through it, and I cannot wait to read more by this author in the future.

Wandering Stars was a lyrical multigenerational novel for the same readers who loved Homegoing and Pachinko. The novel covers a broad stretch of American history while showing the roots and vine-like grip of addiction growing through family generations. The prose is predominately a stream-of-consciousness style, with long sentences that grow a bit more contained as we move closer to present day. It was deeply moving to see portrayals of love between people that is bruised and overstretched from both the personal mistakes that come of being human and the societal harms Native people have faced in waves beginning with America’s colonization. My only regret in reading this book was not re-reading There, There first, so my recommendation to future readers would be to read Orange’s first novel if you’re able. The story stands completely alone as a defiant, humanist portrayal of Native families, but I feel certain I would have enjoyed the novel even more with the first fresh in my mind.

Wow, beautiful writing and fantastic storytelling. Tommy Orange has a way of drawing you in and making you feel so many different emotions. While the subject matter is heavy and dark, the writing brings you through it and to the point that you're grateful for having read it. This is much more character driven than plot driven, so some readers may want more story. Its quiet and the pacing is steady-to-slow. But you will hopefully learn and grow from having read it.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the advance copy!

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange is filled with yearning. This stand-alone sequel to THERE THERE lyrically illustrates the powerful yearning of one family, via descendant Orvil Red Feather, to be themselves after their historical removal from tribal lands and the forced abandonment of their native language and culture. It shows the generational trauma of collective loss. Beginning with the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and the subsequent Carlisle Indian Industrial School debacle, Wandering Stars visits the descendants of a single Native family as they struggle with substance abuse and erasure while trying to preserve family ties and their culture. “Everyone only thinks we’re from the past, but then we’re here, but they don’t know we’re still here.” while emotionally difficult to read, it’s an essential lesson. Book clubs need to discuss this one.

Tommy Orange is such a good writer. His words are so gripping and evocative. Even when his characters seem hopeless, there is a fierce and profound beauty to the way he depicts them. Their very existence is the hope in the hopelessness. My only gripe is that Wandering Stars feels disjointed, like two loosely connected books instead of one cohesive story. I understand that he wanted “fast forward” to the present but in doing that the story lost its connective tissue. Still loved this book and the writing. Another Tommy Orange masterpiece.

This Is a sequel to There There that fallows a family through the colonization and forced relocation of Native Americans and the lasting impacts of that on the current generations. The book has themes of perseverance and resilience. This story shows how trauma lasts for generations and impacts them in ways they might not even understand. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was the first book I had read from this author. The book was thought provoking and interesting.

I had mixed thoughts while reading this book. The content was very heavy and difficult to read at times. The story was beautifully written. I needed a little bit more plot development to find cohesiveness in the book for all of the history and characters to make sense. It follows multiple generations through traumatic events and contains some content that is horrific. I learned a lot while reading.

Amazing. A dense, challenging read that is mainly a character study that packs a big wollop. I love his writing and get lost in it for pages, despite the lack of true action or much dialogue. This is a study of Native American life as seen through the eyes of those who lived it and their descendants. We see the many atrocities they suffer from their view, told alternatively in first and third person. This is a follow-up to There There but I honestly had forgotten those characters and this stands alone just fine.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a book. I feel Tommy Orange really has showcased his talent in the construction and storytelling shown in this book. We follow characters from There There, which felt special to be able to spend time with them again. But we also go back in time to earlier generations of this family and learn of their lives and stories as well.

This story was heavy, and leaves the reader feeling quite heavy after the final page has been turned. This mirrors the themes Orange is tackling and the weight the characters feel. Beautifully done.

This book is full of so much information. I did not do any research and didn’t realize there was another book by this author. I did not feel lost while reading this book and it reads as a stand-alone. However, there are many characters in the book and I had to keep referencing the family tree in the beginning of the book.

It is a very powerful, heavy book. There are multiple point of views and the book spans multiple generations, beginning with the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864. This book is filled with gun violence, mental health issues, alcoholism, drug addiction and the trauma of indigenous people. I really enjoyed this book for the most part, it is beautifully written. Each chapter is told like it’s own little story and from a different point of view. I found that whose point of view was not always clear. And the chapters are very very long. Overall, a great read!

Wandering Stars is a beautiful blend of past and present. Tommy Orange weaves the stories of eight different people to address the very real ramifications that colonization has had on the indigenous peoples. This story inspires many feelings: anger, frustration, heartbreak, resilience, and hope. One of the characters, Orvil (first introduced in There There) had a big impact on me. His journey after the events of There There broke my heart but also made view addiction in a whole new light. Tommy is honest in showing the reader the truth around addiction but makes sure to never forget the person underneath. He shows grace and kindness to Orvil and Simple’s the reader to view this problem with grace and understanding. Tommy Orange is so talented and I hope to read more of his work in the future. Wandering Stars was a great follow up to There There and a book I’ll think about and have with me for a long time. Definitely recommend 4.25⭐️

A well written book that is a continuation of his previous work. All his books are a very good look at native Americans in the present times

Wandering Stars was DENSE and emotionally heavy. It's written really well and engaging and heartbreaking.

However, proceed with caution as I believe you need to be emotionally ready to read it. It's an important book, but you have to be prepared for it.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Is this an important story told by an important voice in Indigenous literature today? Absolutely. I think the theme of generational trauma and the effects of that deep-rooted trauma on Indigenous families are needed conversations that should be written about. And I think Orange does a great job in Wandering Stars.

I just found this to be hard to engage with, unfortunately. And I understand the writing styles differing to better separate the characters, but it was difficult to follow Jude Star's more meandering thoughts and that was the first person we interact with.

If you are someone who is triggered by addiction in its various forms, this will be a novel to steer clear from. However, I do think this is a great follow up to There There, and the commentary within these pages is fundamentally important.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advanced reader copy. This title published February 27, 2024.

The events of There, There are bookended by those in this staggering book by Tommy Orange. Wandering Stars takes the reader through several generations of the Cheyenne ancestors of Orvil Red Feather's family. From the Sand Creek Massacre to beyond the COVID pandemic, the family is plagued by ethnic persecution, addiction, and a constant search for belonging in a nation that is determined to undermine them.

I finished Wandering Stars.

Tommy Orange’s writing is excellent. There is a slight change in how he writes for each character and I was able to distinguish who was narrating each chapter- sometimes before it was even clarified.

The first part of the three parts was EXCELLENT. The history and connections was my favorite part of this book.
The second part is where I got annoyed by the introduction of a non family character. The third part - I was emotionally sad for the characters but also for a generation and a culture.

Wandering Stars is a story told across multiple generations, detailing both the trauma and resilience in the family lineage. The first third of the book was informative and interesting but at times felt a bit incohesive. Once the story of Orvil, Lony, Loother, Opal, and Jacquie began, the themes of addiction, family, and identity began to shine through more. Orange writes with such beautiful prose and I appreciate how he creates space for his characters to reflect on what they’ve learned and how it’s not only impacted them, but their family around them as well.

This book is both a prequel and sequel to “There, There” which I haven’t had the chance to read yet, but I definitely will add to my list. All in all, this book is heavy in many ways, but speaks to so many important lessons on identity and overcoming struggle. I hope that many get the chance to read this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Tommy Orange can write multiple points of view in a truly unparalleled manner. Beginning with a man who has gone mute after escaping the Sand Creek Massacre, each character's perspective is unique and wholly their own. Despite the years that lapse between vignettes, each character's presence carries from one descendant to the next in a way that illuminates the way that trauma is inherited.

As a fan of There There, I was delighted to not only get to know their ancestors but to have a chance to revisit Orvil, Opal, Jacquie, Lony, and Loother. When we return to the modern-day Readfeather family, each character is reckoning with the aftermath of the events of There There. The spectrum of emotion they each experience is both heartbreaking and palpable. Lony, the youngest member of the family, has a particularly devastating way of dealing with his trauma that feels so true to both his age and way of seeing the world.

If you're a fan of historical fiction and character studies, you can't miss Wandering Stars!

A multigenerational look at belonging, identity, and family through the lens of colonization, addiction, and generational trauma on the Indigenous communities in the U.S. Set mostly in modern-day Oakland, the land of the Ohlone tribe and a follow up to Orange's There There, his writing is as rich and all-encompassing as ever. I highlighted elite paragraphs of prose dripping with beauty and pain.

I most loved being back with the characters, particularly Opal Bearshield as she fiercely loves her family and 3 grandkids: Orvil, Lony, and Loother Redfeather. As well as their true grandma and Opal's sister, Jacque Redfeather as she worked through alcoholism. This book, also, at parts spans centuries in their family line of Cheyenne ancestors: a family that survives the Sand Creek Massacre, boarding schools, alcoholism and addiction.

This is not a light read but it is well worth its emotional depth and a must read for anyone who wants to read about the harsh survival of "Native Americans".

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

When I first started reading this book, I was given factual information about what Jude Star and his people had to go through during the white invasion and sending the children to "schools" to reform them and make them lose their true identity. I was so shocked and horrified and felt a sense of loss for people I have never met, even though the story is fictional, this story will move you and educate you and make you feel. Once we go down the next generations within the Star family line, we see how each family member is unique and yet go through the same struggles of battling addiction or depression. Sharing a passion for music and dancing and ultimately just trying to get by.

I was so moved and wanted to comfort all the strong mommas and females in this story. The characters felt so relatable despite having an identity crises I could never fully understand, I just wanted more of the story. Truly an inspirational piece of poetry, the novel read like music at times, flowed so well and I found myself reading it out loud to truly appreciate the magical aspects.

Please read this one, you will NOT regret it! All opinions expressed are my own and thank you so much to NetGalley and Tommy Orange for the ARC.