My hopes for Wandering Stars were high; the reality was better. I loved it.

I reread There There before starting this ARC, and I'm so glad I did - Wandering Stars can absolutely be standalone, but it's far more powerful in context. And I love how it's not a straightforward sequel or a prequel - it's more of a wrap-around. The form is a perfect container for the stories - because the past doesn't end, it builds.

I don't always love multi-POV novels (which is maybe a function of growing up in an individualistic society that prizes a specific and familiar type of storytelling?); whatever the reason, Tommy Orange is exceptional at ensemble casts. This book is like a kaleidoscope or a mosaic composed of photographs - there's one story it tells from afar, and then you look closer. In that way, it reminded me of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride.

I'm so glad the publication date is finally here; I can't wait to discuss Wandering Stars with customers at the bookstore where I work. Like There There, Wandering Stars isn't an easy book to read - I devour most books, but this is one I have to stop and sit with and process - but it's beautiful and memorable and utterly worthwhile.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love it. It sounded so good and I love reading about Native Americans. I just couldn’t get into it for some reason. I even downloaded the audio to see if that would help. It’s very slow burn book. Please note that I did not finish the book so my two stars may not be an accurate assessment.

Deeply emotional and gripping prose. At parts, it felt more like linked short stories, working with different styles and voices, but the second half felt more like a novel. It's been a long time since reading THERE THERE, and I didn't remember the characters or their stories, so a bit was probably lost on me as this continues the family's stories.

I struggled with this one. The beginning provided a family tree type back ground but I felt that just as I got to know a character they were gone. Once the main story started I still struggled as the story just seemed to drag for me. Wish I liked it more but it was a struggle for me from beginning to end

A powerful multi generational story threading together the Native American experience and addiction. If you can get past Part 1 which is very difficult and sad read,, you will be rewarded with pure literary excellence. It’s well written and thought provoking. A must read and instant classic.

An amazing story of a Native American family struggling with addictions. Hard to read and will have you sobbing by the end. To say Tommy Orange has a way with words is a total understatement. I do wish I had read the previous book first though.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange is a slow burn exploration of the intergenerational trauma inflicted upon Native American families in the wake of historical atrocities. Set in Colorado in 1864, the novel follows Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, and his son Charles, who later attends the Carlisle School. Orange weaves together the stories of these characters, highlighting the impact of colonization and forced assimilation.

Tommy Orange has an important message about the American Indian treatment and how this has affected their culture. I did read There There by Orange many years ago and I did not remember much of the story. While this is supposed to be a sequel, "Wandering Stars" can stand alone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Wandering Stars" in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley, #WanderingStars, #TommyOrange

I was a big fan of Orange’s first book, There There and wasn’t aware that this one was a sort of sequel. It starts off in the 1800s and follows a Native family over time to present day. It is a heartbreaking book full of complicated characters. Includes themes of violence against Native Americans, addiction, and PTSD.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wandering Stars is the sequel to There, There - but I have to be honest - I don’t remember the specific story or characters since I read it as soon as it came out (so I guess this can be a standalone book). The novels focus on one Native American family’s generational stories beginning in the 1860s. The novel sets up the modern day story by giving the initial background of the character’s ancestors’ stories of the boarding schools, prison stays and general institutional violence that was commonplace. The majority of the novel takes place today and looks at what this generational trauma has done to this one family.

I enjoyed this novel much more than There, There - I found it moved much faster and I connected with the characters much more easily. While the story is painful it is also relatable. Orange is masterful at telling a story at a micro level while showing what happens when society attempts to erase one’s culture at a macro level.

4.25 stars

thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC to review

This was a beautiful but heavy book. I recommend you read Orange's There There first. Technically, these are stand-alone, but we meet some of the same people, and the events of There There fall within of this book's timeline. The family tree helps keep track of the generations, but it's easy to get lost as we jump from person to person, timeframe to timeframe.

Like in There There, this book's topics largely stem from the overarching generational trauma theme. But I found that in this book, there are fewer punches pulled. We see the massacres, the horrific schools like the Carlisle School, and later impacts like high levels of drug use and mental health needs. Yet despite all these heartbreaking elements, the writing is beautiful and moving. There's a sense of bearing witness to the traumas inflicted even as there is a sense of triumph and resilience that is completely independent of us as readers.

As we continue to bear witness to the ongoing, long-reaching impact of colonialism both within the US and abroad, these stories are increasingly essential reminders of the way colonialist ideology has a very real impact on real people.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow. This book will stay with me for a long time. Seeing what happens to Orvil, Lony, Opal, and Jacquie after the events in There There was intense but beautiful. The events that happen in this book are darker and stayed with me long after. I put the book down each day. I appreciated how Tommy Orange delicately covered topics like identity, addiction, and belonging. Seeing how each character grew was difficult, but I knew they were in good hands with Orange. The final chapter was heartwrenching and hopeful. I already miss these characters.

"It's just as important for you to hear yourself speak your stories as it is for others to hear you speak them, so that you can come to know you're not alone, and more the same as the person sitting next to you than you are different from them, which you never would have ever believed unless they opened their mouths to share their stories here in these circles."

I highly recommend this book. I've said it before and I will say it again, Tommy Orange is an incredibly important and powerful voice. I am so grateful he is sharing these stories. This book does more than share stories, it shares deep truths through generations enveloped in trauma, loss, family, and what it means to come from a heritage that people are constantly trying to erase. The book picks up where There, There left off (and if you haven't read that - stop reading this and pick that up).

Wandering Stars is steeped in individuals being so consumed in their own hurt and attempts at healing that lead to so many missed and noticed moments of suffering by their family and loved ones. The story is weaved together so well between the past and the future, and at each moment you find yourself intrinsically tied in hope and fury for these characters.

This book does an incredible job of showing in raw and honest detail the scars that are carried over when we try and eliminate an entire peoples culture, history, language and traditions. One of the most poignant parts of the novel for me is when Orvil Red Feather stops to think and consider the land that he is standing on, the place he resides in, and whose land it was - whose land it truly is. That hit me to my core as I considered the myriad of places I have lived, and who the land truly belongs to.

Many thanks to Knopf, NetGalley and Tommy Orange for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I look forward to Tommy Orange continuing to share stories and deep hard truths. Go read this book.

Impressive & worth the wait. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange intimately explores the multigenerational impacts of trauma and the complexities of reconciling indigenous life with modern society.

As soon as I saw the new Tommy Orange book coming out, I ran like crazy to the Netgalley to request an ARC. One thing I did not expect: it would take days upon days to finish it, despite not being bulky. It was an emotionally heavy read. The author dedicated this book to all victims of addiction. Hence, each character struggles one way or another with that demon. We get to know those characters intimately, but the author doesn't try to explain the reasoning behind the choices. Those characters come across as organic as any human being would. There is no good study of oneself that would provide an answer to that question. Yet, by making it the main subject of the book, as readers, we get to empathize and understand more.

Tommy Orange has an amazing ability to exercise our compassion muscle with amazing writing, almost poetic at times, but so intentionally chosen within each paragraph that it was a lit study for me, not entertainment. Which, I mean as a compliment to his art. Also, the big topic of this book was generational trauma within the Native American community. Here, we find out about the ancestry of Orvil, the main character in "There, there". By choosing different types of narration for each character, they will stay with me for a long time. I was able to distinguish them, but the author didn't do it for the reader. It seems he chose it to give justice to the voice of his characters, who could easily exist in real life.

The second part of the book deals with events post "There, there" and it was the most difficult for me to get through. Orvil and his brothers and grandmas create such a heartwarming family unit. Yet at the same time, we have to remember: "Everything that happens to a tribe happens to everyone in the tribe". And the addition of one becomes a struggle for the whole family. What I appreciate the most in the writing, is how this whole phrase perfectly describes also generations that came before the main character and how their suffering radiates towards him directly and indirectly.

Let me finish with the following: "To endure or pass through endurance test after endurance test only ever gave you endurance test passing abilities". Each and one of a chapter was a presentation of the test, and another and another. For that, this book is unique, amazing, and worth every minute I spend reading.

This is where I leave off because I will be praising this book for eternity.

If I had been better about reading choices, I fully realize my rating would have been higher on this book. Here’s why:

I loved There, There as well as all the characters in it. I was fascinated with the threads of the story and how Tommy Orange weaved them all together. Sadly, I read it awhile ago and had forgotten many of those same threads. I needed to do a re-read before Wandering Stars, as I kept trying to figure out connections.

I read this one on my kindle, which was a big mistake. It’s one of those books that I wanted to page back and forth, finding those connections, and I can’t do it on my kindle.

I also took too long to read it, as it was my bedtime book; I needed to just sit down and absorb myself into the story and the people. Once I did, I was in awe of the writing. But I do think this is a book that deserves focused attention as it explores powerful traumatic history.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 after reading and loving THERE THERE in 2023, and to be expected, Tommy Orange delivered!

Just like its predecessor, WANDERING STARS is rich in beautiful character details, immersive writing, and complex storytelling that will, at times, make you uncomfortable, but that’s the point. A big difference is this one feels like it is a more long-form, interconnected story, whereas THERE THERE has a short story/vignette feel, so readers will likely notice that difference in the narrative.

I am so thankful Tommy Orange wrote this follow-up and that I was able to revisit these characters’ stories. It impacted me greatly and will definitely be a book I recommend to fans of literary fiction and Native American studies.

For those who loved the Pulitzer Prize winning There, There, Tommy Orange has just released this follow up novel that takes place in the aftermath of the big Powwow.

The first half of the book goes back in time to the late 1800’s and traces several generations of ancestry that eventually leads us the present day character of Orvil Red Feather. I absolutely loved the first part of the novel.

The second part takes place after Orvil was shot at the Powwow and is heavy in its depiction of inherited trauma, drug addiction and the desire to find one’s identity. The writing is raw and emotional and gritty.

“Assimilation was one of the words they used for Indians becoming white in order to survive, in order that they might not be killed for being Indians.”

Another brutal, moving book from Tommy Orange. It’s been a few years since I’ve read There There, but I remember the feeling of being blown away by the descriptive writing and intense narrative about the Native American experience, with the huge build-up to the powwow at the end.

Wandering Stars is written with the same structure, once again exploring the effects of intergenerational trauma - starting with Jude Star’s escape as a child during the Sand Creek Massacre, to his son Charles being sent to the Carlisle Industrial School and forced to assimilate and give up his Cheyenne roots, to the present day and the struggles of their descendants. At first I thought it would be more about the “school,” but it focuses more on the effects of what it means to be forced to forget who you are and where you come from, and how that manifests most often with mental health issues leading to addiction.

It’s difficult, hard to read, and very important. I really want to go back and reread There There now. A book to take your time with, definitely not a quick easy read but 1000% worth it. If you loved There There as much as I did Wandering Stars is a must read.

Thank you to the publisher AA Knopf and Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Wandering Stars is out now.

I was very excited to get my hands on an early copy of this book having enjoyed Tommy Orange's debut novel. Maybe I talked it up to much in my head, but the experience of reading this book didn't live up to my expectations. Based on the summary I thought there would be more historical elements to it (the Sand Creek Massacre, Carlisle Indian Industrial School) but those parts were so quick and really not explored in depth. The book seemed unbalanced to me -- the first third were some early ancestors in the family, told almost in short stories. It reminded me a bit of Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing in that each generation got a chapter to speak. The last 2/3 of the book focused on the modern times and the characters that were introduced in There There, moving the plot beyond the events of that book. Overall the jumping between generations left me feeling like the book was not super cohesive, and indeed almost felt like two different novels? I just didn't connect with this book as much as There There. There's no doubt the author is gifted with words and can draw out emotion, but the plot elements (or lack thereof?) just left me missing something.

I was very late to the party on There There and have only read it sometime in the last year. It was very good, I did audio, and it really helped me with some of the tough spots.

But this one was more of a struggle for me - and I wished I'd had the audio again. This one starts by giving us a huge family tree. It quick succession, it gives us a huge cast and then windles them down as they die off and a new generation rises up. It was confusing for me, because I kept trying to get attached, only for that character to be done.

Finally, around 40%, we jumped in with the characters. But this is a very heavy story - about surviving an active shooter in a social setting. Not only is there trauma and PTSD, but there is unhealthy coping mechanisms. It was tough to read.

But the story continued to feel disjointed. The sentences were short and choppy and I'm sure I didn't always get the message the author was trying to convey. It was a good read, a very heavy emotional read, but one that I'd wished I'd connected with more than I did.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.