Thought provoking and haunting, Wandering Stars pieces together decades of Native experiences and shows how things can trickle (or wander) down between generations whether you realize it or not. Something that was said at one point that was simple, but summed the book up really well was how ancestors pass down both blessings and curses to future generations.

In a way, this one picks up from where There, There leaves off, it just takes a little bit for it all to come together as far as the timeline and who’s who in the family tree. There were a lot of hard moments and despite it being a tough read at times, it was a really meaningful and thought provoking book and the stories told between this one and There, There Will stick with me for sure.

Tommy Orange is an amazing storyteller and I definitely recommend both this one and There, There

3.5 stars rounded up. This is the follow up to There There, where we meet all of our characters again after the life-changing event at the end of that novel. There, There kept me interested and full of hope, cheering the characters on in spite of the many obstacles. Here, it turned into a slog of trauma after trauma and unravelling of relationships and community. I never wanted to pick up the book. I had to bribe myself with ice cream to finish it (grad school trick). I'm not sure how much was my mood and how much was the book, but there just seemed no hope here. That may be more honest, but I'm not sure where to go from there?

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

There, There is undoubtedly my favorite of Orange’s #books and one of the most powerful books I’ve ever #read. This one is equally brutally honest and beautiful, but I have to admit - I found myself sometimes bored amidst the poetically beautiful prose. I would still recommend this one to anyone, but if you are prone to getting bored easily/prefer a less abstract/stream of consciousness, more hard action narrative, be forewarned that Part One will probably be a slower read for you.

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Spanning over two centuries and looking into the experiences and generational trauma of a Native American family across decades and decades of experiences from the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre to modern day Oakland, California, this one delves into everything from identity, to culture, to government erasure, to family, to addiction, to the choices we make that inevitably have lasting, prolonged effects on the generations we leave behind. This one was tinged with so much pain and yet such a hard, undying relentless theme of pushing onwards and survival.

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Orange is truly magnificent at his craft.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. This is a novel about the injustices done repeatedly to Native Americans through the years in US history. There are massacres of entire tribes by the army. There are the boarding schools that Native Americans were sent to to try to wipe out all of their heritage. There is the addiction to alcohol and drugs that resulted from decades of oppression. This book is tough to read, but worthwhile as a way to learn about this hidden history. #wanderingstars #tommyorange #bookstagram #bookloversofinstagram #netgalley #advancedreadercopy

A beautiful tapestry of characters all interlinked and sharing in their experience of indigeneity, community, addiction, and hope.

Tommy Orange's writing is just glorious. This isn't an easy read by any means but it is well worth your time. The prose almost reads like short stories with the differing voices but they all come together to form a masterful whole. Generational trauma, lover, strength and resilience... Wandering Stars will draw you in, break your heart and haunt you well after you're done.

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the copy to review.

Admittedly, I only gave There There 3 stars (primarily for too many characters that I couldn’t keep straight). However, I hate to judge an author by just one book so I hoped this follow-up would be an improvement.

I think I really don’t like Orange’s writing style. This book felt very rambling and a tad pretentious. I hate paragraphs that consist of one single sentence and there were a lot of those. I felt like I was missing some significance and maybe I was, but I struggled to concentrate. Again, too many characters that I couldn’t keep straight. And I also don’t know how anyone is reading this without having read There There. That book fits smack in between Part One and Part Two of this one and immediately refers to but doesn’t explain events that happened in There There.

I’m glad I gave it a shot but it just wasn’t for me.

I thought the writing was great but his "prequel" There There was much better. I only finished to find out what happened after the shooting from the first book. The ending fell flat to me.

I loved Tommy Orange's "There There," to which this book serves as a prequel and sequel Unfortunately, I didn't fully understand how the two books fit together until I had finished "Wandering Stars" and read various articles and reviews. I enjoyed it as a stand-alone, but would have appreciated the artistry and narrative choices more had I remembered "There There" in a more concrete way and had I started with a sense of what Tommy Orange meant to do as he expanded the scope. That said, I learned a lot of (ugly) U.S. history and how 'being Indian" defined the lives of Orange's characters. As in "There There," Orange creates memorable relationships, explores addiction and "tribalism" in ways that will resonate with patient readers. There's something laconic in both books as Orange gradually unfolds moments big and small, creating powerful moods & moments

Enjoyed reading this emotional story that spanned over time. Looking out for more books by this author who wrote this historical tale about enduring suffering and it's long standing effects that crossed generations.

WANDERING STARS
Tommy Orange

I had an excellent experience reading WANDERING STARS by Tommy Orange. Reading it feels like your heart breaking and putting itself back together in a more empathetic, and loving way. I enjoyed the writing and use of language.

Honest in the way blushing is telling. As multi-faceted as humans are, it was a pleasure to read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the advanced copy!

WANDERING STARS…⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wandering Stars explores America's true, dark history, cultural identity and what it means to be Native, mental health and addiction, family dynamics, and so much more. I have always been interested in multi-generational stories and Tommy Orange writes in such a lyrical way that gives each character a uniquely identifiable voice. There are many layers to this story that I'm still taking time to process and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for time to come.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, sadly, it's not for me. At least not right now. I knew there were ties to There, There, but I wasn't expecting to be as lost as I feel reading Wandering Stars without first reading There, There. This is clearly not a standalone book. The stream-of-consciousness narrative, the characters I'm supposed to know but have never met, and the abrupt shifts in time and POV have made this a struggle to read. And after 40% I still feel as lost as the day I started the book. I am putting this down for now and will revisit it after I read There, There. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced access.

Wandering Stars is miraculously both a prequel and a sequel to There, There, but you also don't have to read There, There to enjoy Wandering Stars. Wild right? That's the ride that is Tommy Orange. I love his multiple POV stories, with each character taking on a unique tone, literary perspective, and somehow still advancing the story. The Red Feather boys are so dear to me at this point, after reading both There, There and Wandering Stars, and Opal will always have my heart. I'm always moved by Orange's poetic writing (and highlighted so many beautiful portions throughout this story) and am grateful to have been gifted Wandering Stars through NetGalley. 4/5 stars

Tommy Orange has a magical touch when it comes to storytelling. He weaves multiple stories together, tying the past to the present while conveying so much emotion with minimal words.

Wandering Stars builds upon his earlier work of There There by going farther back in the family history. What happened before informs and guides the later family members. They are who they are because of where they came from and because of what happened to their ancestors.

Tommy Orange shines a light on a collective history that many would rather gloss over and forget. Forgetting the past won’t make it go away - it will come back with a force that will not be shoved aside.

Wandering Stars is a multigenerational family story spanning over a century. We revisit several characters from There There, so in a sense it is prequel, sequel, annd companion, though it also stands alone. Tommy Orange is a beautiful writer, and this book is definitely worth a read.

Renowned for his Pulitzer Prize-nominated work, "There There," Tommy Orange once again delivers a poignant exploration of intergenerational trauma in his latest novel, "Wandering Stars."

Set against the backdrop of the Sand Creek Massacre and the oppressive Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Orange follows three generations of a family marked by suffering and resilience. Beginning in 1860s-era Colorado, Orange introduces Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, who finds himself thrust into the confines of Fort Marion prison. Under the watchful eye of Richard Henry Pratt, Star is subjected to assimilation efforts aimed at erasing his Indigenous culture and identity. Decades later, Star's son, Charles, endures the brutality of the Carlisle school, finding solace in fleeting moments with fellow student, Opal Viola. As their stories unfold, the narrative navigates themes of trauma, identity, and the enduring legacy of historical violence.

With prose that is both devastating and awe-inspiring, Orange conjures a cast of characters - ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in "There There" - who grapple with their ancestry, from alcoholics and addicts to criminals and warriors. "Wandering Stars" serves as a profound reflection on the weight of inherited trauma, weaving together a narrative that resonates with the force of a modern epic. Orange's remarkable storytelling prowess shines brightly in this exceptional novel, reaffirming his status as one of today's most talented writers.

My Goodreads review:

Thank you #NetGalley for ebook ARC. The extended family saga showed familial connections over time and place, allowing the reader to see how even those who seem disparate are not.

Wandering Stars is a gorgeous book that follows the stories of a Native family across generations. It looks colonialism head-on, and unflinchingly illustrates the damage, pain, and generational trauma inflicted on Native people by white settlers and the US government. With strong themes of loss, running away, addiction, and returning -- to family, to a sense of place, to culture -- Wandering Stars is a powerful, moving portrait of Native diaspora, told through as series of incredibly human, intimate stories. While it's effectively a follow-up to There, There, Wandering Stars can be read without that context.