DNF at 23%.

I was excited about the premise of Woman of Light, and even more so after reading the prologue, but unfortunately the bulk of the quarter or so I read of the book was a slog. I did find the characters interesting, and I do love a good multi-generational story, but the prose itself was dense, as though Fajardo-Anstine wanted every sentence to pack a punch. Sometimes in reading a paragraph, one sentence would awkwardly jar into the next; I found this particularly troublesome in a scene where a father is referred to both as "father" and as "Benny," as though it should be clear that they are one and the same. The effect means the story lean too much on trying to be Literary Fiction (with capital letters) that it falls flat in what makes for a fun read - and what makes for good Literary Fiction in the first place.

Fajardo-Anstine is definitely an author to watch for - this just lacked the editing that would have made it a stunning read, which is disappointing considering the potential for this story.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

DNFed at 40%. Admittedly I don’t think that the issue here is 100% the book. I’m definitely in a reading slump, and this just didn’t click. That said, I felt, even after having read 40% of the book, I had no sense of where the book was going or what the main point was. The author showed her command and strength of language; however, the plot was lackluster. I seem to be in the minority though, so others may enjoy.

This book is so, so good!! Do yourself a favor and add it to your TBR list now. If you like historical fiction, multigenerational family sagas, westerns, learning about other cultures, and/or great writing, this book is for you.

Set in the American West, the novel spans five generations of the Lopez family from the late 1800's to the 1930s. The author's writing is so rich and flowing, the characters and scenes so vivid and real, that readers will easily find themselves immersed in the story.

It was quite interesting and educational to see the American West through the eyes and experiences of an Indigenous Chicano family. I also love how the author continually ties all the generations together across the various timelines.

Two of my favorite passages are

"... he couldn't help but think that Anglos were perhaps the most dangerous storytellers of all - for they believed only their own words, and they allowed their stories to trample the truths of nearly every other man on Earth."

"I think everything that's ever happened or going to happen to us and the people we love is around... all we have to do is reach for it."

My thanks to Random House One World for allowing me to access an ARC of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Loved reading a bit of Denver’s history from a century ago. The characters were given interesting personalities and experienced the ugliness of prejudice prevalent at the time. The author really has a love of adjectives — never let a noun stand naked! The story seemed incomplete somehow, with explanations or motivations missing regarding a few major plot points, yet I enjoyed this novel and am glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and One World/Random House for the ARC to read and review.

Woman of Light is a family saga beginning at the end of the nineteenth century and continuing into the Great Depression. It follows a large family of Latino and Indigenous Americans living in western New Mexico and Colorado. They're sharp-shooters and snake charmers and fortune tellers, laundry women and miners, all trying to make their way in a largely hostile world. But they are, for the most part, resilient and busy falling in love, making lives and enjoying what they have.

There are a lot of strong characters, all vying for attention here, and the novel jumps around the timeline with abandon. But Fajardo-Anstine's first book, Sabrina and Corina, was a fantastic collection of short stories, so even when I wasn't sure where or when we were at the start of a new chapter, each section worked so well on its own; it didn't matter if I could keep track of the relationships. I don't generally like family sagas, but Woman of Light was a banger.

An epic historical fiction spanning five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family, set in the turn of the century West. A story of love, betrayal, and adversity. The pacing is a bit slow and there are multiple characters to keep up with but overall it's an emotional and inspiring story.

DNF'd at 40%. This book was not giving me enough compelling reasons to continue, there was minimal plot and it was trying to juggle too many characters. The scattered non-linear timeline in particular was not serving the story the author was trying to tell. I may try to finish this at a later date as I was enjoying the writing. If you are a big fan of multi-generational historical fiction this may still be worth checking out!

While Woman of Light does a good job telling a lush story that illuminates a lot of social issues, the characters don't come to life as much as what they are meant to share with the reader. That makes it feel like a good enough experience, but not one that will last with me as I continue to read other books.

Fajardo-Anstine really is a great storyteller. This book is packed full of interesting ideas, and it’s hard to stop yourself from tearing through the book. The characters are well fleshed out, endearing. The structure of the book, with some chapters focusing away from the main character Luz, helped in creating an engrossing, captivating tale. However, the writing wasn’t for me. I found it to be a little awkward and, at times, overwrought. An example:

“Maria Josie inhaled quickly and exhaled slowly, watching her smoke turn inward on itself like time collapsing into the past.”

If you like this sentence, you will most likely enjoy Fajardo-Anstine’s style. Of course, not every single sentence is as lyrical as this last one, but the book certainly had its bouts. I didn’t mind it too much, but I didn’t love it either, unfortunately.

I also thought the ending was rushed, especially in contrast with the rest of the book, where I thought the pacing was perfect. It felt like the author was scrambling to tie up all of the loose ends nicely in the span of just a couple of pages.

I’m still curious to read more of her work, and will make sure to pick up Sabrina & Corina soon.

Woman of Light is the new novel from Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of the fantastic story collection Sabrina & Corina. In it, we follow Luz Lopez, a tea leaf reader in the mountain west in the 1930's. She sees visions of both the future and the past. She is a complicated character who makes some interesting decisions throughout her life. The cast of secondary characters is well-fleshed out. There are moments throughout the book that are resonant with today's world in which certain populations are discriminated against and have difficulties advancing up the economic ladder. This period and place in American history is not often showcased in literature so I think fans of historical fiction will enjoy this novel. She is a special writer and I look forward to what she writes next.

Thank you to Random House (One World) via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

A rich, enthralling story of family, history, social justice, and real-life magic, Woman of Light is filled with memorable characters and set beautifully in known and unknown areas of the Americas. A true work of art. 5 stars!

Sadly did not enjoy this as much as the authors previous book of short stories. The timelines seemed to jump around randomly and the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out. Nothing made me feel particularly invested in Luz... I still think this was an ok book, but my expectaitons were so so high after loving her previous work as much as I did. A bit of a dissapointment.

This is an emotionally heavy historical fiction about people of Indigenous/Mexican descent in Denver, Colorado. The main story takes place in the 1930s, though parts of the book go back to the late 1800s. There is poverty, racism, cruelty. I learned that the KuKluxClan had a strong presence in 1930s Denver. This is also a story of strong family bonds. The ending doesn’t give any clear answers, but does give hope that these family ties will remain strong. Four stars for a well written story, rounded up from a personal three stars

I really enjoyed this book. The story of Luz a girl born of Indigenous and Mexican decent. Set in the early 1900’s , in the West. Great book for those who love historical fiction and long for more outside of the wide variety of WW1 and WW2 books. Wide cast of colorful and interesting characters. I hoping for a part 2….. I want to know what happens next. Thank you to NetGalley And Random House for the ARC.

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but I really loved this book. I thought the writing was beautiful, I found myself highlighting some standout sentences in my ebook. I loved the stories, the characters, the descriptions.

I will say I did find some of the time jumps confusing at the beginning, I wasn’t very good about paying attention to the years at first at the start of the chapters. But once I made a point to focus on that and what characters were in each section, the story came together on this really fantastic way.

The first 10% of this was a little slow to start, but once I got into the story I couldn’t stop, and read it in about 4ish hours.

Highly recommend this one! I think it would make a great book club book, and it’s on a bunch of lists for best summer reads or most anticipated summer reads.

This comes out on June 7!

This book was incredibly enjoyable for a number of reasons. Firstly, I work in downtown Denver (across the street from The Brown Palace-a location relevant to this story), grew up in the Four Corners (southwest Colorado and the Navajo Nation), and I am obsessed with New Mexico. As a result, the descriptions of places I know and love set in the 1930s and before, were very fun. Secondly, this book is a shining example of why representation matters so much in writing and publishing. Many people don’t realize that Colorado is a diverse place—and has been a diverse place. I loved reading about many diverse characters (and seeing the correct name of my tribe, Diné instead of Navajo). The descriptive writing is excellent, and I grew to love the characters (even the snakes, which is saying something for a Diné woman). Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read an advance copy of this book. The content of this review is my own.

A moody telling of the story of the west through generations of seers of Latin descent. There is magic, and racism, stories of origin and transformation and an author with a unique storytelling voice to bring you fully into a world populated by a tea leaf reading laundress and her brother, a snake charming factory worker. If that does not comport with your idea of the west, your presumptions will find the going difficult. A unique approach to the viewing of the Wild West and its inhabitants.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for a non-biased review..
This was a nice read although a bit of a slow build. Living in Denver I really appreciated all of the historical references and the geographical accuracy. I love magical realism which there was a healthy dose of in this story. The characters all shines with a healthy mixture of vulnerability and strength but I did feel like I was not too deeply attached to any individual outcome. There were many things that I enjoyed about this story but sometimes felt like I was reading from a distance rather than fully enveloped in the story.

I was swept away by the prologue of this book – the evocative setting, the beautiful language, the late 1800s time period, the mystery behind the characters.

But we stay there only a short time and spend the remainder of the book in 1930s Denver with a different cast of characters (albeit endearing and interesting), but with only a slight connection to those introduced in the opening pages.

Despite my desire to remain in the latter time period, I learned a great deal about the horrific inequities faced by Chicano/a and indigenous people in Denver during the 1930s (I was unaware of the KKKs deep presence, as well). But I confess… I wanted so much more of that first story! And much more of Simodecea’s story. And so, so much more to the ending.

I appreciated the clairvoyant aspects of the book, loved the bad-assery of Maria Josie, and one character’s connection to snakes. I I’m sure many will adore this novel and the easy flow of the writing, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of just wanting <i>more</i>.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woman of Light is a historical fiction set in the early 1900s and spans multiple generations of an Indigenous Chicano family out west. What was most striking about this book to me was the vivid use of detail to set the scene for these places in history long forgotten as generations pass on. I could clearly see the picture in my head of the setting despite never seeing it in real life. The story itself was interesting and I quickly grew to love the characters. Their stories were well thought out and tug at your heartstrings. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction.