Woman of Light sounded like exactly what I was looking for, but for some reason, this did not scratch my historical fiction itch. We have a multi-generational story containing lots of people of color with different cultures and histories, including indigenous people and their struggles. This takes place between the 1800s to the 1930s, and involves different perspectives.

For most of the story, we are following Luz, who is a young woman struggling not only with poverty, but discrimination and racial prejudices. She can read tea leaves, but she also works as a laundress as well as a secretary throughout the novel. This sounds like a novel I would love, but I felt extremely removed from this story. Everyone was very one-dimensional, and the last half was so rushed it almost felt unedited. It ended abruptly with zero consolation or closure for any of the characters. 

I also found it hard to care and connect with the past chapters because they didn’t mesh or blend with the present chapters in a coherent story. This is very “slice of life”, and I usually love those, but I still need an ending point and I need to connect to the characters. A lot of the plot made no sense - does Diego have his own magic with snakes? Is his gift genetic? What was the relevance? I didn’t see anything with snakes in the past chapter with his ancestors. Also, why give Luz these visions and talents and not have them do much of anything in terms of affecting the daily lives of her loved ones??? 

There was a severe lack of character development for me, and only a small amount of plot. I honestly don’t think that we needed the past chapters. Or if we did get them, if they were told in a different way than the present chapters. The continuity in this story needs some serious work.

**Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I first heard about this book as I was copy editing a feature on the author, and the concept sounded right up my alley. A historical fiction novel spanning generations? Check. A Latina author writing about Indigenous and Mexican families in the American West? Sign me up. A main character trying to find her place in a society designed to overrun her? Just give me the book now!

For the most part, the book lived up to my expectations. It’s exceptionally well-written, and every sentence deserves to be savored; Kali Fajardo-Anstine has a beautiful way of crafting images and emotions that linger long after you’ve turned the page. She paints scenes in subtle but detailed ways; never smacking you over the head with her descriptions of people, places, and things. And some of Fajardo-Anstine’s lines hit me deep — I had to pause for a few moments to process what she’d just written because it was so poignant and evocative. The book’s setting is rich and explores a place and time — Denver around the Great Depression — that I was unfamiliar with. And Fajardo-Anstine makes it come alive with sounds and smells (it pops in the most extraordinary of ways) across seamlessly woven timelines.

On paper, the characters were wonderful and interesting. But they never quite felt fully realized. In particular, that rings true for our main character, Luz, with whom I felt a tenuous connection. I wish that Luz was, well, a little more well-lit. She’s intriguing, and I loved reading about what she was seeing and experiencing, but I never felt like she was a dynamic character. And when she mentions wanting more from life, we never see her take steps toward achieving that. Right as she starts to come into her own, the book ends rather abruptly. Her ability to read tea leaves and see the future is never explored as much as I hoped it would be, given that it adds a really interesting potential for exploration of magical realism and could have made her more intriguing and forceful as she reckoned with the gift — or the burden — her ancestors gave her. But her gift is mostly just a parlor trick here. While there’s a tense atmosphere, because Luz feels far away from the stakes in the novel, it lacks much urgency. 

I say that, though, having still loved the experience of reading this book. If I could write a quarter as well as Fajardo-Anstine does within these pages, I’d be a happy camper. Her voice is magical, and it’s important. And the story itself is a fascinating one — it’s a beautiful tale of a dark history that, unfortunately, doesn’t seem all that removed from our present. My bet is that if Luz was reading your future, your tea leaves would tell her you’d enjoy this book. 

Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House/One World, and Kali Fajardo-Anstine for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the characters and scenery of this book. Some of the word pictures were new to me but so fitting. Because that was so good, the timeline and story development was lackluster. I kept waiting for connection and conclusion to no avail.

While this book occupies the same territory as Fajardo-Anstine's astounding debut, Sabrina and Corina, it lacked the magic of the earlier book.  I did like the extended story addressing the progress of one family, but felt there were gaps in the narrative that could have made the book even richer.

Woman of Light is beautifully written but the continuity is a mess.  Luz is a lovely character although she and the other characters do not feel fully fleshed.  But overall I was confused and had a lot of trouble placing the characters between time shifts.  Unfortunately it also ended very abruptly and the second half especially needs some intense editing.

I requested Woman of Light because I had read Sabrina and Corina by the same author. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  This book was about a family saga and their stories based in Denver during 1905, 1920s and 1930s.  This book has been First Edition picks from a couple of independent bookstores I follow so it must be me. It was an okay story but not nearly as good as her short short collection. I really wanted to love this book but I found it a bit confusing with all the jumping around the various time lines.  I wasn’t compelled by any of the characters so I wasn’t drawn into the storyline either. I’m sorry I wouldn’t  recommend this book.  There are mostly 5 star reviews so I’m sure it will be a huge success without my endorsement.

This historical fiction novel, set in Denver in the 1930s, primarily follows Luz as she turns eighteen in a time where both women and minorities are experiencing segregation, inequality and second class citizenship. We learn of Luz and her family’s history through story threads woven into the novel’s timeline. These threads follow and touch on the both the good but often sad reality of the lives of her family generations before her in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

I enjoyed the fantastical aspect of this novel as Luz is able to read tea leaves and see and feel the stories of her family. That mystical connection also links her to her brother as he is forced to follow the harvests for employment. His story, her story and that if their extended family is well written together. The novel’s way of addressing discrimination and class is also well done. I was often reflecting on how our society has changed and not changed in this area. Overall a wonderful story of not just a girl coming of age, but of the strength of a family. 5 stars.

Review based on an Uncorrected Digital Proof provided by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley. Thank you!

The story focuses on Luz's story who us at the center of this mult-generational story set in the west. While I liked the focus on Luz's growth as an Indigenous and Mexican young woman, I found the timeline and flashbacks sometimes difficult to follow.

Although I liked the stories in Sabrina and Corina better, this novel definitely helped me to better understand the time period in which the story takes place and some of the real struggles associated with race.

I went back and forth on this book. I think I could have loved it, but I didn't quite. But I did like it a lot. Except where it got slow for me. Based on the prologue  I was expecting something a little more magical realism, but what I got was less of the magical. Still, it was a compelling book of several generations of a Mexican/Indian family from end of the 19th century to the mid 1930s. Not always a pretty history of this family, in fact often quite not pretty. But still a look at a family just trying to get make and make their way, too often with things really stacked again them. I really wanted things to go well for them, and it's hard to tell at the end of the day if they do because of such a history behind them. I didn't quite get invested in the characters until after the halfway point and at that point the story really picked up for me. I was disappointed at some of the choices Luz made, but who knows, maybe she learned from her errors. She's young when the story ends, with much of her life ahead of her, and hopefully she can break the pattern of abuse and sorry that came before her.

Overall, the pacing of this book was very slow. This book is about a family's struggle in the early 1900's in Denver. Their stories slowly intertwine to create an elaborate narrative with some truly heart-wrenching moments. This author left me satisfied in terms of the gorgeous writing. However, I wish the ending had left me as pleased.

I previously read the author's book [book: Sabrina & Corina|40236964] and very much enjoyed it, despite my generally finding short stories as a genre overall. So when I saw that she had a novel, I knew I had to read it. Chances are, I'd like it even more than the stories. 

It didn't turn out that way - I don't like it more - but it's still quite a good book. Fajardo-Anstine has a gift for developing characters and descriptive - yet not tediously flowery - language. She can really paint a scene for readers. The main reason I didn't enjoy this more is that I had trouble following the plot. Quite possibly, it was just too subtly mapped out for me, but someone more knowledgeable of novel plotting can be the judge of that.

The characters are the real stars of this book. For the first couple of chapters, I kept getting Luz and Lizette confused because of their names. It's probably just me, but when characters have similar-sounding names, I waste time remembering which is which (I'm looking at you, Tolkien! Sauron and Saruman in the same book?!). That being said, their personalities shine, so there's no trouble keeping track of them that way.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

This is such a beautiful and needed book! I couldn’t put it down!! A truly needed read for every woman on the planet for their soul nourishment.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House/One World for this arc. 

Woman of Light is a generational saga set in Colorado between 1875 and 1933. The story centers around Luz Lopez, a tea reader and laundress, who lives in Denver with her aunt Marie Josie. Her brother Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, was forced to leave the city after a terrible encounter with a white mob. 

Left to fend for herself, Luz navigates Denver alone, trying to make money to support herself and help at home. She finds a job as a secretary at a lawyer’s office. Her tea reader abilities become more powerful and she starts having visions of her Indian homeland in the Lost Territory, recalling her ancestors’ origin. 

Jumping back and forth in time, the book is a reminder of the importance of family storytelling, as we get to see more of what Luz’ ancestors went through. This is a book about family, tradition, love, and survival. The descriptions of the landscapes are so vivid and beautiful and the characters are very likeable. I also liked to learn more about the Chicano people and their struggles. 

But I wanted more about the protagonist’s parents. I wanted to know more about Luz and Diego’s abandonment, how they were left to fend for themselves. It also seemed that to have such powerful visions, Luz did not have exactly any goal in mind distancing herself of the idea of powerful woman who knows exactly what she wants. I saw her much more like a floater who observes life passing by without knowing what to do, struggling to belong somewhere. 

Overall, I enjoyed the narrative and Fajardo-Anstine’s writing style. It is a book difficult to describe and I certainly want to reread it in a near future. I recommend Woman of Light to anyone who enjoys Indigenous history and literature.

Woman of Light is a multigenerational story that mainly focuses on Luz and her life in Denver, CO. I loved the magical realism—Luz’s gift for reading tea leaves and her brother’s gift for snake-charming, but I did have a hard time sticking with the story. I’m not sure why, but it just didn’t grab me. It was a good read, well-written, and I enjoyed the generational aspect of it. 3.5/5 for me.

I got about 25% of the way on this one and not sure if I was just interupted too many times, but this one was a "Did not Finish" for me.  Disappointed, because I was really looking forward to it.

Thanks for Netgalley providing an ARC of this book!!! I was so excited to read it, as Native American culture intrigues me, but I just could not really get into this one. I do not think it was the writing style or the story, I think that just the execution did not grab me as much as I would have liked. I DNF this book about halfway through. I kept intending to and then just left it unread for two months, so I know that I will not ever go back and finish it.

Multi-generational and a multi-ethnicity novel spanning decades. A fictional look at how one family tried to survive the early twentieth century. They had a hardscrabble life with a little bit of romance mixed in. Interesting read.

Family is the significant element in this work. Despite losing members through death, sickness, abandonment, those remaining acknowledge and protect one another. Luz, gifted with special sight, sees the plight of many through tea leaves; Diego, her brother who charms snakes, and loves an Anglo woman, is forced to leave Denver where they both have been rescued by Maria Josie, their aunt. As we read the past stories of their Indigenous roots, we see the every day prejudice of the Depression against “non-whites” that they experience. Luz works for an activist lawyer and through this we witness more injustice. As she matures, her visions become more detailed. Maria Josie tells her this gives her “ an old kind of Intelligence.” Unfortunately she is a young woman who lacks personal experience with men, making her choices unwise. Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s characters are flawed from life yet their love for one another might prove stronger than the misfortunes they face.

I loved the premise of a story about a tea leaf reader and the idea of historical fiction being set in an area and time I'm not familiar with, and Woman of Light did not disappoint for the most part. I must admit I don't love a non-linear story; I often lose the thread of the story, and when reading an electronic version of a book it's harder to get the trail back. But despite that, the way of telling this story worked with Luz being in alternate time periods and realities depending upon her readings. The author did an excellent job of describing the places, and it was no trouble to feel myself walking the streets they walked, or feeling the heat and cold and wind, or smelling the dirt and plants and factories mingling and swirling in the often stagnant air. This is a story with the power to transport you to the past and well worth the effort it takes to unravel the threads.

My thanks to One World, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, especially because I recently visited the lost Territory in New Mexico.

I did like how the author slowly unveiled each character. However, I was so bored that it was hard to care. It took me over a month to read this, which is unheard of for me.

While I appreciate the advance copy from Net Galley, this book was a big disappointed.