I am so pleasantly surprised by Lone Women! This is the first book I've read by Victor LaValle but it certainly wont be my last.

Lone Women starts in 1915 with Adelaide Henry setting her and her parents' home on fire, with their bodies inside, as she flees their farm in California to Montana. Her dream is to be a lone woman homesteader, but she won't really be alone because the contents of her locked, impossibly heavy, steamer trunk is always on her mind...

I loved the historical fiction elements of this novel. The farming and homesteading, the travel that takes ages, trying to survive the elements, etc. I was pleasantly surprised by the found family theme that develops throughout the novel. And I also loved the mystery and horror aspects as well. For those that want to be forewarned; there is definitely blood and gore in this novel.

I finished this book last week and I had to let it sit with me for awhile before I could write this review.

This was so much different than I expected a Horror book to be. Probably because it is actually classified as Literary Horror. And yet, I still loved it!!

Very low on the gore-horror meter, which I actually prefer, Lone Women focuses more on the horror that comes from isolation, secret keeping, being a woman, and a woman of color, in the old Wild, Wild West.

This is a quiet book. The atmosphere speaks louder than the action for most of the book. There is a dread and curiosity that is there throughout. So many undercurrents and nuances for the reader to pick up on. Delicious!

And that ending! WOW! I wanted to stand up and clap as if I was in a movie theater. In fact, the writing was so eloquent, yet so simple to understand and process, that I could easily imagine each scene playing out in my mind. A writer that can elicit motion pictures in my brain automatically goes on my favorites list!

And speaking of the author, Victor Lavalle has been writing Horror for years and apparently has several books that are in the process of moving to TV and Movie screens. Yay!!

We definitely need many, many more #blackauthors being celebrated in the Horror genre.

I absolutely recommend Lone Women for every Horror, Thriller reader and will keep my fingers crossed that this makes it to the big screen!

And did I mention that ending!!! Holy cow!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

“Queer folk, the Henrys.”

Adelaide Henry is “profoundly lonely,” growing up without siblings, with older parents that spurned the world around them. They had their reasons. And yet, in the opening chapter, as I see Adelaide pour kerosene over both of their lifeless forms and burn them, along with their house, I wonder…were they bad enough to deserve this?

But nothing is as it seems, and this is part of the magical spell that Victor LaValle weaves into this kickass novel, Lone Women. By the time I understand the why and the who and the what, I feel an intimate connection to Adelaide, as if I may be the only one trusted with her secrets.

My thanks go to Net Galley and Random House for the review copy. This is one of the finest novels to be published in 2023, and you should get it and read it.

Adelaide flees the California farm where she’s lived all of her life, and buys a homestead in Montana. Almost everything about her life changes; from the warmth of California to the frigid winters of the Northern Rockies, from life with her parents to one lived alone, and from an all-Black community to one that is almost entirely Caucasian. She brings very little with her, only what she can carry, but she is curiously possessive of her extremely heavy trunk, and though I initially assume that she keeps something of great monetary value inside it, I soon realize that isn’t it. My early notes ask the same thing over and again: “What is in that trunk?”

From there, our story unfolds and I can’t stop turning the pages. I’ve never read a novel of any genre that’s like this one, and I’m guessing that you haven’t, either.

Do yourself a favor. Don’t read the synopsis. Go into it blind. It’s a lot more fun if you learn of the characters and events at the times the author intends.

There’s a powerful message in play, but the story is so adroitly delivered that it never feels like a polemic.

I won’t say more, because I don’t want to ruin it for you, but believe me, the next time LaValle publishes a novel, I will be first in line to read it. Highly recommended, especially to feminists.

After my best friend was raving about how interesting and unique this book was I knew I has to get my hands on it. Well folks, she was right. The setting, the storyline, the characters, wow. It’s so atmospheric and engaging. I needed to know what was in the trunk, I needed to know what happened next and I was not expecting that ending. The best part? It’s all done in less than 300 pages and in a world of long-winded storytellers, it is truly a blessing. We love concise and creative reads! Pick up Lone Women now!

Victor LaValle is a fantastic writer and I look forward to reading more books by this author. He hooked me at the start and didn't let me go through this multi-genre tale.
Adelaide Henry fled her home in 1900s California with nothing but a bag and an incredibly heavy trunk. She made her way to Montana because the federal government was allotting 320-acre parcels of land for homesteading, only requiring a "person" to live on the land for 3 years making it habitable and cultivating crops. If successful, the person would own the land forever. This seemed like a sweet deal for Adelaide, a single woman hoping to keep a huge secret and start a new life.
This story mixes historical fiction with horror and is full of twists, creepiness, and mysteries (What is in the damn trunk?). Even with this last question answered, I was too entertained to put the book aside. A solid 5 ⭐ read for me!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for extending this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. This is my honest opininon.

This is the first book I've read by Victor LaValle. He has written eight others. I love his writing. Every sentence is perfect. Concise and packs a punch. Having no idea what to expect, but knowing that he is admired among other authors, I had to suspend some belief as I read. I don't read much fantasy or sci-fi and am not even sure, this book is considered in either category. It could be a metaphor for all I know. It wasn't difficult to follow the story whether parts were fantasy or not. It is superb writing.

Lone Women refers to a true historical fact that women on their own, both black and white, were allowed to have claims in Montana in the old West--end of the 19th century. There are three such women in this book. Adelaide who moves to Montana after the death of her parents, Grace and her son, Sam, and Bertie Brown, who made the best liquor for miles around. This is their story and how they banded together to brave the townsfolk who found reasons to get rid of them.

Life is not pretty in Big Sandy, Montana where these women live. Big Sandy is a growing town while others around it have had their boom days and have died out. LaValle makes you feel the hardship, the cold, the vast distances, the necessity of having a horse in order to stay alive. These women do what they have to do to survive.

I recommend this book.

This book is a wonderfully terrifying contemporary western horror. I couldn't keep away from it and read it in two sittings. This is definitely one of the best books of the year.

Victor LaValle is an unparalleled talent. With every new release comes a new turn in his voice, a new reveal of his fluid ability. His characters and their distinct voices stay with you long after a book is closed and shelved, whispering to you to release them again at your next free moment. With Lone Women, LaValle's latest fantasy-tinged tale of tragedy and triumph, we are introduced to a frontier landscape unlike anything we've seen before.

Lone Women is the story of Adelaide Henry, her mysteriously heavy trunk, and a dark family secret that haunts her from the depths even as she tries to outrun its implications. It is also the story of an unforgiving land--both literal and social--and the risks paths single women must take to forge their own successes in an environment designed to quash their independence. Adelaide may be on the run, but her hunger for a place and path of her own is palpable above all else.

As with LaValle's other works, Lone Women is tinged with blood and sacrifice, but buried inside it is a fiercely beating heart, and a connection long since misunderstood. It is an examination of monstrosity and humanity told in a way only LaValle could, with twists and turns designed to terrify as much as turn readers' eyes inward. LaValle excels at making us turn a critical eye to the social landscapes he presents in every tale--a version of our own under the veil of the fantastic--and with each novel his shifting voices seem poised to paint us critically and tenderly all at once.



I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5-4 stars

I had mixed feelings about this book. I thought it started out really well, and I was intrigued by the secretive nature of Adelaide Henry and the steamer trunk she traveled with. I was also really interested in the idea of “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame. Women didn’t have many opportunities in the early 1900s, and to see them given this chance was pretty remarkable for the times.

Once the book took a bit of a turn to horror/magical suspense, I was still hooked on the story but it had a completely different vibe from how it started. By the end I was questioning what the heck I just read. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I appreciated that the synopsis didn’t give anything away. If you enjoy historical fiction that goes beyond the scope of reality, then I think you will really enjoy this.

*Thank you to NetGalley and One World for providing a copy of this book to review.*

This book is a pretty slow burn of a read. The ride to the big reveal is compelling and interesting. Typically, with these slow-burn books, I am left underwhelmed by the reveal, but I did not feel that way with this book. The greatest part of this book, I think, is how complex the story becomes once you understand how the "thing in the trunk" fits into the story. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how it all fits together and am very impressed that the story did not become overly complex just to fizzle out because the author tried to overcomplicate the plot. Very good book!

I highly recommend this book. The imagery was so vivid. Great storyline depicting the power of womanhood and the african american struggle. Very well written. Victor LaValle is truly a gift.

“History is simple. The past is complicated.”

Be still my history major heart, I loved that line that gets repeated throughout the book. History is what gets written down, but the past is so much more complicated.

This novel is a horror and historical fiction mash up that focuses on women of color in 1915 Montana, and that combination worked for me. I went into this knowing there was one “thing” that made it a horror novel without knowing what that thing was so when the reveal came it wasn’t completely out of left field, which I think enhanced my reading experience.

The story focuses on Adelaide Henry, a black woman who leaves her farming village in California to break out on her own in Montana. But she can’t leave her past behind and trouble follows her to Montana. I loved reading about trying to eek out a living on the mostly inhospitable land, and the relationships that people are forced to form in order to try and survive.

Overall for me this was a good historical fiction read with some horror elements that kept things interesting and a little weird.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

A woman who is traveling the plains alone, and has a mysterious case. Every time she opens it people disappear. Honestly the premise of this had me interested. the actual book felt slow and long. I wasn't ensnared like I was hoping to be. the twist wasn't the big hook I think it was supposed to be. In the end it was interesting, but it felt really long for a shorter book. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I was genuinely hoping I was going to. There were a lot of interesting dynamics in this book. I felt like there were a lot of plot lines and non of them got the attention they deserved. It felt scattered for me, and it made the story drag. Unfortunately, for me, this wasn't a win.

Lone Women
By Victor LaSalle
This is a western horror story. This is a standalone novel mainly set in Montana. The author has managed to combine horror, mystery, suspense, historical fiction, and the supernatural in a western set in the early 1900's. Featuring thirty-one-year-old Adelaide Henry, the novel also sheds light on the little-known historical fact that single, widowed, divorced, or deserted women who where at least 21 could become homesteaders and through “proving” their claim, own their own land.

Adelaide flees her home town of Redondo, California with only one bag and a very heavy and locked steamer trunk. Arriving in Montana, she starts making improvements on her land and keeping her terrible secret.
Adelaide is full of grief, worry, and uncertainty.

The first paragraph will grab you and pull you into the story. This novel touches upon racism and vigilantism, diverse characters, secrets, death, loneliness, difficult socioeconomic conditions, theft, curiosity, vengeance, rage, freedom, the supernatural, and retribution.

Random House Publishing Group provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley.

I found myself enjoying this more than I had the previous LaValle book I read, The Changeling, because he seems to have found his stride as a writer since completing that work. I enjoyed the mystery, I look forward to discussing with others. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with the title.

I love a book that offers a fresh perspective on a setting that comes with as much established mythos and iconography as the old American West, and this genre-transcending novel from Victor LaValle didn't disappoint. The characters here are really well written, and I found the plot to be engrossing throughout.

The book drops you into the story right away. I was hooked immediately and wanted to know what was happening. The reveal was interesting but also strange. I am still not sure how to process the deeper themes and meanings…but there is a huge focus on women’s independence and ability to work together for survival.

I know a lot of people liked the twist/ reveal of what was happening in this story, but I’m not sure I did.

The writing is so so good and ultimately I do recommend checking this horror story out! It’s definitely a wild ride that will keep you hooked.

This wasn't for me. I really didn't like it. The story just didn't line up and it had a lot of plot holes. I guess I just really wanted to know more about the "monster". It was very confusing.

I enjoyed this book. It really was gripping in the beginning. Then I like how it wasn't just "shock value" the whole way. We got to live with the characters and understand them.
I was constantly left wondering what was the "curse". And I loved how the story of the curse ended up.
I also loved how this book was jot so long. It was shorter and a perfect length. I think anything longer would have dragged the story along.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/vNGio5zsFAI