A little horror, a little mystery, a little 1900’s western atmosphere. Some creepy moments definitely stand out, but I just couldn’t get fully invested into this one. Some parts were too slow, several characters confused the plot; it just lacked some cohesiveness.

Thank you to NeltGalley and the publisher, One World, for a copy of this book I’m exchange for an honest review.

Victor LaValle's Lone Women is nothing less than brilliant, a historical/horror novel that delivers readers a succession of surprises. Real surprises.

As Lone Women opens, the novel's central character, Adelaide Henry, is leaving behind the small black farming community in which she was raised, taking with her only a a carefully padlocked, exceptionally heavy trunk. That trunk contains her family's burden: a demon. (The blurbs for the novel include this information, so it doesn't count as a spoiler.) She's been convinced by what she'll soon find is an all-too-good-to-be-true brochure describing homesteading in Montana. The brochure claims winters in Montana are milder than those in the U.S. south, but as one of the new neighbors tells Adelaide, "This land tries to kill us every day."

Adelaide is one of only three Black women in her new, scattered community. People help each other out, not so much from generosity, but from the knowledge they might be facing desperate need at any time. Offer a service to your neighbor; then you can demand help in your turn. There's a certain level of of cross-gender, cross-race acceptance, but it doesn't run deep.

Lone Women simultaneously offers an account of survival in a harsh world and a roller coaster of destruction at the times the trunk comes unlocked. Even if neither horror nor historical fiction are among you favorite reading material, you should give this book a try. Seriously. You'll experience some real surprises.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

I've never read anything quite like Lone Women, and I couldn't put it down! It's rare that a book this moving and thought-provoking is also this much fun to read. I will be enthusiastically recommending this book to a wide variety of readers!

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

Horror, both with a touch of the magical, and also the reality of being a woman, especially in the American West in the early 1900s. Lone Women in their many forms. This novel sucked me in from the opening paragraph, and I was desperate to find out what was in Adelaide's trunk, as well as what would happen. I LOVED the ending - it was perfect in so many ways.

"Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory."

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I'm a little stumped by all the rave reviews for this one. I did love certain elements of it, but overall, I don't get why people loved this book.

Things I did love: diverse characters (WOC, LGBTQ, etc.), the horror element, the surprise fantasy aspect, and the unique historical setting (a Montana homestead in 1915).

Things I did not love: the pacing (the opening was super intriguing, then my interest wasn't piqued again until about 30 percent in), the lack of resolution with some plot points, and the ending. I wasn't completely satisfied with how the story was wrapped up.

The plot and the writer of this book do both seem like things that would be right up my alley. But this book just didn't work in a broader sense for me. I'm hesitant to pick up another title from this writer, even though a lot of people seem to love him.

This is my first title written by this author. The story synopsis is compelling, once you read it, you almost HAVE to pick up the book and read it. You will be extremely glad you did!

The title LONE WOMEN refers to the early 1900's practice of allowing "lone women" to homestead land in the northern United States. Adelaide Henry becomes one of these homesteaders when she arrives in Montana, having left California under suspicious circumstances. She will set up her new home with only a locked trunk, whose mystery contents play a large part as the story unwinds.

Victor Lavalle has taken many threads from many genres and woven them together to get a story that is so much more than historical fiction. As in true life, the story races in sections then slows to let we readers digest what we just read. Each new chapter....they are short and to the point....sets us up for the next surprise. If you find yourself saying WAIT....what just happened, you are among good company. This book is not like any other I've read lately and I can't wait until my friends and family read it!!!

Magnificent! Speculative fiction with horror elements at its finest. Simple  prose yet vivid imagery, subtle yet stimulating social commentary, and layered character development makes Lone Women an excellent read.

Fascinating setting and protagonist. It's terrific to see a black female character starring in a western frontier story, and Adelaide is a strong and complex heroine. The supernatural elements are kept mysterious for much of the book, which adds a lot of intrigue. But some readers may be turned off or let down towards the end as the horror takes center stage.

Victor Lavalle wrote a very strong, fast-paced opening to LONE WOMEN. I could not turn the pages fast enough as we are introduced to Adelaide who is surviving a tragedy in her home where she is the sole survivor. She knows she has to leave quickly. She has a very heavy trunk that she is taking with her and traveling by ship to find a new life as a “Lone Woman” in Montana. In 1914, she could qualify to own her land if she does so much improvement over three years. At first, the writing for me had a Huck Finn style about the writing. Adelaide meets different people along the way. Each has a different story. The descriptions of the snow storms and the rugged land made me wonder how she could survive. My fast-paced reading came to a dead stop when I discovered why this book was also categorized as horror fantasy. I rolled my eyes. It definitely took away my urge to continue. In fact, I put the book down for a week before I decided to continue. There were many parts of the book I enjoyed; however, I am going to steer away from horror fantasy. My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

This book is a perfect combination of mystery, historical fiction, and horror. The opening scene establishes a tense and uneasy atmosphere that permeates the entire story. From the first page, I was completely hooked. The Montana homestead setting felt both realistic and foreboding. While the horror element was not as prominent as I expected, I realized that the true horror lies in the societal and cultural norms.
Thank you Netgalley and One World Publishing for an advanced copy.

🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤

Lone Women follows Adelaide Henry as she leaves her life in California behind and starts again in the wide-open spaces of Montana. It's 1915 and Adelaide is essentially fleeing from her previous life, leaving death and destruction behind her. At least that is what she is hoping. In Montana, she'll be a lone homesteader. On her journey, she's conspicuously dragging with her an overweight steamer trunk. That's not suspicious at all...

This story is steeped with mystery from the very first pages. A tragedy occurred on the Henry farm and Adelaide is on the run, but you have no idea what happened. Adelaide is rushed and confused, she's full of anticipation and doubt about her chosen path. Can she actually do this? It won't be easy. The landscape is brutal, unforgiving. Will she even be able to survive her first month on her own, let alone a lifetime? She feels ill-prepared.

Something is going on with the trunk. She's so concerned about it. Double, triple-checking that it's securely locked; that no one goes near it. It gave me anxiety. What is in the trunk!?!?

As the Reader you follow along as Adelaide stakes her claim in Montana and begins to figure out a path to survival. She makes friends and begins to fall into a pattern. She should know though, it won't stay uneventful forever. She should know better, that soon enough, you know what is gonna hit the fan and boy, does it ever.

In addition, to Adelaide's own secrets and demons, she also has to contend with those of others. It seems like a lot of people came to Montana running from something. These homesteaders are essentially forging their own society. There's going to be some good actors and some bad. Adelaide runs into them all.

I enjoyed this as a story of female rage, power, will and spirit. Adelaide is such an interesting main character to follow. I loved watching as the truth of her life slowly unfolded. There were some interesting developments towards the end that I'm not quite sure what to make of yet. I feel like I could read this story a few times and pick up different points every time. LaValle packed a lot in and I'm sure a bit of it has gone over my head.

The dark elements in this were really well done, but I enjoyed them most in contrast to everything else. I liked how they added such an odd layer to the overarching plot. It made everything seem more perilous. I also liked how those same dark elements made me question Adelaide herself; her nature, whether I really knew her at all. It was definitely compelling. I had to keep reading because I had to know more.

Additionally, I found LaValle's writing style extremely fluid and easy to read. I feel he really succeeded in bringing a lush and historical atmosphere to this story. In fact, the historical details were so well done, I felt like I was being transported to another time and place while reading. I was hungry, I was cold and I was scared once the sun went down. That's a great reading experience.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys creative Dark Fiction, or Historical Horror stories. Even though this is a relatively short-story, there's so much great content packed in here.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a ton of fun with this and look forward to reading more from LaValle

Lone Women, This book was totally amazing! I enjoyed the writing from the first page. Victor LaValle knows how to write a great book and more so, Write a book that is unique but not so far out there that it wouldn't appeal to the average reader.

Summary According to myself:
How far would you run, to get away from the person you are? How long could you keep a family secret knowing the danger it could cause others? Adelaide Henry, The girl who has a secret like this.

Adelaide Henry, at the age of 31 years old, up and leaves the only thing she has ever known. Her whole life. Everything besides one large trunk she just can't seem to leave behind. Adelaide's family has a dark secret that lingers as long as Adelaide has been alive. However, Adelaide Henry wants to leave that life and to start anew. with Leaving no trace of herself behind and the large trunk with her, She sets on a journey to Montana, where Lone women can homestead on contract to gain something of their own. However, when her past shows up and the darkness is revealed, Adelaide has to decide to live life as normal as she can or to claim her dark secrets and hope no one else is harmed. 4.5 Star read!

I loved this book! The first 80 pages I was in complete suspense, and then the adventure truly began. Adelaide Henry leaves California to stake a homesteading claim in Montana, running away from a problem while also bringing it with her. I don’t want to say much more about the plot, but this was such a compelling piece of speculative horror.

“But maybe that’s the whole point of your evil. No answers. No explanations. The silence is the worst part of suffering.”

There are a lot of secrets in this book, but don’t worry, the author doesn’t keep us in the dark—all is revealed eventually, and it’s horrible and powerful and maybe even beautiful. I’m not sure I understood any intended metaphors, but there’s a lot about suffering and its sources.

This was my favorite line: “A front-page story in one person’s life might not even rate a line in the next person’s newspaper.”

In this book, LaValle gives us a peek into the front-page stories of fictional women based on real lone women, who braved the brutality of the early West. I recommend this highly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance digital arc—I ended up getting a copy in my BOTM subscription too and will happily add it to my overstuffed bookshelves.

Book Review👹
*
Summary: Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
*
My thoughts: thank you @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley it’s hard to post my thoughts without a spoiler but I’ll give it a go! This was so much fun, it gave me historical fiction meets supernatural vibes. I think I’m totally satisfied with this one, I’d love to see it turned into a movie it was fantastic. A lot of people are comparing this to Get Out I would say it’s closer to Nope, much more western then people give it credit for. There were some parts of the story that I didn’t really see what the point was. I wanted a cleaner ending but I thought this was a great horror book and one I won’t forget anytime soon!
*
QOTD: do you like westerns or horror?! I love both 😍 this was a great combination.
*
#lonewomen #victorlavalle #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #bibliophile #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #bookish #booklover #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readersgonnaread #reade

Lone Women follows Adelaide Henry, a woman living in 1915 who has decided leave California to build a new life as a homesteader in Montana. Although she leaves California in an effort to leave her family and its secrets behind, she has one big secret that she’s forced to carry with her to Montana. And because of that secret, violence, death and destruction follow Adelaide to Montana.

I thought Lone Women was a fun and refreshing read. To me the cover made it seem like it would be much heavier and more emotional than it really is. There are some dark elements, but never so much that it slowed down my reading pace or weighed on me emotionally in any way. Adelaide and her friends were all likable, so they were easy characters to root for. The story was fast paced, but it never felt rushed.

I’ve never read a book that handles horror in the same way Lone Women does, so I think this book is a little unique. It’s more of a historical fiction novel than a horror, but the horror aspect is always present as it is necessary to create the story’s main antagonist. My biggest complaint about this story is that I wish we’d been given just a little more background information about the antagonist and how it came to be.

I recommend trying out Lone Women. I’m not telling you to rush off to read it, but I do think you should add it to your TBR.

I’m a sucker for female-centered horror novels and movies; Victor LaValle’s newest book, “Lone Women,” takes feminist horror to a new level.

A blend of feminist horror, thriller, historical fiction, and women’s fiction, “Lone Women” paints a brutally evocative portrait of a woman fleeing death and the horrifying secret locked in her steamer trunk. Set in 1915, Adelaide takes advantage of the Montana government’s offer of free land to those who can successfully live off it like many other ‘lone women’ before her. The only difference between her and the other ‘women’? Well, she didn’t come to Montana alone––the steamer trunk she lugs around holds her dark sin and is why she fled California. But nothing can stay locked away for long, and eventually, Adelaide’s secret unleashes itself upon her community, but it might be the only thing that’ll help her survive.

The writing style is a triumph all on its own. Atmospheric and compelling from the first page to the very last, LaValle somehow Stockholm Syndrome’s readers into rooting for the monster, whomever you believe it is. And the prose, oh, the prose, is as unique and dark as this novel. LaValle doesn’t mince his words about the hardships, racism, and sexism of the Wild West, either.

Due to the bouncing perspectives, the pacing is slightly off-kilter, especially in the middle portion of the novel when Adelaide’s sin is revealed. Yet, I couldn’t seem to put “Lone Women” down and devoured it in a matter of days because of LaValle’s compelling writing and his ability to consistently drive suspense from the book's first paragraph.

Vivid, heart-pounding, and deliciously vengeful, “Lone Women” delights and terrifies with every twist LaValle masterfully crafts. Undoubtedly, “Lone Women” will be a timeless staple of feminist horror.

This ARC was provided by One World and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Follow @bergreadstoomuch on Instagram for more!

Adelaide Henry is running away. With nothing but a small bag, a ridiculously heavy steamer trunk, and an ambitious plan, she is moving to the lonely plains of Montana to start a new life. But, is there danger lurking in that unforgiving land, or is the danger in her trunk?

Lone Women by Victor LaValle was an excellent blend of horror, historical fiction, mystery, and female empowerment. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to love it, because the western genre isn't typically my cup of tea. But, I loved Lavalle's The Ballad of Black Tom, and I've heard great things about his book, The Changeling. From the very first page, I was hooked and then, completely submerged the whole way through. You find yourself rooting for Adelaide even while questioning some of her decisions. Then, in the second half of the book, we get new and additional characters and perspectives, and the suspense just keeps building. Surprises pop up in almost every chapter, and I was, in no way, prepared for that ending. There was some lovingly handled LGBTQIA+ representation. LaValle's writing is so refreshing with some appropriately placed f bombs here and there. And, I loved the themes of family, both found and born with, and what you would and wouldn't do for them. Definitely one of my favorites of 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House, One World for the chance to read and review this book.

When I requested this book on Netgalley, I didn't realize it had an aspect of fantasy about it. Which isn't typically my preference. Still, I thought the author did a good job of storytelling while depicting a difficult time in our country in just the stark terms it deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. Devoured it in two sittings. It follows Adelaide Henry who in the aftermath of her mother and father’s death travels West to a Montana homestead as a lone woman to settle the land and make a living by herself. Though she’s not entirely alone, she brings with her a giant padlocked steamer trunk that may growl and make sounds. She then meets a series of other settlers out in Montana and their lives are irrevocably woven together as the story unfolds.

Amazing atmosphere, gripping characters, loved this even though I’m not a fan of period pieces usually, and with the standard LaValle sprinkle of some unsettling uncanny horror.

Fantastic read, deep, moving and engaging from start to finish. I can only recommend it, and to fans of all genres as well. This author should be more popular.