"Lone Women" kept me on the edge of my seat with its atmospheric and dark storytelling. It was nothing I expected and I enjoyed every line.

Victor lavatory is a brilliant writer, and never fails to create rich, important, and thought provoking stories.

The events outlined in Lone Women can very much be read as a map leading us out of our complicated, ugly past toward a better, more tolerant future. The novel is, in a word, delightful, and whether or not it is the first Victor LaValle book you pick up, it most certainly won’t be your last.

This book grabs the reader from the very beginning. Adelaide is such a well-written character, and I was instantly hooked. The story masterfully builds up the dread of Adelaide's situation, and the mystery of the circumstances behind her move to the wilderness. As the story progresses and we learn more about Adelaide and the characters she meets along the way, I was struck by how well the world comes together. The harsh wilderness, the struggles for survival both from the elements as well as more nefarious forces come together in this gorgeous story. This is my first Victor Lavalle book but it definitely won't be my last! Marvelous storytelling, rich characters, and genuinely creepy moments make for a fabulous book.

I'm going to start right out by saying that horror/fantasy is NOT my genre. That being said, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I especially enjoyed the diversity of the characters, the multiple strong females and learning about homesteader life in Montana in the early 1900s. I didn't find the "horror" aspect to be too upsetting as there were so many other things happening in the story and believe that the dominant genre is historical fiction. There was a plot line or two that I found unnecessary/implausible even with full acceptance of the fantasy aspect of the novel but overall I found the story to be entertaining.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and #NetGalley for allowing me to read a pre-release of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating - 1.5, rounded up to 2 stars

Man, I really wanted to like this. A survival fiction/horror blend focusing on a solo woman in frontier Montana? That is a concept I'll buy into all day. Unfortunately the execution was just not there for me.

I think LaValle was going for like a "fever dream" sort of vibe,but it mostly felt unfocused. The writing was repetitive and it felt like the POV kept changing between 3rd party limited and omniscient. New POVs were getting added later in the novel and we were still meeting new characters in the last act. Most offensive, I didn't care about the MC at all. Not even to dislike her.

This is the second time I've picked up one of LaValle's pieces and put it down disappointed. He has amazing ideas but his writing style just doesn't work for me.

A western with many elements. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. I would love to see a movie made of this book.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC provided in return for an honest review.

Lone Woman is creepy monster tale that delves into the darkness we all have as part of us. Not evil but the weaknesses, and in this book it is personified. They’re gross characters who put on masks that are revealed but the monster. Unsettling, this story is for horror readers who liked Revelatory by Daryl Gregory, and monster books.

Book Review: Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Lone Women is a historical fiction novel about a single Black woman with a dangerous secret trying to make it on her own on a desolate Montana homestead. It also has elements of western, suspense, fantasy and horror.

When the book opens Adelaide Henry is covering up her parent’s bodies in their bed and burning the house down. As she heads to Montana to start over she only has a small bag of belongings and a heavy trunk of mysterious contents. When she arrives at her small shack in Montana it’s clear she’s not going to make it on her own and eventually finds supplies and companionship in a small group of people. But the secret of the trunk can’t be contained and it puts Adelaide’s life at risk.

Lone Women does an incredible job of detailing the American west in the early part of the 20th century. Adelaide is tough and funny and a heroine like no other. All the characters (both good and bad) jump off the page and feel real. This book isn’t for everyone (there is a fantasy horror component) but I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Victore LaValle.

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Lone Women (ARC)
Author: Victor LaValle
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: March 28, 2023
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Lone Women by Victor LaValle was a strange book. In 1914, Adelaide Henry left her home in California, where she lived with her parents, and trekked to Montana to buy a homestead. Added to this is that she is a lone woman of African American descent dragging a giant locked trunk for so many miles and across massive uninhabited land. How is she to survive? I liked the book's first part, and I was intrigued to see how she would fare in such a forbidden landscape on her own and without a horse or sustenance. Then came the book's second half, and we discovered what is in the dayum trunk. It’s hard to surprise me, but it is safe to say that I was creeped out. A fast read, and I made it to the end, but only because I thought I had to finish this crazy story. Some people will love this, but it’s not my cup of tea. #fantasy #paranormal #westerns #montana #thriller #dontopenthetrunk #horror #historicalfiction #creepy #LoneWomen #VictorLaValle #novella @netgalley @oneworldbooks
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to One World Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: March 28, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this eARC!

LaValle is an author I’m familiar with and I knew this book would draw me in from the first page. I have been on the hunt for dynamic westerns that feature BIPOC voices and women’s voices to prove that westerns aren’t just about dusty old white men and this one delivered. Every character is so unique and different and seeing them interact with their environment in this time period sheds a different life on what it means to live in the American West. I won’t go into too much detail as to not spoil anything, just read it!! It’s too, I PROMISE!!!

What a magical read. I enjoy really enjoy going back in time especially with a supernatural twist. Following a bold character who drags a mysterious trunk along was captivating. Then when I thought I knew what was in the trunk, I didn’t. This book held my interest from the very beginning until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this copy. Thank you to BOTM for making it a monthly pick. It is well deserved for some recognition.

What finally enticed me to accept an early invitation to read Lone Women by Victor LaValle were all the early glowing reviews. Horror is not my usual genre, although I did read it more often many years ago, so I felt like it might be nice to revisit the genre. Especially if it seemed guaranteed to be worth my while. And I’m pleased to say it was!

Sometimes I’m nervous when I pick up a book that crosses several genres, and this one ticks off multiple ones: horror, thriller, historical fiction, western. But they work. All together, they set the perfect tone for this story about secrets and unexpected evil. I especially liked that it was historical fiction, which gave the story more gravitas. The past, itself, is unknown in many ways, and it added to the mystery, made it even more of a story to be told, and passed down.

While this book is horror, it’s not what I would call jump-scare horror. It’s more subtle, a skin-crawling, eerie horror. LaValle is a master of suspense in Lone Women.

We meet Adelaide Henry at the worst time in her life. Her parents have been violently killed, and the reason for their deaths is locked in a trunk she’s dragging along with her as she runs away from her home in California. She’s heading for Montana as one of the “lone women”, women who take advantage of the government’s offer of free land, hoping her secrets will stay hidden. But as someone who’s never seen snow, she’s not prepared for the howling winds or bone-chilling cold of this unforgiving land. As she tries to make a new life as a single black woman, she learns that things aren’t always what they seem.

We meet many characters throughout the story, and each one seems to contain a multitude of secrets and surprises, enhancing that feeling of suspense. LaValle especially succeeds at representing minority women of the time period, their strength and courage in a mostly unwelcome environment.

I didn’t want to stop reading this one, but I did find myself pausing often to wonder, what did I just read!? Cinematic and startling, Lone Women will take your breath away!

I don’t think you can talk about this book without talking about how utterly poor (really nonexistent) the character work is. By the end of this book, I I was likely introduced to well over a dozen characters (in a novel short of 300 pgs I should note) and could not muster up ANY feelings for anyone. So many useless, random, characters are introduced and subsequent random storylines that it is impossible to form interest in any of them bc you are juggling so many of them on top of what I would call the book’s “overarching storyline.” From Fiona’s dad’s missing grave to the cult-leader esque Mrs. Reed and the opera show, to the family known as the Mudges, it was simply too much. It’s critical to note that NONE of the storylines or characters are developed in any capacity. The motivations for characters are either nonexistent or extremely nebulous and involve A LOT of inference/guessing on the reader’s part. For example, The Mudges family motivations were not made clear at all. I eventually understood a little bit more about their motivations but for a majority of the story I didn’t understand the purpose of their characters or what they were doing in the story.

Lone Women was unlike anything I've read and that's one of the things I loved about it! It's difficult to describe - - it's a mixture of historical fiction, horror, mystery/thriller and so on.

The main character, Adelaide Henry moves from California to Montana for a fresh start. She only takes a travel bag and a huge, heavy steamer trunk. Right off the bat, you know there is something strange about Adelaide but you aren't exactly sure what even though you have suspicions.

This author has a brilliant imagination to have thought up this storyline. It was creative and original. In addition, I was unaware about the fact that women could claim land in Montana during that time period. So, I found that quite interesting.

This book shows a great deal of the ugliness of that time. For instance, there is a great deal of discrimination based on socioeconomic status, race and more. Yet,overall, this was a strong story about friendship, found family, and learning to love yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Ok, so what in the world did I just read? Lone Women is definitely one of the most unique books I have read in a very long time. At the beginning, the book appears to be like a western where a black woman, Adelaide Henry, takes off to create a Montana homestead after her parents pass away. But wait! She literally sets her house on fire as she takes a wagon ride to leave California. The mysteries of this book only continue from there.

While in Montana, Adelaide has to learn to survive this harsh countryside. She makes some friends with her neighbor, Grace, and her young son Sam. This is when the book becomes a horror novel mixed with a bit of fantasy. Adelaide has not come alone to Montana, she carried with her family's deepest secret and this secret gets released.

I honestly do not feel like I can do this book justice in a review. It was great. It was surprising with lots of shocking turn of events, and even though it was part fantasy, it still felt really imbedded in a historical fiction realm. I just really have never read anything like it, and it completely kept me hooked for the entire book! Such a great combo on genres!

Adelaide Henry goes from farmer to fugitive in this twisted roller coaster mine bender horror read. Brilliantly written, lgbtiaq historical horror fiction that will have you flipping pages into the wee hours of the night. Nightmare inducer!!!

Once I was well into this book, out of curiosity, I went back to the summary the publisher provided to see just what compelled me to request it from NetGalley. I have heard a lot of buzz about it, but I couldn't remember whether I requested it based on the buzz, or by the description, or a combination of both. What struck me in that summary now was the term "inventive horror". I'm pretty sure, going in, I had no idea what that even meant. I certainly do now.

LaValle begins with perhaps the most compelling first lines I've read in a long while, "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who live with shame, and those who die from it. On Tuesday, Adelaide Henry would've called herself the former, but by Wednesday she wasn't as sure." And thus the journey begins. Lavalle has created some of the fiercest women and some of the most reprehensible men homesteading in the wilds of Montana. Their territory is brutal, and so, too, are their lives. This novel is a tumultuous trip through an unforgiving landscape, with some shocking revelations along the way. It is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart, as LaValle does not spare the reader the details. To counter that caveat, I will admit that I might have put myself into that category too, had LaValle's characters not been so compelling and complex. It was a wild ride.

I began this book with many questions, especially the opening scene. And the trunk, what was in that infernal trunk.
I wanted to read it because I’ve always been interested in single western women homesteaders.
Quickly this book turned into something I didn’t like. I discovered what was in the trunk, but it just ruined the book for me.
Not my cup of tea.

Lone Women drew me in from the very beginning. I had heard a little about the book, but went in blind. I’m sure it’s from my early love of the Little House series, but I’m always captivated by stories of early settlers. Adelaide Henry, a lone Black woman, finds herself with her own claim in Montana along with a burden her family has carried for the last 30 years. The story moves quickly, and while you have to suspend belief a bit, it wraps up nicely.