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"Lone Women" by Victor LaVelle is positively exceptional. It seamlessly blends different genres such as horror, historical fiction, and fantasy into a compelling story of survival. It is packed with strong female characters and carries an undertone of feminism throughout the entire book. Though this book is one heck of an entertaining read, at its core is a scathing social commentary on racism, inequality, and greed. It is also a book about how women who stand together are stronger than when they go it alone.

Adelaide Henry arrives in sparsely settled Montana to homestead and make a life for herself, after torching her family home with her parents' bodies inside. However, she does not arrive alone, but with a secret that will both tear the small town of Big Sandy apart and bind the lives of four women and a child together. Life in this Montana town is very difficult and, at times, utterly horrifying.

'Lone Women" is a quick read with short chapters, and is one that I just could not put down. And I loved the ending! This was my first Victor LaVelle novel, but it definitely will not be my last. Five bright shiny stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book, in exchange for my honest review.

"History is simple. The past is complicated."

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A couple months ago I mentioned really craving a western story. Well, this book DELIVERED.

It has a diverse cast, rather than just rugged cowboys and frontier men, it centers on a Black woman who is homesteading on the inhospitable Montana frontier. The story also includes a Chinese woman working to settle herself, as well as a strong single mother and her young son, and a Black woman who makes some bomb ass beer. Love to read it.

This book even takes it a step further in the interest department and throws in a fun little creature feature twist. It provides a bit of gore and scary action scenes.

At times the pace is slow, but the alternating perspectives kept things flowing. This story takes place during a brutal time in history when outlaws are prevalent, people are working to survive any way they can, and the wild setting of undeveloped Montana really raises the stakes.

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Memorable story with spectacular writing. I loved the fmc and the storyline of historical fiction and horror. I’d love to see this into a movie.

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We first meet Adelaide as she travels across the country from California to Montana to claim a homestead as her own. She carries a large, heavy steamer trunk that she whispers to along the way. That alone was enough to get me sucked into this book. What is in that trunk???

It's 1914 and the barren, desperate climate of Montana will take its toll on anyone, especially a young, black woman, alone, trying to survive. She does meet some other women like her, all without husbands, and trying to make a name for themselves in this harsh landscape. Soon mysterious deaths start occurring which at first are blamed on the harsh winter, but soon become too commonplace to be coincidental.
They bond together as sisters to fight the elements, the local townspeople, and literal and figurative demons. This book is a rare combination of multiple genres-history, historical fiction, and horror.

There are so many great characters in this book-the family with the 4 boys, the Mudges, who are not what they seem; Fiona and Bertie; Grace and her son Sam; and the Reeds, the town's matriarch and patriarch. The Reeds think they have everything figured out, but haven't met the match of Adelaide and her troupe of Lone Women.
I visualize this as similar to the recent Amazon show, 'The English', which I highly recommend as well.

Getting to read unique books like this before everyone else is a privilege! Thank you NetGalley, Victor LaValle, and One World press! What a great story!

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This book was just okay for me. There were some redeemable qualities: unique storyline, perfect blend of historical fiction and horror, I enjoyed the main character and it is impressive how we get such a detailed story with only 300 pages. I could definitely see where this author has a fanbase and would be loved! However, it just wasn't a story I would generally gravitate to, so I feel I'm not the right audience for it. As you can see, there are many raving, 5 star reviews, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

I thought the book started out great. I was immediately intrigued, but I started drifting and losing focus in the middle, so by the end I was just ready to finish the story. Like I said, the writing was impeccable. Just don't feel like the book was for me.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

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Definitely enjoyed this strong women read, not sure that I would list as horror. Didn’t not give me chills or creeps in any way. The “scary” element is more of a mystery until revealed and written well. However to me it wasn’t the main focus. Lone women moving to Montana, given 320 acres and must prove the land within 3 years and it’s theirs. More of a story of a lone negro woman and the people she encounters on this journey and the hardships she faces/overcomes. I definitely enjoyed it!! Have seen some comparisons to Devil calls you home and this was way better than that book for me!!! Will be recommending!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House publishing for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

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A murderer or martyr, a desperate woman for sure. Trekking out to the Montana plains on her own is a feat in itself, but the burden she carries could literally kill her and those around her. An interesting story, one definitely good for Halloween, that took unexpected turns and kept me guessing. Not really my cup of tea but the writing is worthy and the plot curious nonetheless.

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After the horrific deaths of her parents, a young woman flees her California homestead, carrying her family's secret, for the remote solitude of Montana.

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What is in the very heavy, locked trunk? That is one of the gripping mysteries in Victor LaValle’s unputdownable novel LONE WOMEN. We meet Adelaide Henry, a 31-year-old Black woman in 1915, setting fire to her family's home in California. A home with her parents’ bloodied bodies in it. Based on a clipping about a lone woman journeying to Montana to homestead land due to a loophole in the law, Adelaide takes her secrets with her as she escapes with her massive trunk on a rugged trip all the way to a remote town in Montana. Montana is not California, and Adelaide comes to grips with the bleak, harshness of the land and the western people. While seemingly to be accepted in this small town, Adelaide is on guard not only because of a secret she must keep, but also because she is a lone woman, a Black one, an outsider. As the story unfolds, well-defined characters of the “good people” of the town, the other lone women, the outlaws, the town leaders reveal deeper secrets and horrors in their lives.

This writer’s genre-melding writing blends and weaves the best of western, horror, women’s fiction, supernatural, suspense-mystery, as well as gender and equality, and at times mythical styles. His masterful writing conveys superbly the often-laconic words and thoughts of the characters as creepy, horrific events occur. And yet the issues of isolation and longing – and belonging, especially of lone women at that time and place, as well as jolting family and community dynamics are woven seamlessly throughout these pages. The questions of “Who is family?” and “Who are the real monsters?” linger, as do the last lines of the book.

From the first paragraph, this book had me hooked and I could not put it down. While I had never read anything by this fine writer, I intend to rectify that and explore his writings – and hope for more from him in the future. I am grateful to Random House, NetGalley, and Victor LaValle for giving me early access to this exceptional book. This opinion is all my own.

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I need to go back and read more of Victor LaValle's books because this was absolute golden and the right amount of historically horror.

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Wonderfully Mysterious and Very Entertaining . . .

Will that lock hold? This is the question that stands between life and death for Adelaide Henry. We all have baggage from childhood and Adelaide is all alone on a quest, burdened by vivid memories that are heavier than most. In a very literal sense, she sets out to build a new life in a strange and eerie expanse of Montana whilst dragging a steamer trunk full of her secret and haunted past. A hard lesson that begs to prove no matter where you go, there you are.

In great need of solace and isolation, her search fueled by dwindling savings and her strong will, she desperately believes that hiding herself and her secrets away in the middle of a harsh landscape will somehow be the answer. An epic reckoning is brewing. Someday soon Adelaide will eventually have to confront all of her guilt and her fears when the past refuses to stay confined in a box any longer.

What private hell lurks inside that locked trunk? What gruesome reality has she kept hidden there from the world all of these years? A single latch keeps it there . . . will that lock hold?

Find out on March 28, 2023!

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Lone Women for my unbiased evaluation.  5 stars

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It’s been almost six years since Victor LaValle’s last novel, so it can be said that I went into Lone Women with high expectations. This is the man who gave us Big Machine, The Ballad of Black Tom, and The Changeling, to say nothing of his other works, and I’ve missed his prose. And Lone Women starts solidly enough, with a Black woman making her way across the west in the early 20th century to make a new start in life, leaving behind her a burned down house and a very dead family, and taking with her only a surprisingly heavy trunk. And as she gets to her new settlement, she starts finding her place in the community, with LaValle creating a solid cast of largely female characters, each of whom have very distinct goals, dreams, ideas, and feelings about this society that she’s in. That’s all promising fare, and once LaValle reveals what’s going on with the trunk, there’s a whole lot that comes exploding out. But disappointingly, Lone Women collapses quite a bit in its second half and especially in its final act, as the book rushes through a slew of developments so quickly that I couldn’t help but feel like the book was missing a hundred or more pages of plot and characterization that I wasn’t getting. One character rapidly makes a villain turn; another finds redemption entirely off-screen (so to speak); others have revelations tossed out and discarded quickly without much followup. It’s all a bit bewildering and disappointing, especially with LaValle setting up so many promising threads, ideas, and characters in the first half, only to rush through the ending so fast that I just have to wonder if publishers did some overly zealous editing - what else could have happened here? LaValle is too good of a writer to write a bad book, and Lone Women is never truly bad - it’s richly detailed, has some great characters, and has ideas and some setpieces that absolutely work. But none of it holds together by the end, and it left me pretty disappointed by a book I was quite excited for. Rating: *** ½

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Super compelling historical fiction tale set in early 20th century Montana with a hint of paranormal. See my GoodReads review here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5375615881

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A horrific historical fiction set in windblown and isolated turn-of-the-century Montana?!

Bring. It. On.

Adelaide Henry has a secret. A big one. In a huge steamer trunk. Our story follows her journey to become one of the "lone women" taking advantage of the government's offer of free land for those who can cultivate it. She drags this massive trunk along the way. It's a burden in more ways than one. We will soon discover how heavy and dangerous her burden will become.

This book is a true cinematic vision. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story. It's tense, dark, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. A real page turner.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

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I initially thought this book was historical fiction and I was delightfully surprised when it was historical fiction AND horror mixed expertly together . I was totally intrigued with Adelaide's journey to stake out land in Montana and her mysterious trunk which she guarded so carefully. Loved all the characters---good and bad. Book wrapped up very nicely at the end. Definitely a book that I will reflect back upon.

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LaValle creates real characters within a slightly fantastical world and the result is always readable and moving. I particularly liked the subject matter in this novel - a period and place in history that is not familiar, a woman of color creating space for herself in an unwelcoming environment. And some delicious revenge! Excellent.

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LONE WOMEN by Victor Lavalle

The opening scene of this book starts off with a bang. Or rather, with the strike of a match.

Thirty-one year old Adelaide Henry has just set fire to her family’s farm in Redondo, CA. Before the home is fully engulfed Adelaide flees with only a travel bag and a large, very heavy, padlocked steamer trunk that she fiercely guards.

Adelaide’s goal is to start over where no one knows who she is or what she has done. Taking advantage of late 1800s Homestead Act she purchases a parcel of land in rural Montana. As one of the “lone women” who have done the same, all Adelaide has to do is cultivate her claim for the next three years and keep the steamer trunk securely locked.

What a wild story this was! The first half kept me intrigued and I didn’t want to stop reading because I wanted to know what the hell was in that trunk!

The people Adelaide meets along the way to Big Sandy, Montana and in the town itself set the dark and creepy tone of the story. The unforgiving and desolate landscape of Montana was a great backdrop/juxtaposition to the diverse and complex secondary characters. Adelaide and the other lone women were both victim and villain in this story, which is what I really liked about it.

Overall, I enjoyed the paranormal, gothic horror spin to a historical fiction. This is the first book I’ve read by Victor Lavalle and I look forward to reading his other titles.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

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The year is 1914 and Adelaide flees from California to Montana to escape from a tragic incident. She carries a huge steamer trunk with her everywhere she does. When it’s open, bad things happen to people around her.

I enjoyed this overall however, I did find the middle to get extremely slow. I liked Adelaide and seeing how she not only handles her family burden but also how she took care of herself in the harsh climate of Montana. Everything wraps up together nicely in the end which I did like too. There are tons of family secrets and instances of the strength of women’s bond together. This blended historical fiction and horror seamlessly together.

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

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Running from a tragedy at her family's farm, Adelaide Henry and the steamer trunk she never lets far from her sight travel to Montana, where she has heard a woman alone can claim land and "prove up." Though the realities of Montana differ from what she thought she knew, Adelaide begins to settle into her new life, making friends with her neighbors and getting to know the town close to her claim. But when the secret living inside her trunk manages to free itself, Adelaide new life is threatened and she has to decide whether to continue fighting her past or embrace it.

I went into this one knowing not much more than it was written by Victor LaValle and that it was historical fiction with a supernatural element, and that was all I needed to know to know that I would like it. The story is more layered than the synopsis leads you to believe, with multiple potential villains who cross paths with Adelaide and more secrets than just what is inside the trunk. That is also more complex than the reader is initially led to believe, leading to a resolution that is satisfying without being obvious. The secondary characters are painted with as much care as Adelaide and LaValle does an excellent job of putting the reader in early-twentieth century rural Montana. Though some things are not fully explained, the remaining ambiguity works for the tone of the story and doesn't leave the reader unsatisfied. As always, LaValle delivers on an unsettling story that is compassionate and fascinating.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lone Women early in exchange for an honest review.

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A spooky and desolate tale of a woman alone, except for the dark secrets of her past. Atmospheric and moody, with many surprising turns.

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