Lone Women was a truly unique experience! It was a wild ride with great characters and a spectacular setting! I absolutely loved it.

3.5 stars, rounding down to 3, not because of any negative experiences, but because while quite good at times, the book isn't something that would make a "Best Of" list for me.

By and large, a solid, interesting, engaging book. I cared very much about the main character, and was grateful to see that representation. The author evoked the time and place very well, and the elements of terror and dread also worked very well. Recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"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. If she was trying to live, then why would she be walking through her family's farmhouse carrying an Atlas jar of gasoline?"

Adelaide Henry flees from the site of her parent's murder in California, taking only a locked steamer trunk with her. Adelaide becomes one of the "lone women" of Montana--a single woman taking advantage of the government's homesteading acts. But Adelaide has brought her secret shame, her family curse, all the way to Montana with her. Soon, even the lock on the steamer trunk can't keep it contained.

This novel was truly fascinating. For the first half of it, I was trying to find out what the thing in the trunk was, and for the rest of it I was trying to figure why it was there. This was a masterpiece of a novel. The characters are vivid to the point they seem like they could leap off the page, and the twists are brilliant. Lone Women can't be confined to any single genre, drawing from historical fiction, fantasy, and horror all at once. I don't have the words to express how excellent every detail of this novel was, but I definitely recommend it if you have the slightest enjoyment in historical fiction and horror.

tw: racism, death, death of animals, transphobia, infanticide

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/One World for providing me with this digital galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm pretty sure this was my first historical horror book I've ever read and it wasn't terrible. Some of it was very confusing to me but I'm not sure if that was my lack of attention or just the book itself. While the "creature" in this book was creepy I never found myself scared or freaked out while I was reading which is a bit of a disappointment. It did touch on a lot of great topics and I loved the LGBTQIA representation it had. The writing style kept me interested enough to continue reading and the setting was haunting and spooky. Overall a pretty good read for my first in this genre.

Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group, One World for the gifted copy for my review!

This book had a little more paranormal to it than I would have expected. The writing was really good, but it was not one of my favorites that I’ve read this year. It centers on woman and them being oppressed. If you enjoy liberation stories and supernatural than this one might be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

I liked Lone Women a lot, especially for LaValle's look at a mostly erased piece of history and the depth he gave his characters, even the villains. The generational trauma and the determination by some of the characters to break the chain of that trauma was also spot on.

Hmmmm...where to start with this one. I am torn with my love of the writing and my dislike of the too-quick storylines.

There is so much going on within this short book...with the main story of Adelaide and the many, many side stories. I love Adelaide and the darkness and mystery that surrounds her and the life she is leaving behind. When she gets to Big Sandy, however, so much more is introduced and is left to the imagination.

This is one of those few times where I wish a book was longer. I definitely felt like this needed a lot more fleshing out, not only of the characters, but of their stories. How can we expect to like, let alone care, about characters if we know nothing about them?

Despite the lack of details, I enjoyed the overall feel to this one. It's not scary in the slightest so calling it horror is misleading. It's more of a historical fiction that has supernatural elements. It's perfect for those who want to read "scary" but don't actually want to be scared.

I'm ending at a 3.5 for this one, rounded to a 3. I wanted to love this more as it starts out fantastic, but sadly it wanes after the big reveal. I'm sure other readers will love this one so I would say if you're thinking about it, grab it and give it a go.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I wasn't prepared for Lone Women, even though every bit of the premise is very much up my alley. A strong female protagonist, a mystery steamer trunk, horror, the West! The setting, genres, and premise were not wasted at all. This book was masterfully executed and is going to stick with me for a long time.

THE 411...

This is turning out to be my year of reading dark atmospheric books in the Summer and so far I'm loving it. Victor Lavalle's feminist tale of a woman traveling to Montana with nothing but an old steam trunk builds the tension and mystery from the very first page. We meet Adelaide Henry minutes before setting her house on fire with her parents in it. Immediately I'm thinking will she prove to be an unreliable narrator orrrrr did this really just happen? and what could possibly motivate her to do this?

The year is 1915 and the United States is offering homesteading opportunities to groups otherwise denied a chance to own home/land in order to develop the frontier. Adelaide finds and advertisement with an offer and begins her travels which lead her to an area in Montana with other single women. She was looking to keep a low profile after leaving her burning childhood home but what she found was others like her looking to keep their secrets buried. Adelaide's steamer trunk is padlocked, we don't know what's in it. We just know that Adelaide is attached to whatever is in it and that if it were to get out, it would most likely spell trouble for whoever is around it. The mystery of the trunk paired with the opening pages make it hard to put this story down for too long. 

WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK ADELAIDE?

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

Victor Lavalle's books have always been on my radar so when the DRC widget showed up in my inbox, I was hyped up. That being said, I took some time to gather my thoughts for a review simply because I wanted to make sure I got the vibe right. Slow paced and atmospheric this tale will have you sitting in your thoughts and doubting whether you can trust our MC. I found myself going back and forth on Adelaide's motives and just plain theorizing. I also had a chuckle or two over her desire to be left alone but also quietly enjoying the small group of women that like it or not are all in her business...this would 100% be me! c'mon cold Montana with its natural challenges couldn't have been easy, it makes sense they'd want to look out for one another. That the group also included another black woman who helped her with her hair was truly a heartwarming moment. The importance of community specifically between women is a theme we see woven throughout. Our MC had that in her small childhood community amongst other black families, the sense of loss and disconnect is deeply conveyed. 

Recommended for:

📜 Book Lovers who crave a Historical Fiction with horror in the mix

⚒️ Slow paced reads

📜 Character driven stories

⚒️ Atmosphere over plot

📜 Lastly, bad ass women holding it down and staking their claim on the land

I love historical fiction, and historical horror, and Western horror, and horror about complicated women-- so I loved this. A novel that takes seriously the weight the past, and the burden of secrets place on families across generations. Vivid and surreal and urgent!

Lone Women by Victor LaValle was an amazing book that I didn't want to put down! It lives up to and exceeds the expectations that I had based off of the synopsis. This book had some of the best elements (historical fiction, horror, fantasy, mystery) all of which were well executed and kept me wanting to read more. The characters were well developed and the world building wall sufficiently written in a way that I was able to visualize the scenery. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was so good, I devoured it. All my favorite fiction genres--historical fiction, horror, fantasy, mystery...the best kind of genre-defying. It starts out with a WHAT? and keeps adding more WHAT?! until the end. I think I have to read this author's backlist now.

"There are two kinds of people in the world, those who live with shame and those who die from it."

"Difficulties are meant to be overcome, not indulged.

After reading fellow reviewers of this novel, I can see I'm not alone in having trouble in defining and reviewing this. I will say, it should say, All who enter hear, suspend your belief and abandon reality.

i can relate the parts that are basically a historical rendering of a young black woman, in 1915, who travels to homestead and live on her property for a year in order to own said place. There are the regular demons, who take advantage of those they can, and those who will do anything to attain and hold power. BUT then there is that very heavy trunk, a trunk that is chained and locked, a trunk that follows her everywhere.

It starts with a grisly opening and on the whole this is a very violent and bloody story and not just because it is the old west where these things seemed to happen often. It is also very well written. And then of course there is that trunk.

Narration by Joni Abbott-Pratt and she was awesome.

I have heard a lot about Victor LaValle but have not read any of his writing before. I will definitely be reading more after this novel. The writing was engrossing and the book just scary enough.

Lone Women is one unique and captivating reading experience. Victor LaValle dishes out some violent, metaphorical thrills that left me surprisingly thrilled with everything I was left to think about after reading it.

“You kept too many secrets,” Adelaide says to her parents. “Look what it cost you.”

The story hooked me right from the start when Adelaide flees her black farming community in Southern California after her parents are mysteriously killed, creating plenty of suspense to keep me turning the pages. She travels with a locked steamer trunk carrying the burden of horrifying secrets. Adelaide travels to Montana to seek solace as one of the “lone women” who have taken up the government’s offer of free land. She soon discovers that she is not the only one with secrets, and the unforgiving land becomes a backdrop for unforgettable characters and a strong story of sisterhood.

“There are two kinds of people: those who live with shame, and those who die from it.”

“That shit wears you down,” she tells us. “The reward for sacrifice is simply more sacrifices.”

My Two Cents

LaValle blends elements of suspense, a feminist Western horror with some history-creating a profound understanding of how complicated the past is while connecting that with the human psyche and exploring themes of family, shame, burden, race, gender, and power.

“History is simple, but the past is complicated” ~Victor LaValle.

There is plenty of physical violence with Adelaide’s murderous family secret and the townspeople but the story’s psychological horror elements drive the story.

LaValle creates three diverse independent lone women while exploring race and gender but doesn’t fall into gender norms or stereotypes. I was hesitant about reading a book written by a man about strong, vulnerable women. However, LaValle sought feedback from women, including his wife, who advised him not to victimize the women and showed him when a woman would be vulnerable in a way a man might not see.

“One of the things I wanted to get across,” LaValle says, “is that the tenor of a lot of old westerns is, ‘Look how bold and brave these white men with the law and the government and guns all on their side were.’ And I wanted to say, ‘That’s not brave. What’s brave is to go out there when you know all those things are allied against you.’ I was astounded by the bravery of these women.”

LaValle takes that “soothe the savage beast” trope and creates a thrilling metaphorical monster, creating plenty of suspense and tension that drives the story forward while giving us plenty to think about with the family’s shame and burden when hiding secrets from the past.

Lone Women demands to be read slowly, savored, and contemplated. At times, I lost patience with the pacing and almost gave up, but all the praise from across the book community on the internet kept me curious as to why. I am glad I did hang in there because I would have missed out on some profound themes of family burden and shame that stood out for me, compelling characters that I will remember, and masterful storytelling that will have me thinking about for quite some time.

Starting over. the strength of women in hard times. Adelaide Henry leaves her home after burning it down with the remains of her parents. Leaving California to try to homestead in Montana. She is determined and is actually not traveling alone. Her large heavy trunk hides a secret. A horrible secret. Things are going well until the trunk is opened and the horror begins. Strong women surviving in the past thru hard times.

Lone Women is my first novel by Victor LaValle, and I couldn't be more pleased. Though it falls in the horror genre, it is by far the most widely palatable horror novel I've ever read. Expertly written with superb character development, Lone Women explores the weight of generational burdens, the intersectionality of race, gender, sex, and class in the early years of American Settlement in the northwest, loneliness and strength, the lengths people will go to for survival, familial bonds, what friendship really looks like, how brave a person can be when they have nothing left to lose and nowhere else to go, and what it is to be a monster.

Though I've always said I detest anything that looks remotely like a western and have zero interest in stories set in this era, I do love horror and I'm so overdue in reading something by this author, there was no way I wasn't going to give this book a fair shot. I'm so very glad that I did.

Even if you don't like the setting. Even if you don't like horror. If you do love excellent writing, character driven stories - especially strong female characters, and digging into the meat of social and cultural issues that are relevant even today, you should pick this book up. You might be as surprised as I was!

I think this may be my favorite book of 2023. Victor LaVelle has a fan out of me. I did not want this book to end and I plan on reading a lot more by him.

4.5/5!

Outside of reading, I love watching TV and trying out new shows with my husband. We just recently finished a binge of Deadwood, which I fell absolutely in love with. Since then I’ve been looking for something to fill the great American West hole in my heart. Turns out, Lone Women was just the book to do that!

From the start LaValle sets the stage for mystery and intrigue. I loved getting to know Adelaide and the knowledge of her carrying a heavy secret, just made me want to know everything about her even more. This story isn’t just about Adelaide though, it’s about so much more and so many more of the characters we get to meet through her. The women of this book shine brightly, as we witness how resilient and forthright they truly are.

LaValle captures the absolute beauty and sheer terror of being out in the middle of a land of unknowns, fighting to keep yourself alive and survive both physical and mental horrors. The writing is absolutely divine in how lyrical, yet to the point LaValle is able to craft his story. Everything about this book is so intricately strung together that it’s impossible not to become invested. This is my second time reading LaValle’s work and I’ll continue to pick up his new books and go through his backlist.

Creepy. Strong women. Some horror.
Adelaide rushes away from her home, leaving behind comfort and all she knows. For Montana.
With her, Adelaide is forced to drag a steamer trunk. A legacy from her birth, forced to continue with her parents' death.
I loved all the strong women pushing the boundaries, creating their own lives with no apologies.