I have been so excited to read Tommy Orange’s second book, but I wish I had re-read There There before reading Wandering Stars. Jumping back in with the Red Feather family, we find out what happens after the powwow in Oakland. But first, several generations of family history are included, beginning with the Sand Creek Massacre to residential Indian schools and then to present-day Oakland, where the urban Red Feather family are trying to find connections to their tribe and culture.

The chapters are written in first, second, and third person. And, unsurprisingly, written beautifully. Orvil has survived being shot at the Powwow, but it continues to affect his family and himself—physically and mentally. Sadly, suffering pain and finding comfort in addiction, an all too common fate.

What I did not love: The characters at the beginning of the book deserved more development. I hope that is coming in subsequent books. What I did love: weaving Donnie Darko into the story.

Wandering Stars is a stunning tale of a Native American family and its intergenerational trauma and struggles with addiction. Every voice in the book is unique and compelling, from Jude Star, forced to suffer at the Carlisle school, to his descendants, who grapple with opiate addition and poverty in Oakland, California. I can't say it was a pleasant read, and not and easy one, but Orange's language is astonishing in its originality, and the story is essential.

Very well-written story--it kept me reading and engaged. Beautiful storytelling and imagery. I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Tommy Orange!

With snippets of generations revealed through the lenses of different characters within a Native American community, author Tommy Orange pulls together an intricate reflection on life, loss, and family. This novel builds on the characters we are introduced to in Orange’s debut "There, There"–a novel I greatly enjoyed–yet I found myself struggling to really get into "Wandering Stars."

Part one starts in the latter half of the 1800’s, throwing readers into the tumultuous history of colonization and murder of Native American peoples. Readers learn more about the personal struggles of several characters and how they are all connected to bring readers to part two, picking back up in the present day aftermath following the end of "There, There."

The emotional and mental resilience of the Native American community is the heart of this book as readers learn more about, for example, the genocidal boarding schools children and young adults were forced into–I appreciated the way such a charged historical subject was given a human perspective; the sense of strength was conveyed so purposefully through just a minor glimpse into the character’s history. To that end, though, the first half of the novel felt almost a bit too factual, and the brief introductions we are given to several characters did not feel like enough for me to feel engaged.

The distinct separation tonally from part one to two was too overpowering for me to really dig into the book, but there’s no doubt Orange is such an artistic and creative writer. I was intrigued by how well Orange conveyed how one seemingly small event can change the course of a family history for years to come, and, above all else, that despite colonizer efforts to wipe out Native American culture, they survived and fought and remembered their identity, ensuring their lineage would not forget either.

Wandering Stars is a novel that spans many generations of a family that is constantly struggling, starting way back when European settlers attempted to eradicate the Native people. With a number of characters and narrators, the family tree provided at the beginning of the book is absolutely necessary. Keeping the family members straight was a challenge, but the overall story was great.

Brilliantly written generational saga of an Indigenous American family and the harsh realities of being dispossessed by their subjugators. Coping as best they can in the society they live in, the importance of family support is clearly illustrated.

Well-written and affecting, and ultimately a challenging read about trauma, addiction, and the native american experience. Constant character jumping left development wanting and less interesting as a narrative structure.

This novel is gorgeously written. It tells a powerful and moving story about this nations history. I'm better for having read it. I do wish that the description made it clearer that one needs to read There, There before diving in to this one.

I read about 75 pages, but decided to move on to another book at that time. I loved Orange’s first book, and was sad that I felt unable to full engage in this story. I think it may have been a “right book at the wrong time” situation. The writing was good, but my attention kept wandering. I hope to pick it up again at a later time!

Tommy Orange is a master. As soon as I finished There, There I couldn't wait for the next book. No sophomore slump here. This is perfection. Heartbreaking perfection

Thanks to the publisher for access to this fantastic follow-up to There There. This book explores the origins of that book and picks up in the second half where There There left off. I found the first part of the book a bit slow but loved the second half.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because it deserves it.

This follow up to There There delivered in all the ways I wanted it to. The end of There There left things feeling unfinished and unresolved, by design I suspect. The first half of Wandering Stars brings us back for a multigenerational look at how we got to the Big Oakland Powwow in There There. The second half of Wandering Stars picks up where There There left off, following several of our characters in the aftermath of the Big Oakland Powwow.

The aftermath was not pretty, and this was a difficult and emotional read just like There There. We see generations of a family struggling with addiction, PTSD, feelings of not belonging, just to name a few. While the road to get there is brutal, it’s important and leads us to what I felt was a satisfying end.

Tommy Orange’s writing style feels unique in that it shifts from a traditional storytelling to moments of more poetic prose and then sometimes streams of consciousness that I had to go back and read multiple times to fully digest what the character was thinking and feeling. This book will make you feel for and with these characters, and that’s what makes it important. These are characters and stories that will stick with you.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage & Anchor for the advanced reader electronic copy of this book.

This is a multi-generational story of a family dealing with historical and generational trauma about what is has and does mean to be Native American in American society.

Was there ever any doubt that this would be great? Can't wait to pick up a physical copy and reread and savor again.

A mutli-generational view of an Indigenous family, with particular focus on the youngest generation. Examines addiction, violence and generational trauma with heartbreaking beauty. My review could never do Tommy Orange's words justice.

𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘍𝘪𝘤 • 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 • 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • ⁣𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺
𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 • 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦 27 𝘍𝘦𝘣 2024

"𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚋 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝."

At the end of There There, the story felt incomplete, raw, unfinished, unresolved, without closure. You could argue that that was the point.

However, for those who wanted more, you will find that here. Both going backwards in time multi generations and forward in time from the Big Oakland Powwow, blending historical and contemporary fiction into one book, we trace the families and lives of characters from There There from past into present day.

Wandering Stars highlights the impacts of addiction, grief, loneliness, & belonging. The writing style flows between poetic prose to stream of consciousness as we jump POVs between minds of characters numbing their pain via toxic coping mechanisms as one bad event leads to one bad decision to another and another to where there seems no way out but deeper into the abyss.

If I had a complaint, it would be the sheer volume of characters, which to effectively track requires family tree diagramming with arrows and cross references. There were many memorable moments. I must have highlighted over half of the book.

This one will stay with me for a long time, so I am rounding my rating up from 4.5 to 5.

✨ Releases Feb 27 ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage & Anchor for allowing me to review this book. All opinions are my own.

TW: Addiction, Drug Use/Abuse, Self Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Alcoholism, Racism, Rape, Abuse, Genocide, Trauma.

The Sand Creek Massacre, the Carlisle Indian School, the Alcatraz Takeover and the Oakland Powow shooting are the legacy of the Native American family in this novel, a family whose members were introduced in Tommy Orange’s debut novel. Focusing on three young brothers, Orvil, Loother and Lony, we see their lack of knowledge of their roots and culture and their struggles to discover who they are and their place in society. Lack of motivation for school and the allure of drugs haunt their lives and make it seem impossible to dream and succeed. It is a sad story, but as their ancestors’ stories are revealed, if they don’t fully appreciate the role these men and women played in tribal history, the reader certainly does, along with the plight of the indigenous and the skilled storytelling of the author.

I loved There There and was so excited to read Orange’s new release. But, the first 3rd of this book was really tough for me to get through. It’s kind of a fragmented retelling of the generations before we catch up to Orvil in 2018. Orange is a poetic writer but this part of the book just didn’t click for me.

It started to pick up when we get to the current timeline and pick up where There There left off. Some chapters were definitely stronger than others. I loved reading about Orvil and Sean’s friendship. And of course, Orange does a masterful job at showcasing the trials and tribulations of the Native population, building on the obstacles they’ve had to overcome and the obstacles they face today. There were so many beautiful, highlight-able passages.

I agree with some other reviewers than Wandering Stars seems like a bit of an in between novel for Orange. It wasn’t as captivating as his debut, but I know he can write something amazing in the future.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tommy Orange is such a talented writer, and There There is one of my favorite books, I remember how blown away I was with the story and the ending, Unfortunately, this sequel did not measure up for me. It felt repetitive and slow, and it just did not have the excitement and power as There There. Although I remember the storyline, it probably did not help that I did not remember much about the characters in There There. I ended up reading half of this book and skimming the remainder,

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. Thank you Knopf for my free ARC of Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange — available Feb 27!

Read this if you:
🪶 want to learn more about Indigenous experiences
👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 enjoy books with multiple character perspectives
🏞️ currently reside on stolen land (spoiler alert, you likely do)

Starting with the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, we follow Star and his wandering family line (see what I did there?) through time to the present day, which is right after the events detailed in Tommy Orange's first novel, There There. We see life inside a prison castle, an industrial school, and the more nebulous "prisons" of poverty, identity, and generational trauma.

It physically pains me that I didn't fall head over heels for this book, though maybe that's partly because I had sky-high expectations for it after loving There There. While I really enjoyed the perspectives of Victoria, Opal, and Jacquie, I was left a little flat when reading Orvil, Lony, and the several other male characters in this book. Regardless, I found it a worthwhile read because Tommy's prose and style is so unique, and his concepts come across in such an impactful way. I certainly still recommend it, though There There will always have a foremost place in my heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫