Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange is a poignant and powerful follow-up to There There. The novel delves into the intergenerational trauma experienced by the Bear Shield-Red Feather family, while also continuing the stories of characters from the previous book. With its searing exploration of the consequences of colonization and systemic oppression, Orange intricately weaves together past and present narratives of Native American survival, loss, and resilience.

The book begins with Jude Star’s story, set against the backdrop of the Sand Creek Massacre, moving through historical atrocities and leading up to the contemporary struggles faced by his descendants, including violence, addiction, and the weight of their fractured identities. Orange’s storytelling is both tender and harrowing, with moments of dark humor that balance the heavy themes. The novel’s pacing is deliberate, mirroring the fragmented lives of its characters who navigate the aftershocks of genocide while trying to reclaim their heritage.

Tommy Orange has a unique voice and narrative style that did not disappoint!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This was so beautifully written and at times hard to read but also a very important story. I enjoyd the multiple points of view and the multigenerational stories of the native experience. This book covers so much history, trauma and important culture. This was excellent storytelling and I think it is deserving of the Booker prize.

*Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange.

While I struggled to get into "There, There," the author's previous book, I did enjoy "Wandering Stars." The novel touches on a variety of themes, including the life and reality of American Indians, as well as cultural identity and addiction. Another reviewer summed up my feelings about the book quite well when they said, "The story is beautifully written; there were multiple phrases that made me stop and think. [...] but it feels like a scattergun approach, snippets of stories rather than a rock solid plot." All in all, it didn't feel cohesive enough to me, and despite the beautiful writing, there were spots that lost my interest completely. Maybe this book would have resonated more for me if I had actually read "There, There" in its entirety, but sadly, I could never get past the first chapter of that one.

DNF at 17%. This just wasn’t for me. While I normally love a multigenerational family saga, I do also expect a plot—not merely a wandering look at life passing by.

This is definitely literary fiction, and the author uses beautiful prose and melodic writing. For me, there were too many characters’ POV’s and way too much introspection by some of them—to the exclusion of activity or any action. I wish I could have gotten into this—I really do think the author has a lot of valuable prose to share.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows some of the main characters from There, There in the aftermath of the book. It also follows a family line as they experience and cope with trauma, joy, and life. I'm going to put this here now: trigger warnings for addiction (alcohol, drugs), racism, residential schools, self harm, cancer, death of a parent (mentioned).

I really liked the themes of recovery and coping that this book explored. I also really liked the writing style of the book. I learned so much more about Native history.

Loved this. I really enjoyed everything about this. I loved the story completely. It will stay with me for a long time. I appreciate that the author has very strong voice - one I really enjoy. Heartbreaking.

I loved this but was confused as I feel like the background from the first book wasn’t fleshed out enough in this one. I love the lineage and explanation of how native history is erased.

Went into this completely blind, not knowing really what it was about. I learned so much about the Indigenous American experience. While it was difficult to digest at times, its so important to educate yourself. I will have to go back and read this authors other books.

I love Tommy Orange, and this was a wonderful follow-up to There, There. Thank you for the opportunity to review!

Tommy Orange once again delivers a powerful and evocative story in Wandering Stars, highlighting the complexities and heartbreak of Native experiences. I wanted to spend more time with the early chapters, which delve into five generations of the Redfeather family, and left me wishing for even more depth to these historical segments.

The second half, set after the events of There There, addresses more familiar themes of addiction and recovery. Orange’s talent for presenting a variety of authentic voices kept the narrative fresh and engaging. Having read There There first might provide additional context, but Wandering Stars absolutely stands strongly on its own as a poignant and thought-provoking read.

This was such an interesting novel! It read at first like short stories, then the characters were connected. It's important for me to read about the experiences of modern-day Native Americans and own voices, so I really appreciate the novel for that.

What a stunning prequel from Tommy Orange. I liked it even better than There There. Wandering Stars gives the backstory of the characters in There, Tehre but you don’t need to have read it before reading this. Tommy Orange’s writing really shines through here as he flashes these characters out. This time I fell in love with them and felt their heartaches acutely. I read this right after reading Betty, just by coincidence and if you loved one, I recommend the other.

This was great, another excellent book from Tommy Orange! As a Native american myself, I find Tommy Orange's stories about the struggles and experiences native americans face in the modern world to be excellent representations of reality, I know many who have had experiences in the same vein.

Tommy Orange's writing is beautiful and cutting, he manages to convey the realities of natives and their situations and perspectives while still writing something truly stunning and poignant. The juxtaposition between the devastating subject matter and the exquisite writing makes it all the more wonderous. This book will break your heart into a million pieces, and I cannot wait for another book from Tommy.

This book was a difficult read for me. It felt like a title that needed to be written, and needed to be read, but rather than be a number of different characters, it felt like all of the characters had the same thought patterns and the same motivations and ways of thinking. It was a book driven by a statement that the author needed to make, not driven by plot or character, and that really showed in a number of places. I was glad to have read this book, but it was a long book, and I was also glad when it was over.

While this is a follow-up to There, There, I would not call it a sequel and you could read them in any order.

Tommy Orange again delves into the lives of modern Native Americans and their inherited trauma. The present and past are woven together as we see the loss of innocence and idealism and the drive to carry on. Beautifully written.

I really loved this one and think it deserves all the love it's getting. Orange has such a distinct and poetic voice. Would recommend!

Felt a lot like there, there to me. Read a lot like short stories that were lightly linked vs a novel and those are always hard for me to digest. I wanted to love but didn’t.

I enjoyed the book There, There by the author and thought I would pick this one up.
It was a very well written book but the subject matter was tough to read about.
Recommended for fans of fiction with a message.

This is a follow-up to Orange’s novel There There. It starts out in Colorado in 1864 with Star who’s a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre. Star is sent to Fort Henry Prison School where he will be taught English and Christianity. A guard from the prison later starts the Carlisle Indian Industrial School where Native children are indoctrinated into Western life, negating their Indian heritage. Star’s son Charles will attend this school and it is where the boy meets Opal Viola and the two look to a future, far away from the institution.

In 2018 Oakland, CA, a Star descendant, Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, worries about Orvil, her nephew, who survived a shooting. Orvil and his brother Lony both face the stress and strain of the post-shooting ordeal.

All the characters undergo trauma and all seek means of soothing their damaged psyches. This is a sad tale of tragic events and consequences. It covers many decades and follows the lineage of the Star family. Each generation has their own adversities and gets further embroiled in tragic circumstances.

This is a powerful tale. The vileness of America’s treatment of Native people is disturbing. The reliance on drugs to deal with trauma adds to the tragic nature of the story. Orange points to one family’s attempts to survive attacks and ordeals that are crushing and cruel. With many years covered, some characters get greater attention than others. This focus on particular descendants highlights the more dramatic stories of survival, but also leaves some holes in the timeline.

Orange’s characters demonstrate the repeated injustices the Star family endures. They struggle to cope and this results in reliance on drugs. As history repeats itself, one senses the poignancy and also the bleakness of the Star family’s legacy.