Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Woman of Light

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

24 reviews

javafenn's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was powerful and heavy but so good. Being from Denver, specifically the literal areas in this book, it was great to see a story of multiple generations and how Indigenous Chicano people navigated Denver’s racist KKK past. It is a heartbreaking but also beautiful story. Luz especially.

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

I read the audiobook and if that's accessible to you, I highly recommend that format. I was fully engrossed in this multi-generational tale of an indigenous Chicano family in the West from the 1800s to the 1930s. I am not typically pulled towards historical fiction, but I think me loving this is a testament to someone adoring this who is not a huuuuge historical fiction reader!

This book explored so much, and mostly focused on Luz, who lives in Denver, and like most of the women in her family, has the gift of sight/clairvoyance. She works as a tea reader and seamstress, and I thought the illustration of the racism, sexism and misogyny she experienced was done mindfully. I loved the magical realism elements of this for their family. I appreciated the exploration of what it means to be family, how community helps you through hard times, and though there was so much pain and loss, I felt the story ultimately left me hopeful because of the family/community narratives.

a content warning expanded/explained: KKK presence in Denver

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rachelle_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.75

This book brought me to a place and time I did not know well, and the author did an amazing job of evoking the setting. Luz and all of her family grew on me, and I found myself wishing the best for all of them, despite all the challenging forces in their world.

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imds's review against another edition

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Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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bebidocrimes's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

You can tell how much the writer cares for the land, in any timeline, by how much beauty and love is in the descriptions. It makes the mining throughout feel more heartbreaking and maybe not worth the risks it put people in. Most of my issues with the main character can be excused by her being 17. She's indecisive and unfocused, and doesn't seem to have a very strong presence. I liked seeing her through other characters' eyes, it showed more personality. All the other characters are well developed and I understood where they fit in their own stories. Especially Lizette. Luz and Diego have some childhood development, but most other children are treated as a silent backdrop. Sara and Marie Josie are described in contrast to one another, sure, but they don't really get personalities until they're 15. I love seeing how Luz and Diego mirror Sara and Marie Josie as siblings, how their decisions affect which way their lives lead. Shout-out to the crime fighting rattlesnake.

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kaitlinlovesbooks's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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pages_with_panda's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“We cannot know the depths of another’s sacrifice,”

This could be your loss. But it’s not. It’s mine, and you might think you’re lucky, but for every lucky person, unluckiness arrives. Our existence shouldn’t depend on luck. It should depend on justice, what is good, what is right.

A slow-paced, character driven story of five generations of a a Mexican/Indigenous family in Denver Colorado.

I really liked the back and forth between generations! It took a second for it to make sense and it was non-linear but I liked being able to connect the stories and characters.

I wanted to cry near the end for what happened to the family. Every generation had their own world-shattering problem and it was so personal.

I felt the ending was a bit abrupt though and I would’ve liked more details, but the last sentence was beautiful.

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