A review by oldandnewbooksmell
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Luz Lopez lived with her brother Diego and her Aunt Maria Josie in Denver in the 1930’s. Luz reads tea leaves and does the laundry of the rich with her cousin Lizette but after her brother is run out of town by a violent white mob, she is left to fend for herself as she tries to help keep her and her Aunt afloat. As she starts a new job as a secretary in a law firm, Luz begins to have visions of her ancestors’ origins in her nearby Indigenous homeland, Lost Territory. She sees the hardship and sinister forces that have devastated her people for generations. It’s up to Luz to keep her family stories from disappearing.

This is an exquisite multigenerational book that is so captivating it transports you directly into the scenes. Kali Fajardo-Anstine writes such vivid descriptions of the landscapes and settings that when Lizette was getting married, I could practically taste the food the women were making in the kitchen. Fajardo-Anstine is a wonderful, mesmerizing storyteller.

Woman of Light is a story about family, love, loss (lots of loss), and keeping both your story and your family’s story alive so it’s not forgotten. Through the eyes of Luz, we see the treatment of Native and Indigenous peoples as settlers and other white immigrants move further and further west across the country. It’s hauntly heartbreaking and some of the images will stick with me.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction; especially ones with Indigenous history and family sagas. This story will possibly break your heart a bit, but there is so much hope and love within the Lopez family that even in the end, you’ll be glad you met them.

*Thank you Netgalley and One World Publishing for an advanced eBook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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