Lone Women

Books | Fiction / Horror

3.9

Victor LaValle

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and an “absorbing, powerful” (BuzzFeed) new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of The Changeling.“Propulsive . . . LaValle combines chills with deep insights into our country’s divides.”—Los Angeles TimesONE OF BOOKPAGE'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE AND LOCUS AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARDA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Esquire, Vulture, Paste, Tordotcom, Book Riot, Polygon, Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, Library JournalAdelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—or redeem it.

Horror

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Author

Victor LaValle

Pages

304

Publisher

Random House Publishing Group

Published Date

2023-03-28

ISBN

052551208X 9780525512080

Community ReviewsSee all

"This mix of western and fantasy. At times the pacing was a bit off, but overall I loved the writing and the story. strong characters and absolutely detestable characters. oh and **** you finn and Matthew. 4.25 stars."

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The Lazy Reader

"I’m a newish fan of this author, and I’ve loved everything I’ve read so far, so I went for it even though I’m not usually into historical fiction and I was not disappointed. His treatment of his characters is always great, good balance between dialogue and narration, and the themes so well illustrated in a way that feels fresh and not at all redundant. "

CaitVD

"(Spoilers) What a strange novel. Adelaide, a six-foot-tall black woman, leaves her home in California after setting the house ablaze and destroying all evidence of her dismembered parents in the blaze. She heads to Montana as a homesteader, where she discovers other lone women building their lives. Women homesteaders deal with extreme cold, violent men, robbers on horseback, deceptive identities. From California, Adelaide carries a locked trunk, inside of which is a demon, a generally unseen creature that wreaks havoc (and rips apart her parents). In the end the demon/creature was a jarring and unnecessary tangent in the story I hoped to read: Independent women building their lives, their towns and their families in extremely inhospitable terrain and doing it all with camaraderie and without men (and some women) who want to oppress them and worse. Worth the read, even with the creature and the sad story it represents being a horror gimmick."

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Diane Morello

"I started reading this book out of curiosity since the plot sounded interesting. I started listening to the audiobook, and after a while, I lost interest around chapter 5... The book was not resonating with me, unfortunately... I would not let my review stop you from looking into this book! It may not be for me, but it may be something you will enjoy!"

C L

Cherry Lover 🍒

"I will say I was pleasantly surprised by how this book turned out. It had the strong mystery aspect but due to it being a historical fiction story about the Midwest, it didn’t completely hook me! After I started reading it started to draw me in and be the end I was completely enthralled. The book strung me along the whole time. Every time I thought I knew the story it would throw something else into it. I think the author did a great job at keeping the attention on the characters and their hardships as Lone Women. You get to see the growth and strength in the main characters as well as realize that everyone is not what they seem. Although this is a fictional story, it had a lot of points that I honestly had no idea about. There is no real magic in this book but it is about the eerie and supernatural in an every day existence. The only reason I’m upset is because it took me so long to pick this book up. I think if you like strong women, kept secrets, historical fiction, or some twists, turns, suspense, this book is an amazing read. "

L S

Leeann Smith

"It was fine. I think the secret in the trunk (I won’t spoil it) was revealed too early, and when it was revealed, it was kind of corny. And things wrapped up too neatly at the end. "

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Ruth S.

"Montana"

R J

Rachel Joy

"Now reading this historical horror novel."

Heather

"Based on true events in the early 20th century, Lone Women by Victor LaVelle is a Horror and Thriller book. Honestly, I would rate the horror at a 4 because it has so many interesting characters and twists. It’s definitely a story worth reading for those who like horror, but not too much. It touches on topics like homophobia, sexism, racism, guilt, and acceptance. I would definitely recommend reading. "

Marie

"Syfy Western. Very fun. Feminist."

B H

Brooke Hawkins

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