Woman of Light

A Novel

By: Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Narrated by: Melinna Bobadilla

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “dazzling, cinematic, intimate, lyrical” (Roxane Gay) epic of betrayal, love, and fate that spans five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family in the American West, from the author of the National Book Award finalist Sabrina & Corina

“Sometimes you just step into a book and let it wash over you, like you’re swimming under a big, sparkling night sky.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You

A PHENOMENAL BOOK CLUB PICK AND AN AUDACIOUS BOOK CLUB PICK • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Book Riot

There is one every generation, a seer who keeps the stories.

Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors’ origins, how her family flourished, and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion.

Written in Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s singular voice, the wildly entertaining and complex lives of the Lopez family fill this multigenerational western saga. Woman of Light is a transfixing novel about survival, family secrets, and love—filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, all of whom are just as special, memorable, and complicated as our beloved heroine, Luz.

LONGLISTED FOR THE JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FOR FICTION

©2022 Kali Fajardo-Anstine (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Fajardo-Anstine’s storytelling is absolutely engrossing.”—Shondaland

“A transporting story of the importance of family history told in a luminescent style.”—Good Housekeeping

“An intimate and intensely moving story. Fajardo-Anstine’s lyrical, unpretentious prose renders the generations of women of this story in all of their complexity, offering a nuanced perspective on how the past can inform the future . . . Fajardo-Anstine . . . is a formidable, necessary voice in fiction.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Malibu Rising

So many metaphors!

This book was hard to follow as the author jumped around the generations. That, coupled with the huge amount of odd metaphors she used. I found myself being distracted from the story as I was trying to figure them all out??? This was not an easy listen! Frustrating actually.

A novel that can’t quite decide what it is

I’m Chicana and love historical fiction, so I was excited to hear this inter generational saga of early Colorado told from the perspective of Mexican & Indigenous folks. Some of the descriptions are beautiful, and if you’re not aware that the West was “won” through the violence of white supremacy, you may need to read this novel just to learn that. My pleasure was interrupted at times by anachronisms (it wasn’t called “smog” in the 1930s) and by underdeveloped, inconsistent characters (including token butch lesbian, not handled well). Overall, I got the feeling that the author couldn’t decide whether to write magical realism, decolonial political realism, female-empowerment fiction, or a bodice-ripper—so the result is an odd mix of all of those. If that’s your pleasure, do enjoy: there are some good moments and it’s well read.

Interesting part of history

The last two and half hours of this book were certainly the best in my opinion. For the listeners, there are a few storylines and timelines and it can bounce quickly if you’re not paying close attention. It helped me to look at the chapter name as that often identified the year. Overall an interesting book. Could have honestly taken the last chapter or so and built the story from there. Perhaps there is or will be a part II? Do not expect full closure for the main characters, but you will get “some” closure. Narration was beautiful.

Historical Fiction that needs to be told

Let me first explains that 5* reviews, for me, are left to the classics. That being said, this book was very well written. Beautiful descriptors and a clear understanding of language. The beginning was a bit hard to follow, as you don’t understand the significance of the characters until later. The main story however, was captivating, however very hard to read at times, as the human capability for brutality and bigotry is heartbreaking. When the back story is married to the current story, it shows the roots, then blossoms. This is not a happily ever after story, but is is real in that there are choices made that forever change the course of our life. It doesn’t mean our life is over. The different path has purpose of its own.

Meh….

I could not connect with the characters even though they had plenty of appeal just weren’t written deep enough. Actually too many characters and not deep enough on any of them. Writing needs to be more co code. Lots of irrelevant info. Didn’t like the end but happy it did.

I love the book

I love the book, the people, and the story. I hate the KKK. I wish people weren’t hateful.

Not What I was Expecting

I was expecting the more mystical aspects of the “Woman of Light” to take center stage. I kept waiting but it never did. Aside from my deflated expectations, the story was interesting enough. I listened to the end.

Had potential

…some of the ‘voices’ by the narrator were annoyingly grating and baby-ish. The flipping back and forth in time was disorienting. The ending felt forced and dissatisfying.

Sangre de Cristos and the Tewa language

One winter my husband and I drove to Colorado from Albuquerque and saw how the Sanger's got their name as they were covered with snow and the sun was setting and shining on them. Reading Woman of Light I imagine that the Lost Territory is there. As for Tewa, I have a passion for languages, especially the smaller threatened ones thus Tewa is another essential attraction of this tale. Kali Fajardo-Anstine weaves a brilliant tapestry with this book with her characters, multiple ethnicities and history: it is a damn fine tale: !muchas gracias!

Interesting Denver immigrant history

Interesting story of Hispanic families and the hardships they endured in the late 1800s, early 1909s in Colorado and primarily the Denver area. As a native of Denver, I wasn’t aware of the strong presence of the Klu Klux Klan. My parents lived in the area where Luz lived in the 1930s, but I don’t remember them sharing any stories. A little disappointed with the end of the story.