Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo–Anstine

 

Do you ever have moments of déjà vu?  Have you ever had your fortune told?

I definitely have déjà vu, but have never had my fortune told.

Woman of Light was the February pick for the Page-turners Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.

Woman of Light is a family drama set in the American West.  Luz Lopez is a tea leaf reader that has inherited a gift for seeing the future that has passed down through her family.  This story is told through shifting timelines as you learn about different generations of the family from the 1860s through the 1930s through Luz’s visions.  Luz also starts a new job to support her and her Aunt after her brother Diego is driven out of town.  She becomes involved in a love triangle between her boss and a musician.  Who will she choose?  How will the family memories be preserved?

My favorite storyline was actually Luz’s grandparents as her grandmother was a sharpshooter who lost her first husband when she accidentally shot him during an act when she was attacked by a performance bear.  I loved how spunky she was but was sad for what happened to this generation of the family.

I thought the look at racism was very interesting in the story as well.  The family has native and Mexican heritage, but even though they have lived for several generations in America, they are still considered foreigners. 

I liked the nonlinear approach to the novel and that it was so different from books that I usually read.  I wasn’t very keen on the ending.  I’m still thinking about it.  I like that the family traditions will be carried on and that Diego was back, but I didn’t like Luz’s life choices.

I liked the list of the generations at the start of the book.  I flipped back and forth to it a lot to try to make sure I knew who certain characters were.

Favorite Quote:

“She had never had a true suitor, and waiting for love felt like searching the horizon for a figure in the distances, walking toward her from the darkened clouds.” – I just thought this sentence was beautiful.

Book Source:  Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!