The Indifferent Stars Above
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4.3 • 144 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
From the #1 bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat and Facing the Mountain comes an unforgettable epic of family, tragedy, and survival on the American frontier
“An ideal pairing of talent and material.… Engrossing.… A deft and ambitious storyteller.” — Mary Roach, New York Times Book Review
In April of 1846, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, her parents, and eight siblings. Seven months later, after joining a party of pioneers led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In early December, starving and desperate, Sarah and fourteen others set out for California on snowshoes, and, over the next thirty-two days, endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors.
In this gripping narrative, New York Times bestselling author Daniel James Brown sheds new light on one of the most legendary events in American history. Following every painful footstep of Sarah’s journey with the Donner Party, Brown produces a tale both spellbinding and richly informative.
Customer Reviews
Terribly tragic tale of woe
This book is so excruciatingly tragic that I am not sure I can finish it. That’s not the fault of the author. The women and children who didn’t sign up for this, not to mention the agony for these animals!!—I am stricken with pain for these poor souls. It’s very well-written but I’m sick with despair for them all. Rest in peace.
Excellent
Very well researched and written
So good!
Excellent!!! I switch back and forth between reading and listening to the audiobook. I do prefer reading to listening because I find myself losing focus or even falling asleep as a result of the audiobook narration. I should mention that the author is quite detailed. He provides a lot of seemingly tedious information, but it all inevitably enhances one’s understanding of this incredible story.
There is no way to say this kindly, but the narrator sounds elderly. He sounds like an old, bitter detective or an exhausted community college teacher. He attempts at accents when reading direct quotes that are half-assed and occasionally offensive. (Sorry for being so brutal.) Regardless, this an impeccably well written book! Its historically factual and emotionally compelling.
If you are unfamiliar with the true story of The Donner Party, it is not at all happy or uplifting. It is heavy and intense. So don’t expect sunshine, puppies, and candy.