From the #1 bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat 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 ReviewIn April of 1846, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, … 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.
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Extremely well researched and well written account of a horrific incident in the history of the American west. I LOVE this author.
I became interested in The Donner Party when my college boyfriend did a winter skiing job in Bear Valley. I have read a lot of publications regarding the history of the time. This book is one of the best I’ve read on the subject. The author picked one character to center his book around. He did extensive research and wrote in a way that is …
Everyone has heard of the Donner Party, but I’m sure most like me, knew little about it other than horrible things happened. This book is so well written I couldn’t put it down, and it gives so much more info than what happened after the group was stranded. Now I feel like I know and understand what happened and these people are real to me. The …
If you’ve read The Boys in the Boat, you already know how exacting a writer is Daniel James Brown. I was mesmerized by the earlier book; this book is enthralling, but I felt Brown got carried away too often with wordy descriptions just for effect rather than getting on with the story.
That said, the book was excellent in its vividness of what …
It’s the kind of story that constantly asks you what would you do with the same amount of information and the same circumstances.
This a fantastic read!
It was the story of a Donner party bride and was extremely well written and heart wrenching. It has haunted me ever since I read it.
Both heart wrenching and distressing, this book will leave you in awe of what the human mind and body can endure.
And it stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.
Draws the reader in from the first paragraph, well-researched and filled with details left out of the history books, the author fills this chronicle with rich and vivid details of life during the westward movement. You will gain a deep appreciation for the gritty determination of the people who chose to settle the west, for the hardships they …
There are better books on the donnor party, and the author spends too much time talking about his own journey.
I loved the author’s insight to the character’s way of thinking and living during this time period. It made the events all the more tragic as it made the character’s more personable. I know it was partly fictionalized, but it all was very believable. Such tragic events, but real history.
Very informative and written with compassion for a very sad time in the history of California. Loved that he followed up with their lives after survival.
4 stars
This book is both and exhaustive study and a telling tale of brutal life in the 1840’s.Sarah Graves and her family have joined a wagon train to California from their home in Illinois. The story is focused on Sarah, but tells of the experiences of the others in the party as well; at least as much as we can know about their thoughts and …
I never really considered the realities of the pioneers until I read this book. It is fascinating.
For those interested in The Donner Party story, lots of little known material, a story difficult to forget and uncomfortable to remember.
The story of the Donner party. Very well researched and the reader realizes just how hard it was to be an immigrant traveler. Tragic as we all know how it ends but this book really delves into each party members character and struggles. Suspenseful and gut wrenching
Loved the blend of history and science, application of what we know now to what happened then.
A major disappointment, I thought the book is more like a technical paper than a historical novel. BORING!
I enjoyed the look into the trek of the Donners and other families. I liked how the author pulled real history into the book and took time to explain why certain things happened. I thought the book was very wordy. I didn’t finish the last 25% of the book because it was like a rehashing of the rescue.
True story about the Donner Party. I came away with a clearer understanding about their heroic journey & its tragic outcomes. In spite of it being difficult to read at times, their grit & determination is evident. This book is excellent for true history buffs.