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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
This book was bleak. I kept comparing it to Jesmyn Ward’s Let Us Descend, which was also about one woman’s life, unspeakably cruel and brutal through no fault of her own, but Ward’s book was threaded with hope throughout. This one… not so much.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Rape
A lot of aimless wandering in this tale about a servant escapee in pre-colonial America. Shit is BLEAK.
The Vaster Wilds was beautifully written, but I can't remember the last time a book left me feeling this thoroughly bummed and hollowed out.
You'll feel freezing cold every time you pick it up.
This is a poetic and philosophical tale of a young woman's flight from 'civilisation' into the wilderness of 1500s (?) America.
There's a lot of survivalist detail, which I usually find dull, but the story is embellished with flashbacks to her life before, which I found more compelling.
As is often the case with historical fiction, I did feel the attitudes had been modernised somewhat, but I still felt a sense of place and time reading it.
I'm not unmoved, but I'll have to see whether this tale sticks with me.
You'll feel freezing cold every time you pick it up.
This is a poetic and philosophical tale of a young woman's flight from 'civilisation' into the wilderness of 1500s (?) America.
There's a lot of survivalist detail, which I usually find dull, but the story is embellished with flashbacks to her life before, which I found more compelling.
As is often the case with historical fiction, I did feel the attitudes had been modernised somewhat, but I still felt a sense of place and time reading it.
I'm not unmoved, but I'll have to see whether this tale sticks with me.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It truly pains me to put a Lauren Groff book this far down on my list. I am a huge Lauren Groff fan, and I’m definitely not the only one since she was recently named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Not only is her prose delicious and fun to read, she is also working to support independent bookstores and protect access to stories by opening her own “bookstore with a purpose” in her home-state of Florida. And for the Swifties, Florence Welch revealed she based her verse in Swift’s song “Florida!!!” on one of Groff’s stories.
I first learned about her when her book Fates and Furies made alllll the lists in 2015. I loved this book; most people I know either loved it or hated it but I quickly fell for Groff’s prose and style. I’ve eagerly read all of her new releases, but her latest books haven’t grabbed me as much as her earlier works. My favorite books of hers, the previously mentioned Fates and Furies and a short story collection called Florida, are set in the present and cover relatively current topics. Her most recent books are historical fiction that are set centuries ago and primarily focus on one person’s growth through life. While her prose remains beautiful, I didn’t feel any drive to finish this latest novel or curiosity about the plot. If you enjoy stories about survival in nature, internal monologues, and religion, this story might resonate more strongly for you than it did for me.
I’ll keep reading her new releases but I really hope that she returns to writing stories more similar to her initial novels. And if you’ve never read any Lauren Groff, I would highly recommend!!
I first learned about her when her book Fates and Furies made alllll the lists in 2015. I loved this book; most people I know either loved it or hated it but I quickly fell for Groff’s prose and style. I’ve eagerly read all of her new releases, but her latest books haven’t grabbed me as much as her earlier works. My favorite books of hers, the previously mentioned Fates and Furies and a short story collection called Florida, are set in the present and cover relatively current topics. Her most recent books are historical fiction that are set centuries ago and primarily focus on one person’s growth through life. While her prose remains beautiful, I didn’t feel any drive to finish this latest novel or curiosity about the plot. If you enjoy stories about survival in nature, internal monologues, and religion, this story might resonate more strongly for you than it did for me.
I’ll keep reading her new releases but I really hope that she returns to writing stories more similar to her initial novels. And if you’ve never read any Lauren Groff, I would highly recommend!!
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
words to describe this book: bleak, grim, plague, death (so much death)
often described: hot brown piss, wet hot shits
picked this book off my shelf because its short and been hanging out for a while - trying to crush through the mountain that is my physical tbr. well just because its short doesnt mean it was a “quick and easy” story, sheesh. taking place around the time america was known as the new world, the main character, a nameless servant girl known as “girl” was forced to travel via boat on a grueling journey across the ocean, only to be greeted by plague and suffering. her most dearest person to her, the child bess, simply refuses to live any longer and dies, so she runs away into the vaster wilds from the settlement and family she served. it isnt a very happy book, though it is very reflective.
note on bess: she is often described as brainless, stupid, and obviously developmentally delayed (walking at 3yo, limited speech) - which gave me the impression that she maybe had down syndrome or another developmental disability. i thought this detail was quite interesting to me, but ill never know because this “didnt exist” yet.
what i loved: all of the digs about god, men, religions, their impact on the natives and the land (i.e. there wouldnt be such widespread diseases without their invasion), and the internal monologue of the girl throughout. the old english writing style originally frustrated me until i realized that was intentional to immerse me into that time period, and probably took a lot of conscious effort and editing from the author and team. all in all, i didnt expect to enjoy it so much as it strays from my usual taste.
often described: hot brown piss, wet hot shits
picked this book off my shelf because its short and been hanging out for a while - trying to crush through the mountain that is my physical tbr. well just because its short doesnt mean it was a “quick and easy” story, sheesh. taking place around the time america was known as the new world, the main character, a nameless servant girl known as “girl” was forced to travel via boat on a grueling journey across the ocean, only to be greeted by plague and suffering. her most dearest person to her, the child bess, simply refuses to live any longer and dies, so she runs away into the vaster wilds from the settlement and family she served. it isnt a very happy book, though it is very reflective.
note on bess: she is often described as brainless, stupid, and obviously developmentally delayed (walking at 3yo, limited speech) - which gave me the impression that she maybe had down syndrome or another developmental disability. i thought this detail was quite interesting to me, but ill never know because this “didnt exist” yet.
what i loved: all of the digs about god, men, religions, their impact on the natives and the land (i.e. there wouldnt be such widespread diseases without their invasion), and the internal monologue of the girl throughout. the old english writing style originally frustrated me until i realized that was intentional to immerse me into that time period, and probably took a lot of conscious effort and editing from the author and team. all in all, i didnt expect to enjoy it so much as it strays from my usual taste.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This one is really stumping me rating-wise. Beautiful + effective writing, very challenging plot? I 100% would have (and did, upon a previous attempt) abandoned this if it wasn't for book club. But also became invested in where the central character would end up.
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