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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I usually gravitate toward very plot-driven books and this book… is not that. I was about 30 pages in and thought I was going to hate it but ended up really enjoying this journey. Groff's writing is just so beautiful and this book invites you to slow down, stay in the story, and see what happens. It's a survival story about an indentured servant that escapes the Jamestown colony (which famously died off from starvation) in 1609. It has some gorgeous passages about nature and religion and appreciating beauty and life… several moments I had to stop and reread a passage just to fully appreciate it. I feel like this story surprised me in many ways and will stick with me for a while.
This book is not for everyone, but if you’re willing to slow down and see where it takes you, you just may love it.
This book is not for everyone, but if you’re willing to slow down and see where it takes you, you just may love it.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5
Really disappointed by this. I loved Matrix, but The Vaster Wilds didn't share its unique charm. Lauren Groff is definitely a talented writer, but there are thousands of survival stories out there, and I don't think this one did anything to make it stand out other than tracking every single one of the protagonist's bowel movements.
Really disappointed by this. I loved Matrix, but The Vaster Wilds didn't share its unique charm. Lauren Groff is definitely a talented writer, but there are thousands of survival stories out there, and I don't think this one did anything to make it stand out other than tracking every single one of the protagonist's bowel movements.
Well, did not finish. Beautiful writing but very depressing.
I wanted to like this. The writer is skilled, I just couldn’t connect with the story how I wanted. Maybe an off time of reading. I can definitely see why others would like this.
From the first chapter I knew this wasn’t going to captivate me but I stuck it out to the first 50 pages and literally nothing happened. It’s very boring and the only parts that caught my attention was because the writing was so vividly disgusting
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars
So much greatness here. I really love her writing and I was sucked into the story immediately.
I didn’t need the anachronistic foreshadowing about colonialism in the last chapter—she had already written much more eloquently about it earlier.
So much greatness here. I really love her writing and I was sucked into the story immediately.
I didn’t need the anachronistic foreshadowing about colonialism in the last chapter—she had already written much more eloquently about it earlier.
This one was full of pros and cons for me! I was originally going to give it 2 stars, but went with 3 because ultimately I really appreciated where the story led and the point the author was trying to make about humanity. But the way there was pretty bleak and cumbersome. This would be a great read if you love a survival tale, and while I did find that interesting, it went on and on a bit for me. I enjoyed the slow building of the protagonist’s back story, and while there was plenty of depth to the plot, the author’s treatment of the protagonist was so detached (usually referring to her as just “the girl,” for example) that I never really cared about her as much as I felt I should/could. However, the author’s writing was lyrical and descriptive. If this had been a short story instead of a novel, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.