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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I had a general idea of what the Donner Party is remembered for, but not much else. This brings the people to life in a unique way by having multiple narrative voices. It also really makes you consider whether you might not have made some of the same choices. Some certainly not but some? Not a comfortable book to read (or listen to) by any means. I was really fascinated by Allan Wolf's afterward where he explains more about the real people and events and some of the ways he changed or invented parts of the story for this work of fiction. I thought it was really funny that I had a good sense of many parts of the initial trip because of how obsessively I played the Oregon Trail computer game when I was younger XD
Intense but very well done. It's definitely the most detailed version of this story I've come across.
I wish I went into this book like I did with "The Watch That Ends the Night". I didn't take the time to see who was speaking each page so I got lost a whole lot. Other than that though, it was a really good story and I really enjoyed it. Nearly every time I took the time to read the book I got goosebumps, especially from Hunger.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
sad
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Woah - this book gave me freaking chills. I remember being fascinated with the horrific fate of the Donner Party when I was younger - but I hadn't given it much thought since. This remarkable telling of events is told in verse, journal entries, letters, and maps. The slow build up of terror guarantees that you won't be able to tear your eyes off the page. Told through multiple perspective: a German immigrant, an orphan boy, an 8 year old, a father, and two indigenous scouts help give this story a well rounded view of the situation. For those that aren't aware - The Donner Party got trapped in the mountains not even 90 miles away from a fort by an extremely early winter. They slowly starved to death and succumbed to cannibalism - it was truly horrific. This book..... is one I will 100% read again and recommend to teens and adults - the notes and the statistics at the end are also wonderful additions. The author really shined a lot on an awful situation and refrained from placing the blame on anyone while still remaining objective. Marvelous storytelling!!
This book was incredibly well researched and thoughtfully and carefully written. It is a compassionate and detailed view of the Donner Party tragedy told through the points of view of multiple members of the expedition and narrated by the omniscient figure of Hunger.
Allan Wolf is a genius. Have you read anything by him yet? If not, fix that. This one or his Titanic novel are brilliant. The way he tackles topics, does research to immerse himself, and can tell stories from so many points of view is just so all encompassing. I mean, some of the points of view in this book, which is about the Donner Party, is from hunger (literal and figurative) and from oxen–it was fascinating to read!