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fedak's review against another edition
3.0
Well researched, but tended to meander into minutia or asides far too often
It is also in desperate need of an annotated map- I'm a Tahoe local and still found myself stopping frequently to Google many of the locations in the narrative
It is also in desperate need of an annotated map- I'm a Tahoe local and still found myself stopping frequently to Google many of the locations in the narrative
ryner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The tragedy of the Donner Party of 1846 has been told numerous times in varying degrees of research and detail. In this 2010 version, Brown opts to narrate this disaster and survival story from the perspective of Sarah Graves, a new bride traveling west with her family and her new husband. They make the catastrophic choice to join up with another trail party whose fate would still be remembered with a shudder more than 150 years later.
Brown has presented a thoroughly researched, balanced and well-written portrayal of the circumstances, personalities, decisions and aftermath. It's funny — this is the fourth Donner Party narrative I've read now, and in each instance there has been a fanciful part of my brain that feels hopeful that *this time* they will make different choices that lead to a less tragic outcome. Alas, that never happens. I do feel rather an expert now on the subject, though.
Brown has presented a thoroughly researched, balanced and well-written portrayal of the circumstances, personalities, decisions and aftermath. It's funny — this is the fourth Donner Party narrative I've read now, and in each instance there has been a fanciful part of my brain that feels hopeful that *this time* they will make different choices that lead to a less tragic outcome. Alas, that never happens. I do feel rather an expert now on the subject, though.
mirandarocks's review against another edition
5.0
Holy fuck this book was amazing. Such a horrific and harrowing story, made even worse because it actually happened. But the storytelling was incredible and despite the terrible subject matter, the story itself was beautifully written. Highly recommend.
natnatcat82's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Haunting, terrifying
bentheoverlordsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Daniel James Brown weaves interesting historical tidbids of the mid 1800s american life, and politics with a harrowing recounting of the evenings of the Donner Party. I liked the framing of the book, focusing of Sarah Graves and giving us a human tale of what that journey would have been like. Its funny that Brown references it but this reminded me of In The Heart of The Sea, and how it humanises the people going through such horror. My only tiny issue was although it was interesting, the history of Californian kept getting inserted at weird moments, I kinda wish theyd just dedicated a chunk of the book to it then we could go from there. There was also a little repetition early on, we'd be told something then a few chapters be told it again i.e "Pioneers would hide X and save it for special occasions such as Y" and "On Y, Pioneers would retrieve X which they had hid away for a special occassion"
aeclark12's review against another edition
5.0
The story of an incredible, against-all-odds struggle -- unimaginable, for many of us in the modern world.
daishaspencer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This is one of the most gut wrenching and horrific stories I’ve read. I found myself moved to tears many times placing myself as a young woman in the shoes of Sarah and her companions. The author wrote beautifully of the scenery in which the party found themselves, I could clearly see places I’ve never been (though I had to reference google maps a handful of times). This story is not without bias from the author, but no narrative non-fiction truly can be. This book has left me with a lasting impression of a story which I knew little about before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Gore, Body horror, Animal death, Murder, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail