Play Book Tag discussion

The Indifferent Stars Above – Daniel James Brown
Digital audiobook narrated by Michael Prichard
4****

Subtitle: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

Brown looks at the events that led to and resulted from the infamous Donner Party trapped in a blizzard in the mountains near present day Lake Tahoe. I think that most people today have at least heard of the Donner Party, and for most of us the single thing we remember is their descent into cannibalism, but Brown gives us a more complete picture. We learn of their goals, hopes, and dreams, of their preparations and survival skills. We also learn about their mistakes and disagreements.

He chose to focus on one particular young woman, Sarah Graves, who was a 21-year-old newlywed when the group, which included her new husband, her parents and younger siblings, set out from Illinois bound for California, and who survived the ordeal. Brown did extensive research, interviewing descendants, pouring over historical reports, and actually replicating parts of the journey so that he could get a real sense of walking through waist-high fields of prairie grasses, experience the blinding whiteness of walking across salt flats in summer, feel the bitter wind of a snowstorm in the mountains. This made the tale more personal, even visceral, and helped this reader feel connected to Sarah and the entire Donner party.

Michael Prichard does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. Nonfiction – even narrative nonfiction – can be dry at times but his delivery kept me engaged and interested in hearing the story.


Link to my GR review

So glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did, Tessa. Brown is one of my favorite NF authors, and just so you know his works are never dry. Have you read Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II? Or Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894? Both very good

Joanne wrote: "So glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did, Tessa. Brown is one of my favorite NF authors, and just so you know his works are never dry. Have you read [book:Facing the Mountain: A True Story of ..."

Not yet ... but I've added his other books to my tbr.