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The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party

From the #1 bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat comes an unforgettable epic of family, tragedy, and survival on the American frontier

"An ideal pairing of talent and material. ... Engrossing. ... A deft and ambitious storyteller." -- Mary Roach, New York Times Book Review

In April of 1846, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, her parents, and eight siblings. Seven months later, after joining a party of pioneers led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In early December, starving and desperate, Sarah and fourteen others set out for California on snowshoes, and, over the next thirty-two days, endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors.

In this gripping narrative, New York Times bestselling author Daniel James Brown sheds new light on one of the most legendary events in American history. Following every painful footstep of Sarah's journey with the Donner Party, Brown produces a tale both spellbinding and richly informative.

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384 pages

Average rating: 7.86

164 RATINGS

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6 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

OrdinariusEvadere
Aug 07, 2024
10/10 stars
A personal historic retelling of the Donner Party through the eyes of a novelist. Each scene felt vibrant and intimate, like one is in the wagon with the party. Great introduction to historical non-fiction and cured my reading slump!
xohshee
Jul 12, 2024
10/10 stars
Incredibly emotional narrative nonfiction detailing the journey of the Donner-reed Party traveling from Illinois to California in 1846, and the tragic deaths of nearly half the party in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Brown is an amazing writer who takes a vast collection of source material and transforms it into a gripping story. I appreciated that Brown frequently broke from the story and offered context behind certain historical events and even scientific/medical explanations, it helped better put things into perspective. If you’ve never heard of the Donner Party, or have done your share of research (like I did) and want more, I highly recommend this book.
CeLynasings
Mar 07, 2024
9/10 stars
This is a well detailed book that allowed me to understand the history behind some people who experienced horrors I can’t imagine. However, because it goes in-depth about the trauma and tragedy that occurs I did have to put done the book and take several breaks. This story is a lot to take in.
Melissa Kibler
Jan 11, 2024
9/10 stars
Hard to read just because of how tragic the story is.
oh_let3
May 16, 2023
10/10 stars
horrifying and awe-inspiring

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