The Vaster Wilds: A Novel

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023


NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others

“Part historical, part horror, part breathless thriller, part wilderness survival tale, The Vaster Wilds is a story about the lengths to which we will go to stay alive."—NPR staff pick

“Lauren Groff just reinvented the adventure novel."—Los Angeles Times

Glorious…surroundings come alive in prose that lives and breathes upon the page." —Boston Globe


A taut and electrifying novel from celebrated bestselling author Lauren Groff, about one spirited girl alone in the wilderness, trying to survive

A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her.

Lauren Groff’s new novel is at once a thrilling adventure story and a penetrating fable about trying to find a new way of living in a world succumbing to the churn of colonialism. The Vaster Wilds is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how—and if—we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves.

BUY THE BOOK

272 pages

Average rating: 6.59

176 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

ediehas
Feb 28, 2025
10/10 stars
really loved this one. this is the first one i ranked above three stars despite how much i enjoy groff's writing regardless. this one was more of a character study and commentary on humanity, nature, and being a woman.
LucyCarrillo
Apr 11, 2024
8/10 stars
Excellent descriptive on the run where every piss taken and berry eaten is cataloged. Young girl runs away from a colony facing starvation. Into the woods she runs, and runs, and runs. The sentences are delectable as the content is horrifying. Sometimes scary, at times unbelievable (she knows how to stab a fish, fix a canoe…) bit I couldn’t put it down.
MizzB
Feb 14, 2024
6/10 stars
Ms Groff is clearly a gifted and poetic writer, but I found the narrative arc of this novel too flat and unrelenting. No 'warm and fuzzies' to leven this story. Not a book for those looking for an uplifting read.
LMahoney
Jan 26, 2024
8/10 stars
slow start then I devoured it to know what happens. Super sad but a great read and wonderful writing.
Barb410
Jan 13, 2024
10/10 stars
Wow! What a book! Different from any other I have read! Will probably recommend this one until it gets chosen, lol

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.