The Indifferent Stars Above cover art

The Indifferent Stars Above

The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party

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The Indifferent Stars Above

By: Daniel James Brown
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
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About this listen

From the number one best-selling 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, 21-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 14 others set out for California on snowshoes and over the next 32 days endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors.

In this gripping narrative, New York Times best-selling 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.

©2009 Daniel James Brown (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Americas Historical United States Wild West Old West

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All stars
Most relevant  
A retelling of an amazing feat of human endurance. This is definitely the best I have read so far on the tragic story of the Donner Party. Highly recommend.

Truly Humbled!

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Beautifully written. Evokes the accute sense of hopelessness and despair, following crushingly on the heals of optimism and the anticipation of a new and prosperous life.

Gripping, without relying on the macabre alone.

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I was riveted. What I really enjoyed was rhe additional information given around words that would normally simply be part of a description eg hyperthermia. We all know what it is, but do we really understated what the body is undergoing?

The author took the effort to explain exactly what the symptoms are and what is actually happening in the body to cause them. It made for a personalized experience being able to grasp and therefore experience exactly what these people went through.

While the story was macabre and incredibly sad, especially for the children, I couldn't stop remarking inwardly on the level of endurance, tenacity and will to survive.

It was excellently narrated and I couldn't put it down!

Unbelievable tale if endurance...

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Well written and narrated. I thoughtfully enjoyed this audiobook, especially the lengths the author went to to set the story within a historical and cultural context.

Fantastic

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loved it, gripping and so sad, incredible detail for me, I hadn't read much about the Donner Party beyond general knowledge and the Wikipedia page! fully recommend it

superb

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Loved this book. I knew a wee bit about the Donner party and what happened but this book told me everything I needed to know. It’s warts and all. Good backgrounds are given on those who started out and either survived or perished, the journey it’s self is covered in full detail. The mistakes made - and in my opinion there were many made - are gone into and who made them.

The lives these people had were hard at the best of times but the suffering they indured while crossing and being stranded on the sierra mountains were unbelievable. The cowards and the brave , the weak and the strong are identified and their stories are told….

A wonderful book which is narrated brilliantly and in some parts the people involved tell their story through letters and diaries. Each are given a distinctive voice. At the end the author writes about what happened to the survivors after the incident.

Worth a credit. Will re listen to make sure I didn’t miss a single thing.

Really interesting

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A wonderfully detailed account of The Donner Party, that does a fantastic job of setting the scene of what travellers went through going west in the 1800’s and telling the story of that fateful Wagon Train, with a specific focus on Sarah Graves. Kept me enthralled throughout the entire book.

The best book I’ve ever read

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the author provided a lot of background information into the time and culture these events took place in the context of, but without being dry. His research into starvation, frostbite and the other medical issues that were experienced by the Donner party allowed him to weave a richer story, instead of just reciting a timeline and quoting the few letters and diaries that are available from the members of the party.

Horrific story well told

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loved this in depth history of The Donor party. The story line following the tale of one of the party made it feel very intimate and made it easier to empathize with the people in that horrendous situation. It's well written and heart felt. Narrator wasn't for me, he was very wooden and lacked some of the emotion that I feel this story needed.

Amazingly written and very interesting

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My own g.grandparents crossed the plains and settled in Arizona. And i have grown up 'knowing' of the Donner Party. But i had _no idea_ of what life for the pioneers actually was, nor the horror of what actually happened in Dinner Pass, nor what was happening elsewhere in the USA and world at the same time. This is a terrific book.

If you are interested in this period of history or specifically in the Donner Party, this book comes highly recommended by me!

SO Much Detail

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