The Indifferent Stars Above

The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party

By: Daniel James Brown

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

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

great book hard to stop reading

great book but so sad
amazing what people went through in the that time of history

Fascinating, but hard to connect

I suspect that, like many other people, I listened to this book because I thought The Boys in the Boat was one of the best books I ever read. This book is fascinating and full of interesting history. Unlike some other reviewers, it did not bother me that the author chose to go off on tangents about things that were not directly related to the Donner party. I love learning things, and to that end the book is a five out of five. However, it falls short for me in human connection, especially with Sarah. I was never able to warm to any of the people as they went through their harrowing adventure. It is clear that the author was deeply moved by the experience of writing this book, and I will continue to read his other work.

Well Research Horror

I enjoyed everything that I learned about the Donner Party, from its origins to the world events happening at the same time they were stuck in the mountains (for reference). It’s in depth to the point that you can almost feel yourself trapped in a hand hewn cabin buried in the snow. Initially I disliked how dry the narration was but I quickly understood that if this story was told in any way other than PBS documentary style, it would be too much. It was border on being disrespectful.

Fascinating story and well crafted

The narrator takes some getting used to, but overall and excellent read. Highly recommended, especially if you know California.

If you like historical reads - this is fantastic!

I liked the narrator and the way his voice carried the genuine interest and care as if the writer was narration himself.

It brought to life details of a historical event I knew just a fraction about.

I truly enjoyed everything about this book.

Fascinating story. Dull narration.

It was hard for me to get into this book at first, due to the boring monotone of the narration. I hung in there though, and mostly managed to keep track of all of the various people and different families involved in this saga. Ultimately the story became fascinating way beyond the gory sensationalism of its cannibal elements. The writer has included a lot of great history and backstory about the time period, technological progress, western settlement and gold rush, and all manner of additional relevant information, including what happened to the survivors many years after their fateful western adventure. For history junkies especially I recommend listening, even though the narrator is pretty dull.

Wonderful book!

This is one of the best books I’ve listened to or read. The story is fantastic and told with great skill and knowledge. This book tells a story of incredible courage and is extremely well-written. It holds special meaning for me since I live very near to Sparland Illinois.

Call in sick to work

Telk your boss and spouse you have severe Covid. Put yourself on some automatic pilot project that is long repetitive, monotonous task s you can do mindlessly and do alone. Do not think you can break out of this in a couple/3 hours. You cannot. Do not even start it until you have antagonized an pissed off everone you know. Then the will leave you alone.

Order DoorDash for a few nights.
That’s my best advice.

Incredibly Well Written

This story is told so well. Daniel Brown incorporates so many details of the history surrounding this event along with descriptions of the landscape. He truly paints a picture. Absolutely impressed by this book!

Staggering!

Of course I knew about the tragedy of the Donner party - from history class at school? - but had never read about it (I chose the title after finishing "The Boys in the Boat" - a terrific tale!). What a horrible story of ambition and greed by Hastings, and it seems he had no remorse at all.
And what a story of determination and courage by the emigrants, overcoming so many trials and setbacks - including among their own group. I can't even conceive of the THOUGHT of embarking on such a journey ... heading with all I own into the unknown on such a trek.
At story's end I felt like I personally knew those people, and cried as they suffered through the hardships of those months. Glad I know more about their story.
Highly recommended!