The Indifferent Stars Above

The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party

By: Daniel James Brown

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

From the #1 bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat and Facing the Mountain 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.

Another excellent Brown book

Anyone who is read Boys in the Boat knows that the author is a very gifted writer. He does a similarly fantastic job in this book of weaving the broader US history into a compelling tale about the Donner party’s story.

An excellent historically narrative.

"Harrowing" is the right word to attribute to Sarah Graves' story. Wonderfully performed and researched. I could not stop listening.

I felt that the epilogue went in just a touch too long, though.

Loved it

A wonderful book about a terrible tragedy. I truly enjoyed it and I recommend it.

Fascinating

I loved this narrator. His voice is so soothing although the subject matter quite intense and gruesome at times. The author does an excellent job of weaving in relevant facts contemporary to the time period. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Overall good story - but gut wrenching

Can't believe what all they had to go through. Their story is well preserved in this book. Amazing tales of heroism and survival. God bless them all.