Everyone thinks they know a lot about The Donner Party, but this book made me realize—I didn’t actually know a lot about the Donner Party! Haunting and endlessly compelling, I really think that anyone with even just a passing interest in the events that occurred should read this book. 

I’ve always thought of the tragedy of the Donner Party as a grave example of man’s hubris (which it is)—but god it’s so much more than that. The best thing this book did, by far, was take us through the events (for the most part) from the perspective of a young woman of the group, the recently married Sarah. It made the story so much more human, and tragic, and just so so heartbreaking. It made the story real in a way that it has never really been to me before, not just a little spooky story to bring up when someone mentions cannibalism. Sarah and her companions suffered more than I think anyone should have been able to endure—but endure they did, or at least they did as much as they could until the bitter end.