Series editor is William L. Langer; Harvard University. 62 Illustrations; 10 maps. Originally published in hardcover in 1938; this softcover was re-issued in the early 1960's and was a widely used narrative history of the Napoleonic era. "Perhaps no one in this country could have presented the most recent theories and the best literature on the Napoleonic era in a etter-written syntheis." -Louis Gottschalk; The American Historical Review.
#19651 in Books Daniel James Brown 2015-09-22 2015-09-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .94 x 5.31l; .63 #File Name: 0061348112376 pagesThe Indifferent Stars Above The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
Review
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful. Excellent historical context and detailBy Regina Rodriguez-MartinTwice I found this book hard to put down. When I finished it the first time; I started over again and read it all the way through again. I really liked the historical details that Brown gives such as the economic climate of the 1840s; the mores and customs of the time; what kinds of things the settlers were likely to have packed; etc. That means he stops the action of the story to provide such details; which might bother you if you want a quick action story; but I loved Brown's style. He begins his narrative before the settlers begin their journey and intersperses background information throughout their story of hardship. I liked learning such things as the political and economic context of the American western migration; getting a glimpse of nineteenth century family dynamics and hearing what modern climatologists say about the weather the Donner party endured. If you like historical context and details; this is your Donner party story.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting; but with issuesBy D. MigliaccioThis is a fascinating story; told in detail that indicates exhaustive research - but still it felt a bit flat as well as somewhat padded. In trying to describe the events by focusing on a single participant; author Brown is forced into a fair amount of conjecture; and never really makes the character of Sarah Graves Fosdick come to life.The epilogue in particular goes on too long - each segment could more or less be boiled down to "I drove to this place where stuff happened; and thought about the stuff that happened."Incidentally; there's a rather glaring formatting error in the Kindle edition of this book: following Chapter 17; chapters 16 and 17 are repeated.before the narrative heads into the Epilogue. This only adds to the sense that the material has been padded to make it book-length; and should be corrected.46 of 47 people found the following review helpful. EnthrallingBy debeehrDaniel James Brown's account of the Donner party disaster is a riveting retelling of this ill-fated journey. He has done copious research; not only on the Donner party itself; but on the physical; emotional and psychological effects of prolonged starvation and exposure; and manages to weave it all into a fascinating narrative. He presents his material so vividly I almost felt as if I were there seeing it all firsthand. His choice to follow Sarah Foster's journey; both through his book and actually physically in taking a driving trip overland; was a wise one. The sympathetic portrait he paints of this young woman; scarcely out of her teens yet faced with more horrific; agonizing decisions than most people experience in a lifetime; gives the book a center and an immediacy that it otherwise might have lacked. Definitely this is going to become must-reading for all those interested in the fate of the Donner Party.
