The Vaster Wilds

A Novel

By: Lauren Groff

Narrated by: January LaVoy

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others

"Part historical, part horror, part breathless thriller, part wilderness survival tale, The Vaster Wilds is a story about the lengths to which we will go to stay alive."—NPR staff pick

“Lauren Groff just reinvented the adventure novel."—Los Angeles Times

“Glorious…surroundings come alive in prose that lives and breathes upon the page." —Boston Globe

A taut and electrifying novel from celebrated bestselling author Lauren Groff, about one spirited girl alone in the wilderness, trying to survive

A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her.

Lauren Groff’s new novel is at once a thrilling adventure story and a penetrating fable about trying to find a new way of living in a world succumbing to the churn of colonialism. The Vaster Wilds is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how—and if—we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves.

©2023 Lauren Groff (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“I know of few other writers whose sentences are so beautiful and so propulsive. The girl embodies a furious onward motion, as does the prose.”—New York Times Book Review

“[A] thrilling historical adventure. . .the existential themes at the heart of Lauren Groff’s fifth novel—the rawness of life, the precious inner-workings of nature, the drive to continue on in the face of challenges—are as timely as they come.”—TIME

"Part historical, part horror, part breathless thriller, part wilderness survival tale, The Vaster Wilds is a story about the lengths to which we will go to stay alive."—NPR

Wow

Compelling and deeply moving story, beautifully performed. A true spiritual journey through wilderness told astonishingly in the voice and heart of a small “nothing” girl. Lauren Goff is a master storyteller and gifted writer.

Slow torture written too hastily

I wanted to love this book, and I can see why people think Groff is a talented writer. Most of the book is the minutia of hunger and pain, punctuated by moments that strain credulity A hideously bloated dead dog is lying in the middle of the road. Instead of walking around it, she chooses to leap over it, barefoot, grazing it with her toe, it explodes all over her, and she vomits on herself. She is utterly starved and exhausted, yet goes to the river, and immediately spears three fish in a row. As they flap around on land, she bludgeons them to death. Why? How? She gets smallpox on top of her starvation and exhaustion, yet accidentally walks up a cliff. At the end of hours of this, she becomes a survival genius in one paragraph, building a house, making traps, weaving doors, skinning animals, and making clothes, etc. There’s a horrible scene with a child I wish I had never read and that is simply not believable. The author includes grand statements about losing faith in God and humanity, the unforgivable decimation of indigenous culture, and the wilderness that feel thrown in with a litany of pioneer tropes in a tone of hyper-dramatic grandiloquence. Too extra for me from start to finish.

left in tears, grateful tears

All I want is for a book to make me cry. And this one did. The ending is pure poetry—or even better... prose worthy of Virginia Woolf. Groff is truly, and inarguably, one of the great geniuses of our time. The narrator—LaVoy, does her a great service. I love reading Lauren Groff, but I am so glad I listened to this. I think listening made the book even more powerful. It felt like a sermon. I have heard Lauren Groff say that literature is her religion. And it is mine too. This book will forever be in my cannon.

Lauren has done it again! Excellent!

Lauren Groff paints with words, crafting a mesmerizing tapestry of emotions, vivid imagery, and compelling characters. Every page is a journey through landscapes both physical and emotional, taking the reader on an exploration of human connection, nature's raw beauty, and the intricate dance of life and loss.

Groff's prose is poetic and evocative. She has a remarkable ability to breathe life into her settings, making the wilds come alive.

A quick note for other "speed listeners" out there - because the poetic prose and great descriptions, I do not recommend listening to "The Vaster Wilds" on any speed greater than 1.0. I listened to it at a faster speed the first time and then re-listened to it at 1.0 and it was so much better.

Incredibly beautiful language

Remarkable tale of faith and resilience, a young girl flees a fort under siege riddled with starvation and inhumanity. What she endures and overcomes are deeply inspiring.

Superb in every way.

So beautifully written and performed - what a gift this book is! I was equal parts riveted by the story and in awe of the writing itself, throughout from start to finish. A rarity.

Astonishing!

What an incredible story and wonderful narration! An exploration of mortality, immortality, good, evil, spirituality, and survival.

Riveting

I couldn’t put this down until it was finished. Very unexpected story, takes the reader to a very specific place and time in near-excruciating detail. I wanted to know more and it ended too soon. Great narration.

Stunning

Groff has written an impeccable meditation on what it means to be human and a woman. her prose and LaVoy's narration are a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. This will stay with me for a long time.

A story of survival like no other.

Beautiful and powerful. Thank you, Lauren Groff and well done to the narrator. Completely captivating!