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.

The lyricism is amazing

Prosaic, absolutely amazing descriptions . Takes you in and keeps you there, you’re breathing and starving along with our heroine. Totally recommend

A Tale Beautifully Told

Creativity of thoughts, inspiration of resiliency in facing life’s challenges, and the voice of the young narrator forming a credible, fully-developed, relatable character make this a story worth your time—perhaps worthy of a second encounter especially when coming to grips with your own mortality.

White heat

This novel is my favorite of 2023. Masterful storytelling through the use of the omniscient narrator, electric prose. A dance. I felt led into the soreness and earth, up into the sky with soaring tension for a view of those nearby, and swept between colonies with researched precision and devout care. I was there - I feel infected and scabbed and like a few teeth just fell out. An epic protagonist taught me to spit in the fire for good luck - Girl? Woman? Mother? Daughter? Human? Mythic folk hero I’m taking with me. THANK YOU

Um…..a fever dream of poetry

The writing is incredible, character development shows you each and everyone through the eyes of a pretty girl born to poverty.

Epic historical survival novel.

Beautiful pros and many contrasts between strength in survival and fear of failure. This should be your next “can’t put it down“ read! Groff Wright such wonderful descriptions, that you feel you are within her, around her, watching her throughout this book. Great descriptions of the intense will for survival in women, during the rule of the British with the common theme of abusive patriarchy, which still lingers in America.

The language of beauty and suffering

The unflinching telling of the protagonist’s saga respects the reader. This book is a gift and a reminder of what is true about existing in our mortal bodies within and without human culture.

Extraordinarily beautiful

The language is extraordinary, the story beautiful, and the telling worthy of both. Lauren Groff and January LaVoy together have created a masterpiece.

Grateful for this book

Thanks to Lauren Groff for this wonderful contemplation and celebration of life. Grateful for her work.

Excellently written, heavy story not for the feint of heart

Wonderfully written book reveling and cowering in the immensity of nature and our small place in it. Also (as a man) a unique and terrifying insight into a woman’s perspective on men and religion. It’s not an easy book to hear but it’s darn good, with eloquent and poetic writing.