Member Review

My thanks to Random House U.K. Cornerstone Hutchinson Heinemann for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Vaster Wilds’ by Lauren Groff.

This is a work of literary historical fiction that focuses upon the flight of a teenage servant girl from the Jamestown settlement in the early 17th Century. Groff gives a few clues about what caused the girl to leave along with a highly detailed account of her struggle to survive alone in the wilderness.

This was a very raw novel in terms of how the journey through the wilderness was depicted. How the girl, referred to as Zed by the family she had worked for, coped with starvation, illness, and the cold along with attendant bodily responses. Add to this the threats from various wild animals, the indigenous peoples, and a tracker sent to find her.

Groff’s writing was lyrical throughout, powerful and poetic. Yet while I appreciated the beauty of the writing and especially the rich depictions of nature, I found it difficult to connect to the character and plot.

Overall, I felt that ‘The Vaster Wilds’ was a bit too raw and I never settled to it.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.