The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff, which is nicely narrated by January LaVoy. The Vaster Wilds is the second novel I've read by Lauren Groff. I read Lauren Groff's novel, Matrix, back in 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been meaning to read more of Lauren Groff's novels since then. This month I made it happen by finishing The Vaster Wilds.

I enjoyed aspects of The Vaster Wilds, like the fact that it is a very descriptive novel in almost every way as only Lauren Groff can do. This novel touches upon religion, the circle of life, nature itself, and more. I found the section on naming of things to be an interesting discussion. Also, the brutality and beauty of nature is described in much detail in this novel as well. But, overall, I wasn't in love with this novel as I'd hoped I'd be.

The Vaster Wilds is a work of historical fiction set in America during the time of early colonialism. The protagonist is a young servant girl, whom flees a colonial settlement suffering from the plague. It's the dead of winter and the climate is cold and harsh. She must go it alone and try to survive the vast wilderness on her own. As she journeys on her own, we learn more about her life and how she came to the American Colonies. Essentially, we learn of the world solely through the servant girl's eyes and it's the only perspective we have. I would have liked to see her interacting with others throughout this novel to give it more depth.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff:

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.

I am giving The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!!