The Vaster Wilds

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The Vaster Wilds
The Vaster Wilds.jpg
Author Lauren Groff
Audio read by January LaVoy
LanguageEnglish
Genre Historical novel
Set in Virginia in 1610
Publisher Riverhead Books
Publication date
September 12, 2023
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages272
AwardsThe Florida Book Award for General Fiction
ISBN 978-0-593-41840-6

The Vaster Wilds is a historical novel by Lauren Groff, published by Riverhead Books on September 12, 2023.

Contents

Premise

Set in colonial Virginia, Groff's fifth novel, The Vaster Wilds, is about a servant girl who "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." [1]

Reception

The Guardian described the novel as "a hymn of endurance" with "biblical, incantatory" prose. [2] The Vaster Wilds received other positive reviews in the Los Angeles Times , [3] The Boston Globe, [4] and The New York Times Book Review . [5] Literary critic Maureen Corrigan was more critical of the book's plot and pacing, noting that "without a destination in view, all that running starts to seem kind of aimless." [6]

The novel won the gold prize for General Fiction at the Florida Book Award [7] and was named by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of 2023. [8]

References

  1. "The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff: 9780593418406 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  2. Silcox, Beejay (September 21, 2023). "The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff review – a survival story". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  3. Patrick, Bethanne (September 7, 2023). "Lauren Groff just reinvented the adventure novel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  4. Berry, Lorraine. "Life in the state of nature". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  5. Mozley, Fiona (September 8, 2023). "Lauren Groff's Latest Is a Lonely Novel of Hunger and Survival (Published 2023)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  6. Corrigan, Maureen (September 21, 2023). "Lauren Groff's survivalist novel 'The Vaster Wilds' will test your endurance, too". National Public Radio. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  7. Prentiss, Anna (March 11, 2024). "FSU Libraries announces 2023 Florida Book Awards winners". Florida State University News. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  8. Tingley, Anna (December 22, 2023). "Barack Obama Shares His Favorite Books of 2023". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2025.