Harrowing, indeed. I'd heard little of this tragedy before, and what I read in these pages shocked me.

The author chose to focus on a young woman, Sarah Graves, just as she has come of age and married. When her parents decide to sell everything and migrate west, Sarah is relieved that instead of losing them, she and her new husband join them. It's not surprising that the journey is arduous, but the tragic twist comes about because of a bad actor named Lansford Warren Hastings, the author of a well-known book at that time called The Emigrants' Guide, in which he lobbied heavily for heading into California instead of Oregon, and planned to know the best route. (Known as the Hastings Cutoff). The man had no knowledge of the land, and was simply a charlatan, out to make money. The Donner party was unfortunately swayed by this con, a choice that became fatal. The other factor in this disaster was the fact that they started out too late in the season, and so got caught in the mountains during severe weather.

One piece of history that I found fascinating was the fact that since at this time California was sovereign Mexican territory, those who migrated there from the United States were in fact the first illegal immigrants. The Mexican government at that time did require immigration documents and require residents to become naturalized citizens of Mexico. Most newcomers ignored the law, and thus were there illegally.

What unfolds here is not easy to read. In fact, it is dark and deeply depressing. It is hard to believe anyone's body and mind can survive so much. I wasn't shocked to read that they eventually ate their dead, but was very shocked that one of their party committed murder for that purpose; one of them came across two Native Americans (Luis and Salvador) who had been with their party earlier, and shot them with no seemingly no remorse.

I won't recount this story in detail--it's here for whoever wants more detail. Forty-six people survived out of 87.

Though she survived these traumas, Sarah's life does not end happily ever after. She's lost her husband and her parents, and is left with younger siblings to care for. Life was hard.