I was walking the Chicago lakefront—the wind coming off Lake Michigan in November feels like a personal attack—listening to this audiobook. Felt appropriate. We're talking about the Donner Party here. Starvation. Snow. Bad decisions. Usually, Preston & Child are my "brain candy" after a long week of teaching literary analysis to teenagers who think Twilight is high art. But this one? A bit of a struggle. Not the history—the history is fascinating. It was the delivery.
Digging Up the Past (Literally)
Look, I'm a sucker for historical context. (My students know if I start a sentence with "Historically speaking," they can nap for five minutes.) The setup here is fantastic. Nora Kelly digging up the "Lost Camp"? Sign me up. The way the authors weave the actual Donner Party history—which is terrifying enough without fiction—into a modern mystery is smart. Accessible. Not dry. Lincoln Highway does something similar with historical texture, though it leans more literary than thriller. It actually made me want to pull up Wikipedia while grading essays, which is usually a good sign. But then the thriller tropes kick in, and well... it gets a little "Hollywood." Which is fine. Sometimes you want a burger, not a steak.
Cynthia Farrell Behind the Mic
Here's where we hit a speed bump. I haven't listened to Farrell before. She's... clear. Very clear. Like a news anchor reading a teleprompter. But for a story about cannibalism and ancient secrets? I wanted more grit. More distinct voices. Everyone sounded kind of the same. There were moments—especially with the female characters—where the dialogue felt snarky or just breathless for no specific reason. I found myself checking my phone, not because I got a text, but because my brain was drifting. I had the opposite problem with Sycamore Row—the narrator kept me locked in even during courtroom procedural stuff. And I listen to 19th-century sermons for fun, so my tolerance for "slow" is pretty high.
Why I Broke My Own Rule
I have a confession. (Don't tell the "Annotated Life" listeners.) I bumped the speed to 1.25x. I had to. At 1.0x, the lack of vocal variety made the suspense feel like a lecture. Once I sped it up, the pacing issues smoothed out a bit. The ending twists are good—classic Preston & Child stuff—but getting there felt like hiking through deep snow without snowshoes.
Who's This For?
If you love the authors, you'll stick it out. History buffs who can forgive flat narration will find the Donner Party material genuinely compelling. But if you're new to Preston & Child? Maybe pick up a paperback instead. And if monotone delivery makes your attention wander, skip the audio entirely.
