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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Respectful and tender, February 22, 2005
This review is from: The Expedition of the Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate (Paperback)
I loved this book! While I understand that there was a bias coming from Eliza Donner in her effort to clear her family name - the book still is a reflection of the time in it's prose and in it's descriptions of life. Originally, I picked the book up to read about the Donner tragedy. But in the end I found myself facinated by the 2nd half of the book. In this half little Eliza describes life in early California as an orphan. Because of her unique position, she was able to experience a variety of cultures that existed in California in the mid 1800s. This was a time when Indians, Mexicans, and European Americans mingled in small towns. There are so many books that deal with the large issues of men's conflicts. Conversely, if you are curious about a woman's perspective of the small details and the day to day life of new settlers in California this book is absolutely a must read. Learn about some of the details of farm life, of the responsibility of children, and the harsh realities of a life where community, family, and traditions were bound with love, respect, and survival.
Ms. Donner Houghton has a real skill in writing and was able to write the book from the perspective of a child growing up in early California. As I read the book, I found myself loving little Eliza for her courage, honesty, and effort. For me, it was window into the cultural mindset of people of that era. I remember a remark about a visitor coming into Sacramento that excited the women so much that they 'forgot to roll down their sleeves before they came outside'. Yes, the dress code was very strict - but only little Eliza, a person of that time, would notice. I also liked the details of how the people of the early towns worked together to help make a community. For example, when the sick came back from the gold mines, the German household that Eliza lived in became a makeshift hospital for the men.
If you are from Northern California or just like pioneer history, little Eliza has a story to tell you.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A DONNER PARTY SURVIVOR SPEAKS OUT..., December 27, 2004
This review is from: The Expedition of the Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate (Paperback)
The author of this book, which was first published in 1911, was a survivor of the Donner Party, that hapless group of eighty-seven pioneers who in 1846, while navigating a supposedly new route to California, found themselves trapped high in the Sierra Mountains. Immobilized by snow and frigid weather, little more than half, mostly women and children, of this hardy band of westward-ho pioneers would survive the deprivation and great human suffering. One of those survivors was Eliza P. Donner, then a child just under four years of age. She would live on, hearing of lurid tales of cannibalism, which were to mar her survival.
A little less than half of this book is devoted to the doomed expedition itself. Of course, even though the author was one of its survivors, given her tender age, most of the information about the expedition is based upon the recollections of other survivors, including those of her older sisters. She paints a fairly intimate and poignant portrait of her family, but the account of their tragic journey seems to be subjectively sanitized, as if to offset the grisly details that had become an integral part of the Donner Party legend. The details of the Donner Party tragedy are best told by historian, George Stewart, in his book, "Ordeal by Hunger."
Still, this book provides an interesting look at the aftermath of the Donner Party debacle. It looks at early pioneer life in California, through the author's eyes, recounting what became of her and her surviving sisters after their incredible rescue. This makes for an eye-opening, first hand account of what life was actually like in those early pioneering days. The author, an apparently hearty soul, would go on to have quite a full and interesting life. Written in an easy, conversational tone, this book will capture the interest of those who enjoy memoirs, books on pioneer life, or books on the Donner Party.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Expedition of Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate, July 23, 2005
This review is from: The Expedition of the Donner Party and Its Tragic Fate (Paperback)
This book was a very good read! How ever, the author wrote her story from second hand information, she, herself had no real memory of the horrors the others went through! But, her description of Sacramento, and surrounding areas was very interesting. Her hardship that she recalls at Sutters Fort were disheartening! The author had a comfortable life with the Brunner's after her tragic experience. But, the title of the book, just doesn't fit the story, it should be titled "The Life and Times of Eliza Donner"!
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