The Oregon Trail

A New American Journey

By: Rinker Buck

Narrated by: Rinker Buck

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Winner of the PEN New England Award

“Enchanting…A book filled with so much love…Long before Oregon, Rinker Buck has convinced us that the best way to see America is from the seat of a covered wagon.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Amazing…A real nonfiction thriller.” —Ian Frazier, The New York Review of Books

“Absorbing…Winning…The many layers in The Oregon Trail are linked by Mr. Buck’s voice, which is alert and unpretentious in a manner that put me in mind of Bill Bryson’s comic tone in A Walk in the Woods.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times

A major bestseller that has been hailed as a “quintessential American story” (Christian Science Monitor), Rinker Buck’s The Oregon Trail is an epic account of traveling the 2,000-mile length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way—in a covered wagon with a team of mules—that has captivated readers, critics, and booksellers from coast to coast. Simultaneously a majestic journey across the West, a significant work of history, and a moving personal saga, Buck’s chronicle is a “laugh-out-loud masterpiece” (Willamette Week) that “so ensnares the emotions it becomes a tear-jerker at its close” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) and “will leave you daydreaming and hungry to see this land” (The Boston Globe).

Too much personal opinion

Good history of the trail but too much personal opinion formed on untrue facts about the people and religions.

Modern Day Oregon Trail story.

Very interesting. Was disappointed in the foul language! I finally had to stop listening because my kids were listening as well.

Funny, informative tale of two brothers

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice mix of their contemporary journey and corresponding historical narrative on the trail. Occasionally, the book felt like a slog with unnecessarily filler when the author would divert into lengthy descriptions of wagon types or other minutia. He did a great job narrating the book and the conversation between the two brothers at the end was a nice treat.

wonderfully satisfying

Well written, entertaining and informative.
Rinker Buck created an amazing true adventure, shared it with us, and was humble and authentic the whole way. I highly recommend!

An Armchair Odyssey

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My one reservations was the reading. Mr. Buck is not as polished as a professional reader and the story would have been better served by having another reader. Still, I found The Oregon Trail to be well worth listening to.