Book description
In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.
The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Where the Lost Wander as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Many books tend to glorify traveling the Oregon Trail, but this book does not. Instead, it portrays the heartbreak of loss, the realism of a harsh migration, and the blossoming of an unexpected but tender romance.
The pages raced by, and it was hard to step away from this captivating novel. I highly recommend reading it.
From David's list on frontier and pioneer fiction for the ages.
This book follows a young widow traveling westward with her extended family and her journey to find love and purpose again. It takes a hard and honest look at the kind of challenges that people in that time period faced, but through hardships and staggering loss she finds hope and belonging in a beautiful and deadly landscape.
From Emily's list on capturing the poignant beauty of the American West.
If you love Where the Lost Wander...
The All-Girl, No Man Little Darlin's
Unwanted Anabel finds an unexpected ally in her "crazy" Grandma Maisy who isn't crazy at all but harbors a secret past. Anabel coaxes her story out, thrilled to discover that Grandma Maisy had been a famous cowgirl in the American Wild West.
Maisy tells how she ran away from a…
Want books like Where the Lost Wander?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Where the Lost Wander.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,340
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Where the Lost Wander, you might also like...
The Raffle Baby
In The Raffle Baby, Ruth Talbot spins a luminous tale of three Depression-era orphans—Teeny, Sonny Boy, and Vic—riding the rails, chasing harvests, and stealing when they must.
Survival is their only destination, yet Teeny’s fantastical stories, told by firelight in hobo jungles and migrant camps, keep hope alive—including the…
Crossing
Crossing is a vividly human re-imagining of the love, sacrifices, and accomplishments that two Chinese brothers - American Immigrants - experience as they travel to California to build the Transcontinental Railroad.
