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Wilderness #1
Into the Wilderness
Weaving a tapestry of fact and fiction, Sara Donati's epic novel sweeps us into another time and place...and into the heart of a forbidden affair between an unconventional Englishwoman and an American frontiersman.
It is December of 1792. Elizabeth Middleton leaves her comfortable English estate to join her family in a remote New York mountain village. It is a place unlike any she has ever experienced. And she meets a man unlike any she has ever encountered - a white man dressed like a Native American, Nathanial Booner, known to the Mohawk people as Between-Two-Lives. Determined to provide schooling for all the children of the village, she soons finds herself locked in conflict with the local slave owners as well as her own family.
Interweaving the fate of the Mohawk Nation with the destiny of two lovers, Sara Donati's compelling novel creates a complex, profound, passionate portrait of an emerging America.
It is December of 1792. Elizabeth Middleton leaves her comfortable English estate to join her family in a remote New York mountain village. It is a place unlike any she has ever experienced. And she meets a man unlike any she has ever encountered - a white man dressed like a Native American, Nathanial Booner, known to the Mohawk people as Between-Two-Lives. Determined to provide schooling for all the children of the village, she soons finds herself locked in conflict with the local slave owners as well as her own family.
Interweaving the fate of the Mohawk Nation with the destiny of two lovers, Sara Donati's compelling novel creates a complex, profound, passionate portrait of an emerging America.
876 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 1998
About the author
Sara Donati
20 books3,173 followersWorking on the next novel in the Waverly Place series. Looking for more information? Visit the wilderness universe wiki. Register to comment and participate in giveaways.
Sara Donati is the pen name of Rosina Lippi, also here on Goodreads because she writes too. All book reviews you'll find under Rosina's name.
Sara Donati is the pen name of Rosina Lippi, also here on Goodreads because she writes too. All book reviews you'll find under Rosina's name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,721 reviews
August 26, 2018
OUTLANDER FANFICTION?
It’s impossible not to compare Donati’s series to Diana Gabaldon’s epic ‘Outlander’. Both series are historical romance, on a grand serial scale, and the marketing of Donati’s series is largely reliant on Diana Gabaldon. Not only does a Gabaldon quote appear on the front-cover of ‘Into the Wilderness’, but Donati thanks Gabaldon in her acknowledgements. And the most obvious comparison is the fact that Donati’s books are a sort of fanfiction crossover to Diana Gabaldon’s famous series. In ‘Into the Wilderness’ characters make brief mention of a Scot turned Indian called Ian, and his ‘white witch’ aunt Claire, and her big red-haired husband. This thin relation to ‘Outlander’ would have guaranteed Gabaldon readers would make the trek to Donati’s series, which is the reason I picked up ‘Into the Wilderness’.
I am a HUGE Diana Gabaldon fan. ‘Outlander’ is one of my all-time favourite novels, and like so many of her fans I find myself needing a reading supplement to tide me over between Gabaldon’s four year long writing lapses.
‘Into the Wilderness’ is perfect for those ‘Outlander’ fans who really got into the series when Jamie and Claire went to live in the American wilderness. When the series took that trajectory Gabaldon introduced Native American’s to the storyline, and if you’re like me you especially loved the character arc of Young Ian who went on to become an Indian warrior. But more than that, the storyline becomes about the frontier life – small, new communities dealing with prejudice, hardships and their own brand of claustrophobia out in the American wilds.
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
Donati’s series is a continuation of ‘Last of the Mohicans’, the 1826 story by James Fenimore Cooper. Her series features Nathaniel Bonner, who is Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis for those only familiar with the movie adaptation) and Cora’s son. Nathaniel Bonner is the story’s hero... and he’s a fair bit swoon-worthy.
Nathaniel’s hands tightened on her upper arms until she gave in and looked up, and then he held on to her gaze and refused to let her look away.
“Listen, now. Richard wants the mountain and he’ll take you to get it.”
Elizabeth tried to drop her head but he put a finger under her chin to lift it and looked her directly in the eye. “I want you,” he said.
A warm rush of breath left Elizabeth. She could smell him, the oil on his skin. Leather and sweat and blood.
“I wake up wanting you and go to sleep wanting you,” Nathaniel murmured, pulling her shoulders up to him so that her head fell back and the arch of her neck rose to meet him. “Elizabeth. I want you as much as I want to breathe, but I need the mountain.”
Nathaniel’s heroine is Elizabeth Middleton – a 29 year old spinster who never thought she would find love in the wilderness, let alone with an adopted Mohawk. Elizabeth was a wonderful protagonist; she is hot-headed, stubborn and entranced by the Mohawk way of life.
NATHANIEL BONNER / JAMIE FRASER
ELIZABETH MIDDLETON / CLAIRE RANDALL FRASER
Nathaniel Bonner is no Jamie Fraser (that would be a tall order) but he is an exciting hero for our heroine. His being Mohawk makes him thrillingly different, and the little bit of mystery to him makes their romance titillating and scorching.
Elizabeth is likewise no Claire Fraser – but a lot of Claire’s appeal lies in her delivering 19th century humour to the 17th century. Then there’s the fact that Claire is a doctor, and Elizabeth a schoolteacher - so in general Claire has more thrilling storylines from her occupation.
Diana Gabaldon writes more explicit, steamy sex scenes than Donati. But Donati’s sex scenes are sweet and plentiful, and easily communicate Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s love for one another.
ROMANTIC ENTANGLEMENTS
I think Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s hasty romance is one of the big pro’s of ‘Into the Wilderness’. If you are one of those readers who attempted ‘Outlander’ but weren’t patient enough to trudge through the slow start, then ‘Into the Wilderness’ is probably more your pace. The romance kicks off from the get-go, with Nathaniel and Elizabeth meeting within the first 10 pages and an obvious attraction kindling. From there the central focus of the book is on the Romeo and Juliet romance between Nathaniel and Elizabeth – a white woman and an adopted Indian.
‘Outlander’ dealt with Claire’s time-travelling mishap and determination to get back to 1940’s England, as well as Scottish clan politics, and the lead up to Culloden. But ‘Into the Wilderness’ has a much more basic focus. It is a romance, first and foremost. This is about Nathaniel and Elizabeth – everything else is backdrop and obstacles to their happiness.
DIANA GABALDON / SARA DONATI
Donati’s series has a few major differences with ‘Outlander’; the main one being an absence of fantasy, because there is no ‘time travel’ plot.
It’s tough to fairly compare ‘Outlander’ and ‘Into the Wilderness’. I think Diana Gabaldon has more writing finesse; her series is more grand-scale epic and she revels in a slow-as-molasses storytelling that lets layers unfold, cliff-hangers erupt and characters arcs naturally progress. Gabaldon also has a very distinct and wonderful voice – even the dullest passages (like Claire’s medicinal descriptions) are riveting when written in her succulent, lyrical prose.
Donati also has a beautiful writing style – not as consistently breathtaking as Gabaldon’s, but quite a few lines and paragraphs of Donati’s really struck me. Some of her scenes read like snapshots of a moment, so vivid and colourful that they bear re-reading;
They stood leaning toward each other across the awkward expanse of their snowshoes, joined like a wishbone by the soft suckling of mouths.
Reading ‘Into the Wilderness’ I started to think that Diana Gabaldon and Sara Donati have very different strengths and weaknesses – and it often occurred to me that one’s faults was the other’s forte.
DIALOGUE
I think Diana Gabaldon is much more adept at writing dialogue than Sara Donati. Gabaldon’s characters speak into your ear, so believable are their speeches – especially when she is putting weasel words and round-about talk into their mouths. Jamie Fraser is the perfect example of her cleverness with dialect – the way Jamie’s words change depending on his audience, or his cloak and dagger speeches.
In ‘Into the Wilderness’ I often thought that characters weren’t very convincing in their diatribes. It was a case of people talking too directly and succinctly, getting their complicated messages across with little misunderstanding. Like when Nathaniel Bonner talks to Elizabeth about his deceased wife, Sarah. Much was made of the fact that Nathaniel felt uncomfortable talking about Sarah, but when the time came I found his words flowed so easily and revealed his hidden depth of feeling. It was at those times when I think Chekhov’s idiom of ‘leave them cold’ could have worked better, if Donati had left some motivations unsaid.
HOME LIFE
I think Sara Donati is better at writing home life scenes. A lot of the story takes place on ‘Lake in the Clouds’ and ‘Hidden Wolf’ mountain – there was a very good chance that Donati writing many domestic scenes of wedded bliss could have been repetitive and dull. But she writes so thoroughly and fascinatingly about Mohawk life and Elizabeth’s observations of it that I was happy to meander along with the more sedate scenes of domestication.
In contrast; in Diana Gabaldon’s books I am never totally easy with domestic scenes – whether they be on the mountain or Lallybroch. I think it’s because Gabaldon is so adept at writing action and heart-palpitating plot that anything slower is sometimes frustrating to trudge through. Then there is the fact that I know any slow scenes of domesticated bliss will be short-lived for Jamie and Claire, and when they are idle at Lallybroch I am constantly on-edge for the next disaster.
RUTHLESS WRITER
Diana Gabaldon is, overall, more ruthless when it comes to storyline. I found in ‘Into the Wilderness’ that the overall plot was a little hazy. The first-half of the book sets Dr. Richard Todd up as Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s adversary. But Todd isn’t much of a ‘villain’, if he’s one at all. He’s all shades of grey and actually fairly easy to empathize with. Whereas in ‘Outlander’ Black Jack Randall is a truly masochistic villain – he is a very clear bad guy to Jamie Fraser’s good guy. And the British Dragoons against Scottish clans act as another black/white tale.
At the end of ‘Into the Wilderness’ I really couldn’t decide if there was any particular storyline – or if it was just a matter of character’s reacting to situations instead of acting. Even when the second-half of the book turns more inward and sets up the racist townsfolk as the new threat to the Bonner clan, I never really found that to be a substantial plot. Mostly because the stakes were never very high – I never once doubted that all would finish in a happy ending for Nathaniel and Elizabeth. In contrast Diana Gabaldon had a very helter-skelter plot, clear good guys and bad guys and high stakes to get caught up in.
Diana Gabaldon is especially ruthless when it comes to story because she isn’t afraid to put character’s in terrible situations, let the good guys lose once in a while and let the bad guys triumph occasionally. But Donati seems more inclined to take the easy way. I don’t want to give anything away, but events turn to Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s favour quite easily and neatly.
CONCLUSION
I have fallen in love with Donati’s world, and Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s saga. I especially loved the book because I can see that Donati has quite a story arc in store – currently there are 6 books in the series, all of them 800+ pages long. For an Outlander lover like me, the prospect of discovering a new saga to sink my teeth into is enough to give me goosebumps. Especially when I consider how long it takes Ms. Gabaldon to pump out a new ‘Outlander’ instalment (4-5 years!) – I now have Donati to tide me over in the meantime, and fill my epic historical romance craving. Hoorah! I am especially thrilled at the prospect of reading more little mentions and side-notes about Gabaldon’s characters who cross-over into Donati’s world.
If you’re an Outlander/Diana Gabaldon fan, you should definitely give Sara Donati a read. Diana Gabaldon is still my favourite, and nothing can rival ‘Outlander’ (Nathaniel Bonner is no Jamie Fraser, though a good contender) but ‘Into the Wilderness’ is in the same Outlandish vain and just as wonderfully grand-scale to get swept away by.
It’s impossible not to compare Donati’s series to Diana Gabaldon’s epic ‘Outlander’. Both series are historical romance, on a grand serial scale, and the marketing of Donati’s series is largely reliant on Diana Gabaldon. Not only does a Gabaldon quote appear on the front-cover of ‘Into the Wilderness’, but Donati thanks Gabaldon in her acknowledgements. And the most obvious comparison is the fact that Donati’s books are a sort of fanfiction crossover to Diana Gabaldon’s famous series. In ‘Into the Wilderness’ characters make brief mention of a Scot turned Indian called Ian, and his ‘white witch’ aunt Claire, and her big red-haired husband. This thin relation to ‘Outlander’ would have guaranteed Gabaldon readers would make the trek to Donati’s series, which is the reason I picked up ‘Into the Wilderness’.
I am a HUGE Diana Gabaldon fan. ‘Outlander’ is one of my all-time favourite novels, and like so many of her fans I find myself needing a reading supplement to tide me over between Gabaldon’s four year long writing lapses.
‘Into the Wilderness’ is perfect for those ‘Outlander’ fans who really got into the series when Jamie and Claire went to live in the American wilderness. When the series took that trajectory Gabaldon introduced Native American’s to the storyline, and if you’re like me you especially loved the character arc of Young Ian who went on to become an Indian warrior. But more than that, the storyline becomes about the frontier life – small, new communities dealing with prejudice, hardships and their own brand of claustrophobia out in the American wilds.
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
Donati’s series is a continuation of ‘Last of the Mohicans’, the 1826 story by James Fenimore Cooper. Her series features Nathaniel Bonner, who is Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis for those only familiar with the movie adaptation) and Cora’s son. Nathaniel Bonner is the story’s hero... and he’s a fair bit swoon-worthy.
Nathaniel’s hands tightened on her upper arms until she gave in and looked up, and then he held on to her gaze and refused to let her look away.
“Listen, now. Richard wants the mountain and he’ll take you to get it.”
Elizabeth tried to drop her head but he put a finger under her chin to lift it and looked her directly in the eye. “I want you,” he said.
A warm rush of breath left Elizabeth. She could smell him, the oil on his skin. Leather and sweat and blood.
“I wake up wanting you and go to sleep wanting you,” Nathaniel murmured, pulling her shoulders up to him so that her head fell back and the arch of her neck rose to meet him. “Elizabeth. I want you as much as I want to breathe, but I need the mountain.”
Nathaniel’s heroine is Elizabeth Middleton – a 29 year old spinster who never thought she would find love in the wilderness, let alone with an adopted Mohawk. Elizabeth was a wonderful protagonist; she is hot-headed, stubborn and entranced by the Mohawk way of life.
NATHANIEL BONNER / JAMIE FRASER
ELIZABETH MIDDLETON / CLAIRE RANDALL FRASER
Nathaniel Bonner is no Jamie Fraser (that would be a tall order) but he is an exciting hero for our heroine. His being Mohawk makes him thrillingly different, and the little bit of mystery to him makes their romance titillating and scorching.
Elizabeth is likewise no Claire Fraser – but a lot of Claire’s appeal lies in her delivering 19th century humour to the 17th century. Then there’s the fact that Claire is a doctor, and Elizabeth a schoolteacher - so in general Claire has more thrilling storylines from her occupation.
Diana Gabaldon writes more explicit, steamy sex scenes than Donati. But Donati’s sex scenes are sweet and plentiful, and easily communicate Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s love for one another.
ROMANTIC ENTANGLEMENTS
I think Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s hasty romance is one of the big pro’s of ‘Into the Wilderness’. If you are one of those readers who attempted ‘Outlander’ but weren’t patient enough to trudge through the slow start, then ‘Into the Wilderness’ is probably more your pace. The romance kicks off from the get-go, with Nathaniel and Elizabeth meeting within the first 10 pages and an obvious attraction kindling. From there the central focus of the book is on the Romeo and Juliet romance between Nathaniel and Elizabeth – a white woman and an adopted Indian.
‘Outlander’ dealt with Claire’s time-travelling mishap and determination to get back to 1940’s England, as well as Scottish clan politics, and the lead up to Culloden. But ‘Into the Wilderness’ has a much more basic focus. It is a romance, first and foremost. This is about Nathaniel and Elizabeth – everything else is backdrop and obstacles to their happiness.
DIANA GABALDON / SARA DONATI
Donati’s series has a few major differences with ‘Outlander’; the main one being an absence of fantasy, because there is no ‘time travel’ plot.
It’s tough to fairly compare ‘Outlander’ and ‘Into the Wilderness’. I think Diana Gabaldon has more writing finesse; her series is more grand-scale epic and she revels in a slow-as-molasses storytelling that lets layers unfold, cliff-hangers erupt and characters arcs naturally progress. Gabaldon also has a very distinct and wonderful voice – even the dullest passages (like Claire’s medicinal descriptions) are riveting when written in her succulent, lyrical prose.
Donati also has a beautiful writing style – not as consistently breathtaking as Gabaldon’s, but quite a few lines and paragraphs of Donati’s really struck me. Some of her scenes read like snapshots of a moment, so vivid and colourful that they bear re-reading;
They stood leaning toward each other across the awkward expanse of their snowshoes, joined like a wishbone by the soft suckling of mouths.
Reading ‘Into the Wilderness’ I started to think that Diana Gabaldon and Sara Donati have very different strengths and weaknesses – and it often occurred to me that one’s faults was the other’s forte.
DIALOGUE
I think Diana Gabaldon is much more adept at writing dialogue than Sara Donati. Gabaldon’s characters speak into your ear, so believable are their speeches – especially when she is putting weasel words and round-about talk into their mouths. Jamie Fraser is the perfect example of her cleverness with dialect – the way Jamie’s words change depending on his audience, or his cloak and dagger speeches.
In ‘Into the Wilderness’ I often thought that characters weren’t very convincing in their diatribes. It was a case of people talking too directly and succinctly, getting their complicated messages across with little misunderstanding. Like when Nathaniel Bonner talks to Elizabeth about his deceased wife, Sarah. Much was made of the fact that Nathaniel felt uncomfortable talking about Sarah, but when the time came I found his words flowed so easily and revealed his hidden depth of feeling. It was at those times when I think Chekhov’s idiom of ‘leave them cold’ could have worked better, if Donati had left some motivations unsaid.
HOME LIFE
I think Sara Donati is better at writing home life scenes. A lot of the story takes place on ‘Lake in the Clouds’ and ‘Hidden Wolf’ mountain – there was a very good chance that Donati writing many domestic scenes of wedded bliss could have been repetitive and dull. But she writes so thoroughly and fascinatingly about Mohawk life and Elizabeth’s observations of it that I was happy to meander along with the more sedate scenes of domestication.
In contrast; in Diana Gabaldon’s books I am never totally easy with domestic scenes – whether they be on the mountain or Lallybroch. I think it’s because Gabaldon is so adept at writing action and heart-palpitating plot that anything slower is sometimes frustrating to trudge through. Then there is the fact that I know any slow scenes of domesticated bliss will be short-lived for Jamie and Claire, and when they are idle at Lallybroch I am constantly on-edge for the next disaster.
RUTHLESS WRITER
Diana Gabaldon is, overall, more ruthless when it comes to storyline. I found in ‘Into the Wilderness’ that the overall plot was a little hazy. The first-half of the book sets Dr. Richard Todd up as Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s adversary. But Todd isn’t much of a ‘villain’, if he’s one at all. He’s all shades of grey and actually fairly easy to empathize with. Whereas in ‘Outlander’ Black Jack Randall is a truly masochistic villain – he is a very clear bad guy to Jamie Fraser’s good guy. And the British Dragoons against Scottish clans act as another black/white tale.
At the end of ‘Into the Wilderness’ I really couldn’t decide if there was any particular storyline – or if it was just a matter of character’s reacting to situations instead of acting. Even when the second-half of the book turns more inward and sets up the racist townsfolk as the new threat to the Bonner clan, I never really found that to be a substantial plot. Mostly because the stakes were never very high – I never once doubted that all would finish in a happy ending for Nathaniel and Elizabeth. In contrast Diana Gabaldon had a very helter-skelter plot, clear good guys and bad guys and high stakes to get caught up in.
Diana Gabaldon is especially ruthless when it comes to story because she isn’t afraid to put character’s in terrible situations, let the good guys lose once in a while and let the bad guys triumph occasionally. But Donati seems more inclined to take the easy way. I don’t want to give anything away, but events turn to Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s favour quite easily and neatly.
CONCLUSION
I have fallen in love with Donati’s world, and Nathaniel and Elizabeth’s saga. I especially loved the book because I can see that Donati has quite a story arc in store – currently there are 6 books in the series, all of them 800+ pages long. For an Outlander lover like me, the prospect of discovering a new saga to sink my teeth into is enough to give me goosebumps. Especially when I consider how long it takes Ms. Gabaldon to pump out a new ‘Outlander’ instalment (4-5 years!) – I now have Donati to tide me over in the meantime, and fill my epic historical romance craving. Hoorah! I am especially thrilled at the prospect of reading more little mentions and side-notes about Gabaldon’s characters who cross-over into Donati’s world.
If you’re an Outlander/Diana Gabaldon fan, you should definitely give Sara Donati a read. Diana Gabaldon is still my favourite, and nothing can rival ‘Outlander’ (Nathaniel Bonner is no Jamie Fraser, though a good contender) but ‘Into the Wilderness’ is in the same Outlandish vain and just as wonderfully grand-scale to get swept away by.
June 6, 2011
The book had blurbs praising it from romance writers Diana Gabaldon and Amanda Quick and the trade magazine Romantic Times. Not a good sign I'd like it, if this was being marketed to those who frequent the romance aisle. The prose was more readable than most books I've read marketed as romance, even if hardly stellar, but what killed this novel for me is how it takes the "historical" out of historical fiction.
This is set in the New York frontier in 1793, dealing with the twenty-nine-year-old Elizabeth Middleton. Raised in England, she's come to America hoping to set up a school. New York is my own state, and the idea of a novel set there during that period intrigued me. However, two examples of a lack of grounding in the period stood out to me before the fifty page mark. The first is when a woman talks about how they could use a "schoolmarm." The fact is during the colonial and Federal period, school teachers in America were overwhelmingly under twenty-five, White and male. Not only wouldn't a person assume a teacher would be female--the feminization of the profession didn't begin until late in the 19th Century--but Miss Middleton would invariably have stirred up opposition because of her gender. Back then women weren't thought to have the authority or strength to control a classroom with children older than eight. Also, at a certain point, Nathaniel Bonner, (seemingly patterned after Cooper's Nathaniel Bumppo) calls Elizabeth a "bluestocking," and she doesn't know what that is. The term was common in Britain in the period. I've seen people poo poo this kind of criticism. It's just fiction they cry. Nonsense! Part of successful fiction is that you don't jar a reader out of their willing suspension of disbelief; and the appeal of historical fiction is the sense you're entering into another time and place, not reading about modern people in costumes.
This isn't to say some allowances shouldn't be made and some mistakes forgiven. Elizabeth Middleton from the beginning struck me as far too modern in her sensibilities--she doesn't seem to care about class or race and wants to keep her independence and remain unmarried. I'm willing to allow that; her mother was said to be a Quaker, so a reader can allow Elizabeth some nonconformity, but I could never settle in comfortably into a belief in the tale, which quickly shaped up to be a rather formulaic romance riffing off Last of the Mohicans with guest starring appearances from Jamie and Clare of Outlander and cameo roles from Jane Austen's novels. (Poor Jane Bingley, forced to appear in such a tawdry bodice-ripper.) This novel reads like really, really bad fan fiction, one that impoverishes rather than enriches the originals.
This is set in the New York frontier in 1793, dealing with the twenty-nine-year-old Elizabeth Middleton. Raised in England, she's come to America hoping to set up a school. New York is my own state, and the idea of a novel set there during that period intrigued me. However, two examples of a lack of grounding in the period stood out to me before the fifty page mark. The first is when a woman talks about how they could use a "schoolmarm." The fact is during the colonial and Federal period, school teachers in America were overwhelmingly under twenty-five, White and male. Not only wouldn't a person assume a teacher would be female--the feminization of the profession didn't begin until late in the 19th Century--but Miss Middleton would invariably have stirred up opposition because of her gender. Back then women weren't thought to have the authority or strength to control a classroom with children older than eight. Also, at a certain point, Nathaniel Bonner, (seemingly patterned after Cooper's Nathaniel Bumppo) calls Elizabeth a "bluestocking," and she doesn't know what that is. The term was common in Britain in the period. I've seen people poo poo this kind of criticism. It's just fiction they cry. Nonsense! Part of successful fiction is that you don't jar a reader out of their willing suspension of disbelief; and the appeal of historical fiction is the sense you're entering into another time and place, not reading about modern people in costumes.
This isn't to say some allowances shouldn't be made and some mistakes forgiven. Elizabeth Middleton from the beginning struck me as far too modern in her sensibilities--she doesn't seem to care about class or race and wants to keep her independence and remain unmarried. I'm willing to allow that; her mother was said to be a Quaker, so a reader can allow Elizabeth some nonconformity, but I could never settle in comfortably into a belief in the tale, which quickly shaped up to be a rather formulaic romance riffing off Last of the Mohicans with guest starring appearances from Jamie and Clare of Outlander and cameo roles from Jane Austen's novels. (Poor Jane Bingley, forced to appear in such a tawdry bodice-ripper.) This novel reads like really, really bad fan fiction, one that impoverishes rather than enriches the originals.
September 2, 2020
Antes de comenzar mi reseña quiero contarles que el personaje principal de esta novela no es ni más ni menos que el hijo de los protagonistas de El último de los mohicanos (no del libro, sino de la película que protagonizara Daniel Day-Lewis, ya que la historia de James Fenimore Cooper tiene un final algo diferente). Comencé el libro sin saber ese dato, pero era inevitable que la ambientación y la caracterización de los personajes no me recordaran a esa maravillosa película, hasta que Elsa me abrió los ojos (gracias!) y, a partir de ahí, si ya me gustaba, definitivamente me enamoró.
Como reseña, la verdad, no sé muy bien qué decir que pueda traspasar lo maravilloso que es este libro. Todo es perfecto, la narrativa, las descripciones, los diálogos, los personajes, la trama, la acción, el arduo trabajo de documentación de la cultura nativa y costumbres de los colonos, los momentos de Elizabeth y Nathaniel que son para atesorar. Mientras lees, puedes vivenciar lo inhóspito del paisaje y la dura vida en esas tierras, azoladas también por las guerras y disputas sobre el territorio.
La historia cubre exactamente un año de la vida de la pareja principal, ya que el inicio de su relación no se hace esperar y arranca junto al inicio de la novela (lo que no es común para un libro tan largo, en que se suelen rellenar los primeros capítulos) y, a partir de ahí, los acontecimientos y las dificultades que deben superar no dan respiro.
Definitivamente, este es uno de esos libros que jamás me cansaría de recomendar.
Reto #24 PopSugar 2017: Un libro que suceda en la naturaleza salvaje
Como reseña, la verdad, no sé muy bien qué decir que pueda traspasar lo maravilloso que es este libro. Todo es perfecto, la narrativa, las descripciones, los diálogos, los personajes, la trama, la acción, el arduo trabajo de documentación de la cultura nativa y costumbres de los colonos, los momentos de Elizabeth y Nathaniel que son para atesorar. Mientras lees, puedes vivenciar lo inhóspito del paisaje y la dura vida en esas tierras, azoladas también por las guerras y disputas sobre el territorio.
La historia cubre exactamente un año de la vida de la pareja principal, ya que el inicio de su relación no se hace esperar y arranca junto al inicio de la novela (lo que no es común para un libro tan largo, en que se suelen rellenar los primeros capítulos) y, a partir de ahí, los acontecimientos y las dificultades que deben superar no dan respiro.
Definitivamente, este es uno de esos libros que jamás me cansaría de recomendar.
Reto #24 PopSugar 2017: Un libro que suceda en la naturaleza salvaje
February 22, 2011
I read this as an unabridged audiobook and it seemed like tape one consisted of author thank you's and an unending listing of family trees involved in her story and I assumed I'd be in way over my head with this one. I was right.
Elizabeth is a 29 year old spinster who wants nothing more than her independence and to teach young children. With this in mind, she sets out into the wilderness that is "Paradise" to join her father and brother. What she doesn't know is that her father who faces financial ruin has arranged to marry her off to the local doctor with the promise of bequeathing half of his large land holdings to her. She's livid and attracted to a man most unsuitable . . .
Nathaniel, who was raised by Native Americans is just as attracted to Elizabeth. Her tart tongue and independence intrigue him as much as her looks but he knows their attraction can only lead to pain. When Elizabeth discovers her father's plan she's already fallen deeply in love with Nathaniel and decides to concoct a little deception of her own which will enable Nathaniel to have the land he so longs to make his own. But things aren't going to go smoothly for all involved as the doctor is determined to have the land no matter the cost . . .
This is a fictional story filled with historical information and action-adventure along the lines of Diana Gabaldon (minus the paranormal bits). It's long but interesting and the characters leap off the page but somewhere midpoint this book just didn't resonate with me the way I expected it to.
It was readable but not exceptionally gripping. The love story didn't touch me emotionally and it's just too darn long. I appreciate the attention to detail but without the characters engaging me it became an almost tedious read. The two are very realistically painted but for some reason are leaving me cold. If I had read this in book form I probably would have put it down midpoint and never picked it up again.
Elizabeth is a 29 year old spinster who wants nothing more than her independence and to teach young children. With this in mind, she sets out into the wilderness that is "Paradise" to join her father and brother. What she doesn't know is that her father who faces financial ruin has arranged to marry her off to the local doctor with the promise of bequeathing half of his large land holdings to her. She's livid and attracted to a man most unsuitable . . .
Nathaniel, who was raised by Native Americans is just as attracted to Elizabeth. Her tart tongue and independence intrigue him as much as her looks but he knows their attraction can only lead to pain. When Elizabeth discovers her father's plan she's already fallen deeply in love with Nathaniel and decides to concoct a little deception of her own which will enable Nathaniel to have the land he so longs to make his own. But things aren't going to go smoothly for all involved as the doctor is determined to have the land no matter the cost . . .
This is a fictional story filled with historical information and action-adventure along the lines of Diana Gabaldon (minus the paranormal bits). It's long but interesting and the characters leap off the page but somewhere midpoint this book just didn't resonate with me the way I expected it to.
It was readable but not exceptionally gripping. The love story didn't touch me emotionally and it's just too darn long. I appreciate the attention to detail but without the characters engaging me it became an almost tedious read. The two are very realistically painted but for some reason are leaving me cold. If I had read this in book form I probably would have put it down midpoint and never picked it up again.
April 25, 2018
I feel like I've just been on a Walk-a-bout and returned a different person after one of the most compelling reads of 2017 for me. INTO THE WILDERNESS by Sara Donati has been an absolute pleasure to read and a experience I won't soon forget.
I love getting recommendations from books friends. They seem to always know what I need when I need it-and the absolute joy, heartache, sorrow, love and hate emotions I've just gone through while reading this exceptional book is enough to last me a life time. I can't fault them though. They know me well and knew I'd fall in love with both Nathaniel and Elizabeth.
So much detail. Everywhere. From the brilliant characters, sub and main, from the beautiful descriptions of the gorgeous landscapes to the heightened emotional state of so many situations, I'm spent and obsessed. The layers of Elizabeth were something to behold. She's stubborn and lovely, fearsome and brilliant, daring and so brave. I simply adored her and her tenacity. Nathaniel is one of a kind. A character I'll soon never forget. Loyal, manly, strong and lethal-I've got one hell of a hero worship thing going on for him and I can't seem to get enough. Robbie, Bears, Hannah and all of the characters that made this journey come to fruition has been amazingly captured by Donati, she is special and I'm sorry this has been a first for me from her but I can assure you all, won't be my last.
I cannot capture all of the awesome I just experienced. I feel like I've been torn apart and put back whole. Richard Todd, you better keep your word or you'll have me to answer to. I loath that man-despite any redemption he may have exuded towards the end.
I wish there had been an epilogue, I fee like there is so much more to see and read and I'm struggling with how long I have to wait until I find out what Nathaniel and Elizabeth get up to next. So much unfinished business, but it was a good place for a break.
Im keen to read further and follow the path anywhere Donati will take me.
I love getting recommendations from books friends. They seem to always know what I need when I need it-and the absolute joy, heartache, sorrow, love and hate emotions I've just gone through while reading this exceptional book is enough to last me a life time. I can't fault them though. They know me well and knew I'd fall in love with both Nathaniel and Elizabeth.
So much detail. Everywhere. From the brilliant characters, sub and main, from the beautiful descriptions of the gorgeous landscapes to the heightened emotional state of so many situations, I'm spent and obsessed. The layers of Elizabeth were something to behold. She's stubborn and lovely, fearsome and brilliant, daring and so brave. I simply adored her and her tenacity. Nathaniel is one of a kind. A character I'll soon never forget. Loyal, manly, strong and lethal-I've got one hell of a hero worship thing going on for him and I can't seem to get enough. Robbie, Bears, Hannah and all of the characters that made this journey come to fruition has been amazingly captured by Donati, she is special and I'm sorry this has been a first for me from her but I can assure you all, won't be my last.
I cannot capture all of the awesome I just experienced. I feel like I've been torn apart and put back whole. Richard Todd, you better keep your word or you'll have me to answer to. I loath that man-despite any redemption he may have exuded towards the end.
I wish there had been an epilogue, I fee like there is so much more to see and read and I'm struggling with how long I have to wait until I find out what Nathaniel and Elizabeth get up to next. So much unfinished business, but it was a good place for a break.
Im keen to read further and follow the path anywhere Donati will take me.
November 13, 2013
I'm perplexed as to why this series, and this book in particular, are compared to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. I'm a big Outlander fan, and while I feel her most recent books are somewhat self-indulgent and episodic, I still like them. They are well-written and despite being long-winded and sometimes far-fetched, they are usually entertaining. Not so with this book.
The author had a genius idea to write the sequel to the The Last of the Mohicans movie, which is still one of my favorite movies. It had everything: an enviable romance, adventure in the wilderness, action enough to make your blood burn. Maybe that's why I kept reading. I didn't want the author to waste a perfectly good idea. I slogged through all 800+ pages in the hope that at some point, I would latch onto what thousands of other readers have enjoyed, but it never happened. I found the characters flat, the dialogue stiff, and the plot disorganized and slightly ridiculous.
This book is a romance, badly disguised as historical fiction, and since the primary focus here is the relationship, frankly, there should be some chemistry between the main characters. I'm in the minority here, obviously, but I thought the love story between Elizabeth Middleton and Nathaniel Bonner was awfully forced. Nathaniel professes a wish to be "red" and prefers the Mohawk lifestyle, but then inexplicably falls in love with a whiter-than-white Englishwoman. Well, um, okay then. It'd sure be nice if there was some sort of explanation for that. There was a lot of staring, some bad dialogue (Our hero actually says: "You're a spinster woman, no?" Marvelous.), and the sudden discovery that they love each other, society be damned. I guess I'm a skeptic, but from a writerly perspective, it seemed lazy. And boring. The author could have built tension and developed her characters through dialogue or more thoughtful plotting. Instead she writes things like "And she walked off toward the river with her husband close behind, to tell him what he needed to know." The reader isn't privy to their conversation because we already know what happened to Elizabeth, but wouldn't it be more interesting if we found out at the same time Nathaniel did? Nope, we simply jump forward in time and the important conversation is ignored.
For me, there were a lot of moments like that, where I was mentally editing and asking myself "now, why did the author do that?" Poison for this reader because I was not entertained enough to ignore the mechanics and focus on the story. Too long, too dull - I won't be continuing on with this series.
The author had a genius idea to write the sequel to the The Last of the Mohicans movie, which is still one of my favorite movies. It had everything: an enviable romance, adventure in the wilderness, action enough to make your blood burn. Maybe that's why I kept reading. I didn't want the author to waste a perfectly good idea. I slogged through all 800+ pages in the hope that at some point, I would latch onto what thousands of other readers have enjoyed, but it never happened. I found the characters flat, the dialogue stiff, and the plot disorganized and slightly ridiculous.
This book is a romance, badly disguised as historical fiction, and since the primary focus here is the relationship, frankly, there should be some chemistry between the main characters. I'm in the minority here, obviously, but I thought the love story between Elizabeth Middleton and Nathaniel Bonner was awfully forced. Nathaniel professes a wish to be "red" and prefers the Mohawk lifestyle, but then inexplicably falls in love with a whiter-than-white Englishwoman. Well, um, okay then. It'd sure be nice if there was some sort of explanation for that. There was a lot of staring, some bad dialogue (Our hero actually says: "You're a spinster woman, no?" Marvelous.), and the sudden discovery that they love each other, society be damned. I guess I'm a skeptic, but from a writerly perspective, it seemed lazy. And boring. The author could have built tension and developed her characters through dialogue or more thoughtful plotting. Instead she writes things like "And she walked off toward the river with her husband close behind, to tell him what he needed to know." The reader isn't privy to their conversation because we already know what happened to Elizabeth, but wouldn't it be more interesting if we found out at the same time Nathaniel did? Nope, we simply jump forward in time and the important conversation is ignored.
For me, there were a lot of moments like that, where I was mentally editing and asking myself "now, why did the author do that?" Poison for this reader because I was not entertained enough to ignore the mechanics and focus on the story. Too long, too dull - I won't be continuing on with this series.
August 26, 2012
I enjoyed this book a lot. I made the mistake of listening to someone say it was in the same vein as Outlander, which kind of ruined it for me at first. But then when I just sat back and enjoyed the book for itself, I really enjoyed it a lot.
PS How many times can I use "enjoyed" in this review - apparently 3.
PS How many times can I use "enjoyed" in this review - apparently 3.
April 5, 2017
Maravillosa, me ha encantado, no tiene desperdicio, muy recomendable.
♥♥♥
♥♥♥
April 27, 2021
I've had this book for years, but was always reluctant both to crack it open and to give it away. Until I decided to do both: read it first and give it away after. The result is, I'm keeping the book till it rots.
Ironic, isn't it?
Looking back, I can pinpoint my wariness as stemming from two things: for one, that it was compared to, linked to, and said to be copied from "Outlander" and heartily recommended for and by fans of Gabaldon. And the thing is, I disliked that book, so the surest way to get me to never read a book was to compare it to "Outlander." Now, I can see why it'd have been marketed as such, but out there are many people who'll also be pushed away by this, as I was.
And secondarily, it was the other half of the marketing claims: that this continues James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans." That was, singlehandedly, why I'd bought this book in the first place. I watched the film with Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye over a decade before I read the book, and I recall the impression it made on me both for the story and the stupendous soundtrack. Later, when I read the book, I concluded that I liked the original story much better. Cooper's writing may not be stellar, but the original plot was wonderful, tragic ending and all; and when I realised that Donati had written an alternate version of said plot, I wasn't exactly happy because I learnt she opted for the film's version of Hawkeye and Cora's stories instead of the book plotline. Many might love the film's version best as it gives them the "happy ending" they would've wanted, but for me it's my major objection to the film, as it hurts the characterisation of Uncas and Major Heyward in the novel, not to mention completely changes the motives and characterisation of Hawkeye and Cora and Alice. This novel by Donati turned out to be along the plot of the film rather than follow the Leatherstocking Tales, in that it picks up the alternate plotline of Hawkeye and Cora ending up together just like in the film, and inserts as a new element their having a son to become a protagonist here. Chingachgook is about the sole character that basically stays as he is in all three versions: Cooper's, the film's and Donati's.
But the worst endorsement possible for this book came from the "Outlander" crowd. Besides pushing some people away, it attracts equivocal comparisons that can lead to equally unfair expectations. For the sake of this novel, I hope many come to realise that this isn't similar at all, and besides a random mention of Claire and Jamie (which I also hope is just a random and unnecessary fangirly inclusion by the author, and that they do not appear in later volumes) there's nothing to draw comparisons on a fair basis. In fact, I hold that such random inclusion as one of the novel's worst parts, because . . . let's face it: what is a character from a time-travel romance doing in a purely historical fiction novel? How would Claire and Jamie end up existing in "Into the Wilderness" which is devoid of science-fiction elements that "Outlander" possesses? It makes no sense at all, it's illogical and stretches believability to breaking point. No, it breaks believability, in fact. I am not sure the author thought it out well.
Once one gets over these bumps in the road, though, and decides to enjoy the novel on its own, shutting off and resisting comparisons, it's quite a rewarding read. I loved the setting in a small village in post-Revolutionary America, where Mohawk inhabitants and white settlers have to interact on a regular basis, with the subsequent racial tensions, prejudices, conflicts, but also loyalty and respect in some cases. The cast of characters is manageably ample: not too many that you lose track of them, and some of them are well fleshed-out, on both sides. Even the one that plays main antagonist is rather gray-shaded instead of a tar-black baddie, and with deeper motivations than thought in the beginning. And the main characters . . .
Let me tell you about Nathaniel Bonner.
Have you finished drooling yet?
He's the only son of Natty Bumppo of "The Last of the Mohicans" fame (here called Daniel Bonner, but keeping his nickname Hawkeye as in the original) and Cora Munro, and has grown up following both the Mohawk and the white ways of life, hence one of his names is Between-Two-Worlds. He earns his living as a trapper and hunter, just like his father and Mahican adoptive grandfather, on the mountain called Hidden Wolf over the village of Paradise, which is property of Judge Middleton, the father of English schoolteacher Elizabeth, our heroine, a land he aspires to own for his family's sake and whose ownership is disputed with another Mohawk-raised white man, Dr Richard Todd, which drives the plot forward for the whole book. The key to possession of the mountain is Elizabeth, as the Judge has willed it to her on condition she marry the man he's indebted to. But she, a confirmed spinster who admires ur-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, doesn't want to marry but be a teacher and have her school built, as that is the reason for her coming to the New World. Of course, meeting Nathaniel means she has to forsake any oaths of eternal spinsterhood, for she falls in love with the widowed backwoodsman after encountering him in the most unfortunate of circumstances: an accidental shooting. But teaching isn't something she wants to give up, and with the help of Nathaniel, who's given her the hilarious nickname of Boots, she gets her school. And love. And a land of her own she can share with him. And a mixed-ethnicity family she loves.
I'd say that Donati's strength is in characterisation, she's excellent at it. And, this is something I frequently remark on, both her male and female protagonists are equally compelling. To me, at least, for I loved gutsy, resourceful and smart Elizabeth as much as Nathaniel. The romance between them flows well, to my taste, they do have good chemistry, and the intimate scenes, of which there are a fair number, are not so explicit, and the most one can say is that some of them take place in . . . creative places.
But if she excels at characterisation, her storytelling isn't as strong. The novel goes on and on and on and on for so long, and although I can't say I lost interest at any point (fortunately!), I definitely felt like the book was never going to end. Donati needed to have tightened up the plot in Part III especially, and edited Part II much more than she seems to have done, as those where the ones I felt were yelling for better editing. The book would've been somewhat leaner and felt less interminable as a result, also.
Ironic, isn't it?
Looking back, I can pinpoint my wariness as stemming from two things: for one, that it was compared to, linked to, and said to be copied from "Outlander" and heartily recommended for and by fans of Gabaldon. And the thing is, I disliked that book, so the surest way to get me to never read a book was to compare it to "Outlander." Now, I can see why it'd have been marketed as such, but out there are many people who'll also be pushed away by this, as I was.
And secondarily, it was the other half of the marketing claims: that this continues James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans." That was, singlehandedly, why I'd bought this book in the first place. I watched the film with Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye over a decade before I read the book, and I recall the impression it made on me both for the story and the stupendous soundtrack. Later, when I read the book, I concluded that I liked the original story much better. Cooper's writing may not be stellar, but the original plot was wonderful, tragic ending and all; and when I realised that Donati had written an alternate version of said plot, I wasn't exactly happy because I learnt she opted for the film's version of Hawkeye and Cora's stories instead of the book plotline. Many might love the film's version best as it gives them the "happy ending" they would've wanted, but for me it's my major objection to the film, as it hurts the characterisation of Uncas and Major Heyward in the novel, not to mention completely changes the motives and characterisation of Hawkeye and Cora and Alice. This novel by Donati turned out to be along the plot of the film rather than follow the Leatherstocking Tales, in that it picks up the alternate plotline of Hawkeye and Cora ending up together just like in the film, and inserts as a new element their having a son to become a protagonist here. Chingachgook is about the sole character that basically stays as he is in all three versions: Cooper's, the film's and Donati's.
But the worst endorsement possible for this book came from the "Outlander" crowd. Besides pushing some people away, it attracts equivocal comparisons that can lead to equally unfair expectations. For the sake of this novel, I hope many come to realise that this isn't similar at all, and besides a random mention of Claire and Jamie (which I also hope is just a random and unnecessary fangirly inclusion by the author, and that they do not appear in later volumes) there's nothing to draw comparisons on a fair basis. In fact, I hold that such random inclusion as one of the novel's worst parts, because . . . let's face it: what is a character from a time-travel romance doing in a purely historical fiction novel? How would Claire and Jamie end up existing in "Into the Wilderness" which is devoid of science-fiction elements that "Outlander" possesses? It makes no sense at all, it's illogical and stretches believability to breaking point. No, it breaks believability, in fact. I am not sure the author thought it out well.
Once one gets over these bumps in the road, though, and decides to enjoy the novel on its own, shutting off and resisting comparisons, it's quite a rewarding read. I loved the setting in a small village in post-Revolutionary America, where Mohawk inhabitants and white settlers have to interact on a regular basis, with the subsequent racial tensions, prejudices, conflicts, but also loyalty and respect in some cases. The cast of characters is manageably ample: not too many that you lose track of them, and some of them are well fleshed-out, on both sides. Even the one that plays main antagonist is rather gray-shaded instead of a tar-black baddie, and with deeper motivations than thought in the beginning. And the main characters . . .
Let me tell you about Nathaniel Bonner.
Have you finished drooling yet?
He's the only son of Natty Bumppo of "The Last of the Mohicans" fame (here called Daniel Bonner, but keeping his nickname Hawkeye as in the original) and Cora Munro, and has grown up following both the Mohawk and the white ways of life, hence one of his names is Between-Two-Worlds. He earns his living as a trapper and hunter, just like his father and Mahican adoptive grandfather, on the mountain called Hidden Wolf over the village of Paradise, which is property of Judge Middleton, the father of English schoolteacher Elizabeth, our heroine, a land he aspires to own for his family's sake and whose ownership is disputed with another Mohawk-raised white man, Dr Richard Todd, which drives the plot forward for the whole book. The key to possession of the mountain is Elizabeth, as the Judge has willed it to her on condition she marry the man he's indebted to. But she, a confirmed spinster who admires ur-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, doesn't want to marry but be a teacher and have her school built, as that is the reason for her coming to the New World. Of course, meeting Nathaniel means she has to forsake any oaths of eternal spinsterhood, for she falls in love with the widowed backwoodsman after encountering him in the most unfortunate of circumstances: an accidental shooting. But teaching isn't something she wants to give up, and with the help of Nathaniel, who's given her the hilarious nickname of Boots, she gets her school. And love. And a land of her own she can share with him. And a mixed-ethnicity family she loves.
I'd say that Donati's strength is in characterisation, she's excellent at it. And, this is something I frequently remark on, both her male and female protagonists are equally compelling. To me, at least, for I loved gutsy, resourceful and smart Elizabeth as much as Nathaniel. The romance between them flows well, to my taste, they do have good chemistry, and the intimate scenes, of which there are a fair number, are not so explicit, and the most one can say is that some of them take place in . . . creative places.
But if she excels at characterisation, her storytelling isn't as strong. The novel goes on and on and on and on for so long, and although I can't say I lost interest at any point (fortunately!), I definitely felt like the book was never going to end. Donati needed to have tightened up the plot in Part III especially, and edited Part II much more than she seems to have done, as those where the ones I felt were yelling for better editing. The book would've been somewhat leaner and felt less interminable as a result, also.
June 10, 2009
For any Diana Gabaldon fans, rejoice, my friends, rejoice!
I know you've waited a long time for more Claire and Jamie, with *years* between sequals. You can bridge that horrible gap with my new find, Sara Donati.
OK, I admit, I've only read the first book. But it had that headstrong female character, the dangerous-but-charming love interest, the chorus of earthy and interesting background characters. All are positioned against a distant time in history where life was hard (really hard, dammit, no hot water!).
I zipped through this book in four days, ignoring laundry, dishes and my spouse (I did feed the kids) because the story was so darn engrossing. I actually had a pang when I finished this book -- or an urge to get down to the bookstore or library to get the next book.
Nevertheless, there are sequals! And a quick view of the reviews seems they're not bad.
So, while you're waiting for the next installment of Sasenatch and the Bonny Lad from Scotland, go get this book. It will definitely tide you over. And then some.
I know you've waited a long time for more Claire and Jamie, with *years* between sequals. You can bridge that horrible gap with my new find, Sara Donati.
OK, I admit, I've only read the first book. But it had that headstrong female character, the dangerous-but-charming love interest, the chorus of earthy and interesting background characters. All are positioned against a distant time in history where life was hard (really hard, dammit, no hot water!).
I zipped through this book in four days, ignoring laundry, dishes and my spouse (I did feed the kids) because the story was so darn engrossing. I actually had a pang when I finished this book -- or an urge to get down to the bookstore or library to get the next book.
Nevertheless, there are sequals! And a quick view of the reviews seems they're not bad.
So, while you're waiting for the next installment of Sasenatch and the Bonny Lad from Scotland, go get this book. It will definitely tide you over. And then some.
November 27, 2016
No review, I'm too busy getting stuck into book #2 of the series. 4★
August 1, 2017
"When I'm dying, when I close my eyes at the last, it'll be your face I see, right at this moment."
I have a head, heart & stomach (for real, I can't be the only one who feels emotions in her gut!) full of feels right now. Not to mention a phone full of screenshots. And yet I do not know where to begin when it comes to writing this review. Spoiler : this is going to suck, just read the book.
"I am so sorry to disappoint."
"On the contrary. I ain't the least bit disappointed."
INTO THE WILDERNESS consumed me for more days than I've committed to any book in a long long time. It was part wanting to savour it, part the epic length, part not wanting to fuck up a buddy read (oops, I did it again anyway) and finally just part of the due this book deserves to be given.
"Pretty women ain't so very rare. But a pretty woman who stands up to a room full of strange men and defends herself -- that's something else."
There are a lot of comparisons made to OUTLANDER and I'll say this much : there's reason for that. Not only because of the length, the epic-style kind of romance, but.. another reason I won't disclose. I can't say it's better or worse than the other book but in some ways there's more to love here. At least as far as one character. Our lead lady. While Claire is fierce and wonderful, don't get me wrong, she's also a woman out of time. Donati's Elizabeth is fierce and wonderful and forward thinking and for a woman of her time that's something else indeed.
"I came here to be free of the restrictions I lived under in England. If there is no freedom for me here, there is no reason to stay."
But there's also Nathaniel, our swoony hero in the buckskin, who sees something in the twenty-nine year old spinster no one else has. I loved how compelling their complex connection was; how they were drawn to each other despite all the odds, and everything they endured, fought against, and fought for. And this is only book one of a fucking six book series. Aaaaaa.
Nathaniel saw something he had forgotten about women : that words can do the same work as hands and mouths and a man's body, that she was as undone by his admission of desire as she had been by his kiss.
There is a host of characters, both good and bad, and a bevy of situations, circumstances, celebrations, deaths, conspiracies.. like, I can't even get started because otherwise I'll be here all day. There were certain people I disliked from the start and never grew to love, some who surprised me along the way, and others I can't wait to see more of in the coming books. There's so much here and the romance is really only the beginning (even if it is something else). The clash of culture and race -- made even more interesting as a result of our hero being a white man raised by a Mohawk clan, and all the complexities surrounding his own struggle of finding his place and identity over the years -- in addition to a village full of personalities, beliefs and greed, result in this book being quite the melting pot of adventure, thrills, and agonies. But it's also wonderful, funny, sexy, surprising and touching.
"Grandmother doesn't think much of your kind of schooling. She says the white men don't seem any the smarter for it."
The wilderness of the setting is rich, the varied people (not just white and "red" but every colour) are vibrant, the culture is compelling, the love undeniable. INTO THE WILDERNESS will make you feel all of the things. This book dogged me for days and it's still in my thoughts hours after finishing. This is a series I'm going to savour the same way I savoured book one. I can't jump right in to the next, I need to break these reads up a bit, but I can't wait to come back to this world.
Thank you Micky for the recommendation aka the browbeating to join you on this read. Peer pressure has rarely tasted this good.
4.75 "little girls are kept away from the things that would make them strong, in the name of protection and propriety. I came here hoping to change that" stars
I have a head, heart & stomach (for real, I can't be the only one who feels emotions in her gut!) full of feels right now. Not to mention a phone full of screenshots. And yet I do not know where to begin when it comes to writing this review. Spoiler : this is going to suck, just read the book.
"I am so sorry to disappoint."
"On the contrary. I ain't the least bit disappointed."
INTO THE WILDERNESS consumed me for more days than I've committed to any book in a long long time. It was part wanting to savour it, part the epic length, part not wanting to fuck up a buddy read (oops, I did it again anyway) and finally just part of the due this book deserves to be given.
"Pretty women ain't so very rare. But a pretty woman who stands up to a room full of strange men and defends herself -- that's something else."
There are a lot of comparisons made to OUTLANDER and I'll say this much : there's reason for that. Not only because of the length, the epic-style kind of romance, but.. another reason I won't disclose. I can't say it's better or worse than the other book but in some ways there's more to love here. At least as far as one character. Our lead lady. While Claire is fierce and wonderful, don't get me wrong, she's also a woman out of time. Donati's Elizabeth is fierce and wonderful and forward thinking and for a woman of her time that's something else indeed.
"I came here to be free of the restrictions I lived under in England. If there is no freedom for me here, there is no reason to stay."
But there's also Nathaniel, our swoony hero in the buckskin, who sees something in the twenty-nine year old spinster no one else has. I loved how compelling their complex connection was; how they were drawn to each other despite all the odds, and everything they endured, fought against, and fought for. And this is only book one of a fucking six book series. Aaaaaa.
Nathaniel saw something he had forgotten about women : that words can do the same work as hands and mouths and a man's body, that she was as undone by his admission of desire as she had been by his kiss.
There is a host of characters, both good and bad, and a bevy of situations, circumstances, celebrations, deaths, conspiracies.. like, I can't even get started because otherwise I'll be here all day. There were certain people I disliked from the start and never grew to love, some who surprised me along the way, and others I can't wait to see more of in the coming books. There's so much here and the romance is really only the beginning (even if it is something else). The clash of culture and race -- made even more interesting as a result of our hero being a white man raised by a Mohawk clan, and all the complexities surrounding his own struggle of finding his place and identity over the years -- in addition to a village full of personalities, beliefs and greed, result in this book being quite the melting pot of adventure, thrills, and agonies. But it's also wonderful, funny, sexy, surprising and touching.
"Grandmother doesn't think much of your kind of schooling. She says the white men don't seem any the smarter for it."
The wilderness of the setting is rich, the varied people (not just white and "red" but every colour) are vibrant, the culture is compelling, the love undeniable. INTO THE WILDERNESS will make you feel all of the things. This book dogged me for days and it's still in my thoughts hours after finishing. This is a series I'm going to savour the same way I savoured book one. I can't jump right in to the next, I need to break these reads up a bit, but I can't wait to come back to this world.
Thank you Micky for the recommendation aka the browbeating to join you on this read. Peer pressure has rarely tasted this good.
4.75 "little girls are kept away from the things that would make them strong, in the name of protection and propriety. I came here hoping to change that" stars
June 29, 2011
Into the Wilderness left me very underwhelmed. It had all the elements of a story that I would typically like: romance, nature/wilderness, drama, etc. But, the writing was just off. Here is an example of a clunky passage (two characters are making out):
"He realized that she was trying to talk to him, and he came back to himself a little. His name. She was summoning him to her. He drew it from her mouth, swallowed it whole. Gave her back her own name, fed it to her with his tongue."
It brings imagery to mind of a mother bird regurgitating food for her babies, LOL. The writing literally varied per page--one paragraph would be great and the next paragraph would take you mentally out of the book. There was no losing oneself with this one. One of the main problems I had with the writing was the POV. You'd be reading Elizabeth's POV for pages and then suddenly it would be Nathaniel's, no break or warning. It was awkward to say the least.
Again regarding the writing, the characters just weren't believable and some of the situations they were presented with were downright silly. For instance, Nathaniel has to show Elizabeth how to drink from a stream. As a woman who is nearly thirty, one would think she could figure out how to hold her hair back for the task. But, not Elizabeth. The rugged Nathaniel has to show her. *eye roll* Speaking of Nathaniel and Elizabeth, I never felt their chemistry. They just weren't believable as a couple for me and I found his moniker for her of "Boots" as forced and annoying.
Finally, I have to comment on the inclusion of references to Outlander characters. Going into the book I thought that it could be fun, especially as I knew Diana Gabaldon had had some influence on Donati's writing (as Donati herself acknowledges in her Notes). Instead, the references felt gimmicky and, once again, forced. On the surface, Donati's writing seems as though it could be comparable to Gabaldon's, but, in actuality, it didn't even come close for me. JMHO. As all my friends on GR know, I'm a huge DG fan.
For all my gripes, the book wasn't terrible and there was enough drama to make me curious as to the ending. Still, it was only 'ok' for me (2 stars). I think I went into this book expecting too much.
"He realized that she was trying to talk to him, and he came back to himself a little. His name. She was summoning him to her. He drew it from her mouth, swallowed it whole. Gave her back her own name, fed it to her with his tongue."
It brings imagery to mind of a mother bird regurgitating food for her babies, LOL. The writing literally varied per page--one paragraph would be great and the next paragraph would take you mentally out of the book. There was no losing oneself with this one. One of the main problems I had with the writing was the POV. You'd be reading Elizabeth's POV for pages and then suddenly it would be Nathaniel's, no break or warning. It was awkward to say the least.
Again regarding the writing, the characters just weren't believable and some of the situations they were presented with were downright silly. For instance, Nathaniel has to show Elizabeth how to drink from a stream. As a woman who is nearly thirty, one would think she could figure out how to hold her hair back for the task. But, not Elizabeth. The rugged Nathaniel has to show her. *eye roll* Speaking of Nathaniel and Elizabeth, I never felt their chemistry. They just weren't believable as a couple for me and I found his moniker for her of "Boots" as forced and annoying.
Finally, I have to comment on the inclusion of references to Outlander characters. Going into the book I thought that it could be fun, especially as I knew Diana Gabaldon had had some influence on Donati's writing (as Donati herself acknowledges in her Notes). Instead, the references felt gimmicky and, once again, forced. On the surface, Donati's writing seems as though it could be comparable to Gabaldon's, but, in actuality, it didn't even come close for me. JMHO. As all my friends on GR know, I'm a huge DG fan.
For all my gripes, the book wasn't terrible and there was enough drama to make me curious as to the ending. Still, it was only 'ok' for me (2 stars). I think I went into this book expecting too much.
October 17, 2019
4,5 estrellas
He acabado la novela con la convicción de que esta aventura de Elizabeth es un viaje donde toda la fuerza interior que hay en ella, toda su intensidad y coraje salen a la superficie y explotan para llevar el control de su vida y de lo que le rodea, siendo capaz de hacer frente a cualquier peligro y a cualquier miedo que le aceche, y esta es la fuerza de esta mujer y del texto, acompañada por Nathaniel: nos demuestra que lo que llevamos dentro es muy importante, esa fuerza interior, esa convicción tan firme por hacer lo correcto y lo más adecuado.
Sin ninguna duda es una historia de amor maravillosa, completa y entretenida, con un fuerte contexto histórico, en la que la protagonista es una pareja, su vida y lo que le rodea, y que continúa, no porque la novela no termina (lo hace) sino porque la vida de su familia continúa, con nuevos momentos, nuevos retos y la imposición del peso de la historia y sus consecuencias.
Opinión completa en el blog: https://millibrosenmibiblioteca.blogs...
He acabado la novela con la convicción de que esta aventura de Elizabeth es un viaje donde toda la fuerza interior que hay en ella, toda su intensidad y coraje salen a la superficie y explotan para llevar el control de su vida y de lo que le rodea, siendo capaz de hacer frente a cualquier peligro y a cualquier miedo que le aceche, y esta es la fuerza de esta mujer y del texto, acompañada por Nathaniel: nos demuestra que lo que llevamos dentro es muy importante, esa fuerza interior, esa convicción tan firme por hacer lo correcto y lo más adecuado.
Sin ninguna duda es una historia de amor maravillosa, completa y entretenida, con un fuerte contexto histórico, en la que la protagonista es una pareja, su vida y lo que le rodea, y que continúa, no porque la novela no termina (lo hace) sino porque la vida de su familia continúa, con nuevos momentos, nuevos retos y la imposición del peso de la historia y sus consecuencias.
Opinión completa en el blog: https://millibrosenmibiblioteca.blogs...
November 24, 2016
A big ( about 700 pages) historical fiction saga which combines the Mohawk Indian tribe from James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans and late 18th century English settlers in the wilderness of New York. Also takes on a decidedly Diana Gabaldon ( Outlander series) flare with the addition of the romance between Elizabeth, the old maid schoolmarm and daughter of Judge Middleton the areas biggest landowner, and Nathaniel Bonner, the ruggedly handsome ( of course) frontiersman who though white was raised by the Mohawk. This is the first book of The Wilderness Series by Sara Donati (The Guilded Hour) who really has a knack for writing the type of books you can really "crawl" into and just disappear for awhile. 4 stars - Very enjoyable Buddy read KUYH !!
September 3, 2020
5 STARS
I have no idea what it was about this book that sucked me in like a black hole, but once I got started on it, I could not seem to put it down. My only complaints were that it was too long... yes, 876 pages, (and that equals greater than 30 hours of audiobook time), and I had a little issue with the ending. With all of pages and pages of text, I felt like there were too many things unfinished at the end. And yes, I know this is a series. But it just feels like I'm being cheated out of a little closure. Now, I have to move on to the next 900 page saga to find out how things turned out. When you run a marathon in record time, you don't want to hear at the finish line... "oh good, now you only have 249 miles left to run."
As far as the story goes, I loved the main characters. It was a sweet romance not quite as tumultuous as Claire and Jamie Fraser, but just as addictive. Elizabeth is a strong woman, and a bit of a ball-buster, honestly. But you have to love her for it. Nathaniel keeps her well in hand though. Looking forward to seeing what comes next for these two.
I listened to the audiobook for this, and the narrator, Kate Reading did an excellent job of it. No easy task speaking the Mohawk language. I was addicted to this book for days. Reminded me a bit of my time reading Outlander. Highly recommended. But be warned, you will have to make quite a commitment to this series to get through it all.
The future is mysterious and frightening to you now, but in the end all will be well.
I have no idea what it was about this book that sucked me in like a black hole, but once I got started on it, I could not seem to put it down. My only complaints were that it was too long... yes, 876 pages, (and that equals greater than 30 hours of audiobook time), and I had a little issue with the ending. With all of pages and pages of text, I felt like there were too many things unfinished at the end. And yes, I know this is a series. But it just feels like I'm being cheated out of a little closure. Now, I have to move on to the next 900 page saga to find out how things turned out. When you run a marathon in record time, you don't want to hear at the finish line... "oh good, now you only have 249 miles left to run."
As far as the story goes, I loved the main characters. It was a sweet romance not quite as tumultuous as Claire and Jamie Fraser, but just as addictive. Elizabeth is a strong woman, and a bit of a ball-buster, honestly. But you have to love her for it. Nathaniel keeps her well in hand though. Looking forward to seeing what comes next for these two.
I listened to the audiobook for this, and the narrator, Kate Reading did an excellent job of it. No easy task speaking the Mohawk language. I was addicted to this book for days. Reminded me a bit of my time reading Outlander. Highly recommended. But be warned, you will have to make quite a commitment to this series to get through it all.
July 24, 2015
With my new found love for historical fiction (thanks to Outlander) and with my love for Last of Mohicans movie, it was just question of time when I would read this book. And I am glad that I chose it for my summer read. I got somehow lighter read than I expected but I enjoyed it nonetheless and I definitely plan to read next instalment!
August 1, 2010
Sadly, this book didn't really capture my interest, especially since I had hear such good things about it. It was closer to a bodice-ripper than it is to Outlander.
It was entertaining enough, and I may, at some point, pick up the next one in the series, but the central plot, i.e. the romance between Nathaniel and Elizabeth, didn't grab me. I just didn't get it. While there were moments that Nathaniel was rather sexy (the long dark hair, the silver earring), at the end of the day, he was a backwoodsman who probably needed a bath. I just couldn't believe that a woman of Elizabeth's education would fall in love with someone who routinely used the word "aint."
As he has often been compared to Jamie from "Outlander", it is important to remember that Jamie was an educated aristocrat, the nephew of the laird of Clan MacKenzie, and a laird in his own right through his mother's land holdings. There is one scene in ITW where Nathaniel is cleaned up and dragged into town with Elizabeth to stay with the local lawyer (or it might have been the judge, I really don't remember, as there were so many peripheral characters that I couldn't keep them all straight)--in any case, Nathaniel is clearly uncomfortable dressed up at a dinner party. Whereas Jamie would have handled that type of situation with poise and charm, because that is the world that he was born to. In fact, I would have easily bought into the idea of Elizabeth falling in love with a Jamie type character, but Nathaniel... not so much.
So, if you read this book without any preconceived notions that you are going to find another Jamie and Claire, you might enjoy it. If you are looking for Jamie, you will be sadly disappointed.
It was entertaining enough, and I may, at some point, pick up the next one in the series, but the central plot, i.e. the romance between Nathaniel and Elizabeth, didn't grab me. I just didn't get it. While there were moments that Nathaniel was rather sexy (the long dark hair, the silver earring), at the end of the day, he was a backwoodsman who probably needed a bath. I just couldn't believe that a woman of Elizabeth's education would fall in love with someone who routinely used the word "aint."
As he has often been compared to Jamie from "Outlander", it is important to remember that Jamie was an educated aristocrat, the nephew of the laird of Clan MacKenzie, and a laird in his own right through his mother's land holdings. There is one scene in ITW where Nathaniel is cleaned up and dragged into town with Elizabeth to stay with the local lawyer (or it might have been the judge, I really don't remember, as there were so many peripheral characters that I couldn't keep them all straight)--in any case, Nathaniel is clearly uncomfortable dressed up at a dinner party. Whereas Jamie would have handled that type of situation with poise and charm, because that is the world that he was born to. In fact, I would have easily bought into the idea of Elizabeth falling in love with a Jamie type character, but Nathaniel... not so much.
So, if you read this book without any preconceived notions that you are going to find another Jamie and Claire, you might enjoy it. If you are looking for Jamie, you will be sadly disappointed.
November 24, 2018
4 Estrellas. No es nada fácil escribir una crítica sobre un libro tan largo y denso, ése es mi problema a la hora de leer estos libros, no saber cómo afrontar la crítica, el qué debería decir, o qué no debería decir, porque es difícil concretar en pocas palabras todo lo que me gustaría contar, así que pese a todo, intentaré ir directa al grano.
Éste libro me llegó de una manera fortuita hace unos pocos años. Por aquél entonces yo era una ferviente lectora de la serie “Forastera” de Diana Gabaldon, y una amiga me recomendó la serie de la familia Bonner, porque ambas autoras eran amigas, y Sara Donati era una especia de discípula de Gabaldon. También me dijo mi amiga que ésta serie le había gustado bastante más que “Forastera”, así que en algún momento debía intentarlo. La ocasión llegó al poco tiempo cuando vi el primer ejemplar en una librería de segunda mano, y me decidí por comprarlo; el problema fue que el libro se quedó guardando polvo en mi estantería durante años y no me decidía a leerlo. Ahora, varios años después y gracias a un reto literario, me he animado a darle por fin la oportunidad.
No sabría decir si me arrepiento o no de no haberlo leído hasta ahora, creo que en el fondo la historia ha sido todo lo que esperaba, y no me ha decepcionado. Si he tardado tanto en leerlo ha sido por pereza, siempre lo digo, me cuesta mucho decidirme a leer libros largos, y tengo muchos en mi trayectoria, pero intento cogerlos con cuentagotas, porque nunca sabes de cuánto tiempo dispondrás para dedicarlos.
Tras esta introducción, entraré de lleno al libro ¿Qué encontramos? ¿Realmente algo tan bueno o mejor que “Forastera”? En el fondo creo que es ridículo compararlos, veo que ambas series tienen sus virtudes y sus flaquezas, y a parte de ser un culebrón con mucho salseo, no se parecen en mucho más. Dentro de “En tierras lejanas” no encontramos viajes en el tiempo, ni a ésa Escocia orgullosa y rebelde; si no que tenemos una ambientación totalmente distinta. La historia se desarrolla en los recientes Estados Unidos, a finales del siglo XVIII, concretamente en 1792.
La protagonista, Elizabeth, es una dama inglesa que se crió junto con su hermano menor, Julian, en casa de su tía paterna en Londres. A punto de entrar en la treintena, Elizabeth es una dama voluntariosa e independiente, es inteligente, y no quiere que nadie rija su destino, y por supuesto está decidida a no casarse y seguir conservando su soltería, si algo quiere, es no pertenecer a un hombre. Pero el destino de Elizabeth está a punto de cambiar, cuando finalmente ella y su hermano se embarcan para ir a Norteamérica, concretamente al pueblo de Paradise, en Nueva York, donde su padre es el juez, y poseedor de una gran hacienda y territorios, entre ellos, la montaña del Lobo Escondido.
La gran ambición de Elizabeth al llegar al Paradise, no es solo conservar su soltería, la libertad que puede darle para ello vivir en América, lejos de la estricta sociedad británica; si no abrir una escuela, su propia escuela, un lugar donde poder enseñar a todos los niños del pueblo, indistintamente de su género o color de piel, pero todo esto parecía muy idílico cuando llegó a Paradise. Nada más llegar a su nuevo hogar, Elizabeth descubre las grandes deudas de su padre, y su empeño por conservar las tierras que tanto tiempo le costó reunir, éste no quiere deshacerse de ellas, y Elizabeth es su única esperanza, pues está dispuesto a desposarla con el rico doctor Richard Todd, dándola como dote la montaña del Lobo Escondido.
Ahora es cuando entra en acción el protagonista, Nathaniel Bonner. ¿Alguno de vosotros ha visto alguna vez la película “El último mohicano”? Si no es así, os recomiendo encarecidamente verla si queréis leer éste libro ¿Por qué? Porque Nathaniel Bonner es hijo de Ojo de Halcón y Cora, los protagonistas de la película, sí, de la película, no del libro del mismo título. Nathaniel Bonner, pese a ser blanco, al igual que sus padres, se crió como un mohawk, y como un mohawk vive aún con su padre, su abuelo, y parte de su familia india. Es uno más de la comunidad, con su misma cultura e idioma, es cazador, y guerrero, y realmente apreciado por los habitantes de Paradise.
Pero Nathaniel Bonner oculta algo más pese a su buena fachada. Nathaniel tuvo una vida pasada, una vieja enemistad con el doctor Richard Todd, y también muchos secretos, referentes al lugar donde vive con su familia, en el Lago de las Nubes, dentro del Lobo Escondido, propiedad del padre de Elizabeth. Con la llegada de Elizabeth las cosas se complicarían si su padre se sale con la suya y la desposa con Richard Todd, pues éste no dudaría en expulsar a su familia de la montaña, y sus secretos se verían descubiertos.
Como en todo buen culebrón, desde el principio sabemos que habrá salseo, sobre todo cuando al inicio del libro se conocen los protagonistas. Sí, se ven y saltan chispas, Nathaniel sabe que la quiere para él, incluso mucho antes de saber que la dote de Elizabeth será Lobo Escondido. Y para Elizabeth será más difícil darse cuenta de lo que siente por Nathaniel. Durante años se ha resignado a ser una solterona y quiere seguir siéndolo, pero su padre la pondrá en una situación difícil, no desea casarse y menos con Richard Todd, no quiere que él posea la montaña, y a la vez, no puede permitir que expulsen a los mohawk, que han sido tan amables y cercanos con ella, de sus casas. Así que Elizabeth arriesgará todo en lo que creyó durante su juventud, para dar el siguiente paso.
Aquí es cuando no puedo contar mucho más, porque si no desvelaría todo el libro, y si eres fan de los culebrones y no te importa leer libros largos, creo que deberías echarle un ojo al mismo. Con poco más de 700 páginas, “En tierras lejanas” se divide en tres partes: una primera, muy introductoria, que para mí ha sido quizás la más pesada, y la que más me ha costado, una segunda, donde la trama avanza a marchas forzadas y se anima mucho más, y una tercera donde acabarán desvelándose los secretos que hay bajo Lobo Escondido.
A rasgos generales el libro me ha parecido muy bueno, está muy bien escrito, muy bien investigado, sé que no es fácil escribir una novela histórica, al igual que tampoco debe ser fácil investigar sobre el estilo de vida, la cultura y el idioma mohawk, tan presente en éste libro, y que me ha parecido una auténtica delicia. La única pega que podría ponerle, y es lo que me ha impedido darle las 5 estrellas, es que no me ha parecido tan emocionante como esperaba. Sí, lo he disfrutado, sí, me ha gustado, pero me ha faltado algo, pese a lo bien escrito que está, no es “Forastera”. Me ha parecido que le faltaba la emoción y el encanto que tiene ésta serie, y aunque Nathaniel es un amor, no es Jamie Fraser, me ha parecido que Sara Donati ha querido hacer a Nathaniel tan perfecto, que no he podido creérmelo del todo.
Aún así, el libro tendrá un poco de todo, y entretiene un montón. Personajes muy buenos y variopintos, he adorado a Curiosity, el ama de llaves del padre de Elizabeth; he odiado con todas mis ganas a Julian, el hermano de Elizabeth, a Richard Todd, a Jack Kirby y a Jack Lingo. Pero también me han enternecido de una manera especial la comunidad del Lago de las Nubes, la pequeña Hannah, Ojo de Halcón, Chingachgook, Atardecer, Huye de los Osos y los demás. Pero sobre todo lo que más he disfrutado ha sido la evolución de Elizabeth, de ser ésa dama estricta que llegó de Inglaterra, a ser una más de ellos, sin duda Elizabeth ha sido el personaje que más ha evolucionado, y pese a todo lo dulce y amoroso que es Nathaniel con ella, a él le he visto igual, desde el principio al fin.
Sí, me ha convencido y me ha gustado un montón éste libro, pero ahora mismo no sé decir si seguiré con la serie o no, probablemente espere unos años para continuar con los siguientes, pero la verdad, me fastidia mucho que sólo publicaran los tres primeros, pues gracias a Goodreads he averiguado que son seis, así que ya veré; quizás en un futuro algo lejano me anime con los demás.
Éste libro me llegó de una manera fortuita hace unos pocos años. Por aquél entonces yo era una ferviente lectora de la serie “Forastera” de Diana Gabaldon, y una amiga me recomendó la serie de la familia Bonner, porque ambas autoras eran amigas, y Sara Donati era una especia de discípula de Gabaldon. También me dijo mi amiga que ésta serie le había gustado bastante más que “Forastera”, así que en algún momento debía intentarlo. La ocasión llegó al poco tiempo cuando vi el primer ejemplar en una librería de segunda mano, y me decidí por comprarlo; el problema fue que el libro se quedó guardando polvo en mi estantería durante años y no me decidía a leerlo. Ahora, varios años después y gracias a un reto literario, me he animado a darle por fin la oportunidad.
No sabría decir si me arrepiento o no de no haberlo leído hasta ahora, creo que en el fondo la historia ha sido todo lo que esperaba, y no me ha decepcionado. Si he tardado tanto en leerlo ha sido por pereza, siempre lo digo, me cuesta mucho decidirme a leer libros largos, y tengo muchos en mi trayectoria, pero intento cogerlos con cuentagotas, porque nunca sabes de cuánto tiempo dispondrás para dedicarlos.
Tras esta introducción, entraré de lleno al libro ¿Qué encontramos? ¿Realmente algo tan bueno o mejor que “Forastera”? En el fondo creo que es ridículo compararlos, veo que ambas series tienen sus virtudes y sus flaquezas, y a parte de ser un culebrón con mucho salseo, no se parecen en mucho más. Dentro de “En tierras lejanas” no encontramos viajes en el tiempo, ni a ésa Escocia orgullosa y rebelde; si no que tenemos una ambientación totalmente distinta. La historia se desarrolla en los recientes Estados Unidos, a finales del siglo XVIII, concretamente en 1792.
La protagonista, Elizabeth, es una dama inglesa que se crió junto con su hermano menor, Julian, en casa de su tía paterna en Londres. A punto de entrar en la treintena, Elizabeth es una dama voluntariosa e independiente, es inteligente, y no quiere que nadie rija su destino, y por supuesto está decidida a no casarse y seguir conservando su soltería, si algo quiere, es no pertenecer a un hombre. Pero el destino de Elizabeth está a punto de cambiar, cuando finalmente ella y su hermano se embarcan para ir a Norteamérica, concretamente al pueblo de Paradise, en Nueva York, donde su padre es el juez, y poseedor de una gran hacienda y territorios, entre ellos, la montaña del Lobo Escondido.
La gran ambición de Elizabeth al llegar al Paradise, no es solo conservar su soltería, la libertad que puede darle para ello vivir en América, lejos de la estricta sociedad británica; si no abrir una escuela, su propia escuela, un lugar donde poder enseñar a todos los niños del pueblo, indistintamente de su género o color de piel, pero todo esto parecía muy idílico cuando llegó a Paradise. Nada más llegar a su nuevo hogar, Elizabeth descubre las grandes deudas de su padre, y su empeño por conservar las tierras que tanto tiempo le costó reunir, éste no quiere deshacerse de ellas, y Elizabeth es su única esperanza, pues está dispuesto a desposarla con el rico doctor Richard Todd, dándola como dote la montaña del Lobo Escondido.
Ahora es cuando entra en acción el protagonista, Nathaniel Bonner. ¿Alguno de vosotros ha visto alguna vez la película “El último mohicano”? Si no es así, os recomiendo encarecidamente verla si queréis leer éste libro ¿Por qué? Porque Nathaniel Bonner es hijo de Ojo de Halcón y Cora, los protagonistas de la película, sí, de la película, no del libro del mismo título. Nathaniel Bonner, pese a ser blanco, al igual que sus padres, se crió como un mohawk, y como un mohawk vive aún con su padre, su abuelo, y parte de su familia india. Es uno más de la comunidad, con su misma cultura e idioma, es cazador, y guerrero, y realmente apreciado por los habitantes de Paradise.
Pero Nathaniel Bonner oculta algo más pese a su buena fachada. Nathaniel tuvo una vida pasada, una vieja enemistad con el doctor Richard Todd, y también muchos secretos, referentes al lugar donde vive con su familia, en el Lago de las Nubes, dentro del Lobo Escondido, propiedad del padre de Elizabeth. Con la llegada de Elizabeth las cosas se complicarían si su padre se sale con la suya y la desposa con Richard Todd, pues éste no dudaría en expulsar a su familia de la montaña, y sus secretos se verían descubiertos.
Como en todo buen culebrón, desde el principio sabemos que habrá salseo, sobre todo cuando al inicio del libro se conocen los protagonistas. Sí, se ven y saltan chispas, Nathaniel sabe que la quiere para él, incluso mucho antes de saber que la dote de Elizabeth será Lobo Escondido. Y para Elizabeth será más difícil darse cuenta de lo que siente por Nathaniel. Durante años se ha resignado a ser una solterona y quiere seguir siéndolo, pero su padre la pondrá en una situación difícil, no desea casarse y menos con Richard Todd, no quiere que él posea la montaña, y a la vez, no puede permitir que expulsen a los mohawk, que han sido tan amables y cercanos con ella, de sus casas. Así que Elizabeth arriesgará todo en lo que creyó durante su juventud, para dar el siguiente paso.
Aquí es cuando no puedo contar mucho más, porque si no desvelaría todo el libro, y si eres fan de los culebrones y no te importa leer libros largos, creo que deberías echarle un ojo al mismo. Con poco más de 700 páginas, “En tierras lejanas” se divide en tres partes: una primera, muy introductoria, que para mí ha sido quizás la más pesada, y la que más me ha costado, una segunda, donde la trama avanza a marchas forzadas y se anima mucho más, y una tercera donde acabarán desvelándose los secretos que hay bajo Lobo Escondido.
A rasgos generales el libro me ha parecido muy bueno, está muy bien escrito, muy bien investigado, sé que no es fácil escribir una novela histórica, al igual que tampoco debe ser fácil investigar sobre el estilo de vida, la cultura y el idioma mohawk, tan presente en éste libro, y que me ha parecido una auténtica delicia. La única pega que podría ponerle, y es lo que me ha impedido darle las 5 estrellas, es que no me ha parecido tan emocionante como esperaba. Sí, lo he disfrutado, sí, me ha gustado, pero me ha faltado algo, pese a lo bien escrito que está, no es “Forastera”. Me ha parecido que le faltaba la emoción y el encanto que tiene ésta serie, y aunque Nathaniel es un amor, no es Jamie Fraser, me ha parecido que Sara Donati ha querido hacer a Nathaniel tan perfecto, que no he podido creérmelo del todo.
Aún así, el libro tendrá un poco de todo, y entretiene un montón. Personajes muy buenos y variopintos, he adorado a Curiosity, el ama de llaves del padre de Elizabeth; he odiado con todas mis ganas a Julian, el hermano de Elizabeth, a Richard Todd, a Jack Kirby y a Jack Lingo. Pero también me han enternecido de una manera especial la comunidad del Lago de las Nubes, la pequeña Hannah, Ojo de Halcón, Chingachgook, Atardecer, Huye de los Osos y los demás. Pero sobre todo lo que más he disfrutado ha sido la evolución de Elizabeth, de ser ésa dama estricta que llegó de Inglaterra, a ser una más de ellos, sin duda Elizabeth ha sido el personaje que más ha evolucionado, y pese a todo lo dulce y amoroso que es Nathaniel con ella, a él le he visto igual, desde el principio al fin.
Sí, me ha convencido y me ha gustado un montón éste libro, pero ahora mismo no sé decir si seguiré con la serie o no, probablemente espere unos años para continuar con los siguientes, pero la verdad, me fastidia mucho que sólo publicaran los tres primeros, pues gracias a Goodreads he averiguado que son seis, así que ya veré; quizás en un futuro algo lejano me anime con los demás.
December 17, 2011
I have read all of the books in this series. I have also read all of the outlander series. Now for me the outlander series began to fall flat especially in the last few books. However every single book in this series has held my attention and earned my love and respect. By the time you read all these books you will feel like you are reading your own family history, these characters, Elizabeth, nathaniel, Hannah, Lilly, Daniel, curiosity will move into your heart and will never leave. I have read and re read this series about five times, it never bores me, I always laugh,cry, smile along with the characters. I know I started off comparing this to Diana gabaldon's books but I ask you not to. These books can and do stand of there own merit and are really thoroughly enjoyable books. Please read. They are beautifully descriptive and just a pure joy. My favourite books ever.
January 25, 2016
I have really enjoyed the first book in the series entitled Into the Wilderness. The basic storyline has been well-researched and there is great depth in the character development. It is refreshing to have the main character depicted for her intelligence, her analytical skills, and her strong resourcefulness. This is not your typical historical fiction with bodice ripping and muscular physiques on every page. Elizabeth is even deemed a spinster, being a woman in her late twenties, not a robust 18 year old. The backdrop of major historical events adds to the challenges faced by the characters in that time period. Yes, it is the size of a housebrick, but a satisfying read.
July 10, 2020
Historical novelist Sara Donati begins this fictional chronicle in the year 1792, with Washington steering the young American Republic, who’s recent policy focuses have turned to Native American diplomacy and territory rights. We meet the budding schoolteacher Elizabeth Middleton, recently emigrated from England who has just arrived at her Father’s estate only to find her arrogant brother quarreling with what look like two Native Americans—the witty bachelor Nathaniel Bonner, and his father Hawkeye. It is at this moment that we find Donati’s series is a continuation of famed novelist J.F. Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans, where both of these perceived natives are actually white men adopted by the Mohawks, with Nathaniel a widower to a Mohican wife and father to nine year old Hannah.
Donati’s writing is grasping and full of colorful imagery, as the plot moves forward by showing that Elizabeth’s father is a judge who has amassed a fortune of land, and would give anything to keep his life’s work and holdings in his family—to the point of marrying his daughter off to any eligible suitor. Nathaniel notices early on her outspoken views, education, and compassion for those held in bondage and in submission to the wealthy elite, including Natives—and he is delighted that this “spinster” has yet to find a match worthy of her quality.
The Wilderness books are often compared to the Outlander series, due to Donati’s friendship and advice taken from Diana Gabaldon prior to being published, as well as her homage to the series by adding a certain cameo into the story. Unfortunately, when comparing the two series, it is quite clear that the character development, relatability, and depth lacks in both the conversations between Nathaniel and Elizabeth, as well as their often awkward and forced intimate encounters. Conversely, Donati illustrates the landscape with picturesque ease and captures the nature and emotions of her protagonists and their enemies in a way that’s familiar and believable to the experience—from the bitterness and ferocity of Richard Todd—to the contrasting views of land and wilderness from both a Mohawk and white settler perspective:
Nathaniel remembered fishing the lake as a boy. At dawn or dusk, wading in the shallows or out in the canoe he had felt like an intruder in a world crowded with fish and birds and wild of all kinds. That was before the village took hold and started to grow like a new kind of animal, jealous of its space and food.
Where now a crowd of children fed deadwood into a growing bonfire, he had once watched a hawk and an eagle wage a screaming battle over a mallard. Asleep on the shore, he had come suddenly full awake to see a bobcat drinking not twenty yards from him, all gold and sliding muscle. But now the shore was crowded with canoes and dugouts and anything that could be paddled, even a makeshift raft. Men paced back and forth, their movements jittery with excitement. Their voices rose like a buzzing on the wind.
The reader will find the plot and genre geared more towards that of a Romance novel, with a historical focus on gender roles in the late-eighteenth century, tribal customs of Native Americans, and subsequent bits of historic lore and facts thrown in pertinent to the setting. While the first half of the book moves slowly and tries to capture the essence of each major and minor character, the plot certainly moves forward during the second half with fights and flights in the wilderness from both wild animals and men in pursuit of Elizabeth’s claim and title to the Wolf’s End land. As the journey nears the finish line, it picks up speed and emotion with the finale full of questions being answered and many plot holes filled, which suitably leaves the reader interested in the next chapter of the series. A helpful cast of Major Characters is provided, as well as a map of the territory of Paradise in New York.
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Donati’s writing is grasping and full of colorful imagery, as the plot moves forward by showing that Elizabeth’s father is a judge who has amassed a fortune of land, and would give anything to keep his life’s work and holdings in his family—to the point of marrying his daughter off to any eligible suitor. Nathaniel notices early on her outspoken views, education, and compassion for those held in bondage and in submission to the wealthy elite, including Natives—and he is delighted that this “spinster” has yet to find a match worthy of her quality.
The Wilderness books are often compared to the Outlander series, due to Donati’s friendship and advice taken from Diana Gabaldon prior to being published, as well as her homage to the series by adding a certain cameo into the story. Unfortunately, when comparing the two series, it is quite clear that the character development, relatability, and depth lacks in both the conversations between Nathaniel and Elizabeth, as well as their often awkward and forced intimate encounters. Conversely, Donati illustrates the landscape with picturesque ease and captures the nature and emotions of her protagonists and their enemies in a way that’s familiar and believable to the experience—from the bitterness and ferocity of Richard Todd—to the contrasting views of land and wilderness from both a Mohawk and white settler perspective:
Nathaniel remembered fishing the lake as a boy. At dawn or dusk, wading in the shallows or out in the canoe he had felt like an intruder in a world crowded with fish and birds and wild of all kinds. That was before the village took hold and started to grow like a new kind of animal, jealous of its space and food.
Where now a crowd of children fed deadwood into a growing bonfire, he had once watched a hawk and an eagle wage a screaming battle over a mallard. Asleep on the shore, he had come suddenly full awake to see a bobcat drinking not twenty yards from him, all gold and sliding muscle. But now the shore was crowded with canoes and dugouts and anything that could be paddled, even a makeshift raft. Men paced back and forth, their movements jittery with excitement. Their voices rose like a buzzing on the wind.
The reader will find the plot and genre geared more towards that of a Romance novel, with a historical focus on gender roles in the late-eighteenth century, tribal customs of Native Americans, and subsequent bits of historic lore and facts thrown in pertinent to the setting. While the first half of the book moves slowly and tries to capture the essence of each major and minor character, the plot certainly moves forward during the second half with fights and flights in the wilderness from both wild animals and men in pursuit of Elizabeth’s claim and title to the Wolf’s End land. As the journey nears the finish line, it picks up speed and emotion with the finale full of questions being answered and many plot holes filled, which suitably leaves the reader interested in the next chapter of the series. A helpful cast of Major Characters is provided, as well as a map of the territory of Paradise in New York.
Read the Full Review and More
February 23, 2015
Something must be very wrong with me since I did not LOVE this novel despite all its 5 star reviews. I am a huge fan of the Outlander series and pretty much anything Diana Gabaldon decides to write so I read Into the Wilderness because of her praise and her fans' praise for this novel. And I have to say that it was just OKAY; it was not bad. The author definitely put a good amount of research into the story but it failed complexity. The characters were not as developed as they could have been and neither was the flow of the plot. Her writing style was mediocre to good. I don't know if my attitude was wrong coming into this novel, I was expecting maybe too much but Elizabeth Middleton's character was too routine. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes who did everything right without thinking twice about her actions. And everyone (except Richard Todd and Julian) and their mother just kept praising her and saying how she was such a "strong woman." Again, I might be overreacting, but it was all just too SQUARE for my liking. I guess I found her character as naive despite all she experienced.
I thought that the "hero" Bonner's character was introduced into the story MUCH too soon and much too abruptly. Everything was just obvious to be enticing. But there was excitement to it after all. I read it relatively quickly but I am hesitant to read book 2 of this series. I suppose if I grow tired of waiting for Gabaldon's next novel, and run out of other books to read I will give the sequel to Into the Wilderness a go. But do give it a read, it is worth that at least.
I thought that the "hero" Bonner's character was introduced into the story MUCH too soon and much too abruptly. Everything was just obvious to be enticing. But there was excitement to it after all. I read it relatively quickly but I am hesitant to read book 2 of this series. I suppose if I grow tired of waiting for Gabaldon's next novel, and run out of other books to read I will give the sequel to Into the Wilderness a go. But do give it a read, it is worth that at least.
September 3, 2019
Nuestra reseña en A la cama con... un libro
4'5 🌟
No esperaba tanto de este libro y, la verdad, me ha encantado. No ha sido una novela de esas que se enredan alrededor de mi corazón y no me dejan ni dormir pensando en ella, pero es lo único que le ha faltado. No es una novela romántica, aunque el eje que mueve el libro es la historia entre Nathaniel y Elizabeth, a través de la cual podemos descubrir un nuevo mundo y un modo de vida muy distinto. Los personajes tienen multitud de caras, no son nada planos y los sientes reales, con sus bondades y sus defectos, pero no nos encontramos un libro maniqueo. He sentido que trata al lector como a un adulto y lo he agradecido muchísimo. Y qué decir de los protagonistas... Estupendos, sobre todo Nathaniel, un protagonista imposible de olvidar.
Bueno, ya os contaré más en la reseña, que no pensaba hacerla pero al final me he liado la manta a la cabeza, que para tres libros que lee una hay que dejar constancia 😂
4'5 🌟
No esperaba tanto de este libro y, la verdad, me ha encantado. No ha sido una novela de esas que se enredan alrededor de mi corazón y no me dejan ni dormir pensando en ella, pero es lo único que le ha faltado. No es una novela romántica, aunque el eje que mueve el libro es la historia entre Nathaniel y Elizabeth, a través de la cual podemos descubrir un nuevo mundo y un modo de vida muy distinto. Los personajes tienen multitud de caras, no son nada planos y los sientes reales, con sus bondades y sus defectos, pero no nos encontramos un libro maniqueo. He sentido que trata al lector como a un adulto y lo he agradecido muchísimo. Y qué decir de los protagonistas... Estupendos, sobre todo Nathaniel, un protagonista imposible de olvidar.
Bueno, ya os contaré más en la reseña, que no pensaba hacerla pero al final me he liado la manta a la cabeza, que para tres libros que lee una hay que dejar constancia 😂
January 26, 2018
This won't be a long review but I do want to say how much I enjoyed this book.
I am not into Frontier romances and was reading this for my Romance Across the Ages Challenge, but I am very glad I did read it.
The author does a fabulous job of recreating that time and place in America's history, and while the lack of education, the racism and the ruggedness of the characters often got to me, it somehow fitted in so well with the theme, I soon let it go. (I did find the character of Julian, the heroine's brother, very disturbing and sad. His redemption came at great cost, but there was really nothing else that would do it. He was so lost.)
The insight into the local Native American culture was fascinating. And not sanitised, either, with a romantic sort of glow. The Native Americans came across as real individuals. Certainly much more in harmony with the earth- they were natural conservationists. I just cringed in misery at much of the behaviour of the white settlers, but I guess they just didn't know any better, and were certainly not prepared to learn from people they considered inferior.
Recommended for those who like epic tales that span generations. I don't, so I doubt I will be reading any more in the series, but I am sure there are many other readers who will devour these books. A very impressive, well-researched book that had me breathless until the end.
I am not into Frontier romances and was reading this for my Romance Across the Ages Challenge, but I am very glad I did read it.
The author does a fabulous job of recreating that time and place in America's history, and while the lack of education, the racism and the ruggedness of the characters often got to me, it somehow fitted in so well with the theme, I soon let it go. (I did find the character of Julian, the heroine's brother, very disturbing and sad. His redemption came at great cost, but there was really nothing else that would do it. He was so lost.)
The insight into the local Native American culture was fascinating. And not sanitised, either, with a romantic sort of glow. The Native Americans came across as real individuals. Certainly much more in harmony with the earth- they were natural conservationists. I just cringed in misery at much of the behaviour of the white settlers, but I guess they just didn't know any better, and were certainly not prepared to learn from people they considered inferior.
Recommended for those who like epic tales that span generations. I don't, so I doubt I will be reading any more in the series, but I am sure there are many other readers who will devour these books. A very impressive, well-researched book that had me breathless until the end.
August 1, 2017
4.5 stars audio review
I file this mentally under 'epic reads' for so many reasons. The two lead characters, Elizabeth and Nathaniel are ones to measure up to. The frontier setting was magical, rough and required hardiness. The description was superb, even though this is not country I can identify with, I think I conjured a good version in my imagination, in people, clothing, wilderness, animals, smells and culture.
We talk about strong heroines in books but Elizabeth Middleton is one of the most notable strong women I have ever had the pleasure to meet in a book. She's headstrong, opinionated, capable but also makes stupid decisions on the odd occasion and has a good cry. I loved her, I felt I could identify with her as a women and respect her. Nathaniel was a worthy match but oh so different. It was this difference in both personality, language, culture and lifestyle that made this book wonderous. The cast of side characters were richly painted and made my reader's heart sing. Worthy of mention are Robbie, Curiosity and Bears to name a few.
The culture was hugely interesting to me; the Mohawk people and life made for fascinating reading, especially Elizabeth's navigation of that world. I loved that Elizabeth tolerated no prejudice and was a real advocate for Mohawk land and rights. I have no idea of the authenticity how the Mohawk people were written but it seemed respectful and I got lost in their world.
On finishing, I find myself deflated because 30 hours of superb narration are over and I'm not sure another audiobook will appeal for some time. It is difficult to measure up to such a book as this. This is a favourite of 2017 and suspect a favourite of all time. Recommended to each and every one of my book friends.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
I file this mentally under 'epic reads' for so many reasons. The two lead characters, Elizabeth and Nathaniel are ones to measure up to. The frontier setting was magical, rough and required hardiness. The description was superb, even though this is not country I can identify with, I think I conjured a good version in my imagination, in people, clothing, wilderness, animals, smells and culture.
We talk about strong heroines in books but Elizabeth Middleton is one of the most notable strong women I have ever had the pleasure to meet in a book. She's headstrong, opinionated, capable but also makes stupid decisions on the odd occasion and has a good cry. I loved her, I felt I could identify with her as a women and respect her. Nathaniel was a worthy match but oh so different. It was this difference in both personality, language, culture and lifestyle that made this book wonderous. The cast of side characters were richly painted and made my reader's heart sing. Worthy of mention are Robbie, Curiosity and Bears to name a few.
The culture was hugely interesting to me; the Mohawk people and life made for fascinating reading, especially Elizabeth's navigation of that world. I loved that Elizabeth tolerated no prejudice and was a real advocate for Mohawk land and rights. I have no idea of the authenticity how the Mohawk people were written but it seemed respectful and I got lost in their world.
On finishing, I find myself deflated because 30 hours of superb narration are over and I'm not sure another audiobook will appeal for some time. It is difficult to measure up to such a book as this. This is a favourite of 2017 and suspect a favourite of all time. Recommended to each and every one of my book friends.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
February 18, 2015
I'm so surprised that the majority of the reviews for Into the Wilderness are most concerned about explaining why it has nothing to do with the Outlander series or why, on the contrary, its author, Sara Donati, is Ms. Gabaldon's perfect little disciple, just because she's friends with her and writes HR.
Guys, get over Outlander! Not even Ms. Gabaldon wrote the same book twice, why would another person - another author - with her own writing style and brain, and voice and ideas, want to replicate that? Sometimes I swear, people just don't make sense to me. I'd hate to read the same thing over and over again, what makes a book special is that it is unique and cannot be duplicated.
Now, I adored Into the Wilderness. It was beautifully written and the fact that half the characters were Native Americans, only made the experience more exciting and interesting. I'll never repeat it enough, we don't study much about America's history, back in the Old World.
I'm about to order the next books online, because this story felt like magic to me, and I can't break the spell now. Not before I read everything Ms. Donati wrote for us.
You should really just forget about Outlander, Jamie and Claire, Scotland, and relax. This is another story, as well as another world. At least for now.
February 24, 2015
Elizabeth Middleton has a mind of her own. In the twilight of the 1700's that is not a good thing. English born, she has made her way to fledgling America to live with her widowed father and brother in upstate New York. And it takes no time at all for her to be at odds with current convention and the local townsmen. In matters of politic and romance, Elizabeth and her outspoken beliefs stand alone....almost.
I have enjoyed this sweeping historical drama from the first page. It has been quite a while since I have found a story that so captivated me from the get-go. Not since The Outlander series have I been so taken. And I found it interesting that Ms. Donati has given a nod to Ms. Gabaldon(obviously with her permission), interweaving Ian Murray and Claire and Jamie Frasier briefly in the story. This is a series that I look forward to continuing very soon.
I have enjoyed this sweeping historical drama from the first page. It has been quite a while since I have found a story that so captivated me from the get-go. Not since The Outlander series have I been so taken. And I found it interesting that Ms. Donati has given a nod to Ms. Gabaldon(obviously with her permission), interweaving Ian Murray and Claire and Jamie Frasier briefly in the story. This is a series that I look forward to continuing very soon.
August 29, 2011
This is among the top 4 favorite series ever... I love everything about these books. You love, cry, laugh, hurt, hope, believe and grow with the entire Bonner clan... Sara Donati is a genius.. and I hope she graces us with another series very, very soon... Having finished this series left me with a hollow feeling... And that doesn't happen often with me..
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