Into the Wilderness

A Novel

By: Sara Donati

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 30 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Weaving a vibrant tapestry of fact and fiction, Into the Wilderness sweeps us into another time and place...and into the heart of a forbidden, incandescent affair between a spinster Englishwoman and an American frontiersman. Here is an epic of romance and history that will captivate listeners from the start.

When Elizabeth Middleton, 29 years old and unmarried, leaves her Aunt Merriweather's comfortable English estate to join her father and brother in the remote mountain village of Paradise on the edge of the New York wilderness, she does so with a strong will and an unwavering purpose: to teach school.

It is December of 1792 when she arrives in a cold climate unlike any she has ever experienced. And she meets a man different from any she has ever encountered - a white man dressed like a Native American, tall and lean and unsettling in his blunt honesty. He is Nathaniel Bonner, also known to the Mohawk people as Between-Two-Lives.

Determined to provide schooling for all the children of the village - White, Black, and Native American - Elizabeth soon finds herself at odds with local slave owners. Much to her surprise, she clashes with her own father as well. Financially strapped, Judge Middleton has plans for his daughter - betrothal to local doctor Richard Todd. An alliance with Todd could extract her father from ruin but would call into question the ownership of Hidden Wolf, the mountain where Nathaniel, his father, and a small group of Native Americans live and hunt.

As Judge Middleton brings pressure to bear against his daughter, she is faced with a choice between compliance and deception, a flight into the forest, and a desire that will bend her hard will to compromise and transformation.

Elizabeth's ultimate destiny, here in the heart of the wilderness, lies in the odyssey to come: trials of faith and flesh, and passion born amid Nathaniel's own secrets and divided soul.

Interweaving the fate of the remnants 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.

©2009 Sara Donati (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"My favorite kind of book is the sort you live in, rather than read. Into the Wilderness is one of those rare stories that let you breathe the air of another time, and leave your footprints on the snow of a wild, strange place. I can think of no better adventure than to explore the wilderness in the company of such engaging and independent lovers as Elizabeth and her Nathaniel." (Diana Gabaldon)
"Each time you open a book you hope to discover a story that will make your spirit of adventure and romance sing. This book delivers on that promise." (Amanda Quick)

Surprise how much I like this book

I'm a huge outlander fan so when I saw this series being compared to outlander I said okay I'm gonna give this series a try and I'm glad I did I love it. The only complaints I have is that the love scenes are not as good as the love scenes in outlander I wanted to see more passion between Nathaniel and Elizabeth the narrator could have done a better job with the different voices but over all I enjoyed the book

Great first book in this series

If you could sum up Into the Wilderness in three words, what would they be?

Romance. Historic. Believable.

What did you like best about this story?

The development of each character, and the precise unfoldment of the story. I learned a lot from reading this book.

What does Kate Reading bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The different accents would have been difficult for me to read.

Any additional comments?

Worth listening to again.

Fun story that captivates

Where does Into the Wilderness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top--I'm hooked after the first book and so glad there is a series to dive into.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elizabeth--I love that there is a strong female lead in a story set in the 1790's and that all of the women are strong. This gives a different view of women than we think of historically.

What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?

She's great at all of the different accents. I particularly like her Scottish brogue.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me chuckle at times.

Any additional comments?

Worth a listen.

Loved this series

This first book just grabbed me and held on,I could not stop listening. All six books were well written Sara Donali is gifted. I encourage anyone that likes history to read and enjoy

A thrilling yarn for readers of many genres

If you could sum up Into the Wilderness in three words, what would they be?

Well-written, historical, romantic

Who was your favorite character and why?

The protagonist Elizabeth Middleton is obviously intended to hold the narrative together, and she succeeds brilliantly. Though slightly, but only slightly, anachronistic, Elizabeth Middleton is a strong heroine in the modern sense, yet Sara Donati takes pains to make her precocity, wit, and spirit believable in the context of early American history. Her complex character, right down to her Carrie Bradshaw-esque proclivity for expensive footwear that results in her nickname "Boots", serves as a finely-ground lens through which the reader experiences the world of early America.

What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?

I may be the only audiobook listener who generally dislikes Kate Reading's narration. I normally find it stilted and uninspired. For whatever reason, though, she's the perfect narrator for this novel. She captures the spectrum of nationalities and classes beautifully, from Elizabeth Middleton's crisp aristocratic British drawl, to Nathaniel Bonner's no-nonsense backwoods talk, to the Native Americans' laconic speech. Given the range of dialect and diction in Into the Wilderness, Kate Reading has done an outstanding job.

If you could take any character from Into the Wilderness out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The novel is chock full of fascinating characters, but given my own interest in both literature and education, I would have to choose protagonist Elizabeth Middleton. Perhaps she's even read some eighteenth-century books now lost to us.

Any additional comments?

I'm not a frequenter of romance or historical fiction, so it came as a surprise to me that I enjoyed Into the Wilderness so much. I think this is in no small measure due to Sara Donati's strong writing, Donati, which is a pseudonym for linguist Rosina Lippi, takes scenes that would feel clumsy and awkward in less capable hands and spins them into poignant gossamer webs of story. Romance writing, for me, too often dissolves into schmaltz and empty sentiment, but in Donati's hands the scenes feel authentidc.

Although some readers might be disappointed, I must also laud Donati for eschewing a set-piece confrontation in the book's final pages in favor of a more nuanced ending.

Entertaining historical fiction

Where does Into the Wilderness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not the very best, but entertaining. No flaws.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into the Wilderness?

Nathaniel and Elizabeth discovering their feelings for each other.

Which character – as performed by Kate Reading – was your favorite?

Nathaniel

If you could take any character from Into the Wilderness out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Curiosity, because she saw and had so much understanding.

Any additional comments?

I found this book while I was looking for something like The Outlander series. I am 3 books into this series now and while it is not as good as The Outlander series, it is entertaining and keeps me listening. I like the characters in this series and the varying points of view.

A wonderfully written story can’t wait for next

Where does Into the Wilderness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Up there at the top

What did you like best about this story?

The way the book called you And made It’s so real

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole book was an absolute joy

wonderful story

Love this book, will read again. I felt like I could have lived there life in that world.

Epic

This is a beautifully woven story that opens up into an epic adventure/love story. It takes some time to develop, which is ultimately to it’s benefit as it’s worth the wait. The early details about the couple’s first interactions were an indication into what came next in story. This couple’s relationship, though tumultuous in the beginning, was built on love & respect. The author did a tremendous job developing these characters and more that I came to adore and root for.
The comparisons to Outlander are there throughout while carrying itself entirely. It also includes some surprise mention here and there. I look forward to the next in series.

Kate is Reading is a favorite narrator of mine. She can do no wrong with her performances in my eyes.

Captivating story

It’s a great and captivating story. And is well-read by the narrator, whose voice does both the romance and the adventure parts quite well.