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)

Better than I'd Imagined! :)

Would you consider the audio edition of Into the Wilderness to be better than the print version?

I have not looked at or used the print version, but I've SO enjoyed the characters voices in the audio version that I have no desire to use the print version. Disclaimer...I work at a screen all day and my eyes thank me for NOT reading the print versions - still there are some books that I want to see spellings, etc. of characters and places.

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

Oh gosh!!! This question is hard, but Boots in the forest fighting the "bad" man or Richard's attempt to capture her are the two which really got my heart pumping equally. There are so many scenes which qualify as memorable!!!!!!! :)

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

Yes, and I LOVE Kate Reading's performances, and with this series she gave another excellent performance - I think with new variations of characters' voices.

If you could rename Into the Wilderness, what would you call it?

Paradise Unveiled ... difficult question. :)

Any additional comments?

I started this series after starting the Outlander series and reading a review on this book where Claire is referenced and that sparked my interest. I had no idea that I'd enjoy this series more than the Outlander series. I'm headed back to Outlander just to get closer to Into the Wilderness timeframe....just purely from historical time table flow. A logic only for me. :) :)

I loved, loved, loved it!

I bought this book because it is recommended if you liked Outlander. I loved this book and the series. I know this will be a controversial statement, but I liked this series better than Outlander and I loved Outlander. I wasn't quite sure I would like it when it started, but before long I was hooked. Elizabeth and Nathaniel worm their way into your heart and their life story is drawn out before you. Elizabeth is a strong woman who will not let society dictate her life. The remaining novels in the series go on to highlight all the other strong women she mentors. It is fabulous and I truly loved it.

An Outlander clone, bur still interesting.

Interesting story, but easy to get lost in the jumble of characters. They are introduced with no description or background, just tossed in to push the story. Lacks definitive descriptions, but it's interesting enough to keep reading.

great historical novel

loved it! and the audible version was read beautifully! Was totally surprised when outlander characters were mentioned but it fit the story so well!

Great Story

Loved it, can't wait to read the next book. The narrator did well portraying all the characters.

Something wrong

I enjoyed the story until the book started skipping chapters. I guess I will try downloading again.

Enjoyed it.

I like history even fiction. The narrators Irish is great, sometimes hard to understand at first.

Great story

Very interesting view into the past describing how people worked to come together despite their differences.

Well written, believable, eloquently read.

Enjoyed smooth transitions of drama & explanations. Character development for a fascinating historical period after revolution.

Into the wilderness and wandering

The action in this book is very slow paced, somewhat predictable and the writing is very descriptive. I sometimes found my attention wandering. I did like the characters and story. I’ll read/listen to the next book but I’m not in a great hurry to do so.