• Into the Wilderness

  • A Novel
  • By: Sara Donati
  • Narrated by: Kate Reading
  • Length: 30 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (4,772 ratings)

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Into the Wilderness  By  cover art

Into the Wilderness

By: Sara Donati
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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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)

What listeners say about Into the Wilderness

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,980
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Unlike My Typical Book Choice

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

This is a slow-moving story, but the emotion and history captivate me. It's easy to transport myself to the time and get lost in it. Makes my drive to and from work something to look forward to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elizabeth. Strong woman for her time and she surprises herself over and over. Love that.

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

No.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Into the wilderness

Lots of twists and turns. It keeps you wanting more. Looking forward to reading more of Sara Donations books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story.

It took a few listens before I really got into it. The main female character is interesting and brave but not too over the top. Good romantic relationship too.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

into the wilderness

I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to reading book 2 in the series. I would recommend this to a friend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

This book is a wonderful book. I put Sara Donati (AKA, Rosina Lippa-Green) right up there with my most favorite Author, Diana Gabaldon. She even (with Diana's approval I'm sure) brought in references to a handful of the 'Outlander' series characters. I have found my next best Author. Also, I applaud Kate Reading, the narrator in her great performance. She and Davina Porter are my favorite narrators. I can not wait to read/listened to more of this great series. I'm looked. Thanks Sara... 😀.... Your fan,Tammy Watson

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • C.
  • 09-17-16

live with these characters

poetic language with compelling stories and a nod to Gabaldon with a cameo of Outlander characters and strong women and men making a life in early America.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely Historical fiction

Lovely surprise! Some events and names were referenced that were also in the Outlander Series. This was a wonderful peek into the life of early Americans.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Just started and am annoyed

The story feels liked a chopped together re-write of Last of the Mohicans (movie not the book). But what bugs me most is Elizabeth’s accent — when the narrator talks of her feelings in a United States accent but then uses a bad British accent for her speaking voice, it just doesn’t flow. Will keep listening but am, so far, underwhelmed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful historical story

seemed like history comes alive along with a special love story and exciting adventure it

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

What a wonderfully adventurous story! I couldn't put it down! And I can't wait to start Book 2...today!

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