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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This was a really good book! The characters were interesting and I liked the dynamic between all of them. Even the secondary characters were enjoyable. A long read, woah. I haven't read a book with that many pages in a while but it definitely kept my interest. I am very curious to see where the rest of the series will go.
A lot of folks said that this wasn't as good as the Outlander series by Gabaldon. Of course it wasn't. No one will ever be able to fill Jamie's place. This book however, was just as entertaining. If you are looking for an interesting read that is similar to DG this is probably as good as it's gonna get. At least this is the closest I have found so far.
This book was suggested to me after reading Outlander. And indeed, this book even has a recommendation from Outlander's author. However, with only a brief blurb about that famous novel's characters, I would say that this novel was more of its own than a tribute to Outlander. That being said it does fit the genre of historic fiction with a bit of romance thrown in.
Elizabeth has recently arrived from England with her brother Julian to live with their father in Paradise, New York. A self described spinster she hopes to set up a school there and teach all children. Her father however, has different plans for her and to settle some debt would like to see her married to the town's doctor.
Soon though she meets the dashing Nathaniel Bonner, a man who is half Indian in nature but good of heart. The mountain that he and his family is currently living on is a source of contention between Elizabeth's father, the town doctor, and the Bonner's as they all want it. After she falls in love with Bonner, they devise a plan to take back the mountain for the rightful owners, the Bonners. This sets loose a stream of complications and fights over the precious territory. Not even Elizabeth's marriage to Bonner can stop events from happening. They all struggle to claim a piece of this majestic mountain.
I thought the writing in this was quite good. Donati is very descriptive and definitely did her homework on languages. It was refreshing to see the native terms used and explained. While it did get wordy in some parts, it was not enough that it couldn't be overlooked. The book was written in the 3rd person. The language, while it could be considered more modern than called for for that period in history was not overly incorrect as to make it completely unbelievable.
One complaint I would have with the book is the use of borrowed characters. Donati blatantly takes and uses a good deal of character's from The Leatherstocking Tales. It just doesn't seem right to use another author's characters even if Fenimore has been deceased for quite some time. She also has cameo appearances from Gabaldon's Outlander but that is a little more acceptable as she asked permission to use them. While the characters are developed satisfactorily, it seems she could have made them unique without borrowing from other authors. Her characters all have their own distinct personalities. While she does tend to make their morals either completely good or completely bad, she does manage to throw in a few shades of grey so no character seems fake.
I did enjoy the book however, and look forward to the next installment. Its a great read with just the right amount of romance and intrigue.
Into the Wilderness
Copyright 1998
876 pages
Elizabeth has recently arrived from England with her brother Julian to live with their father in Paradise, New York. A self described spinster she hopes to set up a school there and teach all children. Her father however, has different plans for her and to settle some debt would like to see her married to the town's doctor.
Soon though she meets the dashing Nathaniel Bonner, a man who is half Indian in nature but good of heart. The mountain that he and his family is currently living on is a source of contention between Elizabeth's father, the town doctor, and the Bonner's as they all want it. After she falls in love with Bonner, they devise a plan to take back the mountain for the rightful owners, the Bonners. This sets loose a stream of complications and fights over the precious territory. Not even Elizabeth's marriage to Bonner can stop events from happening. They all struggle to claim a piece of this majestic mountain.
I thought the writing in this was quite good. Donati is very descriptive and definitely did her homework on languages. It was refreshing to see the native terms used and explained. While it did get wordy in some parts, it was not enough that it couldn't be overlooked. The book was written in the 3rd person. The language, while it could be considered more modern than called for for that period in history was not overly incorrect as to make it completely unbelievable.
One complaint I would have with the book is the use of borrowed characters. Donati blatantly takes and uses a good deal of character's from The Leatherstocking Tales. It just doesn't seem right to use another author's characters even if Fenimore has been deceased for quite some time. She also has cameo appearances from Gabaldon's Outlander but that is a little more acceptable as she asked permission to use them. While the characters are developed satisfactorily, it seems she could have made them unique without borrowing from other authors. Her characters all have their own distinct personalities. While she does tend to make their morals either completely good or completely bad, she does manage to throw in a few shades of grey so no character seems fake.
I did enjoy the book however, and look forward to the next installment. Its a great read with just the right amount of romance and intrigue.
Into the Wilderness
Copyright 1998
876 pages
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
interesting but not necessarily worth the time, it sort of goes on and on....
Alright so this whole book has me so indecisive. It should be something I love. It seems to be researched well, it's a historical romance novel, and I find the secondary characters very compelling. There is something I can't quite put my finger on, but the parts that just have Elizabeth or just Elizabeth and Daniel are a bit frustrating at times. (I did listen via audiobook, maybe it wouldn't have been as bad if I could skim the things that annoyed me so much.) I get that Elizabeth is a proper English spinster, well read and into the writings of Wollstonecraft and the like, but I can't stand her for most of the time. I want to like her. I'm saying this because I know it's probably just my own prerogative and not necessarily the writing. (It's always best to go off of a few reviews at least, anyway.)
I'm rating this 3/5 because it is a solid read, but not something I could see myself re-reading.
I'm rating this 3/5 because it is a solid read, but not something I could see myself re-reading.
This is the kind of book you can read the last 200 pages after a few beers. I mean, if I were 20 and looking for love, his golden thews stretching the bow might totally do it for me -- but there are hundreds of books like this one. This is billed as a sequel to Last of the Mohicans and have some of the characters but, eh. It's chick lit. For the first few hundred I was enjoying it as candy, but then -- it was quite clear where it was all going.
Fantastic book. I really like Sara Donati's writing style. I'm intrigued to see how the story goes on and I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series. Also, I haven't read any of Diana Gabaldon's work but reading the reviews here I think I might have to!
If you are in the mood for a long story with many characters & details pick this up. I absolutely loved the romance, the MMC & FMC were both such likeable characters. I suggest the audiobook. The Narrator does all the voices & other languages wonderfully. But this is definitely not a quick read.