Into the Wilderness

Rating:
Summary: It does remind me of Outlander
Review: This book does remind me of Outlander by D. Gabaldon. I got this book because it was recommended by Gabaldon on the cover (I love how she writes-she makes her characters and stories seem real). This book is too close to how Outlander is written. From being set in close time to the Outlander series, to names that are similiar and situations. It seems the author took Gabaldon's writing style/formula and inserted different names. If I had not read the Outlander series first, I probably would have enjoyed this book more. I do enjoy books that are written in so much detail you can actually feel like you are part of the book, which this book does. However, if you are looking for a well written, great time travel/historical fiction/romance pick the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Rating:
Summary: Imitating?
Review: By itself, this book is alright. it gets slightly tedious but it's pretty interesting and isn't at all painful to read. However, taking into the fact that Sara Donati communicates/is friends with Diana Gabaldon, I have to say that after reading this book, I was compelled to read Outlander again. Besides having Claire Fraser make an appearance in this book, it seems Ms. Donati has taken some ideas from Diana Gabaldon. In fact, Into the Wilderness seems like Outlander in a different setting and without the time travel. The characters seem to have the same kind of dialect with the same exact spellings as the dialect in Outlander, and Elizabeth seems to be a watered down version of Claire Fraser. It gets tedious at times and I found myself skimming through certain long passages of nothing. I found myself comparing every romantic scene in this book with every Jamie and Claire scene. The scenes Elizabeth and Nathaniel have together seem rushed, as if the author had to stuff it in just for the sake of some romance. This book is okay, in and of itself, but when I read it, all I could think of was the fact that this matches the Outlander series in approximate length and is so similar yet is so much less well written. As a superficial sidenote, I thought the long Indian names were slightly hard to follow. Read this book if you haven't read Outlander yet, or if you don't mind being slightly disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Once you start . . . you can't stop!
Review: This book is amazing . . Once you pick it up - you won't beable to put it down - it draws you in and makes you forget about everything else but what's happening inside the story. You feel as if you are there - with the characters! It's a wonderful series!

Rating:
Summary: SPECTACULAR!
Review: Into the Wilderness is incredibly rich and vibrant. The author grabs you from page one and takes you on a non stop adventure full of intrigue and interconnected plot lines. She has deftly woven together the characters of many races to create a unique tapestry of post revolutionary life in a very unsettled land. The charcaters come alive right before your eyes. Even the secondary characters take on a life of their own. I kept thinking Curiosity Freeman was going to jump out of the book, shake her finger at me and start giving me advice. The scottish accent for Robbie MacLachlan was the best I have ever read.
This is an excellent book!

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Opinion
Review: I thought the book was well crafted and greatly admire the level of period detail. It was interesting and the charcters were well developed. I would read the sequel, because I care what happens to Elizabeth and Nathanael. However, I was most distracted by the references to Pride and Prejudice. This is a completely different kind of story written at a different time by a different author. There is nothing of the Bennets in this novel, and I found the constant references to be rather jarring. I do not like to be winked at by the author when I am reading a novel, I should not see "the man behind the curtain".

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Donati picks up a generation after THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (which is well-conceived and an excellent story, but poorly written and very boring as a result) leaves off, with the romance and adventures of the original Nathaniel Bonner's adult son (whose name, in this book, is Nathaniel, while his father appears to have been called Daniel in English.) It is his story as well as that of a courageous English schoolteacher named Elizabeth, with whom he falls in love.

The story begins with Nathaniel's interest in Elizabeth, and events take off from there: encompassing Elizabeth's struggle to build and run a school in the tiny frontier town of Paradise, her evasion of an unwanted and persistant suitor, her love for Nathaniel and their quest to legalize it, and a desperate flight through the wilderness that easily matches the spirit of high adventure begun in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, and just as easily outdoes Cooper's writing by not just a mile, but several thousand.

There are two more books in this series to date; the second is called DAWN ON A DISTANT SHORE and is also a great read, though slower to start. The third, LAKE IN THE CLOUDS, I have not yet read, but I can't wait!

Rating:
Summary: True Romance
Review: I truly enjoyed this entertaining book about rebelion , change, but most importantly love. this book is about a woman who risks losing everything for the man she loves. this long book is really worth-while and i recomend it to anyone who enjoys a long story.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story and Historical Fiction
Review: I've never read The Last of the Mohicans so please don't feel that you have to have that background to enjoy this book. It's a wonderful read! Being from Upstate NY and having lived in a few of the areas that Ms. Donati takes us to - it's that much more interesting.

Elizabeth is a wonderful heroine, with a strong will, heart, and mind. Nathaniel is a perfect foil to her. While there were times when I wondered just what else could happen to this couple it was great to see that they remained a couple, worked through their problems, and did not get hung up in the stereotypical "romance" problems of not forgiving and being stubborn to a fault.

Ms. Donati also introduces us to a cast of well developed supporting characters, including old Rab, Anna and her father, as well as Curiosity and Elizabeth's own father and brother.

It's not just a romance, but a well written story and mystery. I'd highly recommend this book and the other two in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Still lingures, even several months after finishing the book
Review: I bought this book for my husband. He stopped and read me enough passages that I picked it up as soon as he finished. Elizabeth and Nathanal reminded me so much of Claire and Jamie from the OUTLANDER series.

Rich in history, action, adventure, characters and romance, it's a book that many will enjoy. Each page brought a new character, crisis or adventure.

I immediately went in search of book two after finishing INTO THE WILDERNESS.

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this novel!
Review: I was introduced to this book on audio tape thought Books-on-tape. I really like it. I did not know there was a connection to Last of the Mohigans or Pride and Prejudice. Now, I have to re-read the first novel. I liked the story and thought that it was interesting. I was not as thrilled with the sequel, Dawn on a Distant Shore, but bought it anyway. I am ordering the third novel through Amazon.com and am looking forward to reading it. These novels are worth a try if you like historical fiction and romance. If you do not like them when you are done, donate them to your local library!