Rating: 
Summary: Back home 10 years later.
Review: After having read the first two books in the series I wasn't sure what to expect other than Sara Donati's excellent style of writing. The first book was outstanding, the second one okay but the third one...Hmmmmm On the first reading I was a little disappointed but only because I wanted more Elizabeth and Nathaniel but got a lot of Hannah and some Lily. Hannah has grown into a strikingly beautiful young woman who turns out to be an exceptional "medicine woman". An ironic twist is that she is studying under and working with, Richard Todd, who long ago claimed her as his own daughter. After rereading, the book became a favorite. The initial disappointment came from less of the two main characters and more of their children which tends to happen in a family series. There is a lot of 18C medical practices which proved to be very interesting and as expected, Hannah ended up marrying an Indian and going off with him to his home. When she leaves her uncle Otter, who brought her future husband to Lake in the Clouds, leaves also along with Hawkeye. It leaves one with the fear that we'll never see Hawkeye again but who knows what's in store for the next book. The all time favorite was Into the Wilderness with Lake in the Clouds second and Dawn on a Distant Shore third in interest. I eagerly await the next book in the series though.
Rating:
Summary: What a great read!
Review: After waiting for so long for this new book in the Wilderness series to be published, I was very happy that Lake In The Clouds lived up to the standards of Donati's other books in this series. I was a little bit concerned at first that the book shifted so much away from Elizabeth and Nathaniel and onto Hannah, but by the end I could see that this was a great way for the author to go.
I thought the time lapse of 8 years, from when Dawn on a Distant Shore ended to Lake In The Clouds beginning, was really good, because it let characters grow older, or pass on, and new characters be introduced.
I also thought from a historical perspective that the main story of slaves being helped to escape to freedom, was good as it gave a feel to the sort of time these people were living in.
All in all I thought this was an excellent third book and will read it again many times, while waiting for the next installment.
Rating: 
Summary: Just fabulous
Review: BE READY FOR ANYTHING!--- that should be the motto of the Bonners and readers alike when dealing with the storytelling of Sara Donati. LAKE IN THE CLOUDS will surely please all Wilderness fans for the simple reason that Sara Donati once again thrills us with a gorgeously written (and obviously well-researched) story of the Bonners, this time in early 1800's New York and all it brings. Faced with the prospects of love, the wrath of slavery, and the hard reality of disease, LAKE IN THE CLOUDS centers most on Hannah's story as a young woman; her strength of character and purpose place her in situations that challenge her very existence. I, for one, never would have guessed how the book ended.ITW fans will be so pleased to be reunited with characters from Paradise - to see how some have changed, some for the better, and sadly, some for the worse. Poignant, thrilling, and challenging at times, LAKE IN THE CLOUDS was well worth the wait, and by far my favorite one yet.
Rating:
Summary: 3rd in a breathtaking series.
Review: Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner are back in their beloved mountain home in New York state.The village is still suffering from the after effects of a typhoid epidemic and Hannah, Nathaniels daughter from his first marriage, is studying to be a doctor under the tutelage of Dr. Richard Todd. He semds her to the city to learn the process of vaccination so that she might return to innoculate all of the villagers and also the local Indians. Elizabeth and Nathaniel smuggle a runaway slave to Canada which results in "blackbirders"-slave bounty hunters, arriving in Paradise, the village near their home to try to implicate the Bonners and their friends in the escape.It's a great third book in the series and I can't wait for book 4.
Rating:
Summary: 3rd in a breathtaking series.
Review: Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner are back in their beloved mountain home in New York state.The village is still suffering from the after effects of a typhoid epidemic and Hannah, Nathaniels daughter from his first marriage, is studying to be a doctor under the tutelage of Dr. Richard Todd. He semds her to the city to learn the process of vaccination so that she might return to innoculate all of the villagers and also the local Indians. Elizabeth and Nathaniel smuggle a runaway slave to Canada which results in "blackbirders"-slave bounty hunters, arriving in Paradise, the village near their home to try to implicate the Bonners and their friends in the escape.It's a great third book in the series and I can't wait for book 4.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful story, great read
Review: First, the reviewer for Publishers Weekly was obviously was gunning for this author, as the tone is purely nasty. The crack about Ward and June Cleaver says more about the reviewer than the novel. So why give the review pride of place, I'm wondering? I bought the novel anyway because I couldn't wait for the paperback anymore, and because the first two were really good, and I'm glad I did. There's a big complicated story here, but I like that in a historical, lots of well developed plot and characters. If you like the minimalist, critical darling of the week, Iowa Workshop approach to storytelling then you're in the wrong place with this novel. If you like a well written story with lots to think about (some history here that I was really unfamiliar with and shocked by) and some romance thrown in, then hunker down with this novel. But read the other two first.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read in two years!
Review: I adore Ms. Donati's Wilderness series, and I had been waiting (impatiently) for this next installment since the day I finished its predecessor, Dawn on a Distant Shore. I had no fear that I would be disappointed with this book, and I definitely was not. I finished it within two days, and I would have finished it a lot sooner if I hadn't forced myself to drag it out a little longer. Like the first two books in the series, its plot was engaging, its characters were vivid and believable, and its ending of course left me impatient for the next book. I hope it will not be another two years before I get my hands on it, but it will definitely be worth the wait.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I eagerly awaited this book and was disappointed with it.
I had to force myself to read it waiting for something to happen!
I loved the first 2 books, but Lake in the Clouds was dragged out and just didn't keep me riveted.
Rating:
Summary: wow, better than the first two
Review: I guess the third time really is the charm. I was worried Donati wouldn't be able to keep up the quality of the storytelling but I was wrong. This is a fantastic story. Lots of Elizabeth and Nathaniel (I was afraid we wouldn't see much of them ) but a whole lot of Hannah and the old favorites are still with us.
It's a big book with a lot of storylines, but I didn't have any trouble keeping them all straight, and I just love the ending with Hannah and (I guess i can't put it here because it would spoil the surprise. I for one thought something completely different was in store for her, but I'm not disappointed at all). It was also darn sad in parts, not in a soppy way, but I guess I better stop now before I really do give something away.
Rating: 
Summary: Expected Better
Review: I hope this isn't the last book in the series because it leaves way too many loose ends. I also felt kind of mislead by the book jacket and other reviews. A relationship that I thought would take center stage gets the short shrift and a character that I had no emotional investment in shows up in the last sixth of the book and is rushed into a romance which I felt was forced.
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