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  • Into the Wilderness

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Sara Donati
  • Narrated by: Kate Reading
  • Length: 30 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (117 ratings)

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Into the Wilderness cover art

Into the Wilderness

Written 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

What the critics say

"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)

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What listeners say about Into the Wilderness

Average Customer Ratings
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Good book

I found the book hard to get into till chapter 20. Then It got so much better.

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  • mj
  • 2018-09-13

Riveting Read

I listened to this story on a long road trip . I hardly noticed the hours of driving. A great story, well read.
#Audible1

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Excellent audio book

We live in a remote place, so shopping and medical business requires a long drive to and from the nearest village on the Island. The drive is more relaxing listening to an audio book. This one is one of the best so far, given it's historical value and the things we learned about wilderness survival and the conflict between races. We will purchase more from this author.

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    4 out of 5 stars

A great story with strong female lead!

This is a lovely book, and the reader is excellent! The story is wild and captivating, while offering delicious romance and seduction. Perfect for those who have enjoyed the Outlander series. Highly recommended! #Audible1

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over all pretty goo

in the begining i feel the building of relations between the two main characters was rushed and could have been a littke better, but the characters were fairly strong and the writing is decent. The voice actor isnt half bad either. has a few different accents so pretty good too.

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loved this series!

I enjoyed the book so much that I have listened to the series several times!! One of my go to books.#Audible1

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great story

Thoroughly enjoyed listen to this book. It could be difficult to follow all characters at times, but it was a good story.

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Loved this book!

The audio performance was excellent and I’ll definitely re-listen to this one again in the future.

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Wonderful - Highly recommended !

This was my first Sara Donati book and I loved it so much that I have already purchased the next 3 in the audio series. Her beautifully descriptive narrative draws you in and paints a picture in your mind....it's as if you are present in her story. Characters are strong and believable. Sara's knowledge of history, geography and especially nature is so important to the story and I learned a lot from this book. Kate Reading's narration really does it justice with her varied accents and pronunciations. Highly recommended!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • M.G
  • 2022-03-05

quite the adventure

I listened to this story over a month or two..the story had so many twists and turns. it's well researched and I enjoy imagining the lives of indigenous peoples and settlers from UK in Great Lakes region.. It was a bit too much of a romance for my taste but it kept my entertained. The reader was amazing and could do excellent Scottish accents and Kahnienkehaka Language.

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