So why am I only giving the book 3 out of 5 stars? I think because of those quirky personal preferences I mention above and which I will try to describe clearly below so that if they are things that bother you too, you can be at least prepared. If you have any interest in this time period, in stories that take place in the wilderness or on a frontier, I think you will really enjoy this book. When I sat down to read, I would easily get sucked in and it kept me up past my bed time a couple nights. It's emotional, suspenseful, exciting and romantic. It's a soap opera but without all the negative connotations that description might bring. The story is epic and full of complications and adventure. As a Wildlife Biologist, I particularly enjoyed that the book touched on the hunting of game, even introducing the seeds that would give birth to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. It all feels very authentic and easy to sink into. Nathaniel and his father, though they are of European descent, have close ties to the native peoples in the area and this gives Donati the ability to present the world through the lens of both. If you are history buff with an eye for accurate details, it may not stand up but if you are just interested in feeling a historical setting you should be pleased by Into the Wilderness. Donati is able to relate a wealth of information about the time period and the culture of the time without it ever feeling like she is imparting the information. The historical details and ambiance were the biggest strengths of the book for me. The plot and setting are too much front and center to put it into the romance genre. It's historical fiction, heavy on the romance but it can't really be called a historical romance. There are other similarities as well and I think if you are a fan of that series, Into the Wilderness is worth checking out. This book and its series frequently gets compared to the Outlander series and even features a cameo from the two main characters from Outlander. However, I need to back up and say a little more about Into the Wilderness. I have run into this in two other books lately ( Cast in Shadow, and The Founding) and I aim to review both of them this week too. The bottom line is that I don't connect with the main female character and this fact ends up casting a pall over what is otherwise a pretty fantastic book. Whether this choosiness is from some anti-feminist bias that I have internalized unconsciously or whether I just demand, what I deem to be, realistic portrayals of female characters, I don't know, and is probably fodder for another post. The problem lies primarily with the female protagonist because I am decidedly choosy about female characters. Part of the reason it went slowly was a quirk of mine that has popped up in a few books lately and that makes it hard for me to decide whether I liked the book or not. It weighs in at 878 pages so it is an official chunkster but it should not have taken the month and a half that I ended up needing to get through it. She feels drawn to him and when she gives into temptation it sets her on an adventure through the American wilderness. Her plans quickly become much more complicated when she makes the acquaintance of Nathaniel Bonner, a widower and self-sufficient homesteader who lives a life somewhere between the world of the European Settlers and the native peoples of the area. She is 29 years old, a spinster and her dream is to start a school in the town. SYNOPSIS: Elizabeth Middleton travels from England to join her father in a small town he founded in upstate New York, circa 1790. I speculate that it's current popularity is related to it being compared to Outlander, which is having a very hot moment indeed. Even though it was published 18 years ago I had to wait for months to get it. WHY?: I forget exactly where I saw this book recommended but I was so excited about it, I immediately put it on hold at the library.
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