[.ca] Into the Wilderness (ISBN 0553107364)

From Amazon.com:
In this ambitious and vibrant sequel to The Last of the Mohicans, Elizabeth Middleton, a well-educated spinster of 29, journeys from her home in England to her father's lands in upstate New York in 1792. Her widowed father has promised Elizabeth that she can become the schoolteacher for the local children, but on her arrival at Paradise, her father's property, she learns that he has brought her to America under false pretenses. It is his intention to find her a husband, preferably the well-respected physician, Richard Todd. Though Elizabeth has no intention to marry, she is immediately drawn, not to Richard, but to backwoodsman Nathaniel Bonner, son of Dan'l "Hawkeye" Bonner, hero of the James Fenimore Cooper classic. Nathaniel's connection to the Mohican (Mahican) people is a strong one; he considers Hawkeye's adoptive father, Chingachgook, his grandfather, and his own wife was a Mahican woman who died in childbirth several years earlier. Elizabeth learns from her father that her inheritance is a part of his lands, a mountain known as Hidden Wolf, to be granted to her when she marries. She soon finds herself caught between Nathaniel and the Mahicans, who want to buy back the mountain from her father as part of their hunting grounds, and Richard, who wants the land for himself and sees Elizabeth as the route to it. Her father, fearful that the sale of Hidden Wolf to the Mahicans will bring more Indians back to Paradise, favors Richard. Knowing Richard's main interest in her is her land, Elizabeth resists his attentions as she gets to know Nathaniel and his people. The backwoodsmen and their Indian friends accept her and respect her opinions, and she soon finds herself siding with their claim to Hidden Wolf. Meanwhile, the attraction between her and Nathaniel grows into a love that only adds to the conflict between the whites and the Indians. Into the Wilderness is an intelligent and beautifully written historical novel that draws the reader into another world. Elizabeth and Nathaniel are well-rounded and intelligent characters, and the secondary characters are also strong, three-dimensional, and often entertainingly quirky. Although the book is long--nearly 700 words--tight pacing makes it an entertaining read. Fans of Diana Gabaldon will want to watch for a cameo appearance by one of the characters of Gabaldon's stunning Outlander series. --Lisa Wanttaja

The First in a Wonderful New Series:
From the opening sentence of the book, which recalls Jane Austen's "Emma," this reader was immediately swept into the world of late 18th century upstate New York. Although the book invites comparisons to Dianah Gabaldon's Outlander series (and indeed Clare Frasier makes a brief appearance as a battlefield doctor), I found it also reminiscent of the works of Anya Seton. There is careful attention to the details of ordinary everyday life, an emphasis on creating memorable characters, and plot twists and turns that are quite suspenseful. Actually, the book can almost be considered a sequel to Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans," as Hawkeye and Chingachgook are featured characters, the former being the father of Nathaniel Bonner, the hero of this novel. Our heroine is Elizabeth Middleton, who has come to upstate New York from England at the age of 29 years to join her father, who has been living in the remote village for many years. Some reviewers have commented that Elizabeth is too politically correct for her time period, however I disagree, as it is made clear that she is a reader of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and other reformers. She is really a blue stocking in the best sense of that term. Her opening herself to love is a gradual process, although the reader knows from the start that Nathaniel is indeed her soul mate. Elizabeth is no "milk & water miss," as she has physical as well as moral courage. She defies her father, whom she truly loves, in order to follow not only her heart but also her head "into the wilderness" for a fullfilling life among those rejected as savages by the dominant culture. This is a book for anyone who enjoys detailed examinations of everyday life in the past, complex characters who are not sterotypes (Elizabeth's brother Julian and the village doctor, Richard Todd, are fully realized characters in their own right, not cardboard villains), and exciting adventure. There are supposed to be five books in this series: books two and three are in paperback, and number four is due out in hardcover this fall. I already have mine reserved!

Lost in the Wilderness:
Lost in the wilderness is what this book is. There are so many things wrong with it. This book is supposedly recommended for people who enjoy Diana Galbaldon's books...but really this book does not even come close to camparisent. There is no spark linking the two main characters. The author even has Claire and Jamie introduced as someone Daniel met in the past -two characters who really have a connection in the really good Outlander series. I have personally never read a harliquin book...but I'd say this is the closest I want to go into that genre. First, there is no real character development fot the characters. When the book first began I think that the author should have gone into more detail of the Middleton's and Elizabeth's experience coming to the colonies from Britian as well as more information about Daniel Bonner, His father and Sarah. The author automatically brought the two characters together and the intentions of the man quickly. Then at some point they end up going in the bush...there was one interesting character on the way in (Robbie)...but again not alot of character development. I don't really understand the whole point of going into the bush. No great interesting or great results come of it. Then they come back...the villagers have issues with Nathaniel and Elizabeth...and blah, blah, blah...the story is very unoriginal. I gave this book two stars because it did have some entertaining points. But, I think the author who is a woman should know that sex is good with details, but it is the wording that brings the connection and creates the romance that leaves the reader wanting more which is lost in this book...somewhere far into the forest...that is where i want throw my book.

I love this book!:
"Into the Wilderness" is great escapist reading. Though the beginning could be described as somewhat sedate, that is certainly not the word for the latter part of the novel. I found myself tightly gripping the book during more than one exciting scene, wide-eyed and breathless as the action unfolded. Great characters people the book, the writing is terrific, the (...) scenes are tastefully done, and the adventure is a grand one. I love this book and look forward to reading the subsequent novels in the series. Highly recommended escapist fare.

Great book:
I read this book years ago when I use to work at a library. I'm not into romance, but the cover looked interesting when I was shelving it. I guess I can say I fell in love with author before she was even known as being a great one. After reading the little known book, I immediately began recommending it to patrons. The characters are lovable and real, can't be missed book for romance, as well as, historical, and adventure readers!

A SWEEPING SAGA OF LATE 18TH CENTURY UPSTATE NEW YORK...:
This novel is the first in a series of three such novels published to date. It is a riveting, page-turning work of well-written historical fiction. It is a story woven from the gossamer threads of history and infused with the creativity of this author, so as to produce an utterly spellbinding and ambitious, sweeping epic novel. This is a novel that will appeal to those who love rousing historical fiction that carries with it a sense of teeming and timeless adventure. Those readers who have enjoyed the enormously popular "Outlander" series of novels by author Diana Gabaldon will especially enjoy this book. It should be noted that Diana Gabaldon herself has warmly endorsed this book. Moreover, that its author is herself a fan of Ms. Gabaldon, there can be little doubt, as the two main characters in Ms. Gabaldon's best selling "Outlander" series make a brief appearance nearly midway through this book. Moreover, the author also incorporates James Fennimore Cooper's character "Hawkeye" from his book, "The Last of the Mohicans", adding to the intriguing pastiche of characters, historical, literary, and imaginative, who pepper this book. The book is simple in its premise. An independent and outspoken, intelligent Englishwoman in her twenties, Elizabeth Middleton, leaves England with her brother Julian, to join their father, Judge Alfred Middleton, in the mountains of upstate New York, northwest of Albany. There, she meets Hawkeye's son, handsome backwoods man Nathaniel Bonner, a man who straddles two worlds, that of the white man and that of the native American, and finds herself falling head-over-heels in love with him. Despite her father's attempts to marry her off to a wealthy landowner and the village doctor, Richard Todd, she gravitates towards Nathaniel in defiance of her father, who has his own reasons for wanting to marry her off to Dr. Todd. The good doctor also has his own secret agenda in this matter, a secret that he keeps well hidden until thwarted of his desire. To further complicate matters, Elizabeth sets herself up as a school teacher for all the children of the village in which she lives, black, white, and native American, but finds herself locked in conflict with those who believe that education is only for a select group. What happens to Elizabeth and Nathaniel, as well as to their respective families, is positively gripping, given the adventures into which they are thrust. The author gives the reader a tantalizing glimpse into what life may have been like in upstate New York during that time period, with all its hardships, deprivations, and political and social turmoil, as well as the constantly shifting conflicts and alliances between the white settlers and the Mohawk nation. Descriptively rich and densely plotted, filled with historical personages of the time and well-known historical events, this ambitious and compelling novel will have the reader compulsively turning the pages until the very end. It is simply a wonderfully told and enthralling tale that any discerning lover of historical fiction will enjoy. Bravo!