Dawn on a Distant Shore (Wilderness)

This is the 2nd book in The Wilderness Series, each one is better than the last. Be sure to read them all so as not to miss out on any details.

An amazing trip through time, couldn't put it down. Every book was better than the last. Made me want to be there.

I read Into the Wilderness and had to immediately pick up Dawn on a Distant Shore to continue reading the detailed way in which Sara Donati writes to take me back into a different time. I have to say that now that I have finished both books and compared the two,they are written a little differently. I enjoyed both books immensly. Dawn on a Different Shore is packed full of adventure and detail however there isn't the slow pace detail in the story to savor like Into the Wilderness had. I too look forward to another book from Sara Donati that will let us enjoy Hidden Wolf and the wonderful characters and setting she has created for us there.

If you are new to this series, read this review - then go buy INTO THE WILDERNESS and read it first. Some series stories can be read out of sequence, but this is not one of them. DAWN ON A DISTANT SHORE assumes the reader already has some background knowledge about the main characters, and wastes little time bringing newcomers up to speed on their history. Instead, the tale plunges headfirst into the action and intrigue, and you'll miss out on some enjoyment if you have to play guess and catch-up with the events that precede it.The Bonners of New York State, in early post-revolutionary America, trade the wildness of the New World for the jaded Old, as they are forced into a trans-Atlantic chase to Scotland orchestrated by Nathaniel's distant older cousin, the Earl of Carryck. The Earl, a shadow figure about whom we learn only from others' perceptions for almost two-thirds of the book, is desperate to induce one of the male Bonners to stand as his heir, and thus help him avoid forfeiture of his ancestral lands. Although it is Hawkeye, the eldest in the Bonner line, whom he originally covets (yes, new readers, this is the same LAST OF THE MOHICANS Hawkeye), any male Bonner will do - which, of course, means that Nathaniel and his baby son, Daniel, are also at risk. In WILDERNESS, fresh characters populated a virgin land, with all its beauty, sharp edges, and savage nature. In DAWN, almost a third of the story is spent at sea, and the dangers are more human than natural.Sara Donati's sequel to INTO THE WILDERNESS is a different sort of book, and it is hard to avoid comparisons. However, DAWN stands on its own as a complex story about family and political relationships. I admire the inventive mind of the author, whom I forgive (just kidding) for making me wait six months longer than I'd hoped, to read this book. What a devious plot! The various characters are unfolding their personalities layer by layer; this time, Nathaniel's and Elizabeth's relationship is somewhat taken for granted and less in the forefront, while Hannah, Curiosity, and Hawkeye receive more attention. Several new characters, including one nice surprise, make their appearances (to be fleshed out later, I hope). Too many times to count, I found myself rereading certain passages in order to make sure I had all the relationships straight. In that respect, the story parallels WILDERNESS, where the reader has to thread a path through the intricacies of kinships that blend English, Mohawk, and American blood.To me, this book felt like a transitional work - a necessary middle story to elaborate on background, context, and personalities, and to introduce new faces while pruning away others whose time had come. Readers of WILDERNESS will notice that Dr. Todd, a very central character in the foundation story, is absent from this one, as is most of the Mohawk portion of the Bonner family. I missed these characters, and I also missed the exc

Sara Donati is a master of her genre. Her work is exceptionally well researched and her characters are sincere and very endearing. In Dawn of a Distant Shore, the relationships and characters that were introduced in Into the Wilderness grow and surprise us. (Just take the touching relationship between Nathaniel and his exceptionally perceptive daughter Hannah.) If you loved Curiousity in the first book, get ready for a wonderful dose of her and her wisdom in the second. Get the book, settle down in your most comfortable chair, and buckle up! You're in for a wonderful ride!

Sara Donati sure isn't afraid to take risks! Within pages of the beginning of the book she separates Elizabeth and Nathaniel, the heroine and hero she brought to life in INTO THE WILDERNESS. In the middle of winter Elizabeth delivers twins, but when the couple learns that Nathaniel's father, Hawkeye, and their friend Robbie MacLachlan are in prison in Canada, Nathaniel sets off to free them. He ends up being arrested, and this triggers a thrilling chain of events that leads the Bonner family and their friend, Curiosity Freeman, all the way to Scotland where they become the unwilling participants in age old political and religious conflict. Donati continues to explore the evolving relationship between Elizabeth and Nathaniel while bringing Nathaniel's daughter from his first marriage, Hannah, front and center. The end leaves open the possibility of further additions to Donati's saga. This is very good news, indeed, for her many readers who have come to care about this marvelous cast of characters. (And any book which cleverly manages to give Scottish poet Robert Burns a cameo is a winner in this reviewer's estimation!)

In 1794 at the edge of the wilderness in Upstate New York, Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner live in marital bliss. Their idyllic life turns even more blissful when Elizabeth gives birth to twins. However, Nathaniel soon learns that the British government in Canada has arrested his father, Hawkeye.Nathaniel travels to Canada to help his father, but instead finds himself incarcerated as an American spy. When Elizabeth discovers that her spouse could be hung for espionage, she takes her two children and Nathaniel's pre-teenage daughter from another marriage in order to intercede on his behalf. Her efforts go astray when someone kidnaps the twins. Elizabeth and Nathaniel follow the trail to his ancestral home in Scotland where they hope to once again become the loving family they were before Hawkeye was imprisoned.The sequel to the exciting INTO THE WILDERNESS, DAWN ON A DISTANT SHORE continues the post Revolutionary War adventures of the Bonner family. The lead couple is an invigorating duo who will charm readers even though at times their discussions seem so emoted that they feel comical. The support cast provides humor and depth as they help bring the late eighteenth century to life. The story line is impressive as the plot fully entertains the audience. Sara Donati creates an Americana epic that will receive much acclaim from fans and critics.Harriet Klausner