Fire Along the Sky [Mass Market Paperback]

Sara Donati (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 2005

With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain cabin in Paradise. But Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner can see that Hannah is not the same woman as when she left. For their daughter has come home without her husband and without her son…and with a story of loss and tragedy that she can’t bear to tell. Yet as Hannah resumes her duties as a gifted healer among the sick and needy, she finds that she is also slowly healing herself. Little does she realize that she is about to be called away to face her greatest challenge ever.

As autumn approaches, news of the latest conflict with Britain finds the young men of Paradise—including eighteen-year-old Daniel Bonner—eager to take up arms. Against their better judgment, Nathaniel and Elizabeth must let him go, just as they must let his twin sister Lily, a stubborn beauty, pursue her independence in Montreal. But on the eve of the War of 1812, an unexpected guest arrives from Scotland: It is the Bonners’ distant cousin, the newly widowed Jennet Scott of Carryckcastle. Far from home, Lily and Jennet will each learn the price of pursuing their dreams and the possibility of true love.

But it’s Hannah herself who must risk everything once more—this time to save Daniel, who’s been taken prisoner by the British. As the distant thunder of war threatens Paradise, Hannah may learn to live—and maybe love—again in one final act of courage, duty, and sacrifice.

A gifted writer, a master storyteller, and a first-rate historian, Sara Donati has written a powerful, poignant, and movingly romantic novel that chronicles the lives and adventures of a family as compelling and unforgettable as any in American fiction.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Donati continues the saga of the valiant Bonner family, last seen in 2002's Lake in the Clouds, in this sprawling, slow-to-start epic starring four formidable women. It's 1812, and Elizabeth Bonner—teacher, crusader and second wife of hunter/trapper/farmer Nathaniel—is still living in a mountain cabin above the village of Paradise in upper New York State. With her is her restless, independent daughter, Lily, whose plans to study art in England were dashed by the beginnings of the war. Nearby in Montreal is the newly widowed Scotswoman Lady Jennet, who has come to the new world to find the man she should have married, Nathaniel's son Luke. And arriving presently is Hannah, Nathaniel's half-Mohawk daughter by his first wife; after 10 years as a healer with her mother's people, Hannah comes home to recover from a terrible personal tragedy. This saga sees Lily through one disastrous romance and then a second, tempestuous but ultimately successful one, and Lady Jennet—a charming storyteller and Tarot reader—through the American invasion of French Canada, where another Bonner son is wounded and imprisoned. Hannah embarks on a search for peace and, along with Jennet, aids the prisoners held in Canada's Nut Island stockade. This is an episodic but entertaining novel held together by the kind of family loyalties that defy cruelty, war and even fate itself.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Historical fiction writer Donati continues her popular Wilderness series. These plot-heavy and somewhat dense books (the list of primary characters runs to two pages) focus on the rugged lives of hard men and strong-willed women eking out an existence on the New York frontier. In this new novel, we meet the second generation of the Bonner clan--the sons and daughters of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, two primary characters from the previous entries in the series. As the epic saga unfolds, Nathaniel and Elizabeth try to guide their brood through various calamities and personal relationships. The year is 1812, and their daughter, Hannah, has just returned to the family's mountain cabin, the victim of a tragedy that has claimed her husband and child. Hannah, once a talented healer, is a forlorn shadow of her former self. In addition, the war drums are beating, and as the War of 1812 intrudes on the family's life, the village's young men, including Hannah's brother, Daniel, are eager to take up arms. Meanwhile, the precocious youngest child, Lily, is growing up fast; a recently widowed cousin from Scotland is also thrown into the mix. Readers will enjoy following all of their stories as well as those of several neighbors and fellow frontiersmen. Donati's mix of historical fiction and romance is very popular with library patrons, so librarians might want to purchase more than one copy. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Dell (November 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553582771
• ISBN-13: 978-0553582772
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Saga
  • #48 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Historical > General

More About the Author

Sara Donati is the pen name of Rosina Lippi. She lives with her husband, daughter, and various pets in an area between the Cascade Mountains and the Puget Sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Fire Along the Sky" will Not Disappoint You, September 25, 2004

By 

anneej (East Coast U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fire Along the Sky (Donati, Sara) (Hardcover)

In 1998 Sara Donati published "Into the Wilderness," the first in this family saga set in post-Revoluntary War upstate New York. "Into the Wilderness" received excellent reviews from Booklist and Kirkus Reviews, and was embraced by readers of historical romances and historical novels. Books two and three of the series were somewhat disappointing, but in the fourth book of the series Donati has returned to her "Wilderness" roots. This is one of the few novels that I know that is set during the War of 1812, and while the author admits to having taken some liberties with the military aspects of the war, Donati has done her research.

Lily, the daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, is the focus of "Fire," although cousin Jennet from Scotland, and Hannah (Nathaniel's daughter from his first marriage to an Indian woman) are not shortchanged. Lily has been hiding a secret, or so she believes: she thinks she is in love with a man married to a childhood friend, yet she finds herself attracted to Simon Ballentyne, the business partner of her half-brother Luke. Jennet has arrived unannounced from Scotland, hoping to marry Luke, who is reluctant to commit due to the war. And Hannah returns from the west without her husband or her child, a dispassionate shadow of her former self. The fates of some familiar characters from past books are resolved (including those of Richard Todd and Liam Kirby), while I have the feeling that evil Jemima Southern Kuick will turn up once again like a bad penny in a future installment.

Donati has a knack of being able to handle a laundry-list of characters without ever confusing the reader as to their identity. Each character is an individual and some are little gems of individuality, such as Cornelius Bump. However, I do not feel that her books (with the exception of "Into the Wilderness") could ever be read as stand-alone books, as they build on each other, both in terms of plot and character development. Donati has an ability to faithfully recreate a time and place without going into great detail, as her books are primarily character-driven. Although not as evident in this book as in the previous ones, she has a knack for making the reader feel that he or she is really in the wilderness -- feeling the isolation of the characters, the smells and sounds of the world before the age of the train and the airplane, the telegraph and the cellphone. I am hoping that the fifth installment of this series is not far behind!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best installment since "Into the Wilderness...", September 24, 2004

By 

Merri Fefles (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire Along the Sky (Donati, Sara) (Hardcover)

I have to admit I was not that excited about this book--I loved Into the Wilderness, and liked #2 and #3 (although the third volume was better than Dawn on a Distant Shore), but this just blew me away! I couldn't put it down--I had the same feeling when I first read Into the Wilderness, a book I have read and re-read dozens of times.

I think Donati has revitalized this series, and I must say that I find the newer characters (especially Lily and Simon) very believable and just as engaging as Elizabeth and Nathaniel. I have always been a Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series) fan, and I still love her stories, but I think she tends to overdramatize her hero and make him into an unbelievable superman (Jamie Fraser's been on the verge of death 500 times).

Donati's Nathaniel, however, has aged, he doesn't run around taking on the world like he used to (he didn't run off to Montreal), and is a much more believable character than Gabaldon's Jamie Fraser. I think I have become even more enthusiastic for this series than the Outlander series and cannot wait for the next installment.

Yes, I agree with the other reviews--you definitely need to read the first three to truly appreciate it--but that is the same of almost every series.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Donati recalls she's writing for the romance genre, June 21, 2006

By 

Kristen "historical fiction junkie" (Central Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire Along the Sky (Mass Market Paperback)

Really... a 4.5 review, but I rounded up for the stars. This is a fun 'escapism' read - not too thick on history or romance, and delightfully thin on military action.

I don't typically think of myself as a fan of romantic historical fiction - bodice ripping or 'fair maiden meets warrior' sorts of books - but occasionally I find books that have more meat to them than what one thinks of in this genre.

As a fan of Diana Gabaldon (particularly the first 3), I was pleased to find Sara Donati's series. Into the Wilderness (her first) caught my attention so much that I simply went out and bought the remaining three published thus far. Dawn on a Distant Shore and Lake in the Clouds were somewhat disappointing, and I began Fire Along the Sky out of a sense of obligation. What I discovered is that Donati gave up attempts to write 'action' and returned to her romance roots. The result was a much more satisfying book.

While lean on historical accuracies, this book delivers if you are looking for an entertaining story with some sexual tension and interesting characters. It is simply a very enjoyable read - nothing more. Just fun!

The drawbacks are that the story does build upon events from books One through Three, and readers will be far better informed if they've read the series in order than if they attempt to pick up here. Over the years Elizabeth Bonner's character has become slightly annoying, and Curiosity Freeman is practically a cliche. I missed Nathaniel Bonner as well; he's a bit too far in the background in this book.

That said, the characters of Lily Bonner and her cousin Jennet Carryck are more interesting. Further, Donati delivers realistic portrayals of how grief and mourning may rob the very life of a person when writing Hannah Bonner and Daniel Bonner, and how their painful silent inward anguish pains and haunts all who love them.

The draw in this story is the romance between Lily and Simon. Does it come out of nowhere as other readers mention? Yes. But you won't care after a bit. It simmers, nearly boils, then cools and simmers some more... and repeats that cycle again. The presentation of their growing relationship - particulalry their sexual one - is a bit 20th Century, but that just made it fun to read. Donati skillfully stokes anticipation, and brings back memories of feeling giddy. Enjoy!