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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the New World to the Old,
By ladybug10 "ladybug10" (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dawn on a Distant Shore (Hardcover)
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 excitement, newness, and panorama of the New World and the fledgling nation setting that WILDERNESS gave us. DAWN is still a five-star book, for me, but like many of the other readers, and the Bonners themselves, I now want to go back to Paradise and Lake in the Clouds. Ms. Donati, I hope you'll take us back there next time!
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Donati delivers thrilling sequel,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dawn on a Distant Shore (Hardcover)
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!)
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it and surprised to read reviews in which people didn't,
This review is from: Dawn on a Distant Shore (Hardcover)
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.
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