Lake in the Clouds

by Sara Donati

Book Overview

In her extraordinary novels Into the Wilderness and Dawn on a Distant Shore , award-winning writer Sara Donati deftly captured the vast, untamed wilderness of late-eighteenth-century New York and the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553801406
• ISBN13: 9780553801408
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 613 Pages
• Weight: 2.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

The book was damaged.

This is going to a prison . Due to the damaged state of the book it was discarded and never given to my husband. I am ordering it again. I have always had good products from y'all and appreciate that we are able to order books for such a low price.

#3 Just as great as the first two in the series

We have enjoyed this series. Each one is hard to put down! Read it and go get the next ones.

Good Read

I enjoyed this book; it held my interest and was one of those stories you wish wouldn't end. A good read!

A Much Welcome Return!

This book, the 3rd in the Wilderness series, was an extremely welcome return of both the characters and Donati's style and form showcased in the 1st book, but absent in the 2nd. In my opinion, of course. The characters are now back on US soil which makes for a better read. In Dawn on A Distant Shore, most of the story takes place on the high seas and in Scottland which had the characters out of their element. In, Lake in The Clouds, Donati returns readers to Paradise, NY, and many of the original secondary characters reappear. Much of this tale focuses on Hannah Bonner, her medical education, and her journey into womanhood. Hawkeye, Nathiel and Elizabeth Bonner play a major role in the plot surrounding Curiosity Freeman and her family. The pace is fast, filled with danger, villains, and intrigue. Although I was disappointed in the fate of a particular character, Liam Kirby, I was satisfied with the conclusion. This book is a must read for Donati/Wilderness fans.

Carefully Crafted Historical

Third in the Bonner family series, following INTO THE WILDERNESS AND DAWN ON A DISTANT SHORE, this latest installment in Ms. Donati's historical saga lives up to reader's high expectations following the first two novels. Set in the early 1800's in Northwestern New York State, Lake in the Clouds is the Bonner's family settlement. Near the fictitious village of Paradise, west of Albany, Nathaniel Bonner, his second wife Elizabeth, and their eight-year-old twins Lily and Daniel, struggle to maintain their principles of equality amidst a world of hatred and prejudice. Nathaniel's daughter Hannah, from his first marriage, is half Mohawk and half white and has apprenticed under the local physician, Dr. Richard Todd. As Hannah journeys to New York City to learn the practice of administering the small pox vaccination, Nathaniel and Elizabeth must deal with a complication of their own. A fugitive slave woman is discovered on Lake in the Clouds, and freed slaves and friends of the Bonners, Curiosity and Galileo Freeman , ask for the Bonners' help. Though their family may be at peril, the Bonners along with Hannah's aunt and uncle, Many- Doves and Runs-from-Bears, must decide what action to take next when a bounty hunter and childhood friend of Hannah's appears in Paradise. Rich historical detail enhances this novel, thereby creating realism that adds power to a story line involving the almost insurmountable obstacles faced by early American settlers. Though romance is found in the ever-changing relationship between Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, Ms. Donati's latest unveiling of the early nineteenth century world dispels notions of romanticism of the times. With a multitude of life-threatening illness and lack of medical care, life on the frontier and in the cities was filled with peril. But the enduring quality of this captivating tale lies in the strength of its characters, as they must face each new challenge with a reliance on friends and self that is not often found in today's world.

Paradise and More.....

This third book in a series takes a large step in time, but Donati holds true to her grasp of the wilderness and the characters, who fortify her stories with warmth and poignancy. "Lake in the Clouds" allowed me to see the fruits of Elizabeth and Nathaniel's love. They have been tested, but their courage, strength and playfulness return through their children. The storyline portrays a trying time in U.S. History. Run-away slaves, bounty hunters, fevers, and un-timely death all jockey to reek havoc on the Bonners. The extended family members and towns people are clear characters which drew me deeper into the story. The pace is quick, the love is tender, and the adventrue is un-predictable. This is Hannah's story, and she is forced to make some life-altering decisions. Nathaniel and Elizabeth gain the grace, through these adventures, to have the faith in their daughter that they posess in each other. Donati pulls well researched history into these challanges, and she weaves them into this un-easy phase for any family. The Bonners story has gracefully been delegated to their children. I can only imagine the grasp this family will have on me when Donati has finished.

Fantastic Read!

I must say that I was not sure how good this book was going to be, because I was a bit disappointed with Dawn on a Distant Shore. But Donati is back on sure footing here, and is writing about what she knows. I found the 8 year or so time lapse from the end of Dawn on a Distant Shore disconcerting at first, but it ended up being effective, allowing us to see the maturing of LIly and Daniel & especially Hannah (although Lily spoke a bit too maturely for a girl of her young years). It was nice to see all of the old characters and to meet some new ones. Hannah is very likable (and for Diana Gabaldon fans who are also Sara Donati fans perhaps you might appreciate that Hannah is a character entirely unto herself, rather than an extension of her father, as Brianna Fraser seems to be). Some bits were confusing, but will clear up after a second read--however, the last 200 pages or so are tremendously exciting, as the reader is back in Paradise with a terrific plot. All in all, I would say it was a very good book--I enjoyed it and will definitely read it again and again. I have to say that I feared the series would tire itself out, but it has not--in fact, it leaves me with anticipation of another book. Fantastic job, Ms. Donati!

Just fabulous

BE READY FOR ANYTHING!--- that should be the motto of the Bonners and readers alike when dealing with the storytelling of Sara Donati. LAKE IN THE CLOUDS will surely please all Wilderness fans for the simple reason that Sara Donati once again thrills us with a gorgeously written (and obviously well-researched) story of the Bonners, this time in early 1800's New York and all it brings. Faced with the prospects of love, the wrath of slavery, and the hard reality of disease, LAKE IN THE CLOUDS centers most on Hannah's story as a young woman; her strength of character and purpose place her in situations that challenge her very existence. I, for one, never would have guessed how the book ended.ITW fans will be so pleased to be reunited with characters from Paradise - to see how some have changed, some for the better, and sadly, some for the worse. Poignant, thrilling, and challenging at times, LAKE IN THE CLOUDS was well worth the wait, and by far my favorite one yet.