Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Lake in the Clouds (Wilderness #3)

by Sara Donati (Goodreads Author)

4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 · rating details · 3,979 ratings · 166 reviews

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 trials and triumphs of the Bonner family. Now Donati takes on a new and often overlooked chapter in our nation’s past--and in the life of the spirited Bonners--as their oldest...more 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 trials and triumphs of the Bonner family. Now Donati takes on a new and often overlooked chapter in our nation’s past--and in the life of the spirited Bonners--as their oldest daughter, the brave and beautiful Hannah, comes of age with a challenge that will change her forever. Masterfully told, this passionate story is a moving tribute to a resilient, adventurous family and a people poised at the brink of a new century.

It is the spring of 1802, and the village of Paradise is still reeling from the typhoid epidemic of the previous summer. Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have lost their two-year-old son, Hannah’s half brother Robbie, but they struggle on as always: the men in the forests, the twins Lily and Daniel in Elizabeth’s school, and Hannah as a doctor in training, apprenticed to Richard Todd. Hannah is descended from healers on both sides--one Scots grandmother and one Mohawk--and her reputation as a skilled healer in her own right is growing.

After a long night spent attending to a birth, Elizabeth and Hannah encounter an escaped slave hiding on the mountain. She calls herself Selah Voyager, and she is looking for Curiosity Freeman--a former slave herself, one of the village’s wisest women and Elizabeth’s closest friend. The Bonners take Selah, desperately ill, to Lake in the Clouds to care for her, and with that simple act they are drawn into the secret life that Curiosity and Galileo Freeman and their grown children have been leading for almost ten years. The Bonners will do what they must to protect the Freemans, just as Hannah will protect her patient, who presents more than one kind of challenge. For a bounty hunter is afoot--Hannah’s childhood friend and first love, Liam Kirby.

While Elizabeth and Nathaniel undertake a treacherous journey through the endless forests to bring Selah to safety in the north, Hannah embarks on a very different journey to New-York City, with two goals: to learn the secrets of vaccination against smallpox, a disease that threatens Paradise, and to find out what she can about Liam’s immediate past and what caused him to change so drastically from the boy she once loved. The obstacles she faces as a woman and a Mohawk make her confront questions long avoided about her place in the world.

Those questions follow her back to Paradise, where she finds that the medical miracle she brings with her will not cure prejudice or superstition, nor can it solve the problem of slavery. No sooner have the Bonners begun to rebound from their losses--old and new--than they find themselves confronted by more than one old enemy in a battle that will test the strength of their love for one another. Hannah faces the decision she has always dreaded: will she make a life for herself in a white world, or among her mother’s people?(less)

Hardcover, 680 pages

Published July 30th 2002 by Bantam Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 14, 2013 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, romance, fiction, dropbox

I can't stop reading these books, fascinating family and history.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 09, 2013 Charlynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A decade has passed since this series last left off after Dawn on a Distant Shore and much has changed, not so much for the Bonners… though life has certainly continued for the family in that they have loved, lost, and aged… but in how Donati explores the Bonners’ story. Nathaniel and Elizabeth are now supporting characters. Consequently, much of the book’s action is presented from different perspectives – familiar in characterization but strangers in voice.

Primarily, the novel is split into thr...more A decade has passed since this series last left off after Dawn on a Distant Shore and much has changed, not so much for the Bonners… though life has certainly continued for the family in that they have loved, lost, and aged… but in how Donati explores the Bonners’ story. Nathaniel and Elizabeth are now supporting characters. Consequently, much of the book’s action is presented from different perspectives – familiar in characterization but strangers in voice.

Primarily, the novel is split into three distinct sections. The first focuses upon a runaway slave and what her presence in Paradise means for the Bonners and the Freemans. Nathaniel and Elizabeth go into the wilderness once more to guide the woman and her unborn child to safety, knowingly bringing danger into their own family’s life. Next, Hannah leaves Paradise for New York City, traveling with an ill Kitty and Ethan, to gain smallpox vaccination training. Finally, these two portions of the novel culminate in the third when both parties return home only to be thrust into a simmering racial battle fraught with revenge, secrets, and new relationships. To coincide with these three distinct portions of Lake in the Clouds, there are three main narrators: Hannah, Lily, and Jemima Southern – a recently blossomed woman, a child looking for her direction in life, and a bitter servant with an ax to grind, respectively.

With this introduction to the novel given, it is rather impossible to present a review without bringing the personal into my remarks. It has been nearly three months since I last posted, not because I wasn’t reading during that time but because I wasn’t reading (and finishing) this novel. Instead, I found myself constantly distracted (sometimes willingly and sometimes almost unwillingly) by other reading options. (Hello Downton Abbey fanfic, I’m looking at you.) And this wasn’t because Lake in the Clouds is a horrible or uninteresting book… persay. While I realize this is certainly NOT a stellar recommendation, the truth of the matter is that, for a series which has been, up to this point, quite stellar, Lake in the Clouds was a disappointment, and, because it did not live up to its predecessors, the novel hurt itself by comparison. A separate entity, and I believe I would have finished the work much sooner, but I was disgruntled by the lack of Nathaniel and Elizabeth in Lake in the Clouds, and that disgruntlement just became a lack of interest in regards to new characters not related back to the Bonners’ story, Hannah’s medical endeavors, Lily’s adolescent insights, and Jemima’s interloping presence. One hopes that, next, when there is Fire Along the Sky, Donati will return to what made her series memorable and enjoyable in the first place – that she’ll take her readers back into the wilderness (figuratively) again.(less)

like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

I think this is my favorite book of the series so far. As a recap (and spoiler if you haven't read the first few books) Elizabeth was a spinster woman who came to America to teach school. However, she meets Nathaniel Bonner and falls in love and together they must elope and find a way to restore property back to its rightful owners, the Mahican. When this has settled they are inexplicably rushed to Scotland to rescue their twins who have been kidnapped. An earl there wants an heir and Nathaniel'...more I think this is my favorite book of the series so far. As a recap (and spoiler if you haven't read the first few books) Elizabeth was a spinster woman who came to America to teach school. However, she meets Nathaniel Bonner and falls in love and together they must elope and find a way to restore property back to its rightful owners, the Mahican. When this has settled they are inexplicably rushed to Scotland to rescue their twins who have been kidnapped. An earl there wants an heir and Nathaniel's son could be it. It leaves with Nathaniel discovering a long lost son who decides to go in his place and they return home to America.

This book has to deal with runaway slaves, smallpox, and other adventures. When Hannah (Nathaniel's daughter) and Elizabeth find a sickly runaway in the woods that is linked to Curiosity (another character in all three books) they know they have to help her gain her freedom and get to Canada. Hannah though is being sent by the local doctor Richard Todd to study in New York on how to give smallpox vaccinations. Though she is half Indian and a woman, she is regarded as a curiosity in New York and allowed to continue her studies. She brings the method back to Paradise with her to inoculate the people there. But unfortunately no one is ever content to let everybody bring happy and strife and lawsuits soon come along.

Donati's writing is always very clear. Luckily in this book she returns to explaining what some of her accents and different languages mean instead of leading it to the reader to try to figure out. There is plenty of description and once again it is written in the third person.

Most of the story is told about Nathaniel's daughter, Hannah, this time. I really like her character and actually enjoy hearing about her more than I do the rest of the Bonners. To be honest, I can't stand the twins. I feel that they were just used as a filler and not very fleshed out by Donati. Elizabeth and Nathaniel take a back seat in this book so their characters are also a little faded away.

Regardless though, it was an interesting book and a good look at what happened in the times back then. The issues of slavery and disease are ones that everyone is familiar with. I definitely recommend this book.

Lake in the Clouds
Copyright 2002
610 pages (less)

like · see review

Sep 13, 2011 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: early-americana, coming-of-age, historical-fiction, new-classic, tear-jerker, some-steam, series, kindle-book, 2011_read, favorite-author

I admit that, at first, I wasn't sure about this 3rd book in the series... I didn't like making such a time jump from book #2. I felt as though I'd missed important things in the Bonner's lives.

But as I put those thoughts away and allowed myself to become part of the story, I realized that the author is intent on giving us glimpses of the most important parts of their lives. We still have most of the main characters, but this time, the younger generation is growing up and, in some cases (such as...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 13, 2009 Cam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Sep 04, 2011 Kura Kitty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I happened to pick up this book secondhand on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. If you're looking for a good long read filled with diverse characters this is it. I enjoy historical fiction and this book provided enough detail to make it plausible. I liked the two plot lines that came together and almost all of the characters. It was confusing at first to keep everyone straight, especially as I hadn't read the previous books. However since there is a character list and the story was interestin...more

like · see review

Dec 26, 2010 Ronna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Much like the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, Sara Donati's Wilderness series is a commitment in that they are long and detailed, but give much back for your effort. While I felt the last book in the Wilderness series Dawn on a Distant Shore was just okay, I pressed on and am glad I did. Lake in the Clouds was a huge improvement on its predecessor. It had wonderful twists and turns throughout. For historical fiction fans, there is a real sense of post-Revolutionary America (Canada, too) on t...more

like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Gail Amendt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not my favorite novel in this series. I did enjoy it, but I found it somewhat disjointed. I suspect it was a difficult novel to write, as it is a transitional novel, as the author moves to telling the story of the next generation of the Bonner family. There is a large leap in time that must be dealt with, and a lot of change and maturing in the characters. There are several different plot lines, and the transition between them sometimes seems awkward. We also have to deal with the fact t...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2013 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This third book in Sara Donati's "Wilderness" series is so much better than the second one. It focuses on Hannah, Elizabeth and Nathaniel's wise "half-breed [sic]" eldest daughter, as she grows into a woman, a healer, and eventually a wife. She leaves Lake in the Clouds, her home, and ventures into New-York in 1802 to the Kine-Pox Institute to learn about White (O'Seronni) medicine, especially the new "inoculation" which promises to protect against smallpox. As always, Donati has done her resear...more

like · see review

Aug 27, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2010

I'd actually give this 4.5 stars, if I could.

I really liked this installment of the Wilderness series. There are new characters, some really likable and some that are sooooo easy to hate.

The latter half of this book really focuses on Hannah, and I enjoyed that. I liked her as a little girl in the other books, and she's an enjoyable adult / teenager (18) in this book. She's smart, sweet, and honest, a lot like Elizabeth. However her medical training also in my mind is yet another reminder of th...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Erica Bailey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First, I love this series the first 2 books were full of everything I love. Suspense, action, history, romance. I immediately felt like I knew the Bonner's. That being said I was extremely disappointed in the beginning of the 3rd book, it starts 8 years after the 2nd! Into the Wilderness starts in 1792; Dawn on a Distant Shore immediately starts where the 1st left off in 1794 but Lake in the Clouds doesn't start until 1802! I felt like I missed a huge chunk of the Bonner's lives! When I first st...more

like · see review

Aug 05, 2010 Heather (Let's-Go-Pens-We're-Gonna-Take-This-One) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book ran the gambit in terms of likability for me.
Let me start by saying that I couldn't put Into the Wilderness down when I read it. Dawn on a Distant Shore was possibly one of the greatest books that I've ever read and I'd say it rivalled those of Gabaldon. This book however...
When I started reading Lake in the Clouds, I was excited because Shell had just finished it and crazily loved it. Throughout the entire beginning I was beside myself with worry over the way the plot was developing;...more This book ran the gambit in terms of likability for me.
Let me start by saying that I couldn't put Into the Wilderness down when I read it. Dawn on a Distant Shore was possibly one of the greatest books that I've ever read and I'd say it rivalled those of Gabaldon. This book however...
When I started reading Lake in the Clouds, I was excited because Shell had just finished it and crazily loved it. Throughout the entire beginning I was beside myself with worry over the way the plot was developing; I just knew that no good could come of any of the story lines. I read it with a lump of fear in my throat and a ball of dread in my tummy.
I was absolutely heartbroken over Elizabeth's loss of Robbie and couldn't understand why the story started out recapping so much death.
I was sure that Nathaniel and Elizabeth would meet certain doom while escorting Selah to Red Rock, and I wasn't entirely wrong, although thank-goodness Donati chose to be fairly gentle with them.
I had myself convinced that Hannah would never come back from New York and have to admit that by the time I got to reading about her journey there and back, I had lost most of my interest in the book at all. I'm not sure why, but I didn't really like Hannah at that point and was beating my head against the wall trying to figure out how she could reconcile with Liam. When she learned the story of his wife, I felt for sure that their relationship wouldn't come to fruition and kind of became depressed about the whole thing.
Then when Hannah finally made it home from New York, the story really took off. All the action regarding the Kuicks and Otter and Strikes-the-Sky brought life back to the book and I found over the last third that I couldn't really put it down.
I was so happy that Hannah found love and I was content with the fact that although she could never be with Liam, she could at least move forward in life knowing that he stood by her when it really mattered.
I became quite emotional during two parts of the story, both relating to Hannah's decision to head west with Strikes-the-Sky. I found the scene between Hannah and Curiosity very endearing in the fact that although Hannah couldn't seem to discuss her new relationship with her father or step-mother, she had the shoulder of Curiosity to lean on and take comfort from. It was nice that Curiosity is appreciated for all that she does for their family, because really they're her family too.
The second part that had me crying was the end and I'd like to quote the paragraph that had so much meaning for me...
"If he listened hard enough he could hear his children sleeping, the sound of their breathing and the very beats of their hearts. Two where last night there had been three. His daughter was gone from him now and still he could call her to him by closing his eyes. Hannah as a newborn, as a laughing three-year-old, as a solemn child of nine, as a young woman standing next to a man she now called her husband."
Hmmm, chokes me up even re-reading it here.
So as I said, this book ran the gambit in terms of likability for me; I liked it, I hated it and then I loved it. Will I read it again? Not in the near future. Do I think it was an integral segment to the series? For sure.
(less)

like · see review

Dec 17, 2012 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my favorite of the first 3 books of the Wilderness series that i have read so far. the main character is 10 year old Lily. She is inquisitive, brave, serious, impetuous. Her adventures in the wilderness with her twin brother Nathaniel are delightful. There are some wonderful "bad guys" in this book too. And Hannah begins to figure prominently - a 16 year old girl with a deep passion for healing.
Historically, i have no idea of the accuracy of the books, but they surely seem authentic. i...more

like · see review

May 12, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading book 2 in this series, I was a little concerned that they were going downhill. It wasn't as good as the first title, and was slow-paced. Book 3, however, picked up some steam and had me interested from the start. I'm still very much enjoying this time period - there's so much change starting and about to happen. People are questioning slavery, the west is being explored, and new innovations in health care - namely the smallpox vaccine - are changing the way people live. In this boo...more

like · see review

May 13, 2011 Nancy Schober rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Characters you care about through their heart-breaking losses. A plot you can sink your teeth into. Toe curling kisses with strong silent men. Abolitionists and the Underground railroad. Donati has a deep and uncanny understanding of human relationships and her humor is irresistible. Doesn't get any better than this.[return][return]Quotes;[return][return]"she knew exactly how it would be, down to the things she would say to each individual, and the way people would look at her.[return][return]Sh...more

like · see review

Nov 22, 2010 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this series because I read The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon and LOVED it. I heard that Clair/Jamie, from Outlander, made an appearance in these books so I had to read it.

It wasn't as good as Outlander but I did enjoy the story and the characters very much. It's much along the same lines as Outlander (without the time travel) and very well written. You get invested in the characters and want to follow them though life.

I've read the entire series and LOVE how it matures with the...more

like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Jeri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: f-historical, f-women, kindle

In #3 of the Wilderness series, the saga continues of Elizabeth and Daniel...but mostly of the daughter, Hannah, who is all grown up but trying to cross the bridge between the Indian and the white world.....brilliant and capable, Hannah is training to be a doctor and faces a number of challenges both in the village and the big city.
In the meantime the rest of the family (this is the early 1800's) become involved with the Underground Railroad, helping move blacks from the South to freedom in Cana...more

like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Lavezzij rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This book, one in a series by a good author of historic fiction, had my interest all of the way through. I understood that the Bonners and their families members are strong, multi-cultural, and no doubt existed in that time and place. I particularly enjoy the juxtaposition of war issues, the contemporary political and cultural questions of that time, and the human nature of families, people trying to make a living and to find out who they are, given the questions that present their time.
The whol...more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is book 3 of the "Into the Wilderness" series. I don't have any particular complaints about this book, except that it is no longer the story of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, but of Hannah, Nathaniel's daughter. Hannah's story is interesting, but I missed the main characters I had grown to love. They are still present, but tangential. I had originally compared this series to the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, but this is where they part ways. In all the Outlander books, new characters...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2011 Melissa Stebbins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the third book in the series about Elizabeth and Nathaniel. The story begins with the discovery of a runaway slave (Selah) and subsequently splits into two separate plots with Elizabeth and Nathaniel leading Selah to freedom and Hannah embarking on a trip to New York City to learn how to vaccinate for small pox. Hannah is the leading character in this book with Elizabeth and Nathaniel even taking on a more supportive role. For me this was a bonus as I really enjoyed Hannah as a character...more

like · see review

Aug 19, 2011 Clmk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This whole series has captured me this summer! I swear there were days on end when I did only the minimum of work so that I could read, read, read. I was disconcerted by the amount of time that had passed between the second and third book. I spent a good bit of time trying to fill in the blanks. This book seemed a bit more pedagogic - more pedantic than the first two. Although I agree with her points, I'm not sure I like the influence on the story. As always, I had a hard time seeing characters...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 11, 2010 Lindsay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Apr 21, 2013 Emily Decobert rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the third book in the Into the Wilderness series and it is as great as the first two. This story focuses most on Hannah, the daughter of Nathaniel from his first wife, but there are still plenty of sections with the other major characters, including chapters told by Lily, the youngest daughter.
Trouble comes to Hidden Wolf with runaway slaves and an old friend, Liam Kirby, now a slave hunter. Hannah is finishing her training as a doctor and struggling to be accepted as a female, Indian do...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2010 Phair rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I have liked this series so far because it has characters you care about and really want to follow their lives & see what comes next. This one mainly focuses on Hannah and her interests as a healer. We get to learn lots about the treatment of smallpox and the dawn of vaccination therapy, slavery in the North at this period (1802). Donati weaves all her story threads well and even the minor characters are fleshed out and interesting. The ending brought a hint of where the next volume will ta...more

like · see review

Jul 20, 2010 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the third book in Donati's Wilderness series. A good deal of this story focuses on the younger citizens of Paradise, particularly Hannah Bonner who is now a young woman. Lily Bonner, one of Elizabeth and Nathaniel's 8 year old twins, is one of the characters that was focused on quite a lot. Her character has been fleshed out; as was Jemima Southern, Moses Southern's daughter. I don't feel that Nathaniel's character had all that much significance in this story, and I got to see a changed...more

like · see review

Apr 14, 2010 Nancy Black rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I purchased this book for the cover alone,it called to me. Once I started couldn't put it down. Hannah part Indian and part herbalist-doctor is the heroine of this wonderful book.

The novel deals with Slavery, Indians, her family, disease, and the core of this novel, Family.

Loosely based on historical facts this novel is undeniable as the cream of the crop. If you only have one book to read pick this author. Kudos to Sara Donati for a well written and fantastic novel. Can't wait to read more of t...more

like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Jessica Workman Holland (Tales Between the Pages) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, reading-challenge-2012, romance

To be honest, I didn't enjoy Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati as much as I enjoyed Into the Wilderness and Dawn on a Distant Shore, the first two books in the series. Don't get me wrong, I still thought it was an enjoyable read. I liked it a lot, in fact. Ultimately, though, Donati experiences some growing pains writing this series. Lake in the Clouds is very much a transitional novel, switching from Elizabeth and Nathaniel's primary POV to Hannah and Lilly's POV. From what I can tell, this is...more To be honest, I didn't enjoy Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati as much as I enjoyed Into the Wilderness and Dawn on a Distant Shore, the first two books in the series. Don't get me wrong, I still thought it was an enjoyable read. I liked it a lot, in fact. Ultimately, though, Donati experiences some growing pains writing this series. Lake in the Clouds is very much a transitional novel, switching from Elizabeth and Nathaniel's primary POV to Hannah and Lilly's POV. From what I can tell, this is because these two characters play a more important role in the later series.

Despite the growing pains, I found a grown up Hannah quite refreshing. Her time in New York was utterly fascinating. Hannah is very much in her own head. She pays attention to the world around her, but not with the kind of detail that I thought she should have. Her diary entries, though fascinating, seemed a bit like a cop-out so Donati could move the plot along. Like I said before, transitional novel. A lot has to happen in this book and it's already about 700 pages long.

Once Hannah returns to Lake in the Clouds, the most fascinating thing happens: the pace slows down for the characters yet the narrative is rushed. She works with Dr. Richard Todd to vaccinate the town against smallpox. She helps fight a scarlet fever epidemic. She has to handle Jemima Southern (who I absolutely hate). During this time, Lilly starts to come into her own. Donati gives her more time than I think she should have. Lilly doesn't really DO anything to advance the plot other than learn to draw and predict who Hannah marries. This might irk me, but Lilly is such an interesting character. I can see why Donati chose to give her more page time. Apparently she's a big character in the next novel.

In any case, I still gave this book 4 stars because, according to my rating system, I "really liked it." I did really like it despite its growing pains. I think it's an exceedingly hard job to write an epic family series. Transitioning from one generation to the next can be quite difficult. Though Donati doesn't do it as well as some that I've read, she does do a good enough job to keep a reader interested.(less)

like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 Alexandria Brim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fellow history lovers, people who like Diana Gabaldon

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, romance, american-history, reviewed

Donati's third book starts a few years after Dawn on a Distant Shore where the twins are now young children and Hannah is a woman. Some sadness has come to the Bonners. (view spoiler)

One day, a young pregnant black woman stumbles onto Hidden Wolf. She is a runaway slave and has people purs...more

like · see review

Apr 27, 2012 Dorine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

What will we do to squeeze in time for our cherished historical sagas? I'm finally getting back to the WILDERNESS series by Sara Donati. What's on your mountain? Read this review and more about historical reading at my blog, the TBR Mountain Range.

Being able to travel along with some of the same characters throughout the WILDERNESS series is like visiting with old friends. Sara Donati writes a colorful novel that takes you on a historical journey with her characters as your guide. You can't he...more What will we do to squeeze in time for our cherished historical sagas? I'm finally getting back to the WILDERNESS series by Sara Donati. What's on your mountain? Read this review and more about historical reading at my blog, the TBR Mountain Range.

Being able to travel along with some of the same characters throughout the WILDERNESS series is like visiting with old friends. Sara Donati writes a colorful novel that takes you on a historical journey with her characters as your guide. You can't help but love them, as well as hope that the villains will get what they justly deserve. The world comes alive and personally, I can picture it as if it were my own.

LAKE IN THE CLOUDS was everything I'd hoped for and I was surprised by how easily the details from the previous two books came back without re-reading. I'm sure my enjoyment would have been enhanced had I re-read the first two books, but it's a tribute to how much I enjoyed them to have the details come back so readily.

I especially enjoyed the focus on Hannah, who is half Native American, and her training as a healer in LAKE IN THE CLOUDS. Hannah has to face prejudice against women working in the medical field when it's a white male dominated calling during the early 1800s. She has professional backing and encouragement, but there are still those who scoff at her abilities. Her Native American looks and being female are just two obstacles she faces. Her involvement with a runaway slave adds more suspense and emotions of the times. Add in a man who suits her perfectly, as well as challenges her, and Hannah has much to contend with as she grows into a woman.

This novel's underlying message of treating people as equals is especially poignant for this time period. I especially liked the idea that the Bonners gather all people to them, forming a community based on their relationships rather than race or where they've come from. There are plenty who don't believe in the Bonner family's outlook, so even if it does sound Utopian in theory, they don't give in when tested. Their heartache is easily felt when their lives intertwine with others, even when they know becoming involved might risk their lives or the lives of their families. Expect to shed a few tears because I found many of their struggles emotionally riveting.

Sara Donati's WILDERNESS series is so vivid that you can't help but picture it as if you're watching THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS movie. When an author can make me see their books as a movie while I'm reading them, then I know I've found books that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Now I'm ready to move on to book four, FIRE ALONG THE SKY, and savor it for as long as possible. Heartfelt thanks to Sara Donati for giving us such an engrossing series to anticipate and appreciate. I just wish I had more time to devote to the series so that I could hurry to the end and then start the books all over again!(less)

like · see review

May 09, 2011 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: absolutefavs

Read for the third time. April.
************************************************

Reading for the second time. June 2010
************************************************
Lake in the Clouds is Book 3 that follows the Bonner Family.

Hannah is now 18 and is becoming a healer like the other strong women in her family. She has taken on a new but very dangerous patient who is an escaped slave and she's trying to get her to safety with the help of her father Nathaniel and step mother Elizabeth.

Nathaniel and...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (14)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

187 users

Romance

47 users

Romance > Historical Romance

34 users

Adventure

7 users

Adult

6 users

Outdoors > Wilderness

3 users

Adult Fiction

3 users

Western

3 users

New York

3 users

History > American History

2 users

See top shelves...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Lake in the Clouds

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Lake in the Clouds
avg rating	preview: Lake in the Clouds Goodreads rating: 4.26 (3979 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1696537.Lake_in_the_Clouds?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363616532l/1696537.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1696537.Lake_in_the_Clouds?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati[/url]

Lake in the Clouds (Wilderness #3)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (14)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Sara Donati

Books by Sara Donati

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Lake in the Clouds