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The spring of 1824 is a challenging one for the inhabitants of Paradise N.Y. when a flood devastates the village. But for Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, it’s also a time of reunion as their children return from far-off places: Lily and her husband from Italy, and Martha Kirby, the Bonners’ ward, from Manhattan. Although Lily is nursing her own grief, it is Martha, fleeing a crushing humiliation, who brings with her trouble that will reverberate in all their lives.
In the sudden peace that follows the storm, as families struggle to rebuild, childhood friends Martha and Daniel, Lily’s twin brother, suddenly begin to see each other in a new light. But their growing bond is threatened when Martha’s mother arrives back in Paradise a decade after abandoning her daughter. Jemima Southern is a dangerous schemer who has destroyed more than one family, and her anger touches everyone, as do her secrets. Has Jemima come to claim her daughter–or does she have something else in mind? Whatever happens, Martha and Daniel and all the Bonners must stand united against the threats to both heart and home.
Painful secrets and hidden sorrows, joy, heartbreak, and passion follow the Bonners through a season of change and renewal. A rich, passionate, multilayered portrayal of family strength and endurance in a fascinating place and time, The Endless Forest will be remembered long after the last page is turned.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
January 19, 2010 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415966174
- File size: 656761 KB
- Duration: 22:48:15
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 12, 2009
Say good-bye to Elizabeth Bonner and her brood with this graceful, sweeping conclusion to Donati's frontier-era Wilderness series (following Fire Along the Sky
), focusing mostly on returning characters Martha, Callie, Daniel Bonner and Ethan Bonner, and their perpetual adversary, Jemima Southern, “as close to a witch as had ever come.” In 1824, troublemaker Jemima returns to rural Paradise, N.Y., and Bonner men Ethan and Daniel realize the only way to save the property of their friends Callie and Martha is to marry them, arrangements born of necessity that quickly become stronger than anyone expected. Before leaving for good, however, Jemima surprises the people of Paradise by revealing the secrets that they've kept from each other. Donati will satisfy and, in some cases, delight her longtime readers by wrapping up nearly every story line, confidently tracking a huge cast and their individual conflicts. Those new to Donati's work would be better served starting at the beginning of the series with Into the
Wilderness
—it's nearly impossible to pick up at this point—but any reader will be won over, sooner or later, by Donati's affection for her tough, complex characters. -
Donati's latest concludes her Wilderness saga, which follows the son of James Fenimore Cooper's Hawkeye and his English wife. Listeners who are looking for historical fiction that is rich in authentic detail, full of adventure, and generous with the love scenes need look no further. Kate Reading does her usual outstanding work on the narration. In particular, her sense of pacing is unequaled. Holding back just that extra beat between scenes, she has one leaning in to catch every word. Listeners will feel they know her characters inside and out as she conveys their every emotion. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
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