If you’re looking for the new series by Sara Donati (aka Rosina Lippi), you’re in the right place. Select “the novel” in the menu above to get started. This site really is about the entire Waverly Place series, currently two novels (The Gilded Hour and Where the Light Enters) with a third under contract. It’s also a collection spot for research about the first six books. If it’s my author weblog you’re looking for, you’ll find that here . It’s very old and creaky but full of information.
Looking for information about the next novel? I finished it in June 2022 and it’s now being groomed by my editor. Forthcoming April 2023, and the title is The Sweet Blue Distance (not my original title, which was Little Birds), set in New Mexico Territory in the years before the Civil War.
More about Little Birds right here.
This page is a gateway to something wiki-ish, which is generally understood to be a community-generated and maintained website where information is shared. This wiki is a little different: I set it up to organize all the research materials I’ve collected while writing the Waverly Place series. It has many wiki-like features, in that topics relevant to the novel are posted to pages, which are in turn grouped into subject areas. Links in the text will take you to the relevant page. Try putting the word ‘Amsterdam’ into the search box and see what wiki articles show up. If you are interested in getting involved in the evolution of this wiki, please contact me.
On FaceBook there is my personal page (if you must know about my politics) but more relevant and possibly interesting is the Sara Donati page on Facebook. The Sara Donati and the Rosina Lippi novels are also discussed there on occasion in a dedicated chat room/discussion group (located here). You will have to register to participate. Please feel free to get in touch here, there or really anywhere. I’m really pleased to hear from readers. If you’re looking for basic information on where to find the novels, please see this post.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (spoilers abound!)
The Gilded Hour
Where the Light Enters
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Just now finished Where The light Enters. What a complete delight. I love these these people. I am elated to know there is a third book coming. Thank you for sharing your brilliant talent with us.
I read The Gilded Hour with great pleasure, and also Where the Light Enters. My grandmother graduated from the NY Woman’s Medical school in 1899. It was wonderful to read about that place and that time. She was a great story teller and I remember some stories about her seeing patients in their homes in Hell’s Kitchen and about operating standing on a step stool because she was so short. I have a picture of her and the 4 woman she graduated with. So it was especially interesting the fill out more of that era, life as a woman medical student and particularly the medical issues then. I look forward to the next book!
Hi Miki — It’s truly uplifting to hear from someone whose grandmother graduated from the NY Woman’s Medical School in the 19th century. Thank you so much for your kind words and support. If you have any stories to share or maybe a digitized version of that photo, I would be very thankful to hear/see them. best wishes
rosina aka sara donati
Happy New Year Sara! I have to tell you, reading the Gilded Hour was such a gift and an amazing journey of a fascinating period in our history. Thank you for these incredibly strong women who reminded me somewhat of Elizabeth Roebling in the Engineers wife. Question; is Into the Wilderness the sequel, or is that what you’re currently finalizing now? It’s been a week since I finished it, and I can’t wait to resume the story!!!! I’m so glad the bookstore assistant suggested it to me when I was at the beach in October. I am now a huge fan and have renewed admiration for those tenacious women in the late 1800’s. BRAVO!!!
Thank you, Fran, for taking the time to write, and for your support and good wishes. A list of all the novels can be found until FAQ in the menu above the first post on the page. Hope you’ll find something to keep you intrigued.
Hello Ms. Donati,
I have read “The Gilded Hour,” and I would like to point out what I think may be a small error. On page 477 of the 9th printing, Rosa says to Lia, “Non parla inglese al tavolo…” Shouldn’t Rosa be telling Lia not to speak Italian at the table? Lia was telling Jack a story in Italian, and Rosa thought this was rude. Also, would the Italian not be “Non parlare italiano al tavolo…” and not “Non parla…”? This would be the case if Rosa were addressing Lia directly.
Please let me know if I am completely mistaken.
Thank you!!
You’re right. Somehow that slipped by me my beta readers, the proofreaders and my editor. Thanks for pointing it out. If I have the opportunity to fix it, I will.
Loved all this series. Looking forward to a possible new book in series.
This may have been asked a thousand times, and if so, I sincerely apologize in advance. When will the 3rd Waverly Place book be released, and is there a title?
Thank you!
answered
I have read the complete Wilderness series 2 times and listened to the audio books twice also, so I was thrilled when I found “The Gilded Hour” and “Where The Light Enters”. When I found out there was going to be a third book, WELL! All the characters are so real and make you feel like you know them. I cannot tell you how I am looking forward to “Little Birds”.
Hi Lois — I’m so glad you found the most recent books. Your kind and supportive words are much appreciated. I hope you’ll find the next book worth the wait.
I just finished The Gilded Hour and I am so glad I found out about the sequel because I felt that there was so much more to come. This book was wonderful! There are so many details and I love the characters! The woman are so strong and willing to take risks to make a difference. The story is written so well and really set me back to that time period. I could visualize it so well and felt like I was walking the streets with the characters. You have such a gift with words! What a lucky find this book was! Looking forward to reading more of what you have in store for us!
Very kind of you to write, Elisabeth. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm, as this kind of note makes my day. Also, just as an aside, my daughter is also Elisabeth with an ‘s’ instead of a ‘z’.
Your books have gotten me through the pandemic. Thank you so much- your rich characters and gripping storytelling are inspiring.
That’s a great compliment. Thank you, April.
Managed to spy the cover in my local library and was intrigued – can’t wait to go back and read the first book as I anxiously await the third volume promised in time. Thank you for a wonderful story with a bevy of characters who suggest the best of women’s values while acknowledging the inherent meanness of spirit that is the worst part of some characters. Written with a light hand and a sense of humor. Thank you for brightening my world!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. It’s a great boost to hear from readers. When I begin to wonder why I thought I could write another novel, comments like yours help me get through.
For me, with the Waverly Place series, Sara Donati has continued to stimulate and engage both my mind and my imagination through her careful exploration of historical time and space within the lives of familiar strong minded female characters and the wonderful men who gravitate towards them.
The two stories so far have been a triumph. It was confronting to me though, to consider how the wonderful female protagonists Donati has brought into being, would still despair over issues women must still confront and philosophise over in 2021.
This consideration comforts me only in the idea that the stories of the extended Bonner/Freeman/Savard etc. families can possibly continue indefinitely.
I was so excited to pick up and read Sara’s “Into The Wilderness”. I had loved Michael Mann’s, “Last Of The Mohicans”, and it was wonderful to continue Hawkeye and Cora’s story. I have introduced the series to my sisters and daughter. The books continue to engage and challenge us.
Thank you Sara.
Sharon — You are incredibly generous. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, and most of all, for your enthusiasm and support.
Last of the Mohicans was James Fennimore Cooper wasn’t it? Michael Mann is a director?
Stacy — James Fenimore Cooper wrote a series of novels about Hawkeye, one of which was Last of the Mohicans. That novel has been turned into a film at least twice. Once in the 50s, and then by Michael Mann. You might think of my Into the Wilderness as another, distinct retelling.