An Echo in the Bone: A Novel (Outlander)

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780385342452
• Notes: Make New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Stipulation: NEW

Description

Diana Gabaldon’s brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. Now, in An Echo in the Bone, the enormously anticipated seventh volume, Gabaldon continues the extraordinary story of the eighteenth-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall.

Jamie Fraser, former Jacobite and reluctant rebel, is already certain of three things about the American rebellion: The Americans will win, fighting on the side of victory is no guarantee of survival, and he’d rather die than have to face his illegitimate son–a young lieutenant in the British army–across the barrel of a gun.

Claire Randall knows that the Americans will win, too, but not what the ultimate price may be. That price won’t include Jamie’s life or his happiness, though–not if she has anything to say about it.

Meanwhile, in the relative safety of the twentieth century, Jamie and Claire’s daughter, Brianna, and her husband, Roger MacKenzie, have resettled in a historic Scottish home where, across a chasm of two centuries, the unfolding drama of Brianna’s parents’ story comes to life through Claire’s letters. The fragile pages reveal Claire’s love for battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and their flight from North Carolina to the high seas, where they encounter privateers and ocean battles–as Brianna and Roger search for clues not only to Claire’s fate but to their own. Because the future of the MacKenzie family in the Highlands is mysteriously, irrevocably, and intimately entwined with life and death in war-torn colonial America.

With stunning cameos of historical characters from Benedict Arnold to Benjamin Franklin, An Echo in the Bone is a soaring masterpiece of imagination, insight, character, and adventure–a novel that echoes in the mind long after the last page is turned.

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Customer Reviews

Gabaldon's "An Echo in the Bone" Reviewed by the Book Junkie
An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, which centers around Claire and Jamie Fraser. Set partly at the opening of the American Revolution and partly in Scotland in 1980, "Echo" is a sprawling tale. It has four major plot lines: Jamie and Claire (and Ian), Brianna and Roger, John, and William. All of the characters we've come to love over the years are accounted for (including Rollo the dog), and the book is overall very satisfying. It did leave me wanting more--as it's not the end of the series, there is quite obviously more story to be told. Frustratingly, I'll have to wait for several more years to read the next installment. Books this big do not get written in a month! My main quibble is that the book ends with a cliffhanger for each plot line. It seemed more like the first part of a book (despite its length) rather than a novel in its entirety. While Gabaldon expects to write additional books to wrap up the series (she has promised that "Echo" is not the last), leaving the story lines dangling made me feel like I hadn't finished. There was no denouement to satisfy the reader's need for closure at the end of the story, so I finished the book frustrated instead of content.

Plot line one starts with Jamie, Claire, Ian and Rollo preparing to leave Frasier's Ridge, both to escape the danger inherent in staying and to go to Scotland to retrieve Jamie's printing press. At the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the little world of the Ridge is in turmoil; the big house has burned down, two residents have been killed, and the Bugs have made off with a fortune in gold. Echo begins here. Jamie and Ian uncover the location of the treasure, but accidentally kill Mrs. Bug in the process of retrieving it. This sets Mr. Bug on a mission of revenge that will chase Ian through the rest of the book.

Despite my complaints, Echo has all the elements of Gabaldon that I've come to love--the historical facts interwoven in the fictional plot line, the fully-fleshed characters (who seem like real people to me), the details of scenery, action, and day-to-day minutiae of life in the 1700s in the Colonies, and the cameos of real people (in Echo, we get to meet Ben Franklin and Benedict Arnold, among interesting folks). I did occasionally get frustrated with the multiple stories as I was reading--I would have enjoyed being able to read each plot line straight through. However, by the end of the book, it was clear why so many complicated stories were told within the covers of one book. They really do meld; you just have to be patient and get to the end. And then be patient for the next few years while she writes the next book to tie up the ends she left loose. On reflecting, the lack of denouement emphasizes the story's themes and the characters' struggles; we leave them in the midst of a time of great turmoil in the world--how else could Gabaldon leave the reader other than in turmoil at the anticipation of what's to come next in the series?

All in all, An Echo in the Bone was worth reading. I did have to push myself sometimes, and it did take me a couple of weeks to read, but by the time I finished, I was glad that I had. I will clearly have to go back and reread it in a few weeks; at 800 pages, it's not a book I can digest in one reading. For those who, like me, sometimes enjoy a book as meaty as this, "Echo" is a pleasure to read. For those who, like me, are used to waiting for the next book in an exciting series (Harry Potter, anyone? Eragon?), you'll understand my impatience on reaching the end of the book. And perhaps you'll join me.

Please note, Gabaldon has explicitly said that this is NOT the last book in the series, so while the cliffhanger endings are frustrating, we will have our questions answered in a few years.

See all of my reviews at [...]

2010-03-16 (Herndon, VA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Far too long!
Really enjoyed all the books but far too long and boring. Have to skim read to get through them as not interesting enough to read every word. Most of the time I'm thinking - who cares, what's that to do with the story. Poor old Roger - what a disappointing character and the best thing - his voice - she took away from him. Can't imagine what her editor is doing not cutting it back - half the size would be good. Written equivalent of 'the runs'. Agree with all the other comments re Lord John - boring character and certainly won't be reading those books. Jamie was too good to be true and found myself actually being irritated by him at times - strange.

2010-03-11 | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 1

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Complete Disappointment
Other reviewers have said it better than I am able, so I won't reiterate their glowing reviews of the failings of this sadly improbable - and hopefully last - installment. As with other recently popular authors, Charlaine Harris in particular, it seems as if the author was rushed to meet a deadline without really having a complete story in mind, just random meanderings on many different fronts. Where is the editor for this mess???

So, sadly, this series has come to an inglorious and inadequate bunch of tripe. It is quite obvious by now that Gabaldon is only in it for the money and does not want to be sued by not fulfilling her contract(s.) The Lord John series makes this abundantly clear.

BTW, has anyone noticed that Gabaldon has taken down her website???? Probably too many personal attacks on her failing ability to write cohesively.

2010-03-10 (Earth) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 1

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Very torn...
Ugh! I feel very aggravated. I liked the book, I love the characters, and I love Diana Gabaldon. However, the ending of this book is enough to make you grit your teeth. There were just WAY too many story lines in motion when the book just abruptly ended. It makes me happy that there will obviously be another book in the series (I hope), but I really don't want to wait five years for it. Overall, I liked the book but can't help feeling disappointed by the ending. I will still be ordering the next book as soon as humanly possible though. Hurry up Diana!

2010-03-05 (Sacramento, CA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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ach, too sad lassy!
I share the sentiment that An Echo in the Bone does not read like a DG book at all--sloppily written with no regard for the flow of the story. From the point the Jamie suddenly dies, (with no regard for poor Claire's feelings), to the crummy ending leaving the little guy in the tunnel like a cheap comic book trick; there is no hope at all. Please, please, bring back the Jamie and Claire we have grown to love--with all of the fine writing---and great story telling.

2010-03-02 (Weatherford, Texas USA) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 2

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Voyager (Outlander)

Product Details

• Contingency: NEW
• Notes: Characterize New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• ISBN13: 9780385335997

Description

In this rich, vibrant tale, Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber. Sweeping us from the battlefields of eighteenth-century Scotland to the exotic West Indies, Diana Gabaldon weaves magic once again in an exhilarating and utterly unforgettable novel....

Their love affair happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her ... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

When she discovers that Jamie may have survived, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face what awaits her ... the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland ... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that lies beyond the standing stones.

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Customer Reviews

Lovin' Jamie and Claire to death...
After reading the first three books in the Outlander series, I have to say I am absolutely fed up with the whole thing with Jamie and Claire. Nothing ever seems to resolve in their relationship. It's always hanging by a thread. This book in particular had a lot of repetition of minor details which is also annoying. In my opinion it took way too long to describe a teeny bit of action.

2010-03-13 (Denver, Colorado) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Enjoyed as much as the others in the series
In Voyager Gabaldon continues the Outlander saga of 20th-century physician Claire Randall and 18th-century rebel Jamie Fraser. The book begins 20 years after the last book left off. Jamie is imprisoned, and once he's pardoned he buys a printing business. Believing that Jamie died at Culloden, Claire returns to her own century. She is reunited with her first husband and gives birth to a daughter, Brianna. When Claire's first husband's dies she takes Brianna to Scotland to introduce her to her true heritage. After some research they discover that Jamie survived the battle at Culloden. Claire decides she must find Jamie and once again steps through the stones on Craigh na Dun to find Jamie in Edinburgh in 1766. Once reunited Jamie and Claire want to lead a quiet life, but the kidnapping of Jamie's nephew throws the couple into a new pursuit.

I enjoyed Voyager as much as I enjoyed the other books in the Outlander Series. I've already started the Drums of Autumn the 4th book in the series.

2010-03-10 (Seattle, WA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Great read
Diana Gabaldon keeps it going with this next chapter in the Outlander saga. Be forewarned: once you start, it's very hard to put down!

2010-02-03 | thewiredwoman (San Juan Capistrano, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The best in the series...so far!!!
I just finished reading this book and I loved it! I liked this one better than the first two. There were no boring parts in this book. The whole book was exciting and kept you on edge the whole time! The first two of her books there were sections and chapters that I was bored with and thought could have been left out, but not in this book. I loved this book from beginning to end!

2010-02-03 (Georgia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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3 times borrowed from the library in 3 years, then bought
My wife likes this series so much that I think she has read it 4 or 5 times. This gal can really write.

2010-01-30 | Regular Guy (N.E. Mississippi) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)

Product Details

• Notes: Stigmatize New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• ISBN13: 9780440225805
• Environment: NEW

Description

Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.

Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

a breath of snow and ashes
great story good service. This author can really tell a very indepth and detailed story.

2010-03-08 | carolyn smith (Laurens South Carolina) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A Breath of Snow and Ashes
This author is one of my favorites. I haven't read a book in this series that was a disappointment. I wait "patiently" for the next in the series. Thank you Diana for your efforts!!

2010-03-03 (Soldotna, Alaska) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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So much better than the last one....
As a fan of this series, I struggled mightily with The Fiery Cross. So much went wrong in The Fiery Cross, I had to force myself to pick this book up. I am so glad I did, as the Gabaldon I know and love has come back.

What worked in this book was that what didn't work in the last one was repaired. I was so annoyed with Briana, Roger, and Jem in The Fiery Cross that I found myself hoping they would go back to their own time. By the end of this book, I felt that their story had solidified and started to carry some weight of its own. Jamie and Claire's relationship is less focused on sex, which I found to be unrealistic and overdone in the last book. The paternity issue is not being mentioned with nearly as much frequency, and mostly gone are the lengthy military matters that made my eyes glaze over. I am so glad Gabaldon downsized her cast of characters and resisted the urge to add so many new characters to the story.

Fans of Gabaldon know she writes in vignettes. The vignettes in the last book were uninteresting and tedious and I felt the story went absolutely nowhere. Somehow, A Breath of Snow and Ashes manages to create interest and I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter over and over again. It felt more like the series I love, and I was almost able to forgive The Fiery Cross (but not quite).

I have few criticisms for this book. One being that Gabaldon fell in love with the word "homely" and used it an exceedingly large number of times. She also kept using the same finger-rubbing-under-the-nose imagery over and over again. I would think a good editor would call those kinds of grating habits to the attention of the author, but apparently not. There were still a number of places where threads got dropped suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving me wondering if I had missed something.

Overall, a wonderful installment in the Outlander series.

2010-02-20 | mechkmbu | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Historical Romance
Was in perfect condition. Arrived in time promised. Thank you for allowing me to have another in my library.

2010-02-08 | Read to live (Indianapolis, IN) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Awesome!

I started with book one and this book was like the first 4 Awesome! It was fast paced with easy transitions into the next action sequence. Lots of twists and turns LOVED it!

2010-01-30 | NurseKitty (Kansas) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The Fiery Cross (Outlander)

Product Details

• Health circumstances: NEW
• ISBN13: 9780440221661
• Notes: Marque New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Description

Crossing the boundaries of genre with its unrivalled storytelling, Diana Gabaldon’s new novel is a gift both to her millions of loyal fans and to the lucky readers who have yet to discover her.

In the ten years since her extraordinary debut novel, Outlander, was published, beloved author Diana Gabaldon has entertained scores of readers with her heart-stirring stories and remarkable characters. The four volumes of her bestselling saga, featuring eighteenth-century Scotsman James Fraser and his twentieth-century, time-travelling wife, Claire Randall, boasts nearly 5 million copies in the U.S.

The story of Outlander begins just after the Second World War, when a British field nurse named Claire Randall walks through a cleft stone in the Scottish highlands and is transported back some two hundred years to 1743.

Here, now, is The Fiery Cross, the eagerly awaited fifth volume in this remarkable, award-winning series of historical novels. The year is 1771, and war is approaching. Jamie Fraser’s wife has told him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy—a time-traveller’s certain knowledge. To break his oath to the Crown will brand him a traitor; to keep it is certain doom. Jamie Fraser stands in the shadow of the fiery cross—a standard that leads nowhere but to the bloody brink of war.

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The fiery cross, once used to summon Highland clans to war, now beckons readers to take up Diana Gabaldon's fifth installment in the Outlander series featuring the time-traveling Frasers. Historical fiction fans who have waited four long years since the publication of Drums of Autumn will thrill to Gabaldon's trademark detail and sensuality, both displayed liberally throughout the nearly 1,000 pages of The Fiery Cross. In this pre-Revolutionary War period, Claire Fraser and her husband, Jamie, have crossed oceans and centuries to build a life together in the bucolic beauty of North Carolina. But tensions both ancient and recent threaten not only Claire and James, but their daughter, Brianna, her new husband, Roger, and their infant son, Jemmy, as well as members of their clan. Gabaldon delivers on what she does best: poignant storylines, empathetic characters, meticulous detail, and searing passion. Savor every carefully chosen word, readers; it may be a long time until the next installment! --Alison Trinkle

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Customer Reviews

the fiery cross
i thought the fc was a great book in the series. it was nice to have jamie and claire settle down pretty much in one spot. their lives were more routine but still had excitement. after reading the other books i found it refreshing that things slowed down a bit. after all how much could jamie and claire take. i think they needed a little nap.

2010-03-07 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Awesome Series!!!!
I cannot put these books down; my family is suffering! I don't want to cook or clean, don't want to watch movies with the family, just read these books! Diana Gabaldon is an amazing writer! The adventures go on and on, and the characters are incredible! These books are great for men and women, so much adventure and romance! I'm so sad to be near the end of the series. Hope she is working full force on the next one!!

2010-02-11 (Glenwood Springs, CO) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Boring with a capital B
Just like everyone else, I loved the first few books in this series. However, I had the worst time getting throught this book, as absolutely nothing happened. I like to read a book, and listen to an audiobook on my ipod. It should have been a clue that this book read as an audio book was the only one in the series that was abridged. So I dumped the audiobook to read the real book, and what a snooze fest. I think I am going to take someones advice and just read the last few hundred pages. She could have easily condensed this book to be about 200 pages, instead of the 1400 that just described every little detail, down to Jemmy's dirty diapers.

2010-02-07 | gr8books (New York) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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The Fiery Cross book
The book was in almost perfect condition. Really pleased when recieved it in the mail!

2010-02-06 (Colorado) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A dud. Plain and simple.
I read the first four novels of this series years ago. I tried to read The Fiery Cross right when it came out, but it didn't hold my interest long enough and I put it down and forgot all about it. Now with the new novel released, I want to finish what I started so I dug this book out and started over.

This book has so much wrong with it I don't even know where to begin. I suppose I'll narrow it down to the most glaringly obvious things that made it so difficult to trudge through.

1. No plot. This book goes nowhere. In reality, this book isn't even necessary. You could skip right over it and not miss anything. A bunch of randomly drawn vignettes compiled into one huge book. There is no cohesion, no story, no I-have-to-read-just-one-more-chapter feelings to be had. There are maybe 200 (maybe) pages of this novel that advance anything along. The other 700+ pages are simply there.

2. Tedium. Over and over again with the diapers. I would be interested to find out how many times dirty diapers were mentioned or changing a diaper was a major part of a scene. What's the point? Ms. Gabaldon forgets that fiction is not real life. We do not read fiction to get a glimpse of real, day to day drudgery. We read fiction to hear a story that is not like real life, and this story (if you can call it that) is constantly bombarded by dirty diapers, drool, and other mundane things.

Another sort of related dead horse throughout this novel is the question: is Jemmy Roger's or Stephen's? We KNOW they don't know. But why is it that 8 times out of 10, whenever the narration slips over to Roger, that's what he brings up. And if this is so uncertain, why does the narrator refer to Jemmy as Roger's "offspring" at times instead of his "possible offspring." I bet not more than 10-15 pages goes by without being reminded of this paternity issue.

3. Loose ends. Too many loose ends that are never tied up. Gabaldon goes from one thing to another to another, and I believe forgets to finish what she started. For instance, Claire is going to monitor whether or not Lizzie is getting another malaria attack, but that just gets dropped. We never find out if she is or isn't getting malaria again. Jemmy swallows a gem stone but we never know what happens to it...of course we assume it ends up in one of those ubiquitous diapers. I'm surprised that she missed an opportunity to tell about another diaper changing! And why did the opal explode in Jem's hands later in the book and feel "hot" to him...given that he swallowed one earlier in the book with nary an ill effect? Makes no sense. Just a few examples of a book rampant with unresolved, messy details.

4. What I came to love about Jamie and Claire seemed to come across only in sex scenes this time around. I have always loved the intimate scenes between Jamie and Claire until this book. This book was greatly lacking in the witty banter and interesting dynamic between Jamie and Claire. This book seeemed to force the sex scenes and they seemed gratuitous and unrealistic. It seemed as though the sex scenes were thrown in to let the reader know that Jamie and Claire are still hot for one another. Who cares at this point?

5. Sorry, but I just can't get into Roger and Bree. I really want to, but I find both of them to be uncompelling characters. I want to rush their parts to get to other stuff. I want them to go back through the stones. I just want them out of the story.

6. Way, way, way too many characters. One never knows if a name dropped randomly on a page is going to be important or not. I got to where my eyes glazed over and I didn't even attempt to juggle the cast of characters. I figured if they are important, I'll know who they are at some point. A book shouldn't be this way, and certainly not one of *these* books.

2010-02-04 | mechkmbu | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, Book 2)

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780385335973
• Educate: NEW
• Notes: Label New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Description

With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters — Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser — delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander....

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

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Customer Reviews

A book has never made me CRY before!!
Oh gosh, it is almost embarrassing to admit this, but I actually CRIED when I read this book! Real tears! Not just oh my gosh I am so sad, but actually felt the heart ache and shed the tears. Man, Diana is good! I love this series. I do agree with some of the other posts though that the author could leave out some of the immense details. I love details, but she goes off on bunny trails sometimes that really get me sleepy and anxious for her to continue the story. It actually somewhat reminds me of Dean Koontz style of writing. But dont let any of that lead you astray! Her books are fantastic, and will leave you wanting for more. I cant wait to read Voyager!

2010-03-18 | Andrea (Oroville, Ca United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Entertaining follow up to Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber is the second book in the Outlander series. It's now 1968 and Claire returns to Scotland with her daughter, Brianna. This is Claire's first trip back to Scotland since her and her husband Frank visited 22 years earlier. Frank just passed away and Claire wants to learn what happened to Jamie Fraser, whom she married on her journey into the 18th century. Claire hopes Brianna will believe her story about who her real father is. The majority of the book consists of the second half of Claire and Jamie's adventures in the 18th century. After escaping a death, they flee to Paris, where they secretly work to foiling Bonnie Prince Charlie's plot to regain the Scottish throne.

I was concerned how Gabaldon would retain the Outlander plot in the second book without becoming cheesy. In Dragonfly in Amber Diana Gabaldon was able to preserve the travel between the 1900's and the 1700's without awkward story transitions. I enjoyed the character development in Dragonfly in Amber and I'm looking forward to Voyager, the third book in the series.

2010-02-25 (Seattle, WA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Real company ethics are reflected when things go wrong
I mistakenly used my friend's physical address for the shipment. She has no mail box. The post office returned the book to the shipper.
They refunded all my money, no questions, no finger pointing, no concern about who's fault it is. (clearly mine)

Great company ethics

2010-02-22 | Jessie Reads (Yelm, WA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A Cliffhanger!
What can I say? Plots, twists, unexpected turns, and an ending that demanded I begin the next book IMMEDIATELY!

2010-02-18 (Colorado) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Mushy Dialogue and Excessive Use of Adverbs
I actually started this book a year ago. The fact that I am just now writing this review because I've just now finished this book is telling in and of itself. After reading Outlander and LOVING it, I set sky high expectations for the rest of the series and delved into book 2 with lightning speed. After 500 pages of this romantic onslaught (which is only the half way point), my rocket paced enthusiasm was reduced to a mere farting noise. As so often happens when I read two books by the same author back to back, the stylistic flaws become blaringly obvious and in the case of Dragonfly, Gabaldon's honeydew dialogue and purple prose proved too much for my pallet.
To be fair, book two does pack its fair share of action, introduces a new cast of characters, and moves the landscape from the rugged highlands of Scotland to the metropolitan high life in Paris. But in spite of all this, the benefits of the story can not overcome the pitfalls of the writing. For example, after a scene where Clare and Jamie barely escape a life threatening situation by the skin of their teeth, Clare turns to Jamie and exclaims "Oh Jamie! I just want to make love to you!"
What?! That doesn't even make sense! You are almost killed, you've just gotten home, it is made expressly clear that you feel like hell and you want to make love? I mean maybe "Oh Jamie, open that whiskey I need to get drunk" or "Oh Jamie, let's call a therapist!" but not "let's make love". That's just ridiculous.
The other issue I have is with Gabaldon's apparent obsession with adverbs. There is not a SINGLE action that takes place without some descriptive word preceding it: "he handsomely ran across a field", "she tremblingly touched his glistening chest". OH MY GOD.
Will I continue with the rest of the series? Yes, because I've already bought the books. Will I enjoy them? Not likely.

2010-02-17 (Minneapolis, MN) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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Outlander

Product Details

• Notes: Characterize New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Modify: NEW
• ISBN13: 9780385319959

Description

The year is 1945 and Claire Beauchamp Randall, a former British combat nurse, is on holiday in Scotland with her husband, looking forward to becoming reacquainted after the war's long separation. Like most practical women, Claire hardly expects her curiosity to get the better of her. But an ancient stone circle near her lodgings holds an eerie fascination, and when she innocently touches one of the giant boulders, she's hurtled backward in time more than two hundred years, to 1743.

Alone where no lady should be alone, and far from the familiar comforts of her other life, Claire's usual resourcefulness is tested to the limit. The merciless garrison captain so feared by others bears an uncanny resemblance to the husband she has just left behind. Her own odd circumstances expose her to accusations of witchcraft. And the strands of a political intrigue she doesn't understand threaten to ensnare her at every turn.

But of all the perils her new life holds, none is more disquieting than her growing feelings for James Fraser, the gallant young Scot she is forced to marry for her own protection. Sworn by his wedding vows to keep her from harm, Jamie's passion for Claire goes beyond duty. As she struggles with the memories of another lifetime, she is forced to make an agonizing and fateful choice, and learns ultimately that a man's instinct to protect the woman he loves is as old as time.

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In Outlander, a 600-page time-travel romance, strong-willed and sensual Claire Randall leads a double life with a husband in one century, and a lover in another. Torn between fidelity and desire, she struggles to understand the pure intent of her heart. But don't let the number of pages and the Scottish dialect scare you. It's one of the fastest reads you'll have in your library.

While on her second honeymoon in the British Isles, Claire touches a boulder that hurls her back in time to the forbidden Castle Leoch with the MacKenzie clan. Not understanding the forces that brought her there, she becomes ensnared in life-threatening situations with a Scots warrior named James Fraser. But it isn't all spies and drudgery that she must endure. For amid her new surroundings and the terrors she faces, she is lured into love and passion like she's never known before.

I was lame and sore in every muscle when I woke next morning. I shuffled to the privy closet, then to the wash basin. My innards felt like churned butter. It felt as though I had been beaten with a blunt object, I reflected, then thought that that was very near the truth. The blunt object in question was visible as I came back to bed, looking now relatively harmless. Its possessor [Jamie] woke as I sat next to him, and examined me with something that looked very much like male smugness."

Gabaldon creates characters that you'll remember, laugh with, cry with, and cheer for long after you've finished the book. --Candy Paape

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Customer Reviews

Honest ...
Book came in the exact same condition as advertised. Very good condition for the age of the book. Will certainly buy from the vendor again and will recommend them to all buyers.

2010-03-18 | Syrsa (Davie, FL USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Fantastic Book!!
This book is fantastic! I was looking for a good series to read and someone recommended this book to me. The first chapter or so was a little hard to get into, but once it really started I couldn't wait to see what happened next! I bought the next book right away. This is an awesome series.

2010-03-16 (Idaho Falls) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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It's okay to betray the one you love when something better comes along...
There are many more salient criticisms of this book here, but this is what I have to say...

First, some praise - this a good story concept, and the book is extremely well written. The author really knows how to turn a phrase, and is quite clever and eloquent in her descriptions, dialog, and humor. She proves herself extremely witty time and time again.

However, there are many problems with this book. There are one or two minor plot inconsistencies (small problems in contrast to the rest of my complaints), but at approximately 850 pages, the book really is too long. There are very long stretches of the book that could either be edited out completely or reduced to a few pages, or even to a few short paragraphs, without any detriment to either plot or character development. While the good writing sustains much of the unnecessary length, this book could have been a much better read at 400 or 500 pages.

Warning - Spoiler Alert!!!


My biggest problems with this book, however, are the two main characters, Jamie and Claire, and their relationship. Let's begin with Jamie.

Jamie Fraser is the perfect romance-novel paramour to the point of ridiculousness. It's clear in the beginning of the book that Claire is being set up to be attracted to Jamie (and this is in fact a great tension builder at first), but as one works through the procession of scenes designed to illustrate Jamie's attractiveness and perfection (a veritable avalanche of them) one by one, and with each one yet another one of Jamie's of positive traits is displayed, ultimately one is forced to either groan, giggle, or ruefully shake one's head. The author does attempt to give Jamie a flaw or two - but these are vastly overshadowed by his multitude of virtues. Though he is likable, Jamie Fraser is a two-dimensional fantasy book hero of the sort which inspires little beyond boredom and yawns.

On to Claire: As a reader, I tried to sympathize with Claire's position... after all, her journey through time and the forceful separation from her life and home and husband were not her doing. She was put into a very tough position... this was not something that she asked for... it happened to her... she is a situational victim here. And there is a lot to like in Claire: she's intelligent, eloquent, assertive, and has a quick sense of humor. Certainly, these are things that I myself like and look for in a woman.
However, the book jacket states that Claire "...becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire..." This proves to be an outright falsehood as fidelity is rather quickly tossed out the window in favor of desire with little ceremony or regret. She glibly, blithely allows her affections to transfer from Frank (whom she loves deeply - or so we are led to believe) to Jamie. To this reader, Claire seems, fickle, inconstant, and emotionally unaware of herself in a way that borders on stupidity. But since we have been shown that Claire isn't stupid, her actions therefore invite us to mix wanton callousness and mercenary insensitivity into the matrix of her personality. To me, this makes her not only unsympathetic, but patently unlikeable in a way that's one of the worst stereotypical portrayals of fickle women who use men while they're convenient, and abruptly dump them when a better beau comes along. All these traits, combined with the beating of Claire by Jamie, I think, would have resulted in the book being labeled as misogynist if it had been written by a man instead of a woman.

Women seem to love this book. As a male, I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the storybook romance element, but for me this leaves much to be desired. After all, the moral of this story seems to be: 'it's okay to betray the one you love when something better comes along.' Would those very same women who love this book put up with being treated the same way as Frank was treated if the tables were turned?

I have been exhorted me to overlook Claire's shortcomings and focus on the beauty and intense physicality of her relationship with Jamie. I must admit that I was unable to do this, since I did not care for the relationship, which frankly, I found to be distasteful (which is something I blame on Claire, not Jamie). Because of this, I glossed over most of the book's many sex scenes, only going back if it later became clear that I had missed a piece of crucial dialog.

Similarly, I found the book's climax to be an anticlimax. The final 150 pages or so are devoted to the efforts of Claire and Jamie attempting to heal their relationship after the damage inflicted on it (and Jamie) by the antagonist. Again, since I was not interested in their relationship, the book could have ended 150 pages early as far as I was concerned. Did I bear either of the characters ill will? Of course not. Did I want them to have a happy ending if at all possible? Certainly. But did I really care that much either way? Not really.

And in regards to the romance element and for the many female fans of Jamie Fraser out there, my advice is this: women who are searching for the ultimate man in the form of a Jamie Fraser should stop talking to men, collect lots of cats, resign themselves to living alone, and bury themselves in the other books of Ms. Gabaldon's series. I'm sorry ladies, and it really is a shame, but Jamie Fraser is nowhere out there in the real world.

2010-03-09 (USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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Just Too Much
In the Outlander by Diana Galbaldon, we first meet Claire Beauchamp Randall while she is on her second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands with her husband, Frank. It is 1945, and after being separated during the war, while Claire worked as a combat nurse and Frank as a soldier, they both decided that this is a well-deserved vacation to renew their relationship. Frank is most interested in continuing his research on his relative, Captain John "Black Jack" Randall and Claire, a little bored decide to learn more about the medicinal value of the area plants. One day during an outing Claire touches a boulder and is transported back to 1743 and lands in the middle of a skirmish between English soldiers, let by none other than Black Jack, and a Scottish Highland tribe. What are they to think when they come upon Claire in what they consider a state of undress for their times? Is she a spy for the English, a bar maid, or a French lady who is separated from her group? Will Claire be able to return to 1945 and Frank, or will she want to stay in 1743, with a new husband, the dashing Jamie Frasier?

This book has been categorized as historical fiction, historical romance, military history, and an adventure tale. While I found the story full of history, battle details, sex, violence, betrayal, loyalty, love, revenge, tradition, and romance, none of these elements held my interest in the story. The story went on a little too long and became repetitive in parts. We learn early on that Captain Randall is out to get Jaime Frasier at any cost, but the story seemed to repeat the same capture and escape scene several times too many. Claire has her moments to shine in the story, but came up short on more than one occasion. There were some nice touches in the story, such as when Claire figures that a vaccination mark on another women means that she is also a time traveler. Jaime falling in love with Claire was touching but these highs were too few and far between for me.

This is a book series that has a large following, so for me this book illustrates the saying, every book is not for everybody but every book is for someone.

This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub

2010-03-05 | avid reader (Huntersville, NC) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 2

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Very Impressed
This book will forever be one of my top favorites. I put off reading it due to the length, but I honestly never wanted to put it down. I was interested right from the beginning and I never lost that interest. I went through so much emotional turmoil over this book that I know I will have to wait a little while to pick up the next one, which to me makes Gabaldon a wonderful writer. I have never been so nervous, my heart has never broke so completely for a character, and I have never loathed a character so much in one book. Just thinking about some of the things Jamie went through tears my heart out again. Claire and Jamie are two of my favorite characters. I will definitely read the rest of the series but I will have to space them out my heart can't take all the turmoil at once.

2010-03-02 (Friendswood, TX United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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