Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Book:  Dragonfly in Amber 


Author:  Diana Gabaldon 


Grade:  B


Recommended To:  Scottish, People who like love stories, Witches. 


This is the second book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and I think it was even better than the first.  If you have not read this series - you should take a trip to a closing Borders and get it at a discount.

This book begins with a Claire that is 20 years older and her daughter's trip to Scotland (circa 1968) where Claire tells Brianna about the circumstances of her birth and her father, Jamie.  Yay!  I was so excited for this, but was totally disappointed in Brianna's reaction.  What a total moper.  Jamie is possibly one of the most attractive male characters that I've read about since Gabriel Allon (Daniel Silva fans, please stand up).  Who wouldn't be happy to have Jamie as their dad?  Hello, Brianna - you don't know what great news this really is!

But, of course the story wasn't really about Brianna, but about the fateful battle of Culloden that Gabaldon took about 700 pages to actually write about.   Even though this book is written in a series of small events that happen to Jamie and Claire in the months leading up to the culminating battle - this book never failed to keep my attention.  Everything absolutely comes full circle at the end with a serious twist in the last 30 pages.  And, a serious cliff-hanger.  Damn it, Diana, don't you know that I have fifty-three books on my to-read shelf?  I don't have time to engross myself in another 1000-pager.

One thing I didn't like was the obsession with Jack Randall and allowing him to live.  He's a really bad guy in this book with absolutely no redeemable qualities.  I wish Jamie had just killed him when he had the chance so I didn't have to keep reading about what a horrible person he was.

Otherwise, this was a pretty good book.  I gave it a B because her writing is absolutely fantastic, the attention to detail is unparalleled in most of the historical fiction that I've read.  I can't wait to read the third book, Voyager, and see what happens to this glorious couple next.

Happy Reading!!

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Book: Outlander

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Grade: B

Recommended To: Historical Fiction Fans.

Happy New Year!! What is better for a new year than starting a whole new book series? I had never heard of Diana Gabaldon, but a friend recommended her series. This book follows a woman who time-travels (a little weird, I know) back to 18th century Scotland. There, she is accused of being a witch, marries a sexy Scot, and frees said husband from jail.

I really liked this book, but of course, I had some issues. The language in this book is exquisite. Gabaldon has a way of weaving together words that leaves you craving more. She is an incredibly descriptive writer and although sometimes it can be too much, that feeling is rare.

This book also had a really intriguing story. I was warned about the time travel before I read the book, so I was prepared, but it actually made the relationships and interactions in the book more interesting. Plus, it made the book a bit easier to understand from a 20th century point of view. The main character reacted in much of the same way that I would have reacted and that made the book seem that much more realistic.

One thing I didn't like about the book were the many rape scenes. I have no idea if that was historically accurate, but I felt like the scenes were too prevalent and were insufficiently vague to lend anything to the book. Further, the Jamie and the main character (this book is written in first person, so damned if I can remember the woman's name) have sex at least every third page in the book, but the descriptions were either romance novel specific or abstinence-only education vague. I wish there had been some middle ground, because I often found myself wondering what had happened.

Overall, I liked this book but gave it a B because I felt like it. There are 5-6 books in the series and I believe that they all follow the same couple and series of events. I'm going to at least try the rest of them so look forward to those reviews.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!