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!!