820 pages
English language
Published Aug. 8, 2009 by Delacorte Press.
As battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-travelling wife Claire Randall flee from North Carolina to the high seas during the American Revolution, they encounter privateers and ocean battles. Meanwhile in the relative safety of the 20th century Brianna (Claire and Jamie's daughter) and Roger MacKenzie, Brianna's husband, search for clues not only to Claire's fate--but to their own fate in the Highlands.
The strongest of the series so far. Much more tightly plotted, and having characters in different timelines was a nice twist. Otherwise, the same as before... sex, historical events, sex, and drama. It’s a good middle ground between high literature and brain candy
There were some characters in this book that I didn't know, so parts of this book were kind of a drag. I all in all liked it though. This book kind of makes me want to read the Lord John books, but we'll have to see. I'll give Gabaldon credit for her details as far as war goes, even though I didn't much like those parts of the book. I did like Claire's operations, and medical doings however.
Where's the next one ... how can she stop in the middle of all these storylines.
This is the latest in her series featuring Claire and Jamie. They include the character Lord John, and she's also spun him off into his own series of historical mystery novels. I feel a bit guilty giving the book 5 stars, but I inhaled 800 pages in about 4 days, and that's with consciously slowing myself down to try to make it last. If you're interested in the series, do start with the first one -- Outlander.[return][return]The books are set in the mid to late 1700s. Like John MacDonald Fraser's Flashman character, Claire and Jamie's busy lives take them into every major historical event in that period in Scotland and the Americas, plus a bit of France. There's some time travel between the 20th century and the 18th, but the action mostly takes place in the past. I wish I could be more analytical as to what I love about …
This is the latest in her series featuring Claire and Jamie. They include the character Lord John, and she's also spun him off into his own series of historical mystery novels. I feel a bit guilty giving the book 5 stars, but I inhaled 800 pages in about 4 days, and that's with consciously slowing myself down to try to make it last. If you're interested in the series, do start with the first one -- Outlander.[return][return]The books are set in the mid to late 1700s. Like John MacDonald Fraser's Flashman character, Claire and Jamie's busy lives take them into every major historical event in that period in Scotland and the Americas, plus a bit of France. There's some time travel between the 20th century and the 18th, but the action mostly takes place in the past. I wish I could be more analytical as to what I love about them. She makes the historical period feel very real. There are prosaic details, never explained at length, just observed in passing. The characters are well drawn, with both strengths and weaknesses. The plot is always full tilt. The women are every bit as fully realized as characters as the men.[return][return]The reason I feel guilty about the 5 stars is that the level of coincidence is absolutely shameless. No one ends up at Culloden, and Valley Forge, and the French court. But damn, it would be interesting (and terrifying) if you did.
