Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon

          Outlander #2

          I was very impressed with Outlander, the first book in this series, so I had high hopes for Dragonfly In Amber.  I was not disappointed. And, I must say, I cannot wait to get my hands on Voyager, the third book in the series.

          This book picks up with Clair returning to Scotland twenty years after going back through the cloven stone to 1947. She returns with her daughter, Brianna. It is her intention to see if a local historian can tell her the fates of a number of men who were known to have been on the field in Culloden at the final disastrous attempt of Bonnie Prince Charlie to regain the British throne for his father.

          While she is there, she also intends to tell her daughter the story of her travel back in time to 1743, of her marriage to James Frasier, and the fact that Brianna is actually Frasier’s daughter.

          While visiting a churchyard with the historian who is researching the men on Clair’s list, Brianna comes upon the grave of Jamie Frasier.  She does not realize who he was to Clair or to herself.  She only knows this is one of the men who played a major role in the part of history they are exploring. Brianna excitedly calls her mother over to examine her find.

          Despite having twenty years in which to come to terms with Jamie’s death, the sight of his tombstone sends Clair into a frenzy of grief. Her behavior is completely inexplicable to her daughter, and her explanation is even more so.

          The majority of the book is taken up with Clair remembering the time she spent with Jamie in France while there was a price on Jamie’s head in Scotland.  While there, they did everything they could to ensure that Prince Charles did not gain the resources to stage the rising that Clair knew would end with the deaths of so many Scots at Culloden. They were ultimately unsuccessful. The rising occurred and the massacre ensued.

          As dawn breaks on the morning of the battle at Culloden, Jamie insists Clair return through the cloven stone to her own time. He must remain and attempt to save his men, and then die a warrior’s death on the battlefield instead of a traitor’s death later. Clair, who is pregnant with Brianna, finally agrees in order to save them both.

          And, it would appear that this amazing love story has reached its end. But there is another book, so maybe not.

          I’ve read recently that these books are being made into a cable TV series.  I’d definitely watch it. I absolutely recommend this book. I laughed and cried and contemplated the intricate tangle of time brought about by the circumstances of the story. This is another very long book, but Gabaldon has once again done a great job of storytelling.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

          This book is the first in a series. I added it to my to-be-read list after reading, and enjoying, The Scottish Prisoner a few months ago.  I’m very glad I did.  I really liked this one, and have added the rest of the series to the list.

          If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you’ll be aware that time travel is one of my favorite kinds of stories.  And, this is a time travel tale.  The story starts in 1946. Claire and her husband, Frank,  have been posted at opposite ends of the earth during WWII, and now that the war is over, they are enjoying a bit of a second honeymoon in Scotland.  Toward the end of their planned stay, Claire makes a solo trip to a stone dance where she stumbles through a thin spot in the space-time continuum and finds herself in the middle of a skirmish between some Scottish raiders and English redcoats.

          It takes some time, but fairly quickly she discovers that this is no historical reenactment or movie shoot. She really is in 1743.  She ends up being taken by the Scots back to their home, and must find a way to escape them and return to the dance where she hopes she can make her way back to her own time. 

          But fate intervenes, and in order to avoid being turned over to the British to be interrogated as a spy, she finds herself wed to Jaime Frasier, an outlaw and fine specimen of a man. Once wed, the Scots trust in her begins to increase, and her training as an army nurse puts her in great demand as a healer. Her attempts to help the sick and injured are not always looked upon in a friendly manner, though, and before long she finds herself accused of witchcraft. 

          She is rescued at the last moment, and finally breaks down and tells Jamie that she has come from the future, and has a husband and a life there.  While obviously skeptical, Jamie takes her back to the dance. And, while there, witnesses things that convince him her story is true. He loves her enough to allow her to return through the time rift to her life in 1946, but is not strong enough to watch it happen. He leaves her standing before the stone.

          And there she stands, unable to take the final step through the rift. She realizes that she is too much in love with Jamie to leave him, and chooses to remain in 1743, despite the lack of indoor plumbing.

          Together, Claire and Jamie have further adventures as they attempt to avoid the British, who have condemned Jamie to hang, and try to find a place where they can live and love.

          This is a very long book. The original hardcover edition was 688 pages long. It took a while to read it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t wait to get to Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in the series.

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

               This book is part of a larger series called the Lord John novels. The series and its novels are outlined in the Preface to the book – and I gotta tell ya, I was totally confused by the time I’d finished reading it. So, with great trepidation, I opened Section I.

               And, was pleasantly surprised at how easily I followed the story line. I must admit, it did help that I am somewhat familiar with the historical time period and the customs of the British upper class. Without that background, some of the activities would be pretty inexplicable.

               I enjoyed the characters and the plot line.  The action moved along at a good pace.  I have not yet decided If I want to read the whole series, but I have added the first one, Outlander (if I interpreted the Preface correctly), to my book list.