Series: Outlander #2
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Age Group: Adult
Published- August 2001
Trade Paperback
Rating 4/5
For nearly 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 Jamie 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.
Finishing one of
these is like finishing a Song of Ice and Fire book. This has been a marathon
and a lot happened during this installment that I will try to keep straight
when I read Voyager. Though I'm left with more questions than answers at the
end of this one.
Unlike Outlander
that started off with a bang, this book takes forever to get going. We spend an
annoying amount of time following a new character who ogles Claire and her
daughter in the "present" while Claire tries to find answers about
the past. When we finally flash back to pick up where we left off at the end of
Outlander, the story had my attention. I did find it hard to keep track of all
the characters at times because everyone has at least two names and they show
up in so many different places.
I wish I was invested in the plot and what was happening as I was in the character. I care a lot about Jamie and Claire, but sometimes we lose sight of them in the tumult of things happening around them.
Overall I have a
lot of mixed feelings, and generally a lot of FEELINGS, about this book. Jamie
and Claire's story is very raw at times and I felt their pain, sadness, and fear
throughout this book. Gabaldon is great at getting emotions to come through strongly,
but I do feel like this could have been trimmed down. We go on a lot of
tangents and the forward progression of the story is slowed down so much.
At the end of the
book I am left with a lot more questions than answers. I have no idea where we
will go from here and I am burning with curiosity even though the story ended
on a strange note. I'll be checking out Voyager soon.
