Review #4: Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon

The second book in Diana Gabaldon's best-selling Outlander series, Dragonfly in Amber opens in present day (well, late 1960s, I think, if I do the math correctly, but more present day than eighteenth century). Claire has returned to Scotland after her husband Frank's death, and she's brought her daughter, tall red haired Brianna, with her. The trip is ostensibly a mother-daughter vacation, but Claire is actually looking for a way to tell Brianna that her real father is Jamie Fraser, the man Claire married in Scotland...two hundred years ago.

Exiled from Scotland, Jamie and Claire find their way to France, where Jaime is to take over temporarily for his cousin Jared, a wealthy, well-connected wine merchant. Together, they enter a world of court espionage and intrigue, working to foil Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempts to take the Scottish throne. The reader is introduced to Lord John Grey (a character who spawned his own series), Fergus, a young, nimble French boy rescued from a brothel (and the evils of Jack Randall), and Geillis Duncan, a woman who has a secret just as shocking as Claire's.

But Claire and Jamie's attempts to thwart the rebellion and the subsequent slaughter of the Scottish clans appear unsuccessful, and suddenly they find themselves on the field at Culloden, where so many Scots are to die. Jamie, resigned to his fate, forces Claire back through the stones, where she returns to her life with Frank, pregnant with Jamie's daughter.

This second installment wanders a bit more than the first, but Jamie and Claire's love story is just as intense as when we first met them in Outlander. They come together and fall apart, but they always, always are connected. Once again, theirs is a true partnership, one that stands out even more starkly against the backdrop of a time when women were not seen as equals. And their love is one that, quite literally, stands the test of time.

Review #1: Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

I first read Outlander about fifteen years or so ago. My mom gave it to me, saying, "I know you don't like time travel, but just get over that, and read this book." Rarely does my mom do that, but when she does, she hits the mark. In fact, she gave me Harry Potter in much the same way, about four months before it exploded, saying, "Stick with it. Trust me."  After hearing about the upcoming series on Starz, and discovering it was only $1.99 for an e-reader edition, I realized I needed to take a little trip to the Scottish Highlands.

And I'm glad I did. Jamie's just as delicious as I remember, and Claire is just as smart and fiesty. The characters come to life as easily as they did the first time around, and the reader is transported back to eighteenth century Scotland just as quickly as Claire was when she stepped through the stones at Craig na Dun.

For the uninitiated, Gabaldon's story begins in 1945, with British nurse Claire Randall on a second honeymoon with her history buff husband Frank. Though they've been together for years, the war has kept them apart, and Claire and Frank are just beginning to settle in to married life. On a solitary walk near a stone circle, Claire is whisked through a time portal and finds herself in Scotland in 1743, at the height of the British and Scottish fighting. Through a series of events, Claire finds herself with Jamie Fraser, a young Scottish warrior fighting to clear his name and return to his land. Together, they must face the truly evil Lord John Randall (Frank's ancestor), keep each other safe, and try to find a way for Claire to return to her own time.

One of the things I love about this series is how well it blends the "prince saves the girl" storyline with a strong female lead. Yes, Jamie saves Claire - quite often, in fact - but Claire is no slouch, and she pulls off several clever and daring rescues. As fierce a warrior as Jamie is, he needs Claire, and as intelligent and strong as Claire is, she needs him, too. They truly are a team, and that's not something you often see in stories like this.

The beauty of this book lies in its characters. The story is good, to be sure, but the characters are what elevates this book from good to excellent. Jamie, Claire, and the entire cast are strong, brave, smart, and resilient, but they are also flawed, and Gabaldon doesn't shy away from exposing those flaws.

I also read the author's interview, and I found it interesting that Gabaldon wrote Outlander "just to see if [she] could". I'm glad she decided to take the leap.