"Drangonfly in Amber" starts with Claire coming back to 70s Scotland after the death of her husband Frank. You don't have to be a genius to realize right away that something had gone really wrong between Claire and Jamie in the 18th century. So I started the book a little sad knowing that I was surely headed for a heartbreak.

The book however soon goes back to Jamie and Claire through Claire's memories. We meet them where the 1st book left off - on the way to France to attempt to stop Charles Stuart’s plans to reclaim the throne of Scotland. Naturally, a series of adventures follows as we see our couple travel from Paris to Lallybroch to Edinburgh, etc.

Just like "Outlander," "Dragonfly in Amber" is full of adventure, curious historical facts, fascinating characters and very touching scenes of love and kinship. The passion and smuttiness of the "Outlander" are almost gone as Claire and Jamie settle into their comfortable marriage. You miss it a little in the beginning, but soon the void is filled by scenes of true companionship and marital devotion (I know, it sounds corny, but it’s not).

Although I truly enjoyed the book, I did have some concerns with it. Unlike "Outlander" written entirely from Claire's POV, this book jumps from 1st person narration to 3rd person narration in the first and last part of the book; and in the middle - a few times from Claire's to Jamie's POV. This bothered me. While I understand the need for it, I believe there is a better way to relay the story without resorting to multiple and sometimes unnecessary POVs.

The other issue I have is with the idea of time-travel itself. I wonder how Gabaldon is going to handle the issue in her future books, but I couldn't quite understand why for instance Claire would stop Jamie from killing Jack Randall to ensure the birth of her 1st husband Frank, but would readily agree to try to change the course of history knowing that the consequences of it could in theory affect the lives of millions of people, including Claire's. I am still a little puzzled by it. Plus, is Gabaldon's theory that it is impossible to change the future at all? Because so far Claire and Jamie have been unable to stop anything from happening.

In spite of these concerns, "Dragonfly in Amber" is still an engrossing read which makes you both happy and sad, heartbroken and delighted. I will definitely read "Voyager," especially because this second book in the series ends with quite a cliffhanger.

Reading challenge: #1 - D

God help me. I must hate myself.
*****
*Just got to the part with the horse breeding. Holy crap it *is* Clan of the Cavebear (or rather, Valley of Horses) only with Scotsmen not cavemen.
****
Also, rather than spankings, there are repeated requests from Jamie to Claire that she kill him. Not sure if this is any better.
****
Okay. Done. On to the next one. Bizarrely addictive. Now with 1/3 less spankings!

Cliffhanger??? Really

4.5 stars right off the top! I got hooked on the Outlander series last year when I read the first book in this series by Diana Gabaldon. I knew I wanted to try another one, and now that I've devoured the second novel, Dragonfly in Amber, in this historical fiction and fantasy series, I have added the rest and even started watching the television drama. I'm a major fan, especially because followers on my blog selected this as my 'Book Bucket List' read for May 2018. I'm so glad they pushed me to take on this ~950 behemoth despite everything else on my TBR. Now I'm trying to add in the next one in June... and to think these were written nearly 30 years ago in the early 1990s.

Where do I begin? My normal review format won't do as I really just want to gush about the book, as my friend Noriko would say. Yes, there's the time travel, the Scottish setting, and Jamie / Claire, but it's so much more. The sheer brilliance in the relationships, complexities in the plot, and historical facts and embellishments (in a good way) is phenomenal. It's like I'm absorbed into a life I wish I could live for a few hours... no different than when I read Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Pillars of the Earth. I adore these giant tomes because of the author's ability to build realistic worlds with just a touch of disbelief to give me something to deeply ponder.

Gabaldon's attention to details is quite strong. I'm a history buff and love learning about new characters, then looking up to see if they're based on real people. All the clans of Scotland shine through. I was especially pleased when they visited the Kilmarnock villages, as my ancestors lived there in the early 1800s before emigrating to America. I can't wait to visit the town to see how it compares to the novel, family stories and everything in between. This is a true genealogy lover's book because it combines all the analytical and historical aspects of discovering your past and your supposed family. Then learning the wicked secrets, and oh, are they wicked.

The only things I'd say that stopped me from giving this 5 stars fall into two categories. There are some sections that are overly detailed to the point you begin skimming a paragraph here and there. When that happens, the action and plot (usually my most important element in a book) feels pushed to the side. It happened once every 100 pages or so... not for more than a page or two, but enough that maybe it needed to be a ~900 page book instead of a ~950 page book. Ha! The other area was something that felt a bit different from Outlander. It's almost as if Gabaldon took a few too many "pun" liberties in this one, covering bathing or bathroom habits all too frequently. I love when it's brought up in books, but it was done in a too-humorous way which forced me to step out of the book instead of stay connected to true 18th century life. Even in the 1940s which is where Claire is from before she time travels, they still lacked some of the things we consider necessary today. I like when it's brought up once or twice, but not for pages where she laughs about it and then says "but it is what it is" essentially.

All that said, the plot is smart and charming. The introduction of a good side to one of the formerly bad characters is interesting, but I know it's long from over. The travel between France and Scotland is compelling. I just finished Follett's Column of Fire and saw a strong and tight connection here. If you love a touch of fantasy and historical fiction, and don't mind strong sexual content, then you need to give this a chance, even if the entire series is around 8k pages at this point. I'll be in a book daze all week long, so I'm gonna have to select something very different to draw me out of it.

Thanks for picking this book, This Is My Truth Now voters. New poll to be setup today for June's Book Bucket List

4.5 stars.

“Undated. Unknown. But once… once, she was real.”

Can history be changed?

That's probably the most important question to consider while reading Dragonfly in Amber. One that is so compelling and complicated and, depending on who you ask, has many different answers. Thing is, is it possible in this world?

We already saw Jamie and Claire fall in love and deal with their respective pasts, now is time for them to deal with the future and the responsibility that they have to it. And how history is a very sensitive term that leaves a lot of room and spaces in blank.

With as many twists and turns as can be possibly conceivable, we continue to follow one of the most real and natural love stories out there.

“Well, if raisings were fomented in taverns, perhaps they could be stopped over dinner tables.”

With the knowledge that the Battle of Culloden is looming on the horizon, Jamie and Claire decide they must stop it and save the people, the land, they love. Which is a lot easier said than done. Plans are put into motion and we get a bunch of new settings that are as delightful and aesthetically pleasing as you can hope.

Nothing is ever easy for this couple and they go through so many ups and downs in their quest to change a defining point in history. I had a lot of fun. I mean, for one, we go to France and it's just fun to see a period France and all its colorful way of living. Especially because Jamie is just so naturally awkward and memorable in all of them.

Seeing Claire still trying to master living in a world where things are so different than what she's used to -even though she has gotten a lot better at it - is just as precious. The natural comedy that results from all these situations is just delightful.

Yet, of course, we have a great dosage of drama and strife that makes for a very entertaining book.

“Each one of us can be responsible only for his own actions and his own conscience.”

I do find it completely delightful the way that Gabaldon manages to mix and keep in perfect equilibrium her comedy and her drama. There is so much of both and neither feels out of place for even a second.

Maybe it's the way she writes the chemistry between these characters so naturally. All the relationships are so perfectly natural and fluid that I can see myself having similar conversations with someone. It creates natural comedy that doesn't feel like the characters are trying to be witty or smart or funny they are just... being.

Similarly, the drama comes from situations that the characters personalities allow to happen or the time period makes them quite necessary. From the huge battles to the quieter melodramas, everything came naturally and well dosed.

There are plenty of quiet moments as well where the only thing we need is to give the characters a natural point of rest and relaxation. A moment to collect themselves from everything that's happened and that at the same time help to further the connections and understanding of the motivations of every one of the characters we are seeing.

“I didn’t know what one life was worth – or a thousand. I didn’t know the true cost of revenge.”

It's a book that makes you ponder many things.

When have you done enough? Where do you draw the line?

Not easy questions but ones that need to be considered carefully. And I love that it made me think so much. It also didn't go easy on the answers or the delivery of the answers.

Trying to figure out what is the right thing to do and what makes it the right thing to do is just as hard, if not more, than fighting a war or constructing a healthy and strong relationship. Seeing the different points of view with their different reasonings and motivations made everything be incredibly broad and well managed.

Best of all, have we really gotten and answer by the end of it all? Can we ever get a definitive answer?

“Honor has killed one bloody hell of a lot of men. Honor without sense is… foolishness. A gallant foolishness, but foolishness nonetheless.”

There are some major plot twists through the story, not just at the ending as is usual, but through the whole thing. And, I mean, when you start with a flashforward you need to deliver some punches along the way.

I love flashforwards because they are so scarce and tricky. Gabaldon manages to pull it off without a hitch and still pull so many plot twists through the way and ending that is just mind-boggling.

The one at the very end, though not exactly the most surprising since it makes perfect sense, was probably the most shocking. Maybe because of the timing and delivery, though I think it largely possible to my attachment to the characters. All I know for sure is that it has made me want to pick the next book ASAP just to get some closure and fangirling content.

“Alive, and one. We are one, and while we love, death will never touch us.”

Whoever tells me that this isn't primarily a love story needs to re-read the books and check again because Jamie and Claire's love story is the center of the books. There may be drama and a lot of action in-between but it is never the most important thing.

It works so beautifully. And how could it not? When Gabaldon writes their relationship and connection in such a realistic and deep way. It's not perfect or easy or wonderful but it is the most right thing and the purest thing there is. They fight and get angry -truly, deeply, murderously angry - but they always find their way back to each other.

It's those "imperfections" that made them one of the most compelling couples I've ever read. They feel mature and safe. They don't need to debase themselves -or each other - to demonstrate anything and they don't need to see eye-to-eye in everything to be perfect.

I appreciate it more than I can express.

“You cannot save the world, but you might save the man in front of you, if you work fast enough.”

There are, of course, a few things that I didn't particularly love about the book.

Let's start with something that I just simply don't think worked so great. The whole Faith part had me a bit disappointed.

I came to the books because of the TV Show, that's the truth and thanks to said TV Show I knew what to expect from this book and I knew it contained one of my favorite moments in all TV. I was really excited to get to read it from the source material and experience was is -most of the time - the superior version. Yet I was left severely wanting.

It's not that it wasn't great or touching or deep, it was, but I don't think that the format of the book allowed to use all the potential for that particular moment. You see, we follow the book through Claire's perspective which works just wonderfully 99.9% of the time but in this case that was a severe hindrance.

I just wish we could have had more... scope for feelings, that's all.

Another little detail is the fact that, for some reason that I still can't understand, Gabaldon, apparently, most add an 80+ pages chapter to each of her books... why?

I understand having large chapters in books that are so large. I do, but 80 pages are a little too much. It just feels like I'm going nowhere for a very long time, which is already hard enough to combat in a huge book, so... I really don't need those chapters sneaking into my reading.

The last of my complaints is simply that sometimes it does drag a little. I understand that we need those quiet moments and a slower pace but it did feel like you could have cut some of those and hardly damage the story.

“Any piece of good music is in essence a love song.”

To say that I'm in love with this world is to not say enough and every time I read more of it I just love it more and more. I'm constantly thrown away by Gabaldon's mastery of this story and her beautiful way of presenting it.

I wish I could read all of them faster and, at the same time, I'm glad I take my time with them because it's so refreshing and just what I need.

Here's to more of this timeless love story.

“I loved Frank. I loved him a lot. But by that time, Jamie was my heart and the breath of my body. I couldn’t leave him. I couldn’t.”

___________________________

This book was both harder and lighter than I remembered.

I love the ideas that it plays with and the questions it poses. Excellent food for thought.

Now, I really, really want to pick Voyager though, I know, I must wait for a little. But that ending was just too good.

RTC.
___________________________

And so continues my quest to read all of the Outlander series' books.

I'm pretty excited to read more of these precious characters and get to see some of my favorite moments from the story. And, at the same time, get to see things from a different perspective.

The fact that this book is gigantic is certainly a little intimidating but it won't make me back away from my goal. I just hope I can go through it as fast as I can... I may end up adding myself with audio if needed -which has proven such lifesavers.

"I stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, I heard my heart break. It was a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a flower's stem."



I absolutely love this series! It's funny to see that I started 2019 reading the first book of Outlander and I finish it with the second one... I sure hope it doesn't get me ten years to read through it all!!!

n  

“Blood of my blood,” he whispered, “and bone of my bone. You carry me within ye, Claire, and ye canna leave me now, no matter what happens. You are mine, always, if ye will it or no, if ye want me or nay. Mine, and I wilna let ye go.”

n



To say that these books have-slowly but surely-stolen my heart is nothing short of an understatement. I won’t go on about how they are so different than any I have ever read or how I waited way way too long to read them (3 years, in fact), but that they offer something that I seldom find with my books: Complacency. I can pick up one of these books, set aside a good two weeks to finish them (any more and I’d go crazy because LOTS OF FANTASY TO READ AND I AM SURELY MISSING OUT!) and just immerse myself fully.

n  

“No,” I said softly, “nor can you leave me.”
“No,” he said, half-smiling. “For I have kept the last of the vow as well.” He clasped both hands about me, and bowed his head on my shoulder, so I could feel the warm breath of the words upon my ear, whispered to the dark.
“For I give ye my spirit, ’til our life shall be done.”

n



There’s such a languid feeling mixed with a gentle sense of panic and urgency and heart-attack inducing fangirl feels that I can’t help but to be a hopeless romantic sap, pining for a love status I’m likely never to achieve-look. I love my husband-dearly. In fact, he mirrors many many qualities of Jamie Fraser that, if I’m forced to sit down and compare the similarities, it might be astonishing, seeing as how we’ve been together since HS (age 16) (so 12-13 years-ish, at this point). But, ya know, as much as he used to proclaim his love for me daily, that obviously has faded into the background (IMMENSELY) with age, growth, and, in a different and less positive sense than I stated earlier, complacency.


n  

“Hey!” I said, seeing him clearly from the back. “What’s that?”
“What?” he said, startled, trying to peer over one shoulder.
“That!” My fingers traced the muddy shape I had spotted above the sagging plaid, printed on the grubby linen of his shirt with the clarity of a stencil. “It looks like a horseshoe,” I said disbelievingly.
“Oh, that,” he said, shrugging.
“A horse stepped on you?”
“Well, not on purpose,” he said, defensive on the horse’s behalf. “Horses dinna like to step on people; I suppose it feels a wee bit squashy underfoot.”

n

Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to be so comfortable with someone, but it does backfire when you meet a new BH (upgraded Mr. Fraser from boyfriend to HUSBAND, thank you VERY much) and he is eons more expressive than your old potato lol. I love my husband dearly, but he’s not what you would call a touchy feely guy-he’s built as Jamie is described, etc, but he certainly isn’t as brazen about his feelings for me, obviously, as our adorable, loyal, and absolutely wears-his-heart-on-his-sleeve Jamie. And I’ll stop there, because I sound like I’m bashing when, in fact, there really is no way to compare to a fictional character like Jamie. Sorry. But true.


n  

“But I talk to you as I talk to my own soul,” he said, turning me to face him. He reached up and cupped my cheek, fingers light on my temple.
“And, Sassenach,” he whispered, “your face is my heart.”

n

That all being said, I feel like I’m in such a wonderfully relaxed state with those beautiful moments of heart-spiking action and love declaring, and I don’t think many would call this ideal-more like boring-but I am one to love to take a break from short to mid-long YA fantasies. It’s nice to lean back and know I’m not racing to my next read and that there really isn’t any way to, so I have to sit back and enjoy the ride. I don’t necessarily race to each new read so much as I just HAVE to know what will be happening next, which, inevitably, fastens the pace of my lovely fantasies I do so adore.

n  

Whether it was health of mind or body, the love of him was necessary to me as breath or blood. My mind reached out for him, sleeping or waking, and finding him, was satisfied. My body flushed and glowed, and as it came to full life, it hungered for his.

n



But, alas, these books have a price I have to pay-aside from my heart being handed over on a silver platter for Jamie Fraser’s safe keeping whenever I pick up one of these monstrosities-there are many things that are a trigger for me-especially in this one. I’ll admit in book one there were probably more triggerish moments? But they were spread apart and, frankly, happened so frequently I think the shock overtook me, whereas this A-hole of a book had a heavy-handed tragedy that I was more than prepared for-even as I bawled my eyes out for such a close to my heart loss.

n  

“Sweet little beauty, is she not?” Jared asked, waving a hand expansively. I assumed he meant the ship, not the figurehead.
“Verra nice,” said Jamie politely. I caught his uneasy glance at the boat’s waterline, where the small waves lapped dark gray against the hull. I could see that he was hoping we would not be obliged to go on board. A gallant warrior, brilliant, bold, and courageous in battle, Jamie Fraser was also a landlubber.

n



Yes, I knew my biggest trigger was in this book and that I might not be able to handle it-but I did and I would again, because this book was worth more than the sum of that part. And, all in all, despite a lot of tedious meetings and boring moments, in the beginning, I never once lost faith I would walk away from this book without 5 stars and a boner for the next book. Which, in this case, I was right. Again.

n  

“C’est un embarras de richesse, hm? Which shall we read tonight?” She lifted the small stack of books from their wrappings, stroking the soft leather cover of the top one with a forefinger that trembled with delight. Jenny loved books with the same passion her brother reserved for horses.

n

I finished last night, but it wasn’t without re-reading the most heart-wrenching moments of the whole book (MY GOD MY F****** HEART) 20 times, just to stay in that/those moment(s), and I bawled-an entirely different kind of bawling-for at least 20 minutes while I re-read said scenes. And that cliffhanger? Obviously I knew this, but the way it happened, it’s like my ovaries and heart and head were just like….MOAR, even as my head said, Lady, you need a break.



n  

n
The tip of a long, reddened nose was barely visible above the bedclothes. It oscillated slowly back and forth as Jamie shook his head.
“Drunk wi’ power,” he remarked disapprovingly to the ceiling. “Verra unwomanly attitude, that.”
I dropped a kiss on his hot forehead and swung my cloak down from its hook.
“How little you know of women, my love,” I said.

n



So, what does my dumb ass do? I google all the things I know that are coming for book three (skimming the things I do NOT know) that my heart isn’t equipped to handle. I know. I know it. I knew it I heard it I know it I cannot DEAL with it and I am NOT okay with it and how in the F*** am I supposed to get through book three knowing how hard it will be? Will the months I make myself wait between books help lessen the HEARTBREAKING blow(s)? I don’t know, and I can’t answer it, but one part in particular made me want to vomit because NO NO NO and NOOOOO and, in that sense, I believe this author can be a bit moronic, much as I’ll always adore her for creating such a unicorn of a man. How dare she? But, alas, I will save my bitching and moaning for my book three review-be ready, because that storm is a comin’. My anger is already brewing, and I will DESTROY those characters with whom I have a swirling crescendo of hate for.

“It gives ye something to think on as ye go about your work,” Jenny explained, when I found her one night swaying with weariness, and urged her to go to bed, rather than stay up to read aloud to Ian, Jamie, and myself. She yawned, fist to her mouth. “Even if I’m sae tired I hardly see the words on the page, they’ll come back to me next day, churning or spinning or waulkin’ wool, and I can turn them over in my mind.”

On a lighter note, I love when you lose sleep and toss and turn simply because you just can’t let those last moments of a book go-which is what happened here.



I don’t know when I will be able to pick up three, but I do know it won’t be mid summer, but sooner, hopefully, and I am already dying to move on, even knowing I will probably rip my hair out and commit fictional murder. Cheers to that.


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*******************

These books challenge me in a way I'm not accustomed to, and I both loathe and adore them for it. On the one hand, trigger happy much?? On the other, I love the details, the way that each scene is so deep that you can't help but drown in a sea of feels for the love Jamie has for Claire...and I am a sucker for it. He is the purest, most honest, most loyal, and absolute best book guy I've come across-and that means a LOT coming from a BBF whore.

I am still at the bottom of the ocean of my sea of tears, but I can't wait to write this review.




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I did it! I finally finished this book and I loved it! It was a beautiful but very heartbreaking sequel to Outlander and I can't wait to read the next book later this year. But even though I really loved this novel, I decided to only give it 4 stars because I still remember that I read Outlander in 7 days and it took me almost 5 weeks to finish this one because I unfortunately needed quite some time to get into this part of the series.

All the books in this series are wonderful. It's a great love story.

"I woke up three times in the dark predawn.
First in sorrow, then in joy, and at the last, in solitude."

Finally have gathered my courage to start this.
Here we go. =D

Dragonfly in Amber was the vivid and intriguing sequel to Outlander, the beloved epic Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It is twenty years later and Claire Randall returns with her daughter, Brianna, to the mysteries of Scotland’s mist-shrouded Highlands. It is here that Claire plans to reveal the secret of an ancient circle of standing stones at Craig na Dun sliding precariously from whatever mysterious layers were lying between then and now. It is here that Clair Randall plans to reveal the secret of a love that transcends centuries and the truth of a Highlands warrior, Jamie Fraser. Claire’s epic journey continues through the intriguing French court and the menace of the Jacobite plots to the Highlands of Scotland in a desperate fight to save her child and the man she loves.

n  

“. . . . small cabochon ruby, its mount was engraved with the Fraser clan motto, je suis prest: ‘I am ready.’”

“But for the hours of the night, I was helpless; powerless to move as a dragonfly in amber.”

n

Well, once more I found myself enthralled with a book that I would have told you held little interest for me, wrong again. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in this epic series, Voyager. What can I say?

Actual Rating 3.75 stars

I DID IT. I finally finished this book! Miracles happen :P

So this book fell pretty much in the same spot as Outlander for me - I liked it but didn't love. I struggle with the pacing of the books but I love the characters and the overall story a lot.

I liked the addition of some new characters and locations and while I didn't think the book served a strong punch, I think it was good enough to keep me interested. I don't know when I'll read Voyager but I hear that it's many people's favorite in the series so we shall see.