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Grade: A or 4.5 stars

Wow! This was so much better than Outlander, which I will now admit I found a little boring at times. (Yes, I said "boring"!)

The beginning of Dragonfly in Amber was a little slow, but the story was always in constant forward motion. Jamie has grown up from the last book. He no longer felt like a young man. I loved Claire. The issues I had with her characterization was absent in this book. Her pain, anger, bitterness, hope, and love are relayed beautifully.

Diana Gabaldon can be very "wordy" but it never became too much. No skim reading done at all, vacant stares, or re-read pages. The writing felt lush creating a beautiful backdrop for Dragonfly in Amber. The secondary characters were just as interesting as Jamie and Claire. Plus, the story has two points of view (Roger and Claire), which I enjoyed. Hopefully, Jamie's point of view is added in Voyager.

The story is emotional and evocative. Can you change history? Should you? How do you distinguish right from wrong change? Claire and Jamie try to prevent the useless slaughter of many Scotsmen and address those questions. Their relationship has highs and lows with their deeply-rooted love constantly shining through. I don't think this series is a masterpiece, but I absolutely loved this book and am HOOKED!

Thanks, Jill and to all my GR friends for helping reach this book! For those who are intimidated by the monster size of the books please try approaching this series by participating in a buddy read. It's how I got started and maybe it will help you.

A side note: Jack Randall is a fascinating character. His role in this story was brief when he appreared but readers got to see a different side to him. His ability to compartmentalize his actions is interesting. He's a gentlemen, a loving brother, a sexual predator, and a fiend. Very complex!

Buddy read with Snezana

Dragonfly in Amber is the second book in Outlander series and one of the worst sequels I’ve ever read, it PALES in comparison to book one, I expected more.

Here are some of the reasons why I dislike this book
1. It was so slow, slow beyond reason. Lots of unnecessary things that added absolutely nothing to the plot.
2. It was so boring, especially the middle part, I basically struggled through those part.
3. Claire made some lots of stupid decisions that made absolutely no sense, I just wanted to enter the book and shake her.
Despite the above, the beginning and ending was really quite interesting, it reminded of why I liked the first book, I didn’t enjoy reading Claire and Jaime’s romance as much as I did in the first one.

Spoilers Ahead
The events in this book took place in two timelines. The beginning is set in 1968, with Claire and her daughter Brianna just back from America, apparently Frank is dead and she brought her daughter back to Scotland.

The second timeline is in the 1700s, that’s the 18th century. The story picked up just where book 1 ended with Claire and Jaime planning to go to France to sabotage prince Charles.

The book goes back and forth between these two timelines, with the 18th century having 80% page space. The 18th century part also contained details and reasons why Claire went back to her timeline.

The book is written in multiple perspectives with Claire having most of the narratives. Claire’s daughter Brianna and Roger also have POVs.

My favorite character in this book is Fergus, a ten year old French boy, I just love his character. Jaime was awesome as usual, Claire was just there. Brianna was so annoying, I expected more from Claire’s daughter.

This book completely blew my mind. I am in awe by Diana Gabaldon's ability to write something so beautiful and descriptive, so exciting and so heartbreaking.

Yes it took me about a month overall to read because there are parts which can be slow and dense, but I appreciate so much being able to really take my time with a story and become so invested in the history, the plot and the characters.

And these characters!!!! They have totally taken a hold of my heart and I don't see them letting go any time soon.

Jamie and Claire may just my favorite literary couple yet! This book is the second in the series and starts out with Claire and her daughter Brianna going back to Scotland in the sixties. I was saddened to learn that she must've went back through the stones and left Jamie. She comes back to find out what happened at Culloden and if the Lallybroch men survived. Suddenly, we go back to right where we left off at the end of book 1-- back to 1745. It took me maybe the first third of the book to really get hooked, and once that happened I couldn't put it down, and the large number of pages didn't quite feel as daunting. Again Gabaldon leaves us with a cliffhanger and I must continue on with the series...

Trigger warnings for discussions of rape, and child abuse.

Dragonfly in Amber covers Claire and Jamie's attempt to stop Bonnie Prince Charlie from starting the Jacobite uprising because history tells us that it will end in slaughter for the Highlanders and the destruction of the clan system. The book begins in the 20th century, told fromthe point of view of Roger Wakefield, a historian who Claire visits to try and discover what happened to the fighting Highlanders that she interacted with in the past. Claire, now a doctor and widow of Frank Randall, is determined not only to find out what happened but to tell her daughter Brianna, who her true father is and the circumstances of her birth.

The moment Claire begins recounting her time in France, the POV changes to hers, which is a good thing because much of Roger's commentary obsesses alternately about the beauty and sexual attraction he has towards Brianna and of course, how strong and beautiful he finds Claire to be.

We know almost from the beginning that Claire and Jamie failed to stop the uprising and so essentially, Dragonfly in Amber is the story of their failed political intrigue. It makes it tedious at times to read because there is a strong sense of how the book is going to end. To enjoy this novel, as with the first, one must believe in the relationship between Jamie and Claire.

I wish I could call Claire a strong protagonist. I can clearly see the effort to make her strong with things like having her fight with Jamie over the right to work as a nurse at the hospital during her pregnancy, not content to sit around the house all day while he runs his cousin's shipping business. There is also her defiant attempt to stop Jamie from killing Johnathon Randall, though the man tortured him and raped him, in order to ensure the possibility of Frank Randall's birth. Having made her decision to stay with Jamie, Claire is unwilling to give up the possibility of her marriage to Frank.

Unfortunately, this is where Claire's strength ends. For the most part, she is pretty submissive with Jamie. At no point does she ever say no to sex, even when Jamie says things like wanting to use her. Am I supposed to find that romantic? And when Claire has sex with the king of France, in order to free Jamie from jail, his first thought isn't of the sacrifice she made for him, but a desire to kill her for allowing another man to touch his property.
“Christ!” he said, and sat up suddenly, turning to face me. “Do ye not know what I…Claire.” He closed his eyes briefly, and took a deep breath. “I rode all the way to Orvieto, seeing it; seeing his hands on the white of your skin, his lips on your neck, his—his cock—I saw it at the lever—I saw the damn filthy, stubby thing sliding up…God, Claire! I sat in prison thinking ye dead, and then I rode to Spain, wishing to Christ ye were!” (pg 467)
Does Claire become enraged by Jamie's over possessiveness? Does Claire tell Jamie to go to hell in no short order? Of course not. Claire begs Jamie to punish her for her so-called betrayal.
“I beat you once in justice, Sassenach, and ye threatened to disembowel me with my own dirk. Now you’ll ask me to whip ye wi’ nettles?” He shook his head slowly, wondering, and his hand reached as though by its own volition to cup my cheek. “Is my pride worth so much to you, then?”
“Yes! Yes, it bloody is!” I sat up myself, and grasped him by the shoulders, taking both of us by surprise as I kissed him hard and awkwardly.

I felt his first involuntary start, and then he pulled me to him, arm tight around my back, mouth answering mine. Then he had me pressed flat to the earth, his weight holding me immobile beneath him. His shoulders darkened the bright sky above, and his hands held my arms against my sides, keeping me prisoner.

“All right,” he whispered. His eyes bored into mine, daring me to close them, forcing me to hold his gaze. “All right. And ye wish it, I shall punish you.” He moved his hips against me in imperious command, and I felt my legs open for him, my gates thrown wide to welcome ravishment. (pg 478)
Both Jamie and Claire use the term "mine" to discuss the other but Jamie's possessive commentary is disturbing, given his beating of Claire in the last book and his threats of violence in this one. Are we really supposed to believe this is a love match. when Claire has to constantly remind Jamie of his promise not to beat her again and seems at times to outright fear him?


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DIESE LETZTEN 5 WORTE SIND MEIN LEBEN.

Große Liebe zu diesen Büchern. Unbeschreiblich süchtig machend und mitreißend. Selten bin ich so emotional mitgerissen bei Büchern!

Inverness, Scotland, 1968
Claire Randall and her daughter, Brianna, meet Roger Wakefield following the death of his adoptive father, Reverend Mr. Reginald Wakefield. Claire asked Roger to research a list of names belonging to Clan Fraser. She wants to know if the men survived the battle of Culloden, 1745.

When out on an exploring trip, Claire comes across Jamie Fraser's grave. She tells Roger and Brianna that 'yes, she knows Jamie. He was her husband.' They all go back to Roger's manse and share a whiskey while Claire tells them about her traveling through the stones, Craigh na Dun, and ending up in the eighteenth century. She tells them about Jamie.

Le Have, France, 1744
Jamie Fraser's is going to run his cousin Jared's wine business for six months. While there, Jamie and Claire will try to convince Prince Charles Stuart that the Highlanders will not support him. They also are trying to convince the backers (banks) that financing Charles Stuart's bid for the throne is not a sound investment. They do both while appearing to support Bonnie Prince Charles.

I fell in love again with Jamie and Claire. Their love story grows stronger and closer. Blood of my blood. Bone of my bone. . . .
In every sense of the vow, throughout circumstances and history, their love stands the test of time.

Jonathann Randall is not dead. He's very much alive. I know Claire told Jonathan (Jack) that he would die at Culloden, but I wish the man had stayed dead. He's caused enough trouble and animosity.

We meet new characters, which are fleshed out and real to this reader. I feel like I have made their acquaintance and shared their lives. The plot is intricate. It threads strands of subplots in its weave to accomplish the march of history. This novel is well researched and blends fact and fiction seamlessly. The description makes the reader feel as if they are in Inverness 1968, or in France and Scotland in the eighteenth century. We time travel in Claire's memories crisply and concurrently in whichever time period. The pacing slowed down a few times but didn't disrupt the tone and atmosphere of the story. I would recommend this book, but I would suggest reading the Outlander series in order.

1.) Outlander ★★★★

Gabaldon returns to the OUTLANDER series with another stellar piece of historical fiction. The story open in modern day, 1968, much to the confusion and chagrin of the reader. Claire finds herself in the Scottish Highlands, but is not alone. Alongside her is the copper-haired Brianna Randall, her twenty-year old daughter. Working with Oxford historian, Roger Wakefield (the attentive reader will remember him from the opening section of Outlander), Claire and Brianna continue the research of the recently deceased Frank Randall who sought to flesh out his family tree.To lessen the time segue awkwardness, Gabaldon briefly addresses some of the commentary related to Claire's 'disappearance' from 1945-48, but does not delve into too much detail at this point. Both Roger and Brianna notice Claire's significant interest in the second Jacobite uprising, more than any amateur historian might logically possess. An internal debate raging, Claire confides in them both and reveals much of what she did during her 'time away' and how it relates to the Scottish Highlands. Gabaldon allows Claire to drop some bombs and leave Brianna staggering. Gabaldon takes this dramatic pause to shift the story back to the 1740s, where Outlander ended and the reader is ready to continue the tale. Claire is alive and well with Jamie, the Scottish sentiment growing in support of the Jacobite cause. Hidden away in France, Claire and Jamie gather support for the cause, communicating in cipher whenever possible with fellow supporters of Bonnie Prince Charles. Claire's medical knowledge is pushed to its limits, as she works with what she has on hand to help those in need especially when the battles begin and the casualties mount. Claire also grapples with carrying Jamie's child, an excitement for them both as they connect on deeper levels. New characters emerge and friendships are forged, some of whom will play key roles in the story's many twists. Jamie and Claire cross paths with 'Black Jack' Randall repeatedly, well known to the reader. These encounters play a pivotal role in how Claire wrestles with her 'modern life' and love for Frank. History may be set, but Claire and Jamie discover that it is pliable in the moment. The foreknowledge of what is to come guides them both, while immediate circumstances open new and time-altering possible solutions. With the outcome of the Jacobite uprising a foregone conclusion, Claire and Jamie might face difficult choices related to their love and how to protect Claire from the coming danger. Gabaldon addresses these tough choices and offers the reader a final glimpse into modern-day Scotland, where new and heart-stopping revelations shake Roger and Claire to their cores. Another great work by Gabaldon that leaves the reader begging for more (thankfully we know how much awaits), as Jamie and Claire continue to create a life together.

Gabaldon's attention to detail adds another layer of wonder to this novel. Juxtaposing 1968 goings-on with the denouement of activities in 1745-48, the reader sees how these two worlds feed off one another. Documented fact plays an interesting role as history acts as narrator, but it pales in comparison to the daily development of life, perhaps too minuscule or mundane to address in academic tomes. Gabaldon effectively argues these points and more as she illustrates a detailed account of Claire and Jamie's lives together and individually. Bending history's one rule, that it accounts for the master narrative, plays a stronger role in his novel than the last, though hints of more to come leaves the reader to wonder how far from the mainstream path Gabaldon intends to take the reader. Let the series expand from here in whatever way suits the larger story.

Kudos, Madam Gabaldon for another wonderful novel, rich with detail and filled with character development. I look forward to the rest of the story, as long as it might take to reveal itself.

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After coming to terms with the initial shock of this time jump we are met with in this book I really enjoyed myself. I’ll be honest the first half which takes place in Paris isn’t my favorite it lagged a bit and it didn’t feel as fluid and free as when they are in Scotland. With that in mind though I couldn’t stop myself from “just one more page” so it clearly over all is something special. I can’t wait for the next book.