Well, I find myself back, rekindling my profound love for Jamie Alexander Fraser. The second book left me in such an intense emotional turmoil that I simply had to know how the drama concludes. I cheated a bit and flipped through the pages of "Voyager" a few weeks ago to find some closure, but now it's finally time to read and fully enjoy the book.

Once again, Gabaldon doesn't disappoint. There's no doubt that she has a remarkable talent for characterization and is an outstanding storyteller. She once again takes us on a magnificent adventure through different times and countries. The first third of the book follows the separate lives of Claire and Jamie over 20 years in their own worlds. I initially thought I would dislike this segment, but in fact, it has become by far my favorite part of the book. There is an abundance of sadness, tragedy, loneliness, and longing on these pages as Jamie and Claire mourn each other's loss.

When our beloved couple reunites, Gabaldon takes us on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Jamie and Claire try to rediscover each other and come to terms with their dark secrets from the past and their time apart. They are also compelled to undertake a great deal of traveling when all they truly desire is to be together. Without giving away too much, prepare yourself for an intense adventure that includes brothels, slave markets, sea voyages, Jamaican forests, and more.

"Voyager" is indeed a great book, yet again, I can't award it a full 5 stars. Firstly, the shift in points of view. It bothered me somewhat in "Dragonfly in Amber," but it is even more prominent in "Voyager." For the most part, the book is written in the first person from Claire's perspective, but there are also parts written in the third person from the viewpoints of Jaime, Roger, Clare, and even Lord John Grey, despite him being a very secondary character. I'm not going to claim that the story itself suffers from this, but in my opinion, it creates a bit of a sloppy narration.

The other aspect that I didn't care for is the presence of mysticism. Granted, time-travel itself isn't exactly real, but the ending of the book has far too much of the "unreal," an excessive amount of unexplained paranormal elements. In fact, it was so much that I found it a little difficult to accept.

If Gabaldon weren't such an engaging writer, I probably wouldn't have overlooked these flaws. But she is, and despite the flaws, "Voyager" is an irresistible blend of adventure, history, tragedy, violence, love, humor, and (last but not least) smut. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will undoubtedly read the next installment - "Drums of Autumn."

Reading challenge: #1 - V

Just finished the third tale of Jamie and Claire in Voyager, and I must admit it was my favorite so far.

Spoilers are inevitable here.

Awe damn, not again. “Hello Claire, nice to see you yet again.”

“Stephanie? How did you end up here? I don’t see that strange vehicle you usually use to time travel.”

“I had to return the time mower. The owner was not amused by my ‘borrowing’ it. He mumbled something about a restraining order, hooligans and red heads; I must have mentioned Jamie and his kilt. Anyway, pretty sure the corn liquor has finally done some permanent damage. I have no idea how I ended up here, where ever and when ever here is. Fill me in Claire?”

“Well, we’re in Scotland in the 1700s. I came back to find the love of my life and baby daddy to my daughter Brianna. I found out through records that he survived a super bad battle I was sure he was killed in. We determined that time runs parallel by 200 years, give or take, so we both aged at the same rate which was handy.”

“How did you get back? Did you use the stones again Claire? I went to check them out right before I landed here. How do they work?”

“As far as I can figure, you have to focus on a certain person, place and time period, walk through the stones and WOOSH, with a little blacking out and vomiting you are when you want to be. You can even break the 200 year rule by doing that.”

“Are you sure the blacking out and vomiting aren’t from your excessive drinking you mentioned during our last visit? (Glug, glug, glug.) So, I must have gone through the stones when I was reading the third book about you and Jamie. I was focused on you, walked through the stones and here I am, feeling fine.”

“Wait, there’s a book out there about us? Weird.”

“I know, right? It was at the part where you were back in the 1950s and you had your other husband help ‘relieve’ you of an overly heavy-with-milk breast in a way I found uncomfortable. You really didn’t do that………did you?”

“Yes I did Stephanie, it was so hot!”

“Claire! My god women that was for the baby!!”

“Oh Brianna had plenty.”

“Ewwww. Moving on, so what are you two up to this go around? I lost my book when I came across time.”

“Would you prefer the long version or the short? I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“Ha ha, very funny Claire, nice little time traveler joke, just the condensed version please.”

“Okay then. I go back and find Jamie. Lots of sex. I bring penicillin and photos with me. We live in a brothel for a while. Lots of sex. Jamie has a pet Chinese man who has a thing for women’s feet and creeps everyone out. Jamie is both a printer and a smuggler and his print shop is burned down. Lots of sex. Jamie’s nephew is kidnapped and we get on a ship and go to the East Indies to look for him. Lots of sex. We run into people Jamie has met before, which is odd since we are way the fuck in the East Indies. Lots of sex. There are escaped slaves everywhere who practice voodoo. Lots of sex? They turn people into zombies whilst wearing crocodile heads on their heads…………”

“STOP! Just stop it Claire, I really can’t absorb this. Bringing photos and penicillin back to the 1700s? I’m sure that’s going to be fine (insert sarcasm here.) And the rest of it? Damn women you have a strange existence, time for me to leave.”

“Crap Claire! Please, for love of god and all that is holy help me get out of here.”

“Sure thing Stephanie…..first drink this bottle of brandy…..”

This book was fun. Crazy fun.

And thus concludes book three of the Outlander Series. 44 hours on Audio, all such pleasure, that passed the month of September and some parts of August and October too…

I have thought long and hard about how to review this book. As the third in a beloved series of 8, 9, or ten books, it is largely for the fans, not for the uninitiated. I offer this for those new to the series. I will talk about the magic of Outlander and my relationship to it. When it comes time to say more that might be revealing, I will warn the reader of a possible spoiler alert. But let's start with the magic.

There is indeed a unique magic in this world. It is born out of the timeless love between Jamie and Claire. But there are other "love" stories too. Brianna has a special bond with her parents and her love interest. There is brotherly love among Ian, Fergus, and Murtaugh, and others. Sisterly love shines through with Jenny. And there is a deep commitment to family, no matter the cost. Outlander has so much to offer. Time travel, magic, and prophecy all play a role in whether or not history can change. There is an eternal love story, along with some madmen and mad women, the French court, English nobility, Scottish Highlander life, Edinburgh life, Jamaican and Barbados life, sea life, and prison brutality.

The story is filled with wild seas and a hero who is perfect in every imaginable way, except that he can't even manage a whiff of a boat. We have a woman who is constantly told "not to move, Goddamn you!" but for whom impulsivity is in her blood. This feature constantly nearly kills them but always saves the day. Famous names from history are speckled throughout, and there are those who are the ancestors of the time travelers. But throughout it all, there is love, rescue, passion – not just romantic love, but love for country and ethnicity. And there is prophecy, which I find truly intriguing. At every turn, our hero and heroine find each other again and again. That's what makes epic books and hooks you right in!

In a world where chaos and craziness define our daily consciousness, there is nothing better than getting involved in this world. I have loved every second of it.

Potential spoilers – this part is for the fans…

I really enjoyed the parts about the treasure, the legends of the White Lady, and the Fraser prophecy. Related to that, the madness of Gillis Duncan and her obsession with time travel and the elements she believed were a part of it. I also greatly appreciated the events at the Crocodile Fire. I wanted to make sure I was getting all of those pieces right, but with audio sometimes, you can't be sure – even though audio provides a great ambiance to this story. Davinia Porter is masterful! Lira Mackenzie is an unlikeable but great character, unlike her innocent but rather boring and fearful daughter. Opposite, Jenny is fiery and sturdy, strong and obstinate. And as a mother, we all know in the literary world that the quest for Young Ian, who was born early in the book, would be fruitful. But my heart ached for her waiting and believing he was gone. And even now at the book's end, I desperately want Jenny and Ian and the family to know and have had word that he was safe and would safely return.

I found Lord John Grey an interesting and rather likeable character. He could not have possibly understood the back story of what his hopeful gesture caused in Jamie. And yet that friendship became so interesting, and knowing how it began was just another fascinating triangle of time. Which happened all over the place. I also found Mr. Willoughby's story interesting, although the twist didn't quite hold together for me. Fergus remains delightful, and I still see him as ten in my mind. I loved it, and now I just kind of want to talk about it a little more. Without future spoilers maybe. I find myself as if I am back in the apothecary in Paris, trying alongside Claire to sort out what happened. Or in the workshop with Gillis as she is fumbling through the photos and putting it all together. But did she not ever learn that the third person at Craig Na Dune the night she left was actually her future great-grandson by around 7 or 8 or even 9? Time has me bound, oddly enough, so I will stop there. Just to say a part of me still remains on tossed ships and in dark caves, and at Lallybroch, and by the sea, and in the English countryside. And my heart stays with Jamie and Claire and my Outlander family.

Well, here we are with yet another exciting adventure of Jamie and Claire. As I attempt to write this, it's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid spoilers. But I'll do my best, so be warned that there might be a few!

At the conclusion of Dragonfly in Amber, Claire discovers that Jamie didn't perish at Culloden. This prompts Claire, Roger, and Brianna to embark on a research mission to uncover as much information as they can. I adored this entire part. The different points of view, the interactions between Claire and Bree, Bree and Roger, and Roger and Claire were all so well-developed and engaging. I truly hope that Bree and Roger tie the knot!

Next, the story delves into the discovery of Jamie's whereabouts, and we get to experience his perspective. I had a love-hate relationship with this. Naturally, I loved learning about him and what he endured, but some of the details were rather difficult to stomach, knowing full well that Claire was going to find out.

Finally, Claire makes her way back. It was an emotional rollercoaster, both painful and wonderful. Jamie's initial actions actually made me laugh! There are so many elements to this story that it's impossible to address them all. Geneva, John Grey, Willie, and Laoghaire are just a few of the characters and plotlines that come to mind. I have to admit that I had a hard time with Jamie not being more forthcoming with Claire about certain things. I'm hoping that he has learned to be more honest with her, but I guess that would take away some of the drama. There are also several loose ends that remain unresolved, such as Mary and Claire bringing the coins. It's frustrating because these seemingly minor details often turn out to be of great significance.

Another thing I've learned is that the books are filled with clues about what's to come. Either that, or I've simply become accustomed to the author's writing style. In any case, there is an abundance of information! It almost seems overwhelming, but somehow, you manage to process it all. Remembering everything, on the other hand, is a different story. Sadly, I feel like I need a vacation after reading these books, but I can't wait for the next one! I'm eager to see where Jamie and Claire's journey takes them.

**ETA: I completely forgot to mention Mr. Willoughby! How did DG come up with this perverted yet endearing character? The whole thing with the feet was rather disturbing, but there was also something sweet about him. And what about the pelican? I wonder if they will make appearances in future books.

Favorite lines:

♥ "He gave you to me," she said, so low I could hardly hear her. "Now I have to give you back to him, Mama."

♥ "I am a coward, damn you! I couldna tell ye, for fear ye would leave me, and unmanly thing that I am, I thought I couldna bear that!"

♥ "Oh, Lord!" This must be what it's like to make love in Hell," he whispered. "With a burning she-devil."

♥ "Only you," he said, so softly I could barely hear him. "To worship ye with my body, give ye all the service of my hands. To give ye my name, and all my heart and soul with it. Only you. Because ye will not let me lie--and yet ye love me."

**Days to finish book ~ just under 4 and 1072 pages**

I have to say that I was generally disappointed by this third book in the series. I was SO excited to read it. However, the first half of the book dragged on and on, and the second half was just ridiculous most of the time. I'm okay with SOME unlikely situations. After all, the whole premise of the book is unlikely! But this was just non-stop. She kept resurrecting characters from earlier in this book or previous books, and it often made little sense as to why they suddenly appeared. I felt like the last 200 pages were the foundation for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie - adventure! danger! love! It was definitely MUCH longer than it needed to be. I felt like she kept adding these ridiculous situations just to make it a longer book but not for the purpose of the story.

I'm really not sure I can go on to the 4th book. I don't really see the point. But I am just a bit curious if it gets better. Maybe there will be some redeeming qualities in the next installment that will make up for the disappointments of this one. Or maybe it will just be more of the same. Only time will tell. But for now, I'm left feeling a bit let down by this third book in the series.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon: A Disappointing Read

Originally posted on A Frolic Through Fiction



DNFed approx 230 pages in.



Why why why why why?



The Outlander series started off so well for me, with the first book being a favorite. However, as I delved into Voyager, things took a turn for the worse. From the very beginning, I found myself bored. The story began with an implausible situation that didn't engage me. It switched between two perspectives, neither of which held my interest for long. I thought I'd give it a chance since it was the start of a long book, but 200 pages in, nothing had changed.



Another issue was my growing dislike for Brianna. I don't know why, but I just couldn't warm to her character. Then there was the excessive description of Jamie Fraser's eye and hair color. In just 10 pages, Gabaldon mentioned it 6 times, and even 3 times on one page! I know he's supposed to be a swoon-worthy character, but we established his appearance in the first book.



But the final straw for me was a particular scene that made me dislike Jamie Fraser a lot. Jamie Fraser rapes a woman. In this series, rape has always been treated with disgust or disdain, but not this time. When Jamie does it, it's somehow presented as a good thing. The woman clearly screamed for him to stop, but his response was that rape was the "only coherent thing" to do. This was horrifying to read and completely changed my view of Jamie.



With this scene and everyone idolizing Jamie, I just couldn't bring myself to like him anymore. And since I also didn't like Brianna, there was no way I was going to continue reading a 1000+ page book about characters I didn't care for. I simply don't have the time for that.



NOTE: Trigger Warning for rape.

These books are truly becoming some of my all-time favorite reads. I can't yet comment on the rest of the series, but so far, they are absolutely wonderful!

For a significant portion of the story, we are informed about what Jamie and Claire had been up to during their years apart. Not every single detail is revealed immediately, and I'm certain there will be more things brought up later in other books, which seems to be the pattern.

I thought I would collapse before Jamie and Claire were reunited, but I did enjoy the story up until then, aside from a few aspects.

Also, it's so difficult to know that they are all dead, well most of them, and Murtagh too =( Murtagh, it was so heartbreaking when Jamie told Claire about it later. I cried my eyes out =(

But Randall is dead! OMG! I was so happy and then a bit weirded out for a moment that the evil bastard wouldn't be around anymore. Not that there aren't more evil people, but still.

The book also continues to tell about Roger, Bree, and Claire looking for clues as to where Claire might find Jamie and when they did and when she went back. OMG!

When they finally reunite, it's an emotional scene. Jamie's reaction to seeing Claire again is both touching and intense. They have so much to catch up on and so many emotions to deal with.

After that, they are back together, but right away, they are running around trying to avoid getting killed. However, there is some time for them to find a room, make love, eat, and relax a little.

Then they are off again on their adventures. Little Fergus has grown into a man, and Jamie and Fergus are involved in smuggling and other activities.

Eventually, Jamie and Claire go back home to Lallybroch, taking little Ian with them. Jenny, Ian, and all their kids are still there, and there are more events that unfold.

Jamie, Claire, and Ian set out to retrieve some hidden gold, but Ian gets nabbed by pirates and taken out to sea. This begins their journey across the waters to find him.

Along the way, they make stops, get separated for a while, and run into John Grey. Claire and Jamie meet up with him again later, and he is very kind to them.

They have to face all kinds of challenges, and Claire almost dies twice. But through it all, their love never fades.

There are simply no words to describe the depth of their love, the hardships they have endured, or anything really. I love them and always will. And as you can imagine with a book over 1000 pages long, this review only touches the surface!

And now they have landed in America...

MY Blog: Melissa Martin's Reading List

I am still passionately in love with this saga, without a doubt! However, the final part of this volume was just too far-fetched for my skeptical and practical side. I have already accepted the matter of time travel, but everything that happens in the last part of the work seemed forced to me...

Nevertheless, I will continue to follow your journey, Claire and Jamie! How could I not?....

The story has its charm and has managed to keep me hooked throughout. Despite the flaws in the final part, I am eager to see what lies ahead for our beloved characters. The world that has been created is so vivid and engaging that it's hard not to get lost in it. I am curious to know how their relationship will develop further and what new challenges they will face. I hope that the next volumes will bring more satisfying resolutions and continue to capture my imagination.

I wasn't entirely certain that I would have the same level of affection for this book as I did for the first two after coming across some spoilers. However, to my great delight, I absolutely adored it. It brings me such joy to have finally discovered a book series that is predominantly set in Scotland and doesn't perpetuate stereotypes or make a mockery of us Scots.

The character development in this series is truly outstanding. It's always a treat when characters from previous books make an appearance. This book series features numerous intertwined and astonishing plots while still centering on the relationship between Claire and Jamie, which I simply love.

Once again, I am astounded by the extensive research that clearly went into writing this book. I appreciate the way the fictional characters are seamlessly integrated into real historical events.

Since this is the third book, I can't disclose too much without giving away spoilers. But as the title implies, a voyage occurs, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It doesn't matter where in the world the characters are; the setting is so vividly written and described that you almost feel as if you are there.

The plot in this book was extremely fast-paced. Something new and exciting happened in every chapter. There were heart-wrenching moments that made me want to shed tears and also amazing moments where the plot came together in a brilliant fashion.

I will admit that there was one minor plot in the book that I thought was completely absurd. However, considering the other 1000 pages were excellent, I will still award it 5 stars.

(This was my 50th book of 2015, yay!)

I cried when Claire finally got back to be with Jamie.

It was a moment that I had been longing for throughout the story. However, it took a long time for them to reach that point. The journey they had to undertake was filled with countless obstacles and challenges.

Waiting for the characters to find their way back to each other was truly hard. It required a great deal of patience and investment from the readers. But it was well worth it in the end.

The research that went into this story is simply brilliant. Diana Gabaldon has done an amazing job of creating a rich and detailed world. Her attention to historical accuracy and her ability to bring the characters to life is truly remarkable.

Hats off to Ms. Gabaldon for this wonderful piece of work. It has touched my heart and will stay with me for a long time to come.

Gabaldon hive don't come for me.

Let's get concessions out of the way (aka Outlander fans don't @ me): Mayer has a stereotypical job. This is because some Jewish stereotypes are rooted in the limited job opportunities available to Jews due to anti-Semitism. It still makes me deeply uncomfortable. However, it's a bit better that there's another Jewish character who seems more complete and without such blatant stereotypes.

Mr Willoughby/Yi Tien Cho had a somewhat nice arc near the end. He reclaims his agency and identity. It can be argued that the racism the character faces is "historically accurate", but I don't give a fuck. I think that's a weak and lame excuse. More could have been done with the language and inner monologues of those close to the character to counteract this.

Okay, fuck this book, let's get into it: There's a super Jewy coin counter. Fuck that.

There's a Chinese character who's a pervert. He has a fetish for the hole in folded over bound feet, which I feel is a double hit of racism. The characters use racist language when talking to and about him, and the exposition also treats him in a highly racist way. He tumbles and does acrobatics, played for physical comedy. He's exotified. He's given an English name because his actual name apparently sounds like something dirty in Gaelic. Jamie translates eloquently for him while Yi Tien Cho speaks in infantile, broken English. I'm supposed to believe that a middle-aged Scottish dude with a penchant for Romantic and Germanic languages is proficient enough in Mandarin to translate the poet's monologue, while this poet, who has been immersed in English, can't even link subjects and verbs? Okay. (I do understand that comprehension is easier than speaking, but translating is hard. Also, there is a nice moment where Yi Tien Cho reclaims his name and betrays Jamie for "stealing his soul" by giving him a new name and speaking for him. And I do concede that in terms of writing, there are only so many ways to convey Yi Tien Cho's story to the sailors on the boat).

And slaves. Holy fuck. This is a hot mess. Honestly, possibly the least racist instance regarding black people in this book is Geillis. She's a terrible person and a slave owner, and she treats her slaves horribly, which kind of checks out. We can debate whether a white lady writing for a largely white audience should uncritically present such interactions. But CLAIRE is a white saviour, fetishistic nightmare around black people in this book. She makes a huge fuss in a slave auction (which she acknowledges is completely unhelpful and only to assuage her own feelings of anger, discomfort, and guilt) and ends up having to buy a slave. This causes her emotional turmoil (lol, okay white lady, you own a person but yes, tell me how that's weighing on you emotionally) and leads to a pretty yucky paternalistic "what do we do with him now" conversation. Also, every black dude she sees reminds her of her black BFF Joe back in 1960s Boston, even if they look nothing alike (I think one of them is maybe supposed to be Joe's ancestor but for real?).

So anyway, for now, I'm going to continue reading this series, cautiously and with a lot of self-examination (tell us more about how this makes you feel, white lady!) and critical thinking. I'm not paying for these books. Voting with my dollar and "ethical consumption" as a vehicle for responsible citizenship is a bullshit, cop-out excuse for activism, and I don't think in any way I'm off the hook for my complicity because I don't think this rich author deserves my pennies. I will be rating this book what I think it deserves based on the shitty contributions it's made, and will go back and re-rate the previous books in the series through this lens.

The parts of the plot that weren't racist were everything I want from a romance novel (not exactly, but there's no room in this review for gender analysis at this point), plus suspense, adventure, and the supernatural. Which is ultimately frustrating because the adventures have so much potential for the inclusion of characters of color, if only they were given the same opportunity for complexity as the white characters and Gabaldon didn't feel tied to "historically accurate" racism.

It is always an extremely monumental feeling to finish such a volume