Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon Book Review

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon Book Review

With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters — Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser—delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander….

For 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 James 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….

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Review by Chris Patterson (Read her review of OUTLANDER)

So you read the first one and still don’t believe me. “This is a romance novel” you think to yourself.  I stand firm, it is not a typical love story. Ok, Ok, I will concede that the honeymoon period is verra strong with these two love birds. But you have to admit that the story was fast paced and compelling and the mushy and squishy was kept at a minimum when possible. Now you find yourself asking, should you go on to book two? I emphatically say yes. Yes, please. Yes, ma’am. Yes sir! With our love story firmly in place and in the past we now get to the bits that have driven this story and it’s huge fan base on for over 8000 pages and growing.  A friend told me as I complained about this book that an author gives you what you need, not what you want. Well I must admit that Diana Gabaldon is practiced at this art form.  With talented skill Diana weaves a new generation on top of our solid foundation of original characters. We find ourselves wanting to cross through time and space to join what has been pulled apart, screaming at the injustice of things (admittedly sometimes out loud) and wanting to set things right.

I try not to laden my reviews with spoilers, what is the point of telling you to read (or not read) a book if I just tell you the story?  I prefer to encourage you. At first all I wanted was for my two leads to find each other. Why should I care what has happen in the 20 years since they have parted? Interwoven within this is the story of why Claire has returned to the future and the true fate of our beloved hero.  Slowly the author spoon feeds us the information we need to get to a point where things will break loose if change does not happen and soon! In addition to a wonderfully compelling story the historical aspects of the book are spot on, giving us an appreciation of the times and places she carries us to. Descriptively beautiful no matter which time stream you are in one is clearly transported to the time and place. I enjoyed very much the fact that she takes us through both the poor sides of life as well as the rich, broadening our views of the somewhat removed present and distant past in a fashion that sneaks up on you in the end.  I find myself engrossed in the stories in a fashion that is detrimental to housework, but also leaving me tremendously grateful for the simple things (like a washing machine) that provide me the time to do other things. We find ourselves following the lives of young Roger, who we met in Outlander as the orphaned grandnephew of the Reverend Wakefield and Brianna, the daughter of Claire. At first I begrudged them the time on the page, but our fearless author has big plans for them and they grow within your heart.  We learn more about Frank, and his wicked elder Captain Jack Randall. Heart wrenching pain as the author breaks us down to our core and at times we are not certain we can return from it. Jamie’s family is also expanded in many ways for both better and the worse, things that change the shape of the future in many ways.

We (those who are just finding this now) are very lucky in the fact that we do not have to wait years between books. This book ends with a delicious cliff hanger that promptly results in an acquisition of the next in the series, Voyager. It is well worth the investment of time. Rating this book on a scale of 1 to 5 it gets all five stars. I enjoyed it (truly I did) and encourage you to read it before the show starts this fall. STARZ network appears to be doing a fine job of representing this world and I think it will be a clear hit once it airs.

About Chris Patterson 

Since a young and tender age Chris Patterson has been addicted to books. Her grandmother provided a Nancy Drew monthly book by mail subscription that was the gateway drug. Amazon is now planning world domination around her one-click addiction.