Dragonfly in Amber

I always settle in to another time with these characters. They are entertaining and inspiring.

In the opening of book two, we begin with Claire Randall back in Inverness in 1968. With her beautiful red-headed daughter in tow, she returns to the Scottish Highlands in search of the fate of the men of Lallybroch after the uprising of `45 and the battle of Culloden. Frank has been gone two years. If Claire altered the date of Black Jack's death, how is it that Frank could have existed? How and when did she return through the stones?

Jamie and Claire have set for themselves what seems an impossible task, which brings them into the circles of nobility and aristocracy in Paris. Rendered a bit tamer than book one by Claire's first pregnancy, the passion and excitement of the first book are missing, as polite society and royal politics are just not as exciting as adventures on the open Highlands. I did not find myself on the edge of my seat often, compared to book one, throughout the first two thirds of the book. The new characters here, unlike "Outlander," are lacking in depth. The most interesting people to show up are the characters from the first book. Although Ms. Gabaldon again succeeds in bringing history to life, she gets bogged down a bit in the mundane, the action is sporadic, and it gets a bit tedious.

However, the action picks up toward the end (a long time to wait), with unexpected twists and turns, and if you stick with it, oh boy will you be rewarded! The last 200 pages are whipped into a frenzy that rivals book one. Pages fly by, and the last third of the book more than makes up for the rest. The intrigue and suspense are back, and it ends with two twists that will have you just dying to start book three. If you loved Outlander, you cannot go without reading this continuation. All in all, overall, this was not as good as Outlander, but it was a satisfying read.

Advice: don't start the series with this book. Read "Outlander" first.

"Dragonfly in Amber" is good second chapter of the "Outlander" series. If you enjoyed "Outlander" you are sure to enjoy the continuation of Jamie and Claire's story. All of the characters from the first novel are back, with more romance and political intrigue than ever.

At nearly a thousand pages, this book is longer than "Outlander", but generally the pacing is good and the action comes fast, so you keep reading. I did feel like the third quarter of the book dragged a little bit, but all in all I really enjoyed the read.

I would not recommend that a reader new to the "Outlander" series start with this book, since there is very little flashback to the first book, and you really need the background of the first book to understand what is going on in "Dragonfly."

I'm utterly enthralled with the story of Jamie and Claire! Their story just keeps getting better and better with each book.

Although longer than Outlander, I didn't find Dragonfly boring, even the historical parts. I've never been a real big fan of the 18th Century but I find myself totally immersed in the time period thanks to Gabaldon's series. As I said in my last review, I love the characters she's created and have laughed, cried, sighed, and fumed throughout her books. I especially cried during this one, at the beginning and toward the end.

What I find especially fascinating is how she totally brings the past to life. I feel as if I KNOW such real life personages as King Louis the XV, Lord Lovat, and Bonnie Prince Charlie. After reading each book I Google some of the places mentioned in her books, from Inverness to Culloden. I've always LOVED history, and feel that she makes that time period extremely interesting by how she tells the story of the Jacobite uprising. Any lover of history should delve into these books. I admire the research that must have went into them to bring them to life.

I've started VOYAGER, and so far it is turning out ot be even BETTER than the first two.

I keep having to replace various books in this series as people borrow and I never get them back. I reread this series about every 3 years. I always learn something new and it's always interesting. Excellent author.