Diana Gabaldon

I had no intention of reading this book. It’s 900 pages. Amazon classifies this book as the #1 seller in the “time travel romance” category. WTF!? I didn’t even know there was such a category. I don’t read romance novels at all, let alone “time travel romance” novels. I didn’t think there were many books I’d be *less* interested in. And yet, somehow after hearing all the chatter about this book, curiosity got the better of me and I thought I’d give it a chance. I loved it.

I listened to the audio version of the book, read by the inimitable Davina Porter. It’s taken be the better part of the summer to get through the book (I probably could have read it faster), but Porter does an amazing job bringing the characters to life.

The quality of the writing surprised me, as did the attention to historical detail. (Okay, okay, I’ll admit, it. Gabaldon *does* do a great job with the romance between characters Jamie and Claire, too. I now see what the fuss is all about.) I’m very much looking forward to continuing the series. 4.5 kilted stars.
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This installment in the series doesn't disappoint. All our favorite characters are here. I especially liked the inclusion of William and how his relationship to his birth family is growing despite his reluctance to accept them. Because so much time has passed, the cast of characters has grown ever larger so that we get snippets of plot for lots of different people. There's plenty of action and near death experiences and Claire is developing her powers. But there isn't a strong compelling central storyline.… (more)