Archive for the Category »Diana Gabaldon «

28
May
Review: A Breath of Snow and Ashes
by_mel

13702337A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Diana Gabaldon

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

Bravo!!! I loved this book, it was right up there with ‘Outlander and Voyager’. Where ‘The Fiery Cross’ was a little slow and drawn out ‘A Breath of Snow and Ashes’ was fast paced and exciting. It never stopped and they went from one adventure to the next. A lot of pieces of the puzzle were put together, there was a little bit of suspense and I laughed out loud many times. Oh, and I had a few good cries too. Claire continues to amaze me, she is such a strong character. Again, her medical advances thrilled me and Brianna was a lot more likeable in this book. She was always inventing new things to make life easier on ‘Frasier’s Ridge’. You learn a lot more about Jocasta in this book and a few unwelcome characters are back and some are introduced. I thought it was a fabulous read and I can’t wait for the next book to come out in September.

I give this book a 5, I loved every page!

Now that I have read the whole series I would love to discuss it with some of you! I have a Book Club on GoodReads called ‘Hodge Podge Book Club’ with Outlander discussions. Discuss a book at a time or the whole series!

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Favorite quotes…

Ian opened one eye a slit.
“Has anyone ever told you what a comical fellow ye are, Uncle Jamie?”
“No.”
Ian closed the eye.
“That’s as well, because ye’re not.”

“If I die,” he whispered in the dark, “dinna follow me. The bairns will need ye. Stay for them. I can wait.”

I regarded him gently over my own bowl of stew. He was very large, solid, and beautifully formed. And if he was a bit battered by circumstance, that merely added to his charm.
“You’re a very hard person to kill, I think,” I said. ”That’s a great comfort to me.”
He smiled, reluctant, but then reached out and lifted his glass in salute, touching it first to his own lips, then to mine.
“We’ll drink to that, Sassenach, shall we?”

“Ian, there is a woman in my bed,” he said in Gaelic, trying to match his nephew’s calm tone.
“There are two of them, Uncle Jamie.” Ian sounded amused, damn him! “The other will be down by your feet. Waiting her turn.”
That unnerved him, and he nearly lost his grip on the captive hand.
“Two of them! What do they think I am?”
The girl giggled again, leaned over, and bit him lightly on the chest.
“Christ!”

Then Jamie’s hand came down upon the dirk, snatching it away, and I saw as from a great distance that the light fell on his hand, gleaming wet with blood smeared past the wrist. Random drops shone red, dark jewels glowing, caught in the curly hairs of his arm.
“There is an oath upon her,” he said to Arch, and I realized dimly that he was still speaking in Gaelic, though I understood him clearly. “She may not kill, save it is for mercy or her life. It is myself who kills for her.”

He’d led her through the morning light in that clearing, a blood-soaked Adam, a battered Eve, looking upon the knowledge of good and evil. And then he had wrapped her in his plaid, picked her up, and walked away to his horse.

Jamie inhaled deeply, then let his breath out slowly, coughing slightly from the smoke.
“Aye, well,” he said. ”So we’re down by one print shop and one thief—but four whores to the good. D’ye think that a fair exchange, Sassenach?”

“You wouldn’t. He wouldn’t.” The lawyer was staring at the brooch in Roger’s hand, his heavy face gone pale.
“Oh, I expect he would, if ye mean Uncle Jamie,” Ian Murray said.  “He’s fond of his daughter, aye?”
“Nonsense.”  The lawyer was making a game attempt to bluff it out, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off the brooch. “Fraser is a gentleman.”
“He’s a Highlander,” Roger said brutally.

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26
May
Review: The Fiery Cross
by_mel

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The Fiery Cross

Diana Gabaldon

The fiery cross, once used to summon Highland clans to war, now beckons readers to take up Diana Gabaldon’s fifth installment in the Outlander series featuring the time-traveling Frasers. Historical fiction fans who have waited four long years since the publication of Drums of Autumn will thrill to Gabaldon’s trademark detail and sensuality, both displayed liberally throughout the nearly 1,000 pages of The Fiery Cross. In this pre-Revolutionary War period, Claire Fraser and her husband, Jamie, have crossed oceans and centuries to build a life together in the bucolic beauty of North Carolina. But tensions both ancient and recent threaten not only Claire and James, but their daughter, Brianna, her new husband, Roger, and their infant son, Jemmy, as well as members of their clan.

This is a HUGE read. The longest book of the series, this was definitely my hardest one to get through. Sometimes it felt really slow but then important parts happened that you will need to remember for the next book. Diana Gabaldon, as usual, is so descriptive you feel as though you are there, part of their clan if you will. You feel the hurt and the joy that the characters go through. I really like the character of Roger and feel like he just has gotten the short end of the stick. He risked his life to find Brianna and has been through torture ever since. I’m still trying to figure out if Brianna is worth it. Yes, she is strong minded like her father, which is not a bad thing but I find her spoiled and self centered.

The fact that Jamie knows the outcome of the Revolutionary War, he has to figure out at what time he is a loyalist and when it is safe to switch to the other side so that he will not lose his property after the war. It is interesting to me how he trys to maintain both sides.

Claire has come far in some medical advances and her and Brianna become very inventive. It is very interesting to see what Claire will come up with that is similar to modern medicine.

Some characters return and new ones are introduced, this is definately an important book even though there are parts that I felt you really have to just get through.

I give this book a 3 1/2. It was probably my least favorite of the series.

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Favorite quotes…

“To see the years touch ye gives my joy, Sassenach,” he whispered, -”for it means that ye live.”

“You bloody, unspeakable, infuriating–” His smile was startling, a white grin in the ruddy face.
“If ye call me a Scot, Sassenach, then I know I’m going to live.”

“When the day shall come, that we do part,” he said softly, and turned to look at me, “if my last words are not ‘I love you’— ye’ll ken it was because I didna have time.”

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13
May
Review: Drums of Autumn
by_mel

Drums of Autumn

Diana Gabaldon

The magnificent saga continues….

It began in Scotland, at an ancient stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past—or the grave. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice. Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became legend—a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in frontier America. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century. Their daughter, Brianna….

Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the stone circle and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history…and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past…or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong….

Drums of Autumn starts out in Charleston, South Carolina with Jamie, Claire, Fergus and Ian. They are planning on making their way to Cross Creek, North Carolina where Jamie has some family. They are planning on making a new life in the new world and feel confident with the gemstones that they have that they will be comfortable. This book also goes into Brianna and Roger’s growing relationship. Roger finds some information about Jamie and Claire and decides to hide it from Brianna, but she finds it anyhow and decides to go back and warn her parents. Once Roger figures it out he follows her.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the new adventure and new possibilities for them. I also felt a lot safer for them in this book. I wasn’t as nervous to turn the pages and see what could possibly happen to them next. I loved it when Jamie saw Brianna for the first time and loved to see their relationship grow. I thought there was a lot of humor in this book. I love Ian’s character, he had me laughing througout the book and I actually laughed out loud when Brianna found out where Roger had ended up.

Again, at the end of this book I felt emotionally drained and had to take a break for a few days before continuing. I even read a book in between and while I did like it I think Diana Gabaldon has ruined other books for me. Nothing else comes close to her writing. Where I was apprehensive to start these books because of the writing, now when I pick up another book, the language and writing cannot compare.

I give this book a 4.5. I really like this one but Outlander and Voyager are still my favorites of the series.

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Favorite quotes…

He turned then, and gave me a narrow eye.
“What is it that makes every man ye meet want to take off his breeks within five minutes of meetin’ ye?”
Fergus choked slightly, and Ian went pink. I looked as demure as possible.

“No. I shouldna like to have that on my conscience; there’s enough without. But that’s not why I wished to buy ye a present.”
“Why, then?” The box was heavy; a gracious, substantial, satisfying weight across my legs, its wood a delight under my hands. He turned his head to look full at me, then, his hair fire-struck with the setting sun, face dark in silhouette.
“Twenty-four years ago today, I married ye, Sassenach,” he said softly. “I hope ye willna have cause yet to regret it.”

“It’s true?” he whispered. “It is you, Brianna?” He spoke her name with a queer accent–Breeanah-and she shivered at the sound.
“It’s me,” she said, a little huskily. She made another attempt at a smile. “Can’t you tell?”
His mouth was wide and full-lipped, but not like hers; wider, a bolder shape, that seemed to hide a smile in the corners of it, even in repose. It was twitching now, not certain what to do.
“Aye,” he said. “Aye, I can.”

“Brianna,” he said quietly behind her. She didn’t answer, didn’t move.
He made a small snorting noise—anger, impatience?
“I have a thing to say to ye.”
“Say it,” she said, and the words hurt her throat, as though she’d swallowed some jagged object.
It was beginning to rain again; fresh spatters slicked the marble in front of her, and she could feel the icy pat! of drops that struck through her hair.
“I will bring him home to you,” Jamie Fraser said, still quiet, “or I will not come back myself.”

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08
May
Voyager Review
by_mel

Voyager

Diana Gabaldon

From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.

Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her… and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her…the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland… and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite—or forever doom—her timeless love.

*I try my hardest not to give away any spoilers but find it difficult to discuss my feelings on the book without touching on some subjects*

I LOVED Voyager! I loved reading what happened to Jamie through those 20 years. I loved that he was saved from death because of him sparing Lord John’s life during the uprise. I have to admit I was very nervous when he first went to prison, fearing another horrible Wentworth scene. I was pleasantly surprised that Lord John was  kind and one of my favorite characters in the book. Of course I was crying like a baby when Claire found Jamie in his print shop, and a little disapointed when it was  short lived and they were running, hiding and escaping once again.

I was surprised by details of Jamie’s life that the reader didn’t even know and felt just as hurt and betrayed as Claire. I found myself nervous from page to page waiting to see which predicaments Jamie and Claire would get themselves into and the author did not dissapoint in that regard. They were led from one adventure to another.

The one thing that I noticed in this book that surprised me was that we were introduced to a kind of murder mystery in the beginning of Jamie and Claire’s reunion and then heard nothing about it again until almost the end of the book, which by then, I had forgotten that their was a murder mystery in the beginning. I guess because they didn’t stay in Edinburgh for long, but I still think it would have been interesting to keep with this story throughout the book. Probably because I love a good murder mystery.

Voyager entertained me from beginning to end and I loved where it left off for the next book. Let me just say that if I had found these books years before and had to wait years to find out what happened in the next book, I might have gone mad! As it is, I will have to wait a few months for ‘A Echo in the Bone’ to come out, and I might very well go mad. It will give me a chance to reread the series because I know I will discover new things the next time through.

I give Voyager a 5, I loved every page of this book.

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Favorite quotes…

Bloodshot blue eyes gleamed wide with alarm, under the spikes of matted red hair. “Where are ye sending me?” Turning from the door, Melton cast him a glance of intense dislike.
“You’re the laird of Broch Tuarach, aren’t you? Well, that’s where I’m sending you.”
“I dinna want to go home! I want to be shot!”

I shook so that it was some time before I realized that he was shaking, too, and for the same reason. I don’t know how long we sat there on the dusty floor, crying in each others arms with the longing of twenty years spilling down our faces.

“I’ve seen ye so many times,” he said, his voice whispering warm in my ear. “You’ve come to me so often. When I dreamed sometimes. When I lay in fever. When I was so afraid and so lonely I knew I must die. When I needed you, I would always see ye, smiling, with your hair curling up about your face. But ye never spoke. And ye never touched me.” “I can touch you now.” I reached up and drew my hand gently down his temple, his ear, the cheek and jaw that I could see. My hand went to the nape of his neck, under the clubbed bronze hair, and he raised his head at last, and cupped my face between his hands, love glowing strong in the dark blue eyes.

“Dinna be afraid,” he said softly. “There’s the two of us now.”

“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.”

bymelpink

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05
May
A review, giveaway and a new book community!
by_mel

I didn’t quite make it back yesterday! I stayed up until 2 in the morning yesterday morning and finished Drums of Autumn. I paid for it all day yesterday! The baby was cranky, I was cranky. I find myself emotionally exhausted right now and haven’t quite figured out if I’m ready to take on the next 2 books right away or give myself a break! What do you think? One friend has told me that I can’t stop or I won’t be into it when I restart. I think it’s the 1500 pages that is daunting to me, that and I haven’t read good reviews about the next one. I’ll let you know what I decide.

Now for my review on ‘Dragonfly in Amber’


Dragonfly in Amber

by Diana Gabaldon

From the author of Outlander… a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland…

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….

I finished ‘The Outlander at a about 1am and decided just to read the first little bit of the 2nd one, already installed on my iPod. I was soooo confused. All of a sudden we were in 1968 and in the library of Roger Wakefield, a name I knew I should recognize but didn’t first off. I got out of bed, got on the internet and made sure I was on the right book. Confused I started reading again and realized what the author was doing and read until Part 2 when it was back to Claire and Jamie.

I have to admit that I had a hard time getting through this book, but I think it was because I couldn’t wait until the end when I could figure out what had happened to separate them and why she knew without a doubt that Jamie had died. There was also A LOT of political and historical events taking place, which was interesting, but again, What the hell happened to Jamie? New characters were introduced, I love Fergus, and some old ones came into play also. I was  nervous the whole time reading it knowing that there would be battles and uprisings around the corner.

I will have to go back and reread this book again now that I know what happens and I will probably enjoy it a lot more the next time. There were many times in this book that I was bawling and my heart literally ACHED! Diana Gabaldon is absolutely amazing in her details that make you feel like you are right there in the pages. This is probably why I am so exhausted right now.

I give this book 4 stars, with the resolve to reread it again. I will let you know if my rating changes.

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Favorite quotes:

“I can’t sing,” he protested.
“Nonsense, nonsense. Of course you can. A nice, deep baritone, too,” the little man murmured approvingly. “Excellent. Just what we need. Here, a bit of help for you. Try to match this tone.”
Deftly whipping a small tuning fork from his pocket, he struck it smartly against a pillar and held it next to Jamie’s left ear.
Jamie rolled his eyes heavenward, but shrugged and obligingly sang a note. The little man jerked back as though he’d been shot.
“No,” he said disbelievingly.
“I’m afraid so,” I said sympathetically. “He’s right, you know. He really can’t sing.”

He heaved a deep exasperated sigh. “Sassenach, I’ve been stabbed, bitten, slapped, and whipped since supper—which I dinna get to finish. I dinna like to scare children and I dinna like to flog men, and I’ve had to do both. I’ve two hundred English camped three miles away and no idea what to do about them. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I’m sore. If you’ve anything like womanly sympathy about ye, I could use a bit!”

“D’ye think I don’t know?” he asked softly. “It’s me that has the easy part now. For if ye feel for me as I do for you—then I’m asking you to tear out your heart and live without it.”

“I will find you,” he whispered in my ear. “I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you—then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest.”
His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me.
“Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well.”

27675939Now for the book giveaway! I have a brand new Hardcover copy of ‘The Host’ by Stephenie Meyer that I will be giving away to one lucky winner. This giveaway contest will go until May 20th. Want to know how you can win? There are quite a few different ways that you can get your name in the drawing.

1- Leave me a comment in this post

2- Follow me on Twitter. My twitter ID is by_mel. Let me know in the comment section if you follow me and your Twitter ID.

3- Tweet about this giveaway contest. Leave the link in my comments.

4- Participate in my new forum ‘Writer’s Corner’ (Details below)

So I decided that I wanted a place where I could interact with other readers about different topics and books. I started a forum and by the time I got done, it has turned into the potential of a reader’s community. Please check it out here. There are 3 threads that I have opened as topics. Any of you that comment in these threads will recieve an additional chances for the drawing. Up to 3 additional chances. So go sign up and let’s see if we can’t start an awesome community for those of us that love to read and talk about it.

Here are the topics that we will be discussing…

What book are you currently reading?

The big debate: eBooks or traditional books?

Which actor do you think should play Jamie in the ‘Outlander’ movie?

Go check it out now! I will be back tomorrow with a review of ‘Voyager’ as long as I don’t have too many Margarita’s tonight for Cinco de Mayo! LOL!

bymelpink



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03
May
Review- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
by_mel

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another…

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire’s destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life …and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire…and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

I cannot believe that I have not found this series sooner. At this point I am almost done with the 4th book ‘Drums of Autumn’ and Diana Gabaldon never ceases to amaze me. I have never been so deeply affected by a book before. The author is SO descriptive that I can actually smell the wood that Jamie is cutting, feel the pain they feel and feel the love that they feel.

Outlander was a very fun read for me. Claire cannot stay out of trouble and Jamie is always at her rescue, but then she turns around a returns the favor. The beginning was just a little slow for me but once she went through the stones I could not put the book down. For the first time in a long time I was staying up until 2am reading because I just had to see what happens.

Edward and Bella who? I’m all about Claire and Jamie! I love their relationship. Keep in mind this book is very descriptive in the sexual aspect also and there is sexual violence. I won’t be able to recommend this series to some of my friends because I think they might be offended, which is too bad because it is such an amazing story.I love Claire’s character. She is so strong and compassionate and throws herself into her nursing work even under her circumstances. She is very smart and I found it very interesting when she was finding different herbs for medicinal purposes. Jamie is amazing! He’s not perfect by any means but is such a kind, honest and passionate man! *sigh* I have requested that my husband wear a kilt and call me Sassenach but he’s just not going for it. Ah well! A girl can dream.

If I am not reading these books, I am thinking about them, completely consumed with their lives and peril. I feel deeply connected to the characters in these books and feel like they are my friends or family.

I have put off this review just because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to give it justice! I may re-review it down the road someday. Stay tuned for my review of the rest of the books.

Obviously, I give this book 5 stars.

Favorite quotes

“I had one last try.
“Does it bother you that I’m not a virgin?”
He hesitated a moment before answering. “Well, no,” he said slowly, “so long as it doesna bother you that I am.”
He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed toward the door. “Reckon one of us should know what they’re doing,” he said.
The door closed softly behind him; clearly the courtship was over. ”

“And I’m verra tired of people trying to make me watch while they rape you! I dinna enjoy it one bit!”

“Do ye sleep now, mo duinne. No one shall harm ye; I’m here.”
I burrowed into the warm curve of his shoulder, letting my tired mind fall through the layers of oblivion. I forced myself to the surface long enough to ask, “Do you really believe me, Jamie?”
He sighed, and smiled ruefully down at me.
“Aye, I believe ye, Sassenach. But it would have been a good deal easier if you’d only been a witch.”

Tomorrow will be my review of Dragonfly in Amber and announcement of a book giveaway! Stay tuned!

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