Book Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Book reviews

14 Jan

Author- Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)Format- PaperbackSource- Self-purchaseSynopsis: 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....Review: This title had been sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time as I knew it would not be a light, quick read. It’s been two years since I read Cross Stitch (formerly Outlander), the first book in this epic highlander series and the love story between Clare and Jamie. So, I thought over the Christmas holiday period, it might be a good time to tackle this chunky novel.For twenty years, since the birth of her daughter Brianna, Clare has been keeping secrets. Jamie Fraser, a highlander who lived 200 years in the past is the father of Brianna, not the historian, Frank who she was led to believe. We travel back in time to Jamie and Clare’s last moments and how the strength of their love aided their survival through the many challenges they face to just stay together, and live.There were times I got a little lost by the political issues happening in the story, but it didn’t stray my interest from the story for too long. In Dragonfly in Amber, I was haunted by the trauma Jamie experienced at the hands of Jack Randall from the first book. It’s truly sickening, and you need a strong stomach to get through it. But if you made it through Cross stitch then you can make it through this one. I honestly can’t believe how Jamie could be in the same room as the man who raped, abused and tortured him. I actually felt Clare was being really selfish by keeping Jamie away from him for the sake of Frank. I understand she wanted to ensure Frank’s existence but she was treading a very fine line.I liked the addition of Brianna and Roger to the story and wondered how it would all tie in at the end. I hope they play a bigger role in the next novel.Dragonfly in Amber, is an extremely long (over 900 pages) read but I was drawn in by the intensity of the Clare and Jamie love story and an array of secondary characters who make up the cast. It’s a time-travelling love story that fans of the series will enjoy. If you have this title sitting on your bookshelf but haven’t yet read Cross Stitch, then I highly recommend you start this series at the beginning. You will just miss out on way too much otherwise.An intense read, I will surely give myself a breather before I pick up the third book in the series, Voyager.