Dragonfly in Amber: A Novel (Outlander)

I usually do not care for sequels, whether in novels or films. After reading Diana Gabaldon's wonderful book, "Outlander," I was sure she could not come up with another book to match the first. I was wrong and "Dragonfly In Amber" is an exception to my rule and an exceptional book. Once you begin to read, you will find yourself absorbed immediately and probably forget the novel's length (900+ pages). In fact, you may find yourself wishing it were longer. There are two major storylines here. One takes place in the 18th century. Claire Randall, who had traveled back in time from post WWII Scotland to a Scotland preparing for the restoration of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to the throne, had married James Fraser and confided to him the truth of her time travels. She also told him of the coming disaster of the Battle of Culloden Moor, (1745), and its terrible aftermath for all of Scotland. Together they do everything in their power to halt the inevitable uprising, including move to Paris to become part of the Prince's entourage and perhaps effect a change in history through their relationship with the Jacobites living in France. The relationship developed between Claire and Jamie continues to grow in this book. Their intensely passionate love and close friendship is extremely moving. Although James is a very strong and competent person, Claire with her strength of character, independence, resourcefulness and nursing skills moves adeptly through another time period and is as indispensable to James as he is to her. We travel with both of them, from the Scottish highlands to the pomp of the French court, as they attempt to impact history and continue on together with a love that transcends the boundaries of time. The second and parallel plot takes place in 1968. Culloden is 200 years in the past. James had sent Claire back to the future to keep her and their unborn child safe from Scotland's fate right before the doomed battle and, they both believed, Jamie's inevitable death during the fight. Claire still feels the bitterness of the intrigues, betrayals, murders, treason and violence that were so much a part of her life with James as they fought together to spare Scotland from its future. Twenty years have passed and Claire, now a doctor, and her daughter Brianna, travel to Scotland from Boston. Brianna does not know the truth about her mother's history, before her birth, nor who her real father is. Claire's 20th-century husband is now dead and she is determined to discover what happened to James, their family and friends. He was her soulmate and the only man she ever loved. If there is a chance at all to find her Jamie, or at least discover what happened to him, she is will do it. Once again Ms. Gabaldon deftly portrays 18th century Scotland and France and immerses the reader in another time with her superb historical research and writing style. Her characters, major and minor, complex and simple, grow and develop as you read. Many of them are introduced in "The Outlander," but some remarkable new figures emerge from this novel also. Many of them are bound to capture your heart. I don't know if this book could stand alone without reading "Outlander" first. And since there is so much to gain by reading both books, and continuing on to number three, I don't know why anyone would wish to do so...unless this book is purchased without the knowledge of the prequel. Gabaldon's "Outlander" series is a major epic and this novel is one of the best in the series. It is jam-packed with adventure, accurate historic detail, romance, friendship, and more from a most unusual perspective. Highly recommended! JANA

I doubt that anyone will read my review due to the fact that there are over 1800 reviews already posted. I learned of this series through e-mails from STARZ, one of which included a free look at the first episode. Further, due to the fact that in looking at the reviews on Amazon I was amazed to find over 5000 reviews of the first book. I do not usually like time travel books BUT this is now a series which I would love to have all my acquaintances read just so I have someone with whom to discuss it. I had to read books 2 & 3 straight through before taking time to post this review as I wanted/needed to find out if and how Jamie and Claire were ever reunited after a 20 year separation over and beyond an additional separation of 200 years of time travel. I rate my movies and books by how many tissues I need and I have lost count of tissues used while reading this series of books...am now on number four but agree on the addiction factor stated by others, the swooning over photos of Jamie on STARZ, the love these two, Claire and Jamie, have for each other despite separations and other relationships during their separation with thoughts that the other one was dead. This author is a genius. I have to say, even if others have said it (I did read some but not all the other reviews) that these books are amazing, surprising, and with unique twists and turns connecting threads in various books. For instance: Roger Wakefield turning out to be Geillie Duncan's son born in 1743 - this was a surprise and I have not yet read how he got back to modern day and I am sure this thread is going to turn up in future parts of this series. In Outlander Claire loves & is married to Frank Randall but then when faced with a choice between him and her 18th century husband, chooses the latter. So I was wondering if, in this book, she was going to pick up the relationship with Frank exactly where she left it after falling forward through time, at Jamie's insistence...due to his knowledge of her pregnancy and due to his certainty of his own death in the impending war with the British at Culloden. And just prior to this event again there is a detail that appears in later time, Jamie's release of a young English lad who tries to kill him while he and Claire are camped out in the open. The daughter born to Jamie and Claire is named Brianna after Jamie's father, Brian, but is reared as Frank's daughter and only after his accidental death is Claire released from a promise not to tell Brianna of her biological father while Frank lived. Brianna is not happy nor can she at first accept this. Enter Roger Wakefield whose adopted father helped Frank Randall many times in tracing his ancestors or historical facts needed in his research as a historian. Roger falls for Brianna - but that is another story...to come. He does help Claire in her research and helps bring her and Brianna to the realization that JAMIE DID NOT die at Culloden. Flash forward to the modern day and in learning of Claire's motherhood and then of her entering the world of academia to earn her MD. Her best friend, Dr. Joe Abernathy, is another of those figures, facts of whom turn up in other parts of this long and twisted tale. I found it amusing when she asks him if he thinks she is sexy...wanting to know if Jamie might still find her attractive...if she finds a way to time travel again. There are parts of this story set in France, where, as other have stated, Jamie and Claire have traveled to 1.) Escape possible arrest and execution by the British, again, for him and 2.) To allow healing of Jamie's body and soul and 3.) To attempt to meet and form a close relationship with Bonnie Prince Charles and influence him to not return to Scotland and thus, prevent the fatal battle at Culloden, which Claire knows of from her 20th century knowledge of history. We read of many persons of importance in this saga and we follow Claire's pregnancy, Jamie's physical and psychological torture at the hands of Black Jack Randall, the uses of many flowers and herbs, secret societies, love affairs, religious beliefs and practices, and meet many new characters who will show up again and again over this epic tale. For me this is one of the best series of stories I have ever read. Hard to grasp that this tale will spread over 8 books!

Again I must repeat myself. ‘Where have you been all of my life?’ I am not even sure if my devotion to the literary world was as great as I thought it was until I begun this series. Yes, what a grand statement you are making Meg (I hear you say), but if I searched into that little place in my heart that holds all of the books I have loved, then I think right now I need to make a whole new room to immortalise Gabaldon. Dragonfly in Amber was an excellent sequel to Outlander. Although from the very first page I was a bit hesitant because I thought ‘oh no. Not a time jump…I really hate time jumps.’ But alas this was short lived as you are then transported back through time to figure out why the beginning part happened in the first place..and it is heart wrenchingly beautiful. At times the book did drag on a bit, and I was a tad bit confused whilst trying to piece together the events both historically accurate with particular characters based on actual people. It felt as though I was back in high school sitting in a history class just waiting for someone to give me a dot point form of years and events. Then again I was also eager for the focus to switch back to Jamie, so I probably wasn’t paying as close attention as I probably should have. Regardless, Gabaldon had done her research. All elements, even the little details about fire places or specific games, were clearly historically referenced. That is dedication to your craft dear readers. Which is why you can seamlessly be transported back in time. She is a flawless writer. I adore Jamie and Claire. They are the absolute definition of soul mate. In the second instalment you get to see them settle into their marriage, but still with that fiery passion we all love to read from Gabaldon. I really loved how their relationship evolved and became so much more, it really built upon the events that happened in such an honest way. Their relationship with Jack Randall just gives me the shivers. And I hate that Gabaldon made me feel pity towards him. He is such a complex character that from a writers point of view you have to admire his depth, but from a person point of view – he really needs to die. I love the complexity and richness of this world. It is very rare that I finish a novel and just think that it was such a joy to read. I am always eager to return to this world, and I just am in awe at it’s brilliance.

In the closing chapter of “Outlander”, Claire nursed Jamie to help him recover from the emotional and physical tortures suffered at the hands of Captain Jonathan Randall. They had traveled to France to the safe sanctuary of his Uncle Alexander Fraser an Abbot at a French monastery. They stayed devoted and carnally very close and drunk, but more with love than with wine. After Jamie presented her with a special gift to cherish, Claire said that she had a gift as well, just as Jamie’s hand slid, large and sure, over the plane of her still-flat stomach with their future lying ahead. The best noun that I can think of that describes the Outlander series is “tapestry”. A tapestry woven with rich threads of accurately depicted Scottish history within an addictive story-line involving two powerful and passionate personalities who through a chance slip through a crack in time, travel to a two hundred yesteryear and meet and share adventure, tragedy and a very physical and devoted love. With “Dragonfly in Amber” the rich story-line continues and opens to Claire’s present time, twenty years forward, with her daughter, Brianna, in England, with a plan to tell Brianna her unbelievable story and to reveal her real father. When the moment of truth takes place Brianna reacts violently to the revelation and the time reverts back to the 1745 yesteryear. An incredibly amazing story as Claire and Jamie try to change the course of history using Claire’s present day knowledge of history on two occasions to try to change the outcome of the battle on Culloden Field and the blind ambitions of Bonny Prince Charles. Occasionally, I was inspired to temporarily put the book aside to explore the history books to understand the history on a deeper and broader scale. No other book as compelled me to do this with the possible exception of “The Da Vinci Code”. In 1745, Claire and Jamie work and play together and sometimes independently in the French social life meeting some very inimitable people and other amazing life adventures. During more tragic circumstances Claire continues to offer her skills as a nurse. At the battle of Prestonpans I suddenly came to the realization that Claire had been a nurse in two wars… TWO HUNDRED YEARS apart! Sometimes Claire needed to adapt medical terminology “sugar sickness” instead of diabetes which had not been coined back then. I also found it humorously entertaining when Claire expressed herself out of the time of reference of Jamie or others by using metaphors like, “Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?” In the closing chapters, just before the battle of Culloden, Jamie’s “Sassenach” returns to her present time with Brianna finally accepting the truth. What will happen next? I now feel powerless, as “a dragonfly in amber”, not to begin reading “Voyager”. I highly recommend this book and the entire series not only as an addictive must-read, but as a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon.

FINAL DECISION: I ended up liking this one better than OUTLANDER itself. The story seemed tighter, the relationship between Claire and Jamie more complex and although there is plenty of death and pain in this book, it felt more civilized after the events of the first book. And I ended up in tears for most of the end of this book. THE STORY: After the events of OUTLANDER, Jaime and Claire have fled to France. There they will try to prevent the coming battle of Culloden in order to prevent the destruction of the Highlanders culture. Their scheme requires them to participate in Eighteenth Century French court politics and intrigues with Bonnie Prince Charlie and the King of France. There are still repercussions from Jamie's torture and rape at the end of OUTLANDER. Intrigues, danger and the past threaten to tear Jamie and Claire apart even at the point where they share joy at the coming of their child. OPINION: I liked OUTLANDER, but I liked DRAGONFLY IN AMBER more. OUTLANDER was about Jamie and Claire discovering one another and falling in love. This book is about letting their love and marriage mature. In OUTLANDER Jamie and Claire ran the gauntlet of danger. This book is a slow burn. Things are quieter, more outwardly civilized and yet even more complicated and dangerous. Politics, society and intrigue take up the majority of this book. For those readers who read OUTLANDER but don't know more about the series, they will be surprised by the beginning of this book. (I don't want to give it away, but it is a clever story device to begin the narrative there instead of being strictly chronological). The book feels fresh and different after OUTLANDER. The characters have grown and changed (not always for the good) and there are lots of new characters to get to know. Old friends and enemies also have returned so there is a good reason to review the events of OUTLANDER if you haven't read it in a while. Jamie is more remote in this book after the events with Jack Randall in OUTLANDER. He is still struggling with the aftermath and the pressures of trying to save the entire Highlands. Being involved in the political intrigue means that he and Claire spend less time together and thus immense pressure is placed on their relationship. Claire is also struggling to find her role in this new situation. The new life in the Court of France has new conflicts and restrictions upon this twentieth century woman. She has to use her imperfect knowledge of the past to help avoid Culloden while know knowing whether such a thing is possible. She is also struggling with her relationship with Jamie. She gave up her entire life to be with him and now she has to deal with those consequences. On a more philosophical point, the book also investigates the idea of changing the past. Is it even possible for Jamie and Claire to change the events that lead to Culloden or does everything they do actually cause that event to happen? Can the past be changed at all? These are universal themes in time travel stories and this book examines those issues with complexity and subtlety. Even better, there are no real answers. I began reading OUTLANDER when the television series started because I always want to read the books first and I began reading this one in preparation for Season 2. I don't know if I have been influenced by the series, but I felt that this book went more quickly and the events were clearer, the characters more defined and the outcome more devastating. I cried through the end of the book because it was incredibly well written and sad. At the end of this book, I desperately wanted to begin VOYAGER (book 3) to find out what happens. WORTH MENTIONING: This book ends on a cliffhanger. CONNECTED BOOKS: DRAGONFLY IN AMBER is the second book in the Outlander series. It can be read as a standalone, but why do that. Read OUTLANDER first to really appreciate DRAGONFLY IN AMBER. STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

This review is for the entire series. For those who complained it is too long...um, did you not see how long it was before you purchased it? Maybe stick to the 300 page novels of lower quality. For those who complains it has graphic sex....uh, it IS technically classified as romance...and you can skip the sex scenes and not detract from the story. Ok. When my husband first brought this book back with him from Iraq (donated to the USO)and he told me he was reading a historical-fiction/romance/fantasy/time travel book, I teased him. I thought no way could such a book be an actual worthy read. I am a constant reader. I have to always have a book. So, when I was in-between books, I picked up this book just to pass the time. Don't make the same mistake I did..DO NOT be fooled by the genre. Don't make the mistake of thinking that these are typical bodice-ripping Highlander trash-romance...they are not. They are real literature. I do not enjoy romance novels, though I will read one if it is the only reading material available. I have to say that this series of books, though they do contain sex scenes, is NOT romance. They are a complex tale full of an entire cast of well-developed characters. I have been on the discussion boards that center around this series. Most of the women seem to be in love with (at least the idea of) the main male character, Jamie. As proof of how good the story told and the writing in this book is, I need to say that the physical description of him (and some parts of his personality) are a complete turn-off to me. He is pretty much the opposite of what I like. However, you don't need to be attracted to a character to enjoy reading about them and to grow to admire and care about them. The love story between Jamie and Claire is quite inspiring, so much so that my husband and I actually got matching tattoos inspired by the books. These stories are so well-written and in-depth, that I read them aloud to my children (simply not reading the child-inappropriate parts aloud) and all of them, from my 7-year-old daughter to my 18-year-old son, are as captivated as I am. These books weave the tale of well-developed, multifaceted characters, exploring their personal growth, interactions and relationships with one another, their people in their communities, and some well-known historical figures, all within the context of various historical time periods. From Jacobite-era Scotland to pre-revolutionary North Carolina (and many places in between), you will follow a brilliantly-written, gripping saga and you will be a part of a world you won't want to leave.

I feel like I should warn you before you read too much of this review that there will be gushing. Major gushing. You see, I am in love with Jamie Frasier. I can't help it. It just happened and I am powerless to stop it. I had to admit to my husband that I was in love with a fictional character. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked at me like I was crazy. Oh well. This is a story that is really all about the characters. And Jamie is one heck of a character. Oh sure, I like Claire well enough too but Jamie is in a whole different league. I think that the entire cast of characters in this novel are really very well portrayed and they simply come to life on the page. The characters are so realistic that many of them actually remind me of certain people that I have met just based on personality traits. All of the characters are flawed and make mistakes and I love them because of that. This isn't a book that really has one major plot but instead focuses on a time period during their lives. There are a lot of things that happen in this book. I must admit that I was a bit confused when I started listening to this audiobook because of how it started. I stopped and checked and then double checked that it was in fact book #2 in the series. I read this book years ago and didn't remember that it started the way that it does. The way the book begins really does take any surprise out of how it ends but the entire journey is wonderful. There are a lot of descriptions in the book that I am sure could have been edited out but I am glad that they weren't. I wasn't looking for a short book when I started this series. I was hoping to be swept away by an epic story details included. I think that Davina Porter has to be the perfect narrator for this series. The way this book is read really adds a lot to the overall experience of the story. She expertly handles a wide range of distinctive voices. She is the voice of Jamie which is somewhat odd to say. In most cases when a narrator is doing the voice of the other gender it feels wrong to me in some way. Davina Porter's range is so large that her male voices sounds as authentic as her female voices. Her execution of Jamie's Scottish accent and Claire's British accent are truly remarkable. I highly recommend this series to anyone. This book picks up right where Outlander leaves off so you do really need to read this series in order. I would also say that I recommend the audiobook version of this series because it is a absolutely wonderful way to experience this story. I couldn't wait to continue my journey with Jamie and Claire and have already started the audiobook for Voyager, which is book #3 in the series. I am really looking forward to all the time I plan to spend with Jamie this year as I make my way through this series.

I read Outlander (#1) last year and I rated it 3 stars. With that being said, I enjoyed it, the writing was fabulous but I didn’t get the hype because I wasn’t in love with it and I wanted to be… Part of the part problem was that I had recently read The Bronze Horseman trilogy before starting Diana Gabaldon’s book. If you know me, I’m obsessed with TBH series and they are epic books but someone said if you like that series you will love Outlander. I should have known better and waited a few more months before reading it. *shrugs* When I found out that it was picked up for a series on Starz I thought…hmmmm, maybe I should give this series another shot. And shame on me but I never paid attention to the casting, I mean, have you seen Sam Heughan??? *fans self* But I never did pick up the second book until two weeks ago when they aired the first episode for free on cable. I’ve been consumed by this book and haven’t been able to put it down. *whispers I’m on the third book* “I talk to you as I talk to my own soul,” he said, turning me to face him. He reached up and cupped my cheek, fingers light on my temple. “And Sassenach,” he whispered, “Your face is my heart.” The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars to Dragonfly in Amber is because the pacing felt a bit slow at times. The author clearly wants us to understand how the French court operates and the politics of that history, obviously the information is important but I didn’t find it always necessary which sounds a bit contradictory, I know. Jamie and Claire have new connections, political connections that give them the ability to infiltrate the Jacobite circle but this story is so much more than that. It’s about Claire in 1968 and trying to put the pieces of history together, it’s about loss, it’s about Claire finally being able to be honest with her daughter and it’s about finding out what happened to Jamie and Claire. The stress I experienced while I read this book gave me heartburn. Beautifully written, I was lost in a story that was all about Jamie and Claire. If I enjoyed many of the characters in the first book, I was all sorts of thrilled to be re-acquainted with Murtagh who was Mr. Moody half the time but that’s what made him so endearing. But new characters were also introduced and my absolute favorite was the French orphan boy. And guess where they found him??? You’ll never guess because to tell you would be to take away from the beauty of the story. *dreamy sigh* “Blood of my Blood,” he whispered, “and bone of my bone. You carry me within ye, Claire, and ye canna leave me now, no matter what happens, You are mine, always, if ye will it or no, if ye want me or nay. Mine, and I wilna let ye go.” Not only do I feel a bit smarter after reading this book but it’s safe to say I’m obsessed like everyone else.

At the end of the first book in the series, we bid goodbye to the lovely couple, the Frasers. We last saw them in a happy, content place – Claire had successfully rescued Jamie from Black Jack Randall’s torture and they were left in a state of bliss after realizing the impending news of their first child. So when I began ‘Dragonfly in Amber’ I assumed that I would return to the unshakable partnership of Jamie and Claire in 18th century France and their plans to rewrite history to prevent the Battle of Culloden and the 1745 Jacobite rising. Ah one would only think so, Diana Gabaldon sure knows how to surprise and engage here readers, the master of writing that she is, and instead we are immediately thrust headlong into Inverness in 1968. A Widowed Claire is there with her grown daughter Brianna, and Roger whom we met as a wee lad in book 1. From then on the readers are taken on an amazing journey for love and strength, endurance and adventure, perseverance and determination. Ranging from the palaces of Versailles, to the sweeping Scottish Highlands to the bloody Culloden battlefield, we get to travel with Claire and Jamie and their inspiring journey of love. We meet Brianna, Roger, wee Fergus and a host of new character like Bonnie Prince Charlie, Comte St.Germain, Louise de La Tour, Mary Hawkins, Alex Randall, King Louis XV, amongst others. Dragonfly in Amber ends in a stunning climax that leaves you shaken and stirred and panting for more!!! Lovely quotes from the novel: “You can tell much about what was, only from what is left.” “Hello, I said softly, one hand over the butterfly wings that beat inside me.” “But for the hours of the night, I was helpless, powerless to move as a dragonfly in amber.” “There are ways of killing other than with a knife or a gun, and there are things worse than physical death.” “I don’t know whether the pursuit of an honorable cause justified the use of dishonorable means.” “Healing comes from the healed; not from the physician.”

I raced through both the first book and the second. UN-put-down-able! I was wondering where Diana could take us next, but I see there are more in the series. Bye, I have a book to buy.

Ce livre est fantastique. J'appréhendais un peu sa lecture car le premier tome avait placé la barre très haute, et je n'ai pas été déçue. Passionnée d'histoire, les aventures de nos deux héros sont plus que réalistes et les détails à couper le souffle. L'introduction de nouveaux personnes est très appréciable et toute la partie se déroulant en France est réussie avec brio. Diana Gabaldon donne une nouvelle profondeur à la relation entre Claire et Jamie. Cette histoire d'amour est l'une des plus belles qui m'ait été donnée de lire, et la complexité des personnages ajoute un plus indéniable à ce roman. On ne s'ennuie pas une seconde et les surprenants (et il est très difficile de me surprendre) rebondissements ponctuent la lecture de ce livre. Bref, si vous aviez encore des doutes, foncez les yeux fermés, vous ne serez pas déçus.

Very good 5* book. But very poor quality even voor second hand: should have been cheaper.

There few books of romance rhat i like to read, i am a suspense or thriller reader, but these is all in one history ficcion and a romance story as real as i should be not happily ever after but the real struggle of a couple with ups and down and comitment