Drums of Autumn (Outlander)
by Diana Gabaldon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diana GabaldonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-08-07
ISBN: 0385335989
Number of pages: 896
Publisher: Delta
Book Reviews of Drums of Autumn (Outlander)
Book Review: What a letdown!
Summary: 2 Stars
Once I started this series, I literally could not put these books down. I was telling all my friends about these books, staying up too late and going to work with circles under my eyes, but loving the characters, the period detail and the twists and turns of the plot.
Then I came to Drums of Autumn. This is the first book of Gabaldon's series that I thought was unconvincing and could have used more attention from her editor. And that's saying something, considering each previous book is 800-1000 pages at least.
Generally I've enjoyed the anticipation leading up to a major plot point (i.e. the first 350 pages of Voyager) because what's been in those pages has been well-paced, exciting and led to a deeper appreciation of the characters. But in this book, when I got to the part where Brianna has left to find her parents, I said aloud "It's about d**n time!" and by the end of the book I was skipping pages and pages just to find out what happened. And the characters started doing things that made no sense. Eventually between the absurd plot twists and the descriptive passages that just went on and on and on, I got to the point where found myself talking back to the book ("Arggh" and "You've gotta be kidding!" are prime, printable examples) and, alas, losing interest.
Don't get me wrong - there are very riveting and entertaining parts to the book but overall I thought that Gabaldon wasted too much prose on things that didn't further the plot or enhance the characters, only to gloss over areas rife with potential. What about Brianna's memories of Frank (we only learned that he taught her to shoot - what else did they share?), her time living alone since her mother's departure, her arrival/stay at Lallybroch, her observations of her mother's relationship with Jaime and how she finally resolves her issues regarding her mother's betrayal of Frank? We hear at the end of the book that she's seen one marriage with love and one marriage without, and would choose love instead of settling. Really!?! And what were her observations and thoughts that brought her to this conclusion, anyway??
My other gripe with this book is that that Gabaldon obviously thought up the scenario concerning Roger/Jamie/Steven Bonnet simply find a mechanism by which Brianna and Roger get stranded in the 18th century. Come on!! These ploys (mistaken identity, misinterpretation of overheard conversations) are shockingly unoriginal, used in TV sitcoms and by lazy writers who can't think of any other way to get the characters do what they want them to. I know by her previous examples that she's not lazy and has created characters and stories that while they require a little suspension of disbelief, still worked because they at least seemed plausible and in alignment with what we understood about the characters. It would have been much more interesting if Gabaldon had developed Brianna into a person whose decisions and actions actually made sense. Instead of taking stock of her situation and making a well thought out decision, Brianna instead had the decision forced upon her, so to speak, and was turned into a victim. I suppose my disappointment in this book is so much greater because the author had set the bar so high with her previous entries in the series.
I'll keep plowing ahead and read the remaining two books in the series, but seeing that The Fiery Cross has only a 3-star average rating, I'll continue with much less excitement, afraid that I'll be disappointed again.
Summary of Drums of Autumn (Outlander)
In this breathtaking novel?rich in history and adventure?The New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager. Once again spanning continents and centuries, Diana Gabaldon has created a work of sheer passion and brilliance....It began at an ancient Scottish stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past?or the grave. Dr. 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 a 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 the American colonies. 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 circle of stones 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....
Set in pre-Revolutionary War America, readers finally have the much awaited fourth book in what will probably become a six book series (The Outlander series). The talented Diana Gabaldon continues Claire and Jamie's romantic love affair, and introduces Brianna and Roger's story. Eight hundred pages, and several wonderful new characters later, we wonder why we were waiting for a conclusion. It'll be a long wait for book five, so I recommend you go back and reread Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager to keep yourself sane.
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