Voyager (Outlander)
by Diana Gabaldon
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Book Reviews of Voyager (Outlander)
Book Review: A disappointment
Summary: 2 Stars
Given the cliffhanger ending of the previous book, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, I really looked forward to this one, to finding out how the story would be resolved. But this book, alas, was such a disappointment that I'm rather sorry I read it (despite how much I had WANTED to read it), and it ensured I lost interest in the characters and series. The story was an aimless mish-mash of perils-of-pauline escapades, with a non-sensical plot that peters out into a confusing and anti-climactic non-ending. And the characterization, which had first drawn me into the series, loses me in this book. Claire and Jamie were believably flawed characters in their twenties in OUTLANDER; in VOYAGER, they're physically 20 years older now... but they seem to have REgressed 10 years emotionally/mentally, rather than progressing 20 years. The result is middle-aged lead characters with the emotional maturity and decision-making abilities of teens... and it's an exasperating and unappealing combination. The author also seemed, when push came to shove, to have no idea how to write the climactic reunion of the two main characters--which reunion the novel spends a couple of hundred pages working up to. It's so flat, it's almost a non-event... and their relationship, which is at the core of the novel, never really seems to find its feet or recover from the tepid, distracted tone of their first few scenes together. Finally, I was bemused by the naivety and narcissism of a mother (Claire, the protagonist) who thinks that it's perfectly okay to permanently abandon her single 19-year-old daughter, who has no father and no other family members, with the blithe assumption that she's all grown-up and will be just fine on her own from now on.Book Review: What a Ride!
Summary: 5 Stars
So much has already been said about this series of books, but I can't help it, I have to add my two cents just in case there are still people out there who have put off reading this series because of the time-travel aspect, (which is why I didn't read them for so long as a big fan of historical fiction). Stop resisting, start at the beginning, go out and pick up a copy of Outlander and I promise you will not stop until you have read all of the books in the series!
The first part of Voyager covers the time Jamie and Claire spent apart and we learn what has been going on in Jamie's life. This is the first time we get to go inside Jamie's thoughts and feelings as chunks of the story are told from his point of view. I had to fight so hard not to skip ahead to their reunion, but it was worth the wait. This book has so many twists and turns and I thoroughly enjoyed their adventures in this book. Never a dull moment!
One of the things I love best about Ms. Gabaldon's series is the beautifully written dialogue. This book in particular features many excellent scenes involving heartfelt conversations between Claire and Jamie, and their words to each other are always so true, so real, their voices are always consistent.
Outlander is still my favorite in the series, because I love reading about the beginning of their relationship, the trials they go through and watching their feelings for each other develop, but Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager are both wonderful, too. All of the books in the series are excellent, but the first three are the best.
Book Review: Terrific Continuation of the Intra-Temporal Romance of Jamie and Clare
Summary: 3 Stars
More than twenty years has passed since time-travelling nurse Claire Randall Fraser was forced to flee her 17th century husband, Jamie, after the disastrous battle of Culloden destroyed the Scots. In the 20th century, Claire has built a good life, reluctantly remaining wife to Frank Randall to raise Brianna, Jamie's daughter. Claire has become a respected physician in Boston. But now that Brianna is a young woman and Frank has died, Claire faces a choice: should she return to 17th century Scotland to try to find Jamie and build a life with him or remain in the 20th century with her now grown daughter? The call of true love is too strong and Claire embarks on another journey back in time to rejoin the only man she can ever love. But in the two decades since they last met, Jamie has encountered hardships and challenges that have changed him. Hunted by the English as a traitor, forced to live for 7 years in a cave, Jamie has spent time in prison, has lived as a menial servant and has fathered a son by an imperious, spoiled rich girl who refused to take no for an answer. Strangers again, Claire and Jamie must discover if the love they enjoyed twenty years before is enough to sustain them now. Gabaldon has written a magnificent continuation of the story of Claire and Jamie. She explores the logical questions of survival, loyalty and love. As usual, Gabaldon relies a little too heavily on romance devices that strain belief, but in the end, the reader enjoys the ride so much, she doesn't mind the manipulation.Book Review: Escape to the Past
Summary: 4 Stars
"Voyager" begins as an interesting 2-period time travel story, but develops primarily into a historical adventure novel. The novel does a good job of taking the reader to Scotland and the Caribbean of the late 1700's and of showcasing the author's knowledge of history and biology. She develops many great characters and scenes and tells the story with both passion and humor.
The time travel aspects which attracted me to the book focus on the possibility of doing historical research before traveling back in time to make sure conditions are right - in this case making sure a particular person survived a battle and lived on. It also focuses a bit on how/why/where time travel might work, though all this left me somewhat confused because of some associated witchcraft that I didn't care to hear about.
Being a middle book of a series, readers who only read this book will be slightly disadvantaged not knowing all that went before and left unsatisfied by what is more a pause than an ending. After spending over 1,000 pages seeking some resolution of the story, this was frustrating. Also, like so much modern fiction, it's a good story and a fun read, but lacks any purpose or message. It does provide many hours of great escape, which is what many readers seek. Another time travel adventure I truly enjoyed: ARROWS THROUGH TIME: A Time Travel Tale of Adventure, Courage, and Faith.
Book Review: Great series but some parts not believable
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this series and have been reading straight through from Outlander to Voyager. Diana Gabaldon has done an heroic job of making her characters so endearing, so multidimensional -- I think about them often the way I think about a friend and feel like I know them; she's made me care about them so much. Her dedication to detail and to layering of each character is a gift.
The only thing is there are some parts that are not believable:
* I couldn't believe how easily Claire's daughter, Brianna, accepted the idea of Jamie as her father. I know Roger and Claire presented her with the evidence but what little anger or outrage she showed was short lived. She went from outrage at her mother even suggesting that Claire's first husband, Frank, was not really her father to a giddy declaration of Jamie as "Daddy!" I found it strange that there was very little confusion or anger with her mother at all this news. I guess the story had to move along so the author couldn't linger on this point.
* Aside from the odd mention of the woman's "courses," I was kind of surprised at the lack of mention at how menstruation was handled, practically, by a woman at this time in history. There's such detail about the way people prepared food, bathed, etc. at that time and was surprised by this omission.
These are minor flaws for a remarkable series... If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind historical/romantic series, start with Outlander and keep going!