Lord John and the Private Matter

Rating:
Summary: i liked it!
Review: I liked this book so much i went back and read Outlander. I had avoided it initially since (a) it was huge, and (b) it looked like a mawkish romance novel.
Outlander was a dissapointment, but this book was just the right length. A very interesting story of what it meant to be closeted in this time period.

Rating:
Summary: erikamorin
Review: I have always liked John Grey. The animosity that he felt towards Claire was truly a disapointment and the genuine love that he had for Jamie was unfortunate at best. I had higher hopes for Lord John and was sorely disapointed that it was mostly about homosexual underground, and not more about the honor that John always seemed to embrace as a soldier.
I felt that the plot was a little on the thin side and was left wanting. Sometimes the story was hard to follow and I felt that I was missing something.
The detail was sometimes explicit and I would expect nothing less from Diana Gabaldon.
I did enjoy this some, but be prepared to read a story about homosexual behavior. Also, there wasn't any mention of the up and coming wars as the back flap leads one to believe.
It truly was a private matter that perhaps should have stayed that way.

Rating:
Summary: more than I expected
Review: Diana states at the begining that this is not an Outlander book It should not be compared to one. It is a long short story....
I read so many bad reviews before I read it that I was expecting it to be much worse. But I am a loyal Galbaldon reader and picked it up for that reason alone. I thought it had a interesting plot...while it's not a interwoven as most of her novels...It's hard to weave a detailed plot in short book. I definitely have read worse books with much weaker plots.(ie: Girl with a Pearl Earring). I love the detail...every smelly inch of 18th century London. (In contrast to a previous reviewer.) That's why I read historical novels...to vicariously experience another time and place. I want to experience it how it was...not make it sound like a sanitized movie set. All said...it's worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: As always Diana Gabaldon writes a wonderful, intriguing and colorful novel. You wont be disappointed. A look into the private life of Lord John. Fast paced. A keeper for sure..

Rating:
Summary: Lord John Dimished
Review: As an avid Gabaldon fan I couldn't wait for the arrival of this novel - a departure from the Outlander series, only to be sorely disappointed. Although I enjoyed Lord John's role in the Outlander series, he did not hold the same kind of interest and fascination for me in Lord John. As a matter of fact, I found that I really didn't care for any of the characters in this novel. They were neither interesting nor well developed. There were occasional gratuitous references to Jamie & Claire that served little purpose other than to appease fans. The "private matter" and the mystery offered little suspense. My ultimate reaction was "who cares." All in all, I'm still a Gabaldon fan and would like to say "Diana, go back to the Outlander series. We want to know what's happening with Jamie and Claire." Forget Lord John.

Rating:
Summary: Lord John and the Private Matter
Review: This book was such a disappointment after Gabaldon's series on the Outlander. It was well written, as all her books are, but sadly lacking and dry in subject matter. I certainly hope that her future books will pick up to the scintillating style that her first five books had.
Face it -- Lord John just isn't most people's cup of tea!!

Rating:
Summary: Weak in the plot....but a good read.
Review: I have greatly enjoyed Gabaldon's Outlander project, and eagerly read this book hoping for the same strong characters and enticing plots, but Lord John fell a bit short of that expectation. The "private mater' wasn't all that interesting, but Lord John himself is a great character, and Gabaldon weaves a good tale.

Rating:
Summary: Have Your Nose Cauterized First
Review: I was a little leery of this Gabaldon offering, having been so thoroughly bored by The Fiery Cross, but she does know what a plot is, after all. Apparently, she was saving all her plot ideas for Lord John. It is a good, engaging mystery; but I was nauseated by the descriptions of 18th century London. I have a keen sense of smell, so all the mentions of asparagus pee, turds floating in the harbor, filth strewn streets, decomposing bodies, etc, etc. would keep me from reading any more books in this series. I'm sure it's very historically accurate, but I don't want to read about it.

Rating:
Summary: Gabaldon's gift for distraction
Review: I enjoyed Lord John's character in this novel much more than in the Outlander series. I finally see him growing up from the terrorized teenager found in the woods during Cullodeen. He seems to have found more dimension than his role in Ardsmuir.
Diana Gabaldon's portrayal of 18th century London as seen from many different angles; the upper class; the lower class; the brothel life, is full of fine details and vibrant images. Once again she is a masterful story teller that involves the reader from the beginning of the book, though I must admit at the beginning of this book, I was thinking...this is the plot??
When life needs a distraction, there is nothing better than one of Ms. Gabaldon's novels to remove you from the day to day and find yourself a time traveler immersed in the times she writes about!

Rating:
Summary: Another Gabaldon Success
Review: This book, though not a romance, was full of Gabaldon's great tallent with description and wit. The people felt so delightfully real and alive, as if the reader were truly in 18th century England and meeting the people of the time. Lord John was one of my favorite characters from the Outlander series, and I'm glad to see his character expanded.