Lord John and the Private Matter

Rating:
Summary: A great winter time read.
Review: This was a great way to reacquaint myself with the Diana's writings without reading a huge novel. I enjoyed the story and the characters and eagerly await the next book by Diana Gabaldon.

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Summary: A Wonderful Companion Piece to the Outlander Series
Review: Word of warning, though: as Lord John Grey is homosexual, this novel does deal with his orientation and the lifestyle that often accompanies it. Even contains some sexual content, although nothing truly graphic.

However, for me, this was just the fresh breath of air I needed.

I was disappointed that we didn't see more of Grey in the Outlander series and when I stumbled upon this book in my local public library, I literally squealed with delight. Finally, more of that honorable, sensual British officer we all came to love.

Grey finds himself embroiled in an espionage investigation while hunting down the truth regarding his brother's ward's fiance's "extracurricular" nocturnal activities. While it was fun seeing Grey as master sleuth, I did find myself stumbling over a few minor plot holes. Some of his deductions weren't fully supported by previously stated fact, so I had to keep backtracking to find some of the clues. Some of which I never found.

But it truly did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel: it just made for lighter fare than I expected. Gabaldon's description of 18th century London is so rich with color and scent, I fully imagined I was along for the ride.

I do hope she continues with more Lord John as she left things fairly wide open for a sequel. While some Outlander fans may find themselves put off by the blatant homosexual content, there's still a huge market out there for this kind of fare (see works from authors such as Laura Argiri, Ellen Kushner, Elizabeth Knox, among others), especially among female readers who have gotten tired of traditional romance novels. The male/male for women genre (especially fan works in the slash and yaoi genres) is growing at an exponential rate, and doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Kudos to you, Diana! More, please? :o)

Rating:
Summary: I could not finish this one.....
Review: This was definitely not what I expected from Diana Gabaldon. I kept thinking it would get better but it did not. I finally gave up. There are too many good books to read to waste time on one that is simply not worth it. I will always try another of her books. I have loved all of her other books anticipating the arrival of each one. But this one is simply not appealing. So if you are reading it and finding it a hard read, put it away. It does not get better.

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.

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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.