Rating: 
Summary: Disappointingly Self-Indulgent Novel
Review: I have read all five of the "Outlander/Cross Stitch" series, and have been increasingly disappointed by the content since "Voyager" (book three). I went from reading "Outlander" in two days and literally not being able to put it down, to spending almost three months struggling through "The Fiery Cross" waiting for something to happen! Outlander/Cross Stitch was truly unique, and extraordinarily fast paced when compared to the later novels. The last three books have become increasingly self-indulgent, with much of the content, especially in "The Fiery Cross" being of questionable or no relevance to the continuing story. It appears that the author is writing for herself rather than the reader of the series, and in this novel is experimenting with a story concerned with the minutae(and nothing seems too minute) of family life. Some passages in the book also give the impression that they are included just because the writer has never written about that topic before and wishes to do so, ie the autopsy scene, the murderous/abused wife, the bear hunt. In my opinion, this has been a growing theme that started in "Voyager" with the questionable plot inclusion of the serial killer from Scotland. In the Fiery Cross. even the fact that 3/4 of the main characters are time travellers from the 20th century appears to be forgotten in the majority of the book. Another issue I had with this novel is that some of the scenes seem to be gratuitous for the sake of it. Outlander was brutal in places, but didn't seem out of place. Parts of the Fiery Cross seem "nasty" just for the sake of it. I do think it is sad that such an excellent idea has fizzled out in this series. I believe that the series should have been a triology, or if continued, "The Drums of Autumn" and "The Fiery Cross" could have easily been amalgamated into one book of about 600 pages. The reason I have given the book two stars rather than one is that it is technically well written. I also feel the lack of "story" in this novel is partly due to that bane of good novels "the publishing contract". I hope that the last book in the series is an improvement, but at this stage I am not actually keen to read it, and would much rather re-read "Outlander".
Rating: 
Summary: Transplanted to America
Review: This is a wonderful sequel to the Outlander series. Claire and Jamie Fraser by chance and necessity set sail for the New World in pursuit of Jamie's nephew Ian. They end up in the ridge country of North Carolina, where a band of transplanted Scotts, many of whom were Jamie's mates at Ardsmuir, soon come to settle. There are hints of books to follow: at least two stone circles or places of power are discovered, and gemstones acquired for the return, but Jamie, Claire, her daughter Brenna and her fiance are firmly rooted in the 18th century. As an herbalist, I especially enjoyed Claire's attempts to practice medicine blending her modern knowhow with ancient practice. Aside from an ahistorical reference to ephedra (the Utah species doesn't work the way the Chinese species does and neither would be in 18th century North Carolina,) Gabaldon betrays a good sense of American and European herbal medicine. I loved the attempts to grow penicillin from mold and the manufacture of a hypodermic using a rattlesnake fang for a hollow needle, while a diningroom hernia operation had me in stiches.
Rating: 
Summary: Where did all the passion go!!!
Review: I read most of the reviews before I actually read the book and I can honestly say that people were expecting to much. I liked the book(even though it is a slow read). I agree with others about too much details about Jemmy.The only other problem I had with this book is that there is not that much heated passion as in the previous books (note to Diana* Please try and recapture that heated passion for your next book). It was a breath of fresh air that Jamie and Claire didn't have to much drama in this book. I think that this book is a great setup to a more exciting future book(I hope).
Rating:
Summary: Don't Judge the Series by this Book
Review: I loved the rest of this series, but this one is so boring I tried twice to read it, but both times got so bored with it I couldn't finish. But don't judge the whole series on this book. Read all the others. You'll enjoy those!
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much of the Daily Chores
Review: I felt this book was somewhat satisfying as I do care for the characters in the series; however, reading the detailed descriptions of many of the chores was boring. I was hoping for more action, more characters, more of a time span, and so on. I do find her writing extremely well done...typical for a once professor. This keeps me reading more of her work.
Rating:
Summary: Heart Warming and Gut Wrenching
Review: This is a fantastic read!! Adventure, brutality, history, love...the greatest of these is love. Diana makes you feel as though you know the characters personally. Very real and all consuming. Best if you started in the beginning with Outlander. These people have history!
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately unsatisfying.
Review: Darn, I really wanted to like this book. I'm still a big fan of the series, but this one was SO unsatisfying. I got to the end (900+) pages, and nothing had happened! There were some fun parts (the return of one of my favorite characters, for example), but they weren't explored in the depth that I would have liked. And... I'm not a prude, but lay off the sex a bit, please. Real people DO think about other things besides jumping into bed. It got tiresome after a while to read about Roger wanting to sleep with Bree, Claire wanting to sleep with Jamie, etc., at the drop of a hat. *yawn* Honestly, don't these people have any self-control? ;-) And... Some of the situations were just a little too unbelievable. Jamie's injury (yes, ANOTHER one), and Roger's surgery stretched my belief just a little bit. That's saying something for a book that makes time travel believable, for pete's sake! And... can we go back to Scotland, please? I like Lallybroch FAR better than Fraser's Ridge, which I find terribly dull. And I like Jenny FAR, FAR better than Bree. And Roger is a spoiled brat. All in all, a disappointment. I hope the next one ties up some loose ends, because this one certainly didn't. Still, I'll get the next one as soon as it comes out - I need some closure here. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Ms Gabaldon... once again.
Review: Being a writer, artist, historian, and a 46 year-old college student, I continue to find Ms Gabaldon's books intriguing, appetizing, and (although a bit more chaotic than most of our boring lives) quite "life" reflective. Each of the Outlander books has held it's own (which is a feat unto itself), and the "Fiery Cross" is of no exception. Ms Gabaldon's incredible talent for character weaving, her insatiable need for accuracy, and her obvious passion for life continues to seep through the pages of another fine works. From the trials of raising a family in the wilderness, to the underlying turmoil and discontent of colonial America, she has, once again, skillfully presented all the boredom, the glory, the carnage, and the love (young with Bree and Roger, and mature with Claire and Jamie) of life itself. Anyone with a lust for raw history, an appetite for the intricate workings of intrigue and deceit, an appreciation for grammatical correctedness, a mild curiosity of the esoteric and metaphysical, an almost naughty taste for "real life" voyeurism, and a secret desire for a little fantasy foreplay will find the "Fiery Cross" most satisfying. On this note, I have only one thing further to say..."Please, Diana... I'm dying here. When is the next book due to come out?" (And wouldn't you be thinking the last thing a college student would be doing is reading another 1000 page book? No, really, Ms. Gabaldon is that good!)
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a time of relative peace for Jamie and Claire
Review: Although many have complained regarding this book, I found it to be a refreshing change from the other four. Perhaps some of my reason for this could be that my husband and I have been married for 22 years and are experiencing the life changes that you read of for Jamie and Claire in this book. The love that the two share in this book is a more mature love, one based on life experiences and life choices more than on a physical attraction. They feel the marching of time in a different way than the earlier books, in that of the physical affect on each of them. Add to this the fact that another major war looms in their future and all aspects of their now simple life take on more meaning to them and to the reader. Claire relishes the fact that they can go about their daily lifes building for their future together, while in past books, they were constantly on the run for the good of their country or one of their family members. Although they know that war is coming, they are still looking toward a day when they can peacefully live out their lives on the Ridge. I, for one, wanted a book to be about just that, Claire and Jamie's daily life. It drove me crazy in Voyager that they had all of about an hour together at reuniting before having to run for their lives again. I wanted them to live at Lallybroch forever but off they went to rescue Ian ending up in another country. I will admit that I could do with less of Roger and Bree. For whatever reason, they just don't seem as real to me as amie and Claire or Ian and Jenny. But the book is as good as the other four, just not the fast paced adventure that they were.
Rating: 
Summary: Where¿s the Plot?
Review: I was so looking forward to this book, but it is hopelessly boring. Endless descriptions of chores and smelly, dirty diapers. I reached the end of the book and realized that nothing had happened. No new characters, Brianna is annoying, something too awful to be forgiven is done to Roger to liven up the non-existent plot, even Jamie was annoying! But, most annoying of all was too-perfect Claire, who has turned into such a Mary Sue. Don't judge this series on this book! The first four are wonderful, addictive novels. What happened Diana Gabaldon?
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