Rating: Summary: Fiery Cross Review: Diana has done it again! How she manages to hold the reader's attention throughtout nearly 1,000 pages is impressive. Jamie and Claire are still captivating lovers and I have a sneaking admiration for Roger, their son-in-law. Funnily enough, I'm not that fond of Brianna...impressive research on the North Carolina region in the 1700's- were buffalo really that far east? Claire manages to teach the reader about the medicine and herbal remedies of the time in addition to the difficulties of frontier life. I hope we won't have to wait four years for the next volume...many mysteries still remain unsolved. The only drawback- the size of the book. I found it difficult to hold...
Rating: Summary: Can't get enough of Jamie! Review: Gabaldon picks up the saga of Jamie and Claire and doesn't disappoint. This book was as fascinating as Outlander. I especially enjoyed Diana's turns of phrase. (Look for the reference to "punctuating" Bree with the apostrophe of Jemmy's little body and the comma of Roger's.) Reading this book was very like going on a fruitful treasure hunt; plot twists, characters, descriptions, historical references, writing are all quite satisfying. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Couldn't put it down! Review: I've loved the characters from the Outlander series since the first page of the first book, so it was a joyful day when I got my hands on my copy of "The Fiery Cross". Yes, it's long, and yes, the first 200 pages are a bit slow compared to her usual work, but these characters lived and breathed for me in this installment. I seem to be one of the few readers who actually enjoyed the lack of swashbuckling every moment. I thought focusing on the family was great...Diana herself says this series is ultimately the story of a marriage, and what a magnificent job she does in telling that tale. Jamie and Claire are so "human", and their relationship seems so real. But truly, my favorite character in this book was Roger! He spoke to me, we saw inside him, and he became a member of the family. Any book that makes me laugh, cry, yell and smile is worth the price of admission! (I read all 978 pages in eight days...I really couldn't put it down!!)
Rating: Summary: I do not want it to end bring on the next one Review: I am almost done with the book and this one is going on my shelf along with the other four. Diana did a great job making Jamie and Claire human. The close bond to Bianna, Roger and Jemmy plus Fergus and his famiy make the series complete. Dianna gave it a great touch to make the family grow. She also shows that Jamie is getting older and gets those aches and pains. During the early parts of the series, Jamie was destined to be a laird and with all that had happened in the past he is finally settled to a place called home. To bad it was not in Massachusetts. What do other readers expect? I definately do not find this book boring. I do not want it to end. I am getting a history lesson and I am visiting old book friends that I have not read about in five years.
Rating: Summary: Egads. Review: I'm not demanding my money back, but gosh, this book was so much less than what I've learned to expect from Gabaldon. I found myself yawning, hoping that something, ANYthing would happen. I resented that Jamie and Claire's story has now evolved into Brianna and Roger's story. And I also agree that this story lacks the wit of the others. I've recently read where Gabaldon has decided that the series will now be 7 books instead of 6. Which would be fine IF the 5th book progressed the story along. It didn't. I would have much preferred that Gabaldon skip these years altogether than have us wallow in details about the mundane. Why not take up the tale again at the cusp of the Revolutionary War? It's too late now, of course, and I am willing to forgive Gabaldon for this one because she has given me hours and hours of entertainment. But I hope she doesn't think that her fans' patience is limitless. It's going to be another 3 or 4 years before she finishes the next installment. The question is: Will we still care?
Rating: Summary: A Not To be Missed Lead-in For the Next Book Review: This installment of the series was not quite as good as the other three books but it was still a page-turner. The adventures encountered in Jamie, Claire, Roger and Breannia's day-to-day lives in Colonial America are told in great detail along with the more mundane chores. Still, Diana's writing style keeps you interested. The book, while lengthy, doesn't cover a large span of time. It seems to be more of a lead-in to the conslusion of the series than a novel in it's own right. Adventure fans and die-hard Gabaldon fans won't be disappointed though. If you have the other books, you have to have this one, too.
Rating: Summary: Beautiful continuation Review: What a beautiful continuation of a wonderful story. I've never written a review before but I have to defend the author. Yes, the beginning of the book is slow-moving, but it is rich with description of everyday life. Although I breastfed all three of my kids for a year and the leaking stopped after 2 months each time. I waited on the hold list at the library for this book, and since there were more people on the list after me, they only let me borrow for 2 weeks!! I had to read 100 pages a day just to stay on target!! But it wasn't difficult- aside from the fact that I have 3 kids, a husband, and a life. The pages flowed smoothly and before I knew it I couldn't put it down. I laughed and cried with Jamie's wit and the couples tragedies. And I love how the author ties all her little digressions together, although I could have done without Fanny Beardsley's story. And she ties in people from the previous books. (I even had to refer to my Outlandish Companion a few times). The book is definitely on par with the other 4. I can't understand why other reviewers don't agree. Did we read the same book? I can't wait for it to come out in paperback so I can add it to my collection. Jenny's letter to Jamie will alone be worth the price of the book!! And since I only had 2 weeks to read it I didn't have time to re-read the parts I loved the most: like Jamie and Claire's lovely conversations, their daily life together, and their campfires. And some reviewers call this a bodice ripper? What's with that? The main characters love each other and never once does the author stoop to make their love scenes trashy. Even after 2 weeks of reading, ignoring my family, dinners thrown together in 10 minutes or less, I miss Claire and Jamie already. I feel like I know them so well, I don't know of any author who can weave stories so rich in history and romance about the same two people and never get boring. And now of course there's Bree and Roger who are equally interesting. Their lives have not dulled but grown more intimate. I wish I didn't have to wait 2-3 years to hear more about them.
Rating: Summary: Comfortable, but a little slow Review: I looked forward to this book for more than a year, and was somewhat pleased with the final product. The author seems to be a little bit bored with the "adventures" of Jamie and Claire, but I still cherish her wry sense of humor and character development.
Rating: Summary: Struggling to get to page 200 Review: I'm so sorry to be disappointed in this book. Like everyone else, I couldn't wait to get it. What I truly don't understand is what has happened to DG's sense of story, dialogue, pacing, and wonderfully imaginative writing. None of it is here. DG, if you took advice from somebody about what to include in this book, get rid of that person! To thy own self be true!
Rating: Summary: She's Done it Again! Review: After waiting more than 3 years since the last Fraser installment, this book has not failed to stand up to Gabaldon's standard. While it does not include as much swashbuckling adventure as some of the earlier books in the series, Fiery Cross is Historical Fiction at its Best, and is the perfect set-up for the next books which will drag the Frasers into the American Revolution. Here we get to see Claire, Jamie, and the rest of their family learn to survive (AND PROSPER!) in a new land, as well as getting to feel the tension of the growing unrest of the Colonists against England. This book was like coming home to old friends. The only thing I didn't like about it was knowing that with each page, we are a little closer to the end of this wonderful saga. Thank you Diana!
|