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Summary: In Romance--the most eagerly awaited book of 2001...
Review: The Fiery Cross by talented storyteller Diana Gabaldon was the most eagerly awaited romance novel of the year--and let me tell you, the wait was worth it! (at least in my humble opinion) This historical novel does not disappoint!
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Summary: What Happened?
Review: Having read the all the books in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and the Outlandish Companion, I could hardly contain my excitement when The Fiery Cross was finally released. However, if this had been the first book in the series I would never have read the next four. It's already been said many times in the other reviews I have read here that the book is slow and plodding so I won't bother. The biggest annoyance to me was the way a scene or topic was developed up to a point and then dropped. The next chapter began with something entirely different and I was left hanging wondering what on earth happened. The love between Jamie and Claire is still enchanting but there is no doubt that it has moved on to a different level. I saw glimpses of the Jamie from the previous novels but he doesn't seem to be the same man he was. I haven't liked the character Brianna since she was first introduced. I like her less in The Fiery Cross. She is a spoiled brat and treats Roger like she doesn't really love him at all. Roger walks around on eggshells because he's always afraid of making Brianna angry. Roger's character was developed more in this book and I seem to like him more when he isn't with Brianna. Unfortunately, Roger seems so intimidated by Jamie that he barely speaks to him or perhaps he's competing with Jamie on some level. Even having said all that I will still read the last installment of this wonderful series and hope that it is more satisfying.
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Summary: Outlander has Left the building...
Review: I am a massive James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Frasier Fan if ever there was one, and I have told hundreds of friends, family and passing strangers to read the first 2 books ('Outlander' and 'Dragonfly in Amber') but PLEASE! This Fiery Cross is SO BORING and I am so disappointed I can't tell you. The first 15 chapters didn't even get us out of the FIRST DAY! How many babies' diaper changes can you describe in intimate gooey detail before you feel you've exhausted that scenario as a writer? I want to know where the heck the story is in this book?
It feels like so many of her fans from all over the planet have given her so many little interesting tidbits of daily life from long ago that she patchworked them all together, not wanting to leave any out. The pages are drowning in daily minutia and Claire is so full of herself. All I want is the fire between Jaime and Claire. I want the survival instincts that made my pulse pound and the pace that made me come back for more. That is NOT here.
Diana, 'Outlander' was INCREDIBLY SPECIAL. All the details and Gaelic served to season your first books. This one is a stew where all you can taste is the salt and pepper. Next time, less words, less diapers and bannocks, more heart, more story!
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Summary: The Fiery Cross
Review: I have loved all of Diana Gabaldon's previous books in this series, however, this book was boooooooooooooring and was almost impossible to finish. I did finish it, though, 'cause I didn't want to have wasted my money. I was completely disappointed in this book and hope that the next in the series is better. I'm glad I'm not alone in my judgement of this latest installment.
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Summary: Still a wonderful writer, but does it have to be so BORING?
Review: I've been reading the other reviews, and thought I might as well add my 2 cents. I read the first chapter of FC online before I ever got hold of the book. When I finally had it, the first 400-500 pages were great. Sure, it was a little sluggish, but I trusted Diana to have something happen eventually. But when it finally did, I almost didn't care. Diana's a fabulous writer; I'm sure everyone agrees. But isn't the point of novels to entertain? If it takes me a month and a half to read the newest in my favorite series and I constantly complain to my friends about how whiny Brianna is and the excessive details, something's wrong there. In short, I love Diana. Drums I didn't care for, but it seemed like FC got back on track. It has mostly, but the long stretches of NOTHING happening are getting kind of old. I'm on page 700 now, and I don't if I'll finish it anytime soon, simply because it's too freaking dull. With a new character seeming to appear every other page, and a crisis with one of the main characters every 100 pages, it just seems like a soap opera.
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Summary: Is there an editor in the house?
Review: How far the mighty have fallen. Outlander was an imaginative, unusual historical romance full of fabulous characters and compelling storylines. Unfortunatey, with each novel in the never-ending saga of Claire and Jaimie, Gabaldon seems to stray farther and farther from this marvelous beginning. With The Fiery Cross she has entered free-fall. Because I was disappointed with Drums of Autumn, I did not buy this book, but borrowed it from my library. Thank goodness ... it is unreadable and irritating. Gabaldon, who achieved much notoriety from this series, has obviously made the mistake of believing her own publicity. The book needed a mighty editor wielding an even mightier pen. Look elsewhere, gentle readers.
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Summary: No magic
Review: There is no magic in this book. I don't mean travelling through stones type magic. I mean the magic that hooks you and makes you read the book over and over. I'm half way through, and if I didn't have so much emotion invested in these characters from the previous books, I'd stop reading it right now. I certainly won't be re-reading it. The book is historically accurate. Overall it's well written. The details of life at that time are well explained. Perhaps the small details of life in pre-revolutionary America need to be told. But not in this book. Not in this series.
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Summary: Finished at last
Review: I started this book on November 5th, and finished it today, December 20th, 7 long weeks of forced reading. It's been a long time since I have forced my way through a book this boring, especially for 979 pages. After having devoured the previous 4 books in days, wishing that the story would go on forever, this one did, unfortunately! Although I will still wait eagerly for the next volume, I will drop it like a hot potato unless it is significantly better than this one! What a disappointment to have another formula writer run out of material.
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Summary: Greatly enjoyed
Review: There's a saying: Those who can, write. Those who can't, critique. Well, I'm a writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Fiery Cross. No, Brianna is not my favorite character, though I see traits in her that remind me strongly of Jamie. Yes, this is a slow-moving book, full of vignettes. I still enjoyed it much more than, say, Drums of Autumn. Does this mean Drums is a lesser book? No, it means my taste runs more to Fiery Cross. It's a very subjective thing. And as a writer I know that, despite the myth that there's an "unwritten contract between writer and reader," the book is NOT written for the reader. The book is written because the story lives inside the writer's head and has to be told. The story is what it is. It may be too slow for you, or too detailed, or too this or too that, but it wasn't written for you. It was written for itself. Some of the reviews were obviously written by other writers who wanted to take swipes at what they see as a competitor; I view them in the same light as the People reviewer who blamed Gabaldon for the typos in the book. In the Fiery Cross, some threads were tied up and others were unraveled. What role will the Frenchman's Gold play in the next book? What will Bonnet do? What about the other time-travelers? The saga of Jamie and Claire is a long tapestry of which we can see only one portion at a time. Until we see the whole, we have no idea how all of these threads are woven together and what future crisis springs from a tiny detail in the previous book. Jamie's lovely and marvelous sense of whimsy was once more apparent in this book, as well as his uncanny ability to keep several balls in the air. Claire is as intrepid as usual. Roger is coming into his own. Ian will probably figure largely in the next book, though of course no one knows. I for one can't wait for the next view of the tapestry.
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Summary: Tired of it all...
Review: The molten tresses, the leaky breasts, Claire's potty-mouth, Roger's mooning and Brianna's whining. ENOUGH. Fiery Cross could not have been a bigger letdown for me. Sloppy, plot-less,repetitive and well...BORING! Does 4 best-selling books really entitle an author to put out 900-plus pages of meandering moanings and historical detail that glare out at you as "I researched this, so I have to use it!"? And where the heck was the editor and publisher??? Were they just so happy to get the book into there hands after such a long period that they rushed through the publication? I mean, did anyone actually READ this dreck before it went to press??? Obviously not. I wish I hadn't. I wish Diana Gabaldon would move on with the mysteries she wants to write; she's obviously lost her perspective on the whole Jamie/Claire saga.
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