Voyager

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Summary: THE VOYAGEr CONTINUES¿....
Review: For most of my life I have been madly in love with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Now another man has entered my life: Jamie Fraser! From someone who has read thousands of books, I can honestly say that the OUTLANDER series is one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to read. VOYAGER is the third installment of a fabulous time travel, adventure, historical and romance series. Claire is now in her late forties (but still looks great!) and returns through the stones back to the eighteenth century and to the love of her life; the tall, handsome, intelligent, romantic red-headed Scottish Highlander, Jamie Fraser (who also still looks great). I am so much happier now that the couple is back together--I just wish things would slow down a few days and they could have a nice reunion (after twenty years). But no, as in Gabaldon's other books, there is never any rest for the weary! Something exciting (or terrifying) happens on every page!
There are a few inconsistencies in this novel. "Red Fish Blue" fish was written well after Claire read it to Brianna. Also, after everything Claire did--giving up not only her life, but her daughter--why did she so quickly leave before finding out the truth about Jamie's marriage? She refused to even hear an explanation. But there are only a few contradictory scenes; everything else in this book is delicious!
And of course, Jamie is still (thank heavens) romantic: "Christ, I do want ye! I want ye so badly that sometimes I think my heart will burst wi' the joy of having ye." Or, "Then kiss me, Claire," he whispered. "And know that you are more to me than life, and I have no regret."

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Summary: Fascinating story
Review: I don't think I've ever been so eager to read a book as I was to read Voyager. After being left with the cliffhanger at the end of Dragonfly in Amber, I devoured the third book to find out what happened to Jamie and Claire. This is the most humorous book of the series - both in Gabaldon's exciting saga of our lovers' reunion, and in the way she makes fun of her own genre. I loved the scene where Claire is introduced to the typical bodice-ripping romance novel while working at the hospital - what a great bit of tongue-in-cheek humor! And Jamie and Claire's antics as they try to get some action while on the boat are truly hilarious. While the descriptions of boats and other such historical details were a wee bit much (even for a history major and lover like myself), the story overall carried me past that and into the world of the past like few others have done.

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Summary: WHAT A RIDE
Review: Diana Gabaldon can tell a story!!! This is the third in the series and what a book. You feel like you are right in the middle of it all. History masterfully woven into the tale of great love and advernture. I recommend the series to EVERYONE! Men love it, too!

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Summary: VOYAGER BRINGS IT ON HOME!!!
Review: The third in a series of exceptionally well written time travel, adventure/romance books by the author, it tells a gripping and highly entertaining tale. There are four such novels published to date in what is hoped to be a series of six books. I urge the interested reader to start at the beginning and read each and every one. Do not be daunted by the length. Trust me when I say that you will wish that they were longer, so riveting a story does the author unfold. A masterful storyteller, the author employs the superlative use of historical events and period detail to weave an engaging three dimensional tapestry of timeless love and adventure. While the core of the story is about a love that transcends time, it is, however, much more than that. It is an adventure story that grips the reader from beginning to end and is positively addictive!

The love that spans time is that which twentieth century Englishwoman, Claire Randall, has for eighteenth century Scottish highlands warrior, James Fraser. Those readers who have read the first book in the series, "Outlander", know that in 1945, Claire, a combat nurse during World War II, is reunited with her husband, Frank, after the war. While on a second honeymoon in Scotland, she visits a strange, flat topped hill, where a forbidding stone circle draws her. Touching one of the stones, she is hurled through a vortex in time and finds herself in eighteenth century Scotland, where she meets a brave and brawny, red headed Scot, James Fraser, with whom she falls head over heels in love. Finding herself thrust into the midst of clan warfare and intrigue, she and her beloved 'Jamie' have enough adventures to last a lifetime.

The second book, "Dragonfly in Amber", is a continuation of that story, told from the perspective of the twentieth century where Claire, now a doctor, has lived for the past twenty years. Upon the death of her twentieth century husband, Frank, Claire returns to Scotland with her grown, red headed daughter, Brianna. There, she discloses to Brianna the events of her secret past, as well as the truth of whom Brianna's biological father truly is and of the love that Claire bore him.

While in Scotland, however, Claire discovers something that will forever change her future, as well as her past. You see, for the past twenty years, Claire has mistakenly believed that her beloved 'Jamie' died in the historic battle of Culloden. It was there that the Scottish highlanders bravely fought the English in a misguided attempt to restore Charles Stuart, their bonnie Prince Charlie, to the throne of England, only to be decimated on the battlefield. Those few who survived were branded as Jacobite traitors and imprisoned, and their families disenfranchised. It is this very event that Claire and 'Jamie' had conspired to change, only to fail.

Their story transports the reader from the turmoil of the Scottish highlands to the intrigue of the French Court and regales the reader with the adventures of the two lovers, as they conspire to change the very course of history. It was this valiant attempt that ultimately brought Claire and 'Jamie' to the crossroad that would compel them to part and have Brianna become a denizen of the twentieth century.

In "Voyager", Claire, now realizing that the love of her life and soulmate survived the battle of Culloden, makes the decision to go back in time and find James Fraser, as for the past twenty years her love for him has remained constant. Leaving her daughter, Brianna, she once more hurls herself into the vortex of time to eighteenth century Scotland to begin her search for James Fraser, in hope of being reunited with her 'Jamie'.

This book tells the story of what happened to Claire Randall and James Fraser in those intervening twenty years. It tells of their ultimate reunion and rediscovery. With historical events as a backdrop and an unforgettable cast of characters, it regales the reader with their new adventures, as Claire returns to a still divided, turmoil ridden Scotland. Reunited with James Fraser, none the worse for wear, they seek to make a life for themselves. As their love comes full circle, they take to the high seas, and their adventures continue. This compelling time travel saga is sure to captivate the reader.

Rating:
Summary: How much more torture can these guys take?
Review: I never read reviews in detail until AFTER I have read a book because I never want to spoil my impression of it. This book was good, if somewhat contrived. There were just too many coincidental "meetings" of characters again and again. I feel Gabaldon could have moved the book along significantly by jumping right in where Claire goes back in time to find Jamie, and THEN filling us in on the backstory. As it was, the first third of the book grew tiresome to me sometimes.

In Outlander, I loved the sweetness of Claire and Jamie but was concerned back then that they were altogether too "good" and the bad characters were too "bad." As their story unravels, however, I love that they are increasingly revealed as complex and at times troubling people. Sometimes they make bad choices. Sometimes they make decisions that hurt each other or betray each other (witness Claire associating with Jack Randall in Dragonfly). That's what makes their relationship so heartbreaking to me and what keeps me going through all the wordiness and slowness of these books. You feel like you slowly learn the dimension of these people. There are no pat answers in this series and nothing is quickly wrapped up.

I have to admit, Claire and Jamie I felt rather departed from their sensible selves in this volume. As far as Jamie's bastard son, come on, Jamie's an intelligent man. You can't tell me he wouldn't know of the ways NOT to get a girl pregnant (even if it is the 1700s)! Claire rarely tells Jamie she loves him and she doesn't adequately explain to him the emptiness of her life with Frank. Also, I felt she expected way too much of Jamie upon their meeting again. She flies in off her fairy hill and expects things to be exactly the same between them. Twenty years is a LONG time to be apart and she should have been more accepting of his choices. I commend Jamie for trying to get on with his life. Besides, for one who has enough guts to ask people, "who the hell are you?" -- don't you think Claire would have just ASKED Jamie straight out if he had remarried? This just seemed a departure from her character as we had known it. However, I am so taken with Claire and Jamie and their relationship I have to keep reading the series to find out what happens to them.

I am fatigued with the homosexual theme in these books - when it popped up in this one I hit my forehead with my palm and said, "AGAIN??" Not that I am a prude by any means, I just think it has been repeatedly overused and with the continual mention of homosexual sex and even various forms of male rape among various characters, I have to wonder at the psyche of the author??? I am also growing bored with poor Jamie (and now Claire) being wounded again and again and again. Jamie seems to spend his time being sewn up by Claire and I have to wonder how much a body can take!

That said, this is an awesome and very thorough series of books and I can't wait to continue the adventure. I approach Drums of Autumn a bit apprehensively, but I'm sure it won't disappoint. None of the books have, yet!

Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Review: Pick up the first two books in this series, Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, and then read this third installment for unparalleled reading enjoyment. There stories are all well written and leave you satisfied for time invested in reading them as well as wanting the story to continue (which it does in Drum of Autumn.) Highly recommended reading.

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Summary: Where is the love?
Review: So...let me get this straight. Claire leaves and goes back to her own time (which is reasonable considering she is pregnant and there is a war going on) but she doesn't return for twenty years-TWENTY YEARS. During those twenty years not once did she try and find out if Jamie survived Culloden Moor. Claire spends every waking moment at medical school or the hospital to become a doctor. Only when Claire's job is going down the tubes after she is caught commiting euthanasia does she even consider researching if Jamie may still be alive. I ask you. Where is the love?
Voyager starts the downward spiral of this series. Though the bedroom scene with Jamie, Claire and Laoghaire was delightfully amusing, as was the little chinese man added to the story, unfortunately their voyage to America was not. Some parts of this book are good so do read it if you have already read the first two but I suggest stopping when Jamie and Claire reach the American shores. The rest of the books in this series are dull and lifeless and I wouldn't waste my time or money reading them.

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Summary: Claire And Jamie Reunited! Book 3 Of The 'Outlander' Series
Review: "Voyager" is the third book in Diana Gabaldon's extraordinary "Outlander" series. If you have not read the two preceding novels, I strongly urge you to do so before beginning this book. "Voyager" may be able to stand as a novel in its own right, but I think it would be too confusing to enjoy it thoroughly without having read the historic and personal drama that Ms. Gabaldon details so meticulously in her previous books.

Claire Beauchamps Randall/Fraser had been sent back, (or forward), to the 20th century by her beloved husband James Fraser just before the 18th century Battle of Culloden Moor. Since both Claire and Jamie knew in advance of the battle's terrible outcome and the horrific consequences for Scotland, they decided that for Claire's safety and for the life of their unborn child, it would be best for them to part. "Voyager" opens 20 years after a pregnant Claire stepped, for the second time, through the standing stones and back to the present. As the novel opens she is a practicing physician in Boston and her daughter Brianna is a young woman, the spitting image of her Scottish father. Brianna does not know about her mother's strange adventures with time travel and believes her father to be Claire's first husband, Frank - the man Claire returned to twenty years ago. Although Frank accepted Brianna as his own and loved her with all his heart, the marriage was not a happy one. Frank could never bring himself to believe Claire's story of the strange events that occurred when she went missing. And Claire had never been able to stop loving Jamie...or longing for him. Frank died recently in an automobile accident and Claire is finally determined to discover what did happen to James and his clan after Culloden. She has made up her mind that if there is a possibility to return to James, she will. She is torn however, between the possibility of reuniting with her love after so many lonely years and not wanting to leave her daughter alone. Claire is also concerned with Brianna's reaction to her story. Frank never believed Claire...will her daughter believe her?

"Voyager" is the account of what occurred in Scotland and with James Fraser after Culloden and during the years the couple was separated. It is also the incredible detective story of how Claire, Brianna and a friend piece together enough historical information to discover Jamie's whereabouts so that Claire can find him. The initial part of the novel dealing with Claire's return to 18th century Scotland and her reunion with James is riveting, as is the description of a doomed Scotland, steeped in post war poverty and starvation, her men dead, imprisoned, crippled and/or jobless. This is the weakest novel of the three, however. When James and Claire make the decision to leave Scotland the plot noticeably wobbles. Some of their adventures are not very believable and others just too coincidental...almost forced. Without the backbone of history to strengthen the plot, as it did with the Jacobite uprising, the novel does some strange meandering. This is not to say that "Voyager" is a bad book or that it makes for poor reading. I found myself engrossed as quickly here as I did with Ms. Gabaldon's previous works and, with an occasional pause, found myself reading just as avidly throughout. I am only saying that this is the weakest link in a most extraordinary series.
JANA

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Summary: Voyager Book Review
Review: Title: Voyager
By: Diana Gabaldon
Reviewed by: R. Shea
Period: 6

I the beginning of the book this happens, in the middle of the book this happens, and at the end of the book this happens.

I liked this book because there is a lot of action and suspense. " ."

My favorite part of the book is when Claire goes back in time.

Rating:
Summary: Voyager
Review: Wonderful book series. Diana Gabaldon is such a wonderful writer, I got sucked into these stories, the characters became my friends. After you finish the series you will want to turn around and read the whole thing again immediatly. If you are buying these books, you might as well buy two copies of each one. One to keep and one to share with all of your friends, and believe me, you will want all of your friends to read about Jamie and Claire. I highly recommend these books, I can't say enough about this series, just wonderful.