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!
Rating: 
Summary: where was the editor?
Review: I promised myself that I wouldn't read other customer reviews of "The Fiery Cross" until I had started reading the book. Well, I started it, and then wondered, "Is it me, or is the story line moving at about the speed of a sloth?" So, I read some of the reviews, and no, it's not me. Like many others, I adored the first 3 books--read them over and over again. My enthusiasm for "Drums of Autumn" was somewhat tempered by Ms. Gabaldon's reliance on "setting the scene" as a means to move the plot along. However, the reunion between Brianna and her parents made "Drums of Autumn" worthwhile. I am only one-third of the way through this epic, and I'm still waiting for a plot to develop! So far, I've read descriptions of many different 18th-century ailments, as well as how women who were menstruating dealt with that particular aspect of life in colonial America. Truly, Ms. Gabaldon, I don't believe that most people, even those who are devoted fans of the series, want to know how colonial women dealt with their monthly periods! If they are, I'm sure they would be reading other material! So, who's to blame for this? Those of us who have read the other books in the series know that the story moved much more briskly, but was well-seasoned with medical asides, detailed descriptions of the landscape, etc. I have come to the conclusion that Ms. Gabaldon's editor was on a very extended leave of absence, because that is the only explanation for the way this book turned out. It pains me to write this, because I really looked forward to this book, and I do intend to finish it, but unlike with the other books in the series, I feel as though I'm duty-bound to finish it (as opposed to reading it because it's a pleasurable experience).
Rating:
Summary: Different, but.....
Review: I too have loved all of Diana's previous books, and the passion is still there for this one. To me, this book shows some maturity in the story as well as the author. Perhaps it's because I happen to live in Winston-Salem NC (the 'Salem' town referred to in the book), but I thoroughly enjoyed the insight this book brings to everyday life in the mid-18th century. Jamie and Claire are still madly in love, even though they aren't youngsters anymore. But let's face it, I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago when Outlander was published. Thankfully, Jamie and Claire aren't either.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not my favorite book.
Review: I was at the bookstore the day this his the shelves, eagerly awaiting the next installment. I read it slowly, savoring every bit. But in all honesty, I walked away somewhat disappointed.
If I'm going to read 1,000 pages, I want something - lots of things - to happen. Outlander was fabulous: the action, adventure and romance rarely stopped. Fiery Cross is very much a slice-of-life book: here's what Jamie and Claire did on Monday, here's what they did on Tuesday, etc. Not as much action and story advancement as I thought, and as we are used to from Diana. Too many story lines that should have been wrapped up are still left hanging, and have been joined by a few other dangling questions. I was frustrated at the end at the lack of Things Happening. I never got a feel for Roger and Brianna's real characters - they seemed to be plot devices at times. Which is rare for Diana's writing. Perhaps Diana has spoiled us with the artistry of the first four books. Perhaps this was rushed to press. Who knows. I'm glad I read it, but I won't reread it any time soon. (I've read the other four several times.) The details were great, as usual, but some of it could have been cut. I learned alot about that time in American history, but I wish the story had gone further. Nevertheless, it was great to be with Jamie and Claire again!
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Summary: I miss them all already......
Review: It has been a scant ten minutes since I closed the cover on my first book of 2002 and I miss these beloved characters already! The Fiery Cross started out a little slow for me. It took a couple of hundred pages for me to find its rhythm and to settle in with Jamie, Claire, Brianna, Roger and Jemmy. It snuck up on me though, and before I knew it I was completely immersed in the life of 18th Century North Carolina. The making of soap, the doctoring of wounds, the rumors of the coming war....all framed what this wonderful book is all about: the love of a family. Ms. Gabaldon doesn't get sickly sweet or use gushing prose, but the emotions--the angst, the warmth, the fear, the love--come through in every passage. (Yes, even those I found slow at the beginning!)With each page I felt like I was there and I giggled and moaned--and yes, talked to--this book! And I cried. When a book summons these emotions, I know the author is an artist.
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Summary: Fiery Cross is a big disappointment!
Review: I think the early reviews of the Fiery Cross on this website must have been written by the publisher or someone else who gets paid to sell these books. This book was shockingly boring, and about 700 pages too long. The poor trees that gave their lives to this book. It is not as one reviewer said a gift to the reader, unless the gift you are looking for is to increase the size of your biceps. This book weighs a ton. If this had been the first book of Diana Gabaldon's that I had ever read, I would never buy another one of her books. However, my disappointment is magnified because I really enjoyed her previous 4 books in this Outlander series. This book seems to have been written without any plot line or structure, while her previous four books were so meticulously and intricately woven. I have not given up on Diana Gabaldon, she is an extremely talented writer. I like her earlier style of writing because unlike most other romance novels it was not sappy drivel and her heroine was an intellingent resourceful woman. Hopefully, her next installment lives up to her earlier standards and the Fiery Cross is just an anomaly.
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Summary: A BOOK TO BE SAVORED - TERRIFIC!
Review: Thank goodness Ms. Galbadon didn't give in to typical pressures placed on authors who write a series. Instead of pandering to soap opera readers, she stayed true to herself and gave us a beautiful and satisfying tapestry into life on Frasier Ridge. This book allows our favorite characters to grow. It allows the reader a detailed and interesting look into the establishment and readjustment to the characters new life in America. I have to wonder if the people who criticised this book as "too slow", aren't the same people who prefer epic movies with special effects and poor story lines over a smaller movie with a great story and wonderful acting. Relationships grow, children grow, and Aunt Jocasta's wedding reads a little like an Agatha Christie mystery complete with a murder. There is drama, there is conflict, there is adventure. Not only will you continue to love Claire and Jamie, whose relationship continues to satisfy, but you will grow to love Brianna, Roger and baby Jemmy as they bond as a family and mature into the challenges of their new life. Read this book slowly. Savor the carefully crafted images and character development. This book sets up, what I hope will be, number 6 in this series. Then, no doubt, there will be enough rape and pillage, blood and guts from the Revolutionary War that should satisfy any soap opera reader who thought this book too dull. In the meantime, "The Fiery Cross" gives us a welcome breather into normal life on Frasier Ridge. DON'T MISS IT!
Rating:
Summary: Not a quick read, but loved it anyways.
Review: After reading all the negative reviews I can understand why many people didn't like this book. It is different from the others in the series. I however thoroughly enjoyed it.
It a was slow but rich read. If you were waiting for something big to happen then you would have been disappointed. If you were looking for hot steamy ... scenes then you would have been disappointed as well.
I liked the day to day stuff as well as Claire's medical adventures. The day to day tedium made it all feel very real in fact. The maturing romance between Jamie and Claire was brillantly weaved into the realities and harshness of living in such a time.
My husband and I are currently reading to our child the Laura Ingalls Little House on the Praire series. In these wonderful books there's not much of a plot going on but rather an ongoing account of what it was like to live at that time in those conditions. Fiery Cross sort of reminds me of that. More of a book to transport you to a different time period rather than a fast page turning romance novel.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the sex??? :)
Review: I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Fiery Cross and I must confess that I'm a bit disappointed. Unlike other readers, I enjoyed the sexual encounters between Jamie and Claire, it underscored the relationship for me. The characters attack everything with passion, why not each other? And I'm really tired of Brianna, she's turned out to be SUCH an annoying character, I think she's really unlikable. The story is a bit bogged down with details of the mundane but there's enough of the Jamie and Claire story there to make me want to finish it.
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