A Breath of Snow and Ashes by: Diana Gabaldon
If you have been following my posts about this series, then you know how much I have been enjoying it.
That continues to be true, I would encourage anyone to give the first book of this series a try- especially if you enjoy historical literature, romance, and a little fantasy (time travel) tossed in.
Great characters, love the way this author writes- she is becoming one of my favorites.
I was reading a book last week, and I had tears in my eyes as I read the following entry- so touching and as a Mom- brought back some sweet memories.
This is a conversation between mother and daughter- the daughter is pregnant for the first time- the Mom has been pregnant twice (first was stillborn). The daughter is speaking first.
She laid a hand over her stomach, long fingers gently curved.
“Yeah. Well. It isn’t an it, to me. I don’t know who it is, but–” She stopped suddenly and glanced at me, looking suddenly shy.
“I don’t know if this sounds–well…” She shrugged abruptly, dismissing doubt. “I had this sharp pain that woke me up in the middle of the night, a few days…after. Quick, like somebody had stabbed me with a hatpin, but deep.” Her fingers curled inward, her fist pressing just above her pubic bone, on the right side.
“Implantation,” I said softly. “When the zygote takes root in the womb.” When that first, eternal link is formed between mother and child. When the small blind entity, unique in its union of egg and sperm, comes to anchor from the perilous voyaage of beginning, home from its brief, free-floating existence in the body, and settles to its busy work of division, drawing sustenance from the flesh in which it embeds itself, in a connection that belongs to neither side, but to both. That link, which cannot be severed, either by birth or by death.
She nodded. “It was the strangest feeling. I was still half asleep, but I…well, I just knew all of a sudden that I wasn’t alone.” Her lips curved in a faint smile, reminiscent of wonder. “And I said to…it…” Her eyes rested on mine, still lit by the smile, “I said, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ And then I went back to sleep.”
Her other hand crossed the first, a barricade across her belly.
“I thought is was a dream. That was a long time before I knew. But I remember. It wasn’t a dream. I remember.”
I remembered, too.
I looked down and saw beneath my hands not the wooden tabletop nor gleaming blade, but the opal skin and perfect sleeping face of my first child, Faith, with slanted eyes that never opened on the light of earth.
Looked up into the same eyes, open now and filled with knowledge. I saw that baby, too, my second daughter, filled with bloody life, pink and crumpled, flushed with fury at the indignities of birth, so different from the calm stillness of the first– and just as magnificent in her perfection.
Two miracles I had been given, carried beneath my heart, born of my body, held in my arms, separated from me and part of me forever. I knew much too well that neither death nor time nor distance ever altered such a bond–because I had been altered by it, once and forever changed by that mysterious connection.
Quote from Drums of Autumn by: Diana Gabaldon- page 685.
Just started The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. This is the 5th book in the Outlander series. The fact that I am reading this book- when I have a list of over 100 other books on my to-read list- speaks to how much I am enjoying this series.
The majority of the books are 900+ pages. I have never read a series this long before.
And I continue to enjoy every minute. I feel pretty certain that I will buy this series once I reach the end.
Definitely want to purchase for my Kindle- 900 page books are REALLY nice on an e-reader.
If you haven’t tried this series, read the first book- if you like it, odds are you will be captivated (as I am) and not be daunted by the length of these books but grateful to linger in their world.
Of course, I am not to the end yet, but I seriously doubt that the author is going to disappoint me in these last few books.
I fully expect to continue to be engrossed in this series till I turn the last page.
Full review:
I don’t know what more to say except, I am still reading- this book was almost 1,000 pages. I would not spend my time reading these books if I did not love them.
I laugh, I almost cry, I turn the pages in excitement and anticipation. I love these characters and the way Gabaldon writes and continues to keep this story interesting- I would have thought it impossible.
So again, I urge you to consider giving the first book in the series a try. If you like it, well, you’ll have enough additional reading to keep you busy for a while.
Cover of Drums of Autumn (Outlander)
I have continued my reading in the series by Diana Gabaldon. The first book of the series is Outlander and usually the whole series is referred to as the Outlander series.
I am on the fourth book of the series. These are long books, they are not for the casual reader- at approximately 1,000 pages a pop- it takes some time to get through the books.
As an avid reader and a huge fan of this series- I am enjoying every moment.
By this time, the characters are familiar, almost like friends- you root for them and feel their pain and disappointment.
The plot has so many layers due in part to the complicated nature of these stories and time. I don’t like to give away too much but time travel is part of this series- and opens up so many new directions for the story.
This series has perfectly mixed almost all my favorite genres. I know this will not be the only time I will read this series. My only reservation lies in how it will all end- that will determine a lot for me.
More detailed review of Drums of Autumn coming soon.
FINAL REVIEW:
Sometimes, as you read a series of books, it gets boring, predictable, or the plot takes certain turns and you start to lose interest. It doesn’t seem to fit the characters- you wonder as the reader if they would really make those decisions based on their character…
Not so with Drums of Autumn. Not only am I enjoying this series more and more with each book- I am constantly surprised by the direction of the plot- her creativity in describing scenes and people- and there will always be some moments in each book- where I am thinking- I know what is going to happen next- and I am ALWAYS wrong.
I can’t wait to start the next book- it has been sitting on the shelf- waiting. If you haven’t read this series give it a try. For me, this is just a perfect case of all the things I love about books (genre, writing style) colliding in one perfect series.
I haven’t read the end yet- but the more I read I feel myself growing confident that the author won’t disappoint.
Cover of Voyager
Just starting Voyager today. Finished Dragonfly in Amber last night and wanted to jump into the next book in the series right away. This series by author Diana Gabaldon and was published in the early 1990′s. A review will be coming probably in about a week- these books are long (Voyager is over 1,000 pages)!
If you have read the series and want to leave comments, I would love to hear them- and I am always looking for book recommendations.
My review:
This book is epic- and yet has so many layers, so much going on all at once- it is hard for you to wrap your mind around it. There are heroes that you love and root for, villains that chill you to the bone and raise your anxiety- and so many complex characters that are a little of both.
The book is 1000 pages+ so you’d think at some point you would suffer from boredom. For me, that just didn’t happen. I love the complexity of this series- the tension created by love and space and time- now that I have finished the third book I feel totally immersed in this world- and find myself longing to linger there with these characters who have in some ways become like friends.
Very enjoyable series- as I have said- would recommend to those who like historical fiction, romance, adventure, and a little mystery thrown in there too.
Excitement filled me as I dug into the first few pages of this sequel to Outlander. I finally got so impatient waiting for the book to come through interlibrary loan that I just bought it for my Kindle. A review for this book and Outlander will be coming soon.
Update: While I was reading yesterday, I asked myself, what makes this such a great book? The characters? Definitely. The plot? Heck Ya. But what I love most- the author engages all five senses when she paints a scene. I feel present there with the characters. I can see what they see, feel what they feel, hear what they hear…and for me that’s the highest quality of writing.
If you haven’t read the series and you are a fan of fantasy, I would urge to you to check it out. I am only on book 2 but feel pretty confident that my love of this series will only deepen as I continue to read.
Final Review: About 960 pages later, here I am- at the finish. And this author knows how to finish- MAJOR cliffhanger- this book really combines in a refreshingly balanced ways all the genres of books that I love. Romance, historical fiction, and fantasy and even a little mystery thrown in.
