Tatiana's Reviews > Dragonfly in Amber

"Drangonfly in Amber" starts with Claire coming back to 70s Scotland after the death of her husband Frank. You don't have to be a genius to realize right away that something had gone really wrong between Claire and Jamie in the 18th century. So I started the book a little sad knowing that I was surely headed for a heartbreak.

The book however soon goes back to Jamie and Claire through Claire's memories. We meet them where the 1st book left off - on the way to France to attempt to stop Charles Stuart’s plans to reclaim the throne of Scotland. Naturally, a series of adventures follows as we see our couple travel from Paris to Lallybroch to Edinburgh, etc.

Just like "Outlander," "Dragonfly in Amber" is full of adventure, curious historical facts, fascinating characters and very touching scenes of love and kinship. The passion and smuttiness of the "Outlander" are almost gone as Claire and Jamie settle into their comfortable marriage. You miss it a little in the beginning, but soon the void is filled by scenes of true companionship and marital devotion (I know, it sounds corny, but it’s not).

Although I truly enjoyed the book, I did have some concerns with it. Unlike "Outlander" written entirely from Claire's POV, this book jumps from 1st person narration to 3rd person narration in the first and last part of the book; and in the middle - a few times from Claire's to Jamie's POV. This bothered me. While I understand the need for it, I believe there is a better way to relay the story without resorting to multiple and sometimes unnecessary POVs.

The other issue I have is with the idea of time-travel itself. I wonder how Gabaldon is going to handle the issue in her future books, but I couldn't quite understand why for instance Claire would stop Jamie from killing Jack Randall to ensure the birth of her 1st husband Frank, but would readily agree to try to change the course of history knowing that the consequences of it could in theory affect the lives of millions of people, including Claire's. I am still a little puzzled by it. Plus, is Gabaldon's theory that it is impossible to change the future at all? Because so far Claire and Jamie have been unable to stop anything from happening.

In spite of these concerns, "Dragonfly in Amber" is still an engrossing read which makes you both happy and sad, heartbroken and delighted. I will definitely read "Voyager," especially because this second book in the series ends with quite a cliffhanger.

Reading challenge: #1 - D