Scan barcode
birdinflight1's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn't focus enough to read books at the beginning of the pandemic, so I started to watch Outlander on Netflix. After watching the entire series, I started reading the books, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I like the books even though I know the basic story line. The books explain things in so much more detail than the Starz series, and I appreciate the more nuanced glimpses into Claire and Jamie's thoughts.
I also find the author's meta-writing poignant. For example, in a conversation between Jamie and John Grey, they discuss the pros and cons of long, wordy books. And this is a very long book! One conclusion is that sometimes it takes a lot of words to accurately portray complex characters and rich lives. And Jamie appreciated having a super-long book to read during his time living in a cave--just add I appreciate this never-ending saga during this pandemic!!
Another example of meta-writing: at different times and places, both Claire and Jamie appreciate a good romance novel. Claire and Jamie are both smart, sophisticated, deep characters with rich and rewarding lives, but they can still appreciate a well-written love scene.
I also find the author's meta-writing poignant. For example, in a conversation between Jamie and John Grey, they discuss the pros and cons of long, wordy books. And this is a very long book! One conclusion is that sometimes it takes a lot of words to accurately portray complex characters and rich lives. And Jamie appreciated having a super-long book to read during his time living in a cave--just add I appreciate this never-ending saga during this pandemic!!
Another example of meta-writing: at different times and places, both Claire and Jamie appreciate a good romance novel. Claire and Jamie are both smart, sophisticated, deep characters with rich and rewarding lives, but they can still appreciate a well-written love scene.
rbouwmeester's review against another edition
4.0
To my surprise I really liked the ending. I wasn't expecting for anything interesting to happen in the last 200 pages, considering how tremendously long it took them to get there, but I was pleasantly surprised. Overall I liked this book as part 3 of the series
reydeam's review against another edition
5.0
Fourth time read: May 27, 2016—my impressions have changed but not by much, each reading has improved my liking which started out at a 4.5/5stars.
*
*
It's no secret, I love Diana Gabaldon's writing. Her books come alive, I feel transported in time. Her characters feel real, and often-very often-I wish they were. Yes, the Outlander book series is my absolute favorite series. I have read every single book, all eight. I have loved each one with a few more so than the others. Outlander, the first book, ranks towards the top of my favorite list. With Dragonfly in Amber, the second book, ranking more towards the bottom. Then comes Voyager, the third book, which ranks right at the top. It may be my favorite of all eight but that is very hard to determine because A Breath of Snow and Ashes along with An Echo in the Bone are at the top of the ranking list too.
Voyager, this book I do adore. I have read it four times now. With each reading there is more and more that draws me into the story.This book is packed. Packed! A great deal happens in Voyager. Many pivotal events. If I recall correctly, I think my first read through this book left me a tad dismayed by how little time alone Jamie and Claire had—now, I appreciate their journey so much better. Every step of the way is a discovery of their life apart, and individual strengths as well as their beauty and strength together. The historical aspects are rich; lots of depth as per Gabaldon's trademark—she doesn't gloss over the history, nor is she short on the richness of words. The characters' lives and the history of their time is beautifully crafted into one amazing, engaging, entertaining and outstanding story. And I must say, this is when we first meet young Ian—he is one of my favorite characters and reading about him again, as a young lad, is a fabulous thing. I have the advantage of knowing how he grows into being an admirable man just like his Uncle Jamie which is why reading about him at the age of 14-15 is fabulous.
This time around, I had the additional treat of listening to the audiobook while also reading the printed word at the same time. It was fluke, I didn't set out to listen and read at the same time. A great fluke it was. This combination served to enrich this reading experience far more than I would have imagined. There was something about listening to Davina Porter narrate while I read the story—it slowed my reading pace down and engrained into my mind the details and emotions far more than just reading or listening. A treat, for certain. I highly recommend, at some point, listening to the Outlander books because Davina Porter does a most wonderful job.
Bottom line: I love the Outlander series. Voyager is at the top of my favorite books in this series. With each reading of Voyager, I am drawn more and more into the story. This book is packed! The vast amount of details is amazing, the new discoveries with each reading is mind boggling. And yet, it is a very accessible book even on the first read—the writing is simply that good.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
First time read: March 25, 2009—the following is my first impression (I didn't want to delete this review in order to update my thoughts on re-reading the book.)
*
*
Simply put...
The first half of Voyager spans the life of Claire and Jaime during the years they were apart. During the second half, Claire and Jaime are reunited.
The thing is...there is nothing truly simple in the storyline. Claire and Jaime have lived separately for 20 years. With those years came reality of experiences that each had on their own. Claire, for the most part, lived her life with drive. The drive to be a good mother to Brianna and the drive for her profession as a doctor. Even though, I dare say, she was happy with those two huge roles - I felt that Claire lead a lonely life full of aching.
Jaime, I believe, truly lead his life in a state of loss and need for Claire. Even with that said, he still had to live. In doing so, he made decisions based on the need to live. These decisions, I must admit, I was not too pleased with yet understood nonetheless.
The reuniting of Claire and Jaime was well... a bit anticlimactic. It was good, do not get me wrong, but it was not filled with just Claire and Jaime. We entered Jaime's world, a world were Jaime was not living the most stable, humdrum life. Almost immediately, Claire and Jaime are off on an adventure of self-preservation and of one to protect family. This adventure leads through Scotland, France and the Caribbean Islands and finally....well, you need to read the book.
I will gladly re-read Voyager at a later date in time.
*
*
To read my full review:
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/03/voyager-by-diana-gabaldon.html
*
*
It's no secret, I love Diana Gabaldon's writing. Her books come alive, I feel transported in time. Her characters feel real, and often-very often-I wish they were. Yes, the Outlander book series is my absolute favorite series. I have read every single book, all eight. I have loved each one with a few more so than the others. Outlander, the first book, ranks towards the top of my favorite list. With Dragonfly in Amber, the second book, ranking more towards the bottom. Then comes Voyager, the third book, which ranks right at the top. It may be my favorite of all eight but that is very hard to determine because A Breath of Snow and Ashes along with An Echo in the Bone are at the top of the ranking list too.
Voyager, this book I do adore. I have read it four times now. With each reading there is more and more that draws me into the story.This book is packed. Packed! A great deal happens in Voyager. Many pivotal events. If I recall correctly, I think my first read through this book left me a tad dismayed by how little time alone Jamie and Claire had—now, I appreciate their journey so much better. Every step of the way is a discovery of their life apart, and individual strengths as well as their beauty and strength together. The historical aspects are rich; lots of depth as per Gabaldon's trademark—she doesn't gloss over the history, nor is she short on the richness of words. The characters' lives and the history of their time is beautifully crafted into one amazing, engaging, entertaining and outstanding story. And I must say, this is when we first meet young Ian—he is one of my favorite characters and reading about him again, as a young lad, is a fabulous thing. I have the advantage of knowing how he grows into being an admirable man just like his Uncle Jamie which is why reading about him at the age of 14-15 is fabulous.
This time around, I had the additional treat of listening to the audiobook while also reading the printed word at the same time. It was fluke, I didn't set out to listen and read at the same time. A great fluke it was. This combination served to enrich this reading experience far more than I would have imagined. There was something about listening to Davina Porter narrate while I read the story—it slowed my reading pace down and engrained into my mind the details and emotions far more than just reading or listening. A treat, for certain. I highly recommend, at some point, listening to the Outlander books because Davina Porter does a most wonderful job.
Bottom line: I love the Outlander series. Voyager is at the top of my favorite books in this series. With each reading of Voyager, I am drawn more and more into the story. This book is packed! The vast amount of details is amazing, the new discoveries with each reading is mind boggling. And yet, it is a very accessible book even on the first read—the writing is simply that good.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
First time read: March 25, 2009—the following is my first impression (I didn't want to delete this review in order to update my thoughts on re-reading the book.)
*
*
Simply put...
The first half of Voyager spans the life of Claire and Jaime during the years they were apart. During the second half, Claire and Jaime are reunited.
The thing is...there is nothing truly simple in the storyline. Claire and Jaime have lived separately for 20 years. With those years came reality of experiences that each had on their own. Claire, for the most part, lived her life with drive. The drive to be a good mother to Brianna and the drive for her profession as a doctor. Even though, I dare say, she was happy with those two huge roles - I felt that Claire lead a lonely life full of aching.
Jaime, I believe, truly lead his life in a state of loss and need for Claire. Even with that said, he still had to live. In doing so, he made decisions based on the need to live. These decisions, I must admit, I was not too pleased with yet understood nonetheless.
The reuniting of Claire and Jaime was well... a bit anticlimactic. It was good, do not get me wrong, but it was not filled with just Claire and Jaime. We entered Jaime's world, a world were Jaime was not living the most stable, humdrum life. Almost immediately, Claire and Jaime are off on an adventure of self-preservation and of one to protect family. This adventure leads through Scotland, France and the Caribbean Islands and finally....well, you need to read the book.
I will gladly re-read Voyager at a later date in time.
*
*
To read my full review:
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/03/voyager-by-diana-gabaldon.html
sorchamcguire's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
traceyreads2's review against another edition
1.5
All the red flags of the first two books come together and explode in your face and you either can't take it anymore or you stand by and choose to ignore it. I should have stuck to my gut stopped reading after chapter 3 of book 1. Live and learn.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Sexual content, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Classism, Slavery, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence
gwyndae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mjl2994's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
2.0
When we last saw Claire and Jaime and the gang, Claire had just finished telling her story about Jaime and Scotland to her daughter, Brianna, and a researcher, Roger. They decide to find out what happened to Jaime. Apparently, he did NOT die in the Battle of Culloden...but is he still alive in the 1760's? And does Claire want to leave behind her life in the 1960's--including her beloved daughter--to return to a man who may not love her anymore?
The Outlander series has been an emotional roller coaster ride for me. I wasn't a big fan of Outlander, but I figured I'd give Dragonfly in Amber a chance. WOW, that book was amazing, and it ended on one helluva cliffhanger. Pretty much since then, I have been ITCHING to start reading "Voyager"--the biggest drawback has been (besides nabbing an audiobook version from the library) the length.
Well, I finally had a chance (between all the Book Club books I've been reading) so I jumped upon the chance to listen to Davina Porter transport me back to Claire and Scotland and Jaime...only what I ended up getting was certainly not what I was expecting.
I see it this way: if you go into this expecting just about anything to happen, you will do fine. If you don't mind voodoo magic, racist portrayals of all races, lots of lying between a couple that supposedly loves and trusts one another, and a 15 year old boy kidnapped and raped by a much older woman, then you will probably find this book up your alley. Unfortunately, that was not what I was expecting.
Part of what bothered me were the characters themselves. You would think when a person ages, that person would become more confident in themselves, more stubborn and less likely to take crap from people. But I didn't find Claire to be that way at all. Instead, she puts up with things I wouldn't have even bothered with (more in a bit). And Claire sure makes her decision to time hop back to the 18th century easily. Isn't there a conflict about the way women are treating back then in comparison to how she is treated in the 1960's? Isn't she afraid or worried about losing her life or identity? By the way it doesn't even cross her mind, I guess not, it's all about a man and being back with him. Jaime has always been a protective husband, but here he blatantly lies or withholds the truth from Claire. He comes across as domineering, jealous, and hypocritical. Oh, yeah, and everyone wants him, INCLUDING MEN. Brianna is such a Mary Sue. Beautiful hair, long legs, spitfire, "smart", can charm people without even having to work at it, bland personality. Practically every male gets a hard-on just looking for her. Frank turns into Cheater McAdulterer@$$. Not that I exactly blame him; he and Claire had a very rocky relationship, one that she didn't exactly help along. There is a Mr. Willoughby, a Chinese male who is hideously stereotyped. And I'm not saying that the characters say stereotypical or racist things about him; no, his entire CHARACTER is one racial stereotype after another. EMBARRASSING. There were loads and loads of other characters, but honestly, I can barely remember them (or their character seemed pointless).
Now, I will say I do like how Claire and Jaime are having these adventures and they aren't some young teenaged punks. They are mature adults, in their forties/fifties. That's awesome and I highly applaud this move. However, I doubt that a 50-year-old Claire would be THAT highly desired by nearly every male she comes across.
One of the things that drove me most nuts was the Jaime/Claire relationship. The problem I had with it was this: Jaime and Claire have been apart for 20 years, and yet they barely spend any time getting to know each other again or having ANY problems getting back together. They have an awkward night together, have amazing sex, and POW! They are an item. I would think that after 20 years, they would have changed drastically--maybe they were more or less serious, or had different interests, or had grown more mature. But it doesn't seem that either Jaime or Claire had to struggle much to "get" the other.
And this leads into the next part: Jaime lies or withholds the truth on at least TWO occasions and both times Claire swallows the apology and moves on with barely a blip. The first time this happens, Jaime doesn't tell Claire that he has a wife. This isn't a mere oversight; he spends quite a few days with her, and she has to find out when his second wife bursts into his home at Lallybroch. They have a brief spat, she leaves, he gets shot, she runs back, they kiss and make up, happily ever after. NO! This is UNACCEPTABLE. He should NOT LIE ABOUT A SECOND WIFE. No matter how much he didn't "LOVE" her or some bull.
The second incident is about Jaime's son, Willy. That is yet another blowout that Claire learns AGAIN from someone else. And yet AGAIN, barely a blip, and then Claire and Jaime are back to clawing at each other's clothes.
And lastly, you mean to tell me these two people, who spent TWENTY YEARS apart, didn't find ONE SINGLE PERSON in those twenty years to FALL IN LOVE with and marry? I know that Gabaldon was trying to make it seem like the love Jaime and Claire had for each other was eternal and blah blah blah, but geesh, I just don't buy it. I can't imagine that Claire would have remained chaste for twenty years (what was up with the Frank/Claire intimate scene after Brianna's birth? Did they reconcile or no?). Same for Jaime.
Plotwise, be open for anything to happen. And I mean ANYTHING. I'm talking shipwrecks (at least two), ocean-crossings, seasickness, VOODOO CEREMONIES AND TALKING TO BRIANNA FROM BEYOND TIME, child rape, a child being kidnapped, imprisonment, smuggling, piracy, a slave trade market (including a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE scene proving the "breeding qualities" of a black man--absolutely DREADFUL), drunken and high priests, everyone and his mother knowing Jaime or being from Scotland, plucky prostitutes, and more. Honestly, I had no idea what would happen at any time, because Gabaldon would just pick something out of the Plot Ideas Hat and toss it into the mix.
And final pet peeve, I swear. A good portion of this novel involves Jaime and Claire racing to the Caribbean to find the missing Ian, their nephew. Only, they have plenty of time to bumble around, getting Fergus and his wife married, cavorting with drunken priests and more WHILE A CHILD IS BEING MOLESTED. And the worst part is, Jaime and Claire rarely seem to be that affected by this. They don't worry about what is happening to Ian. They don't stay up late at night, wondering where he is and what to do. No, instead, it's business as usual--hijinks and adventure and plenty of hot, hot, hot sex to boot.
I know this has been harsh review, and I really hate to be this way, particularly about a book that I was so anticipating. But I can't help but be honest about how the book affected me. I really did want to like--no, love--this book. I was excited to go back to Scotland. I was chomping at the bit to have Claire and Jaime reunite. And if I hadn't cared about the story, about the characters, I don't think I would have bothered so much with this review.
This book (series) has loads of fans; if you've already read the first two books, then I do recommend reading this, just so you can see Jaime and Claire reunite. And hey, you may end up liking this more than I did. And even though I didn't much care for this book, I'm still gonna give Drums of Autumn a chance--eventually.
The Outlander series has been an emotional roller coaster ride for me. I wasn't a big fan of Outlander, but I figured I'd give Dragonfly in Amber a chance. WOW, that book was amazing, and it ended on one helluva cliffhanger. Pretty much since then, I have been ITCHING to start reading "Voyager"--the biggest drawback has been (besides nabbing an audiobook version from the library) the length.
Well, I finally had a chance (between all the Book Club books I've been reading) so I jumped upon the chance to listen to Davina Porter transport me back to Claire and Scotland and Jaime...only what I ended up getting was certainly not what I was expecting.
I see it this way: if you go into this expecting just about anything to happen, you will do fine. If you don't mind voodoo magic, racist portrayals of all races, lots of lying between a couple that supposedly loves and trusts one another, and a 15 year old boy kidnapped and raped by a much older woman, then you will probably find this book up your alley. Unfortunately, that was not what I was expecting.
Part of what bothered me were the characters themselves. You would think when a person ages, that person would become more confident in themselves, more stubborn and less likely to take crap from people. But I didn't find Claire to be that way at all. Instead, she puts up with things I wouldn't have even bothered with (more in a bit). And Claire sure makes her decision to time hop back to the 18th century easily. Isn't there a conflict about the way women are treating back then in comparison to how she is treated in the 1960's? Isn't she afraid or worried about losing her life or identity? By the way it doesn't even cross her mind, I guess not, it's all about a man and being back with him. Jaime has always been a protective husband, but here he blatantly lies or withholds the truth from Claire. He comes across as domineering, jealous, and hypocritical. Oh, yeah, and everyone wants him, INCLUDING MEN. Brianna is such a Mary Sue. Beautiful hair, long legs, spitfire, "smart", can charm people without even having to work at it, bland personality. Practically every male gets a hard-on just looking for her. Frank turns into Cheater McAdulterer@$$. Not that I exactly blame him; he and Claire had a very rocky relationship, one that she didn't exactly help along. There is a Mr. Willoughby, a Chinese male who is hideously stereotyped. And I'm not saying that the characters say stereotypical or racist things about him; no, his entire CHARACTER is one racial stereotype after another. EMBARRASSING. There were loads and loads of other characters, but honestly, I can barely remember them (or their character seemed pointless).
Now, I will say I do like how Claire and Jaime are having these adventures and they aren't some young teenaged punks. They are mature adults, in their forties/fifties. That's awesome and I highly applaud this move. However, I doubt that a 50-year-old Claire would be THAT highly desired by nearly every male she comes across.
One of the things that drove me most nuts was the Jaime/Claire relationship. The problem I had with it was this: Jaime and Claire have been apart for 20 years, and yet they barely spend any time getting to know each other again or having ANY problems getting back together. They have an awkward night together, have amazing sex, and POW! They are an item. I would think that after 20 years, they would have changed drastically--maybe they were more or less serious, or had different interests, or had grown more mature. But it doesn't seem that either Jaime or Claire had to struggle much to "get" the other.
And this leads into the next part: Jaime lies or withholds the truth on at least TWO occasions and both times Claire swallows the apology and moves on with barely a blip. The first time this happens, Jaime doesn't tell Claire that he has a wife. This isn't a mere oversight; he spends quite a few days with her, and she has to find out when his second wife bursts into his home at Lallybroch. They have a brief spat, she leaves, he gets shot, she runs back, they kiss and make up, happily ever after. NO! This is UNACCEPTABLE. He should NOT LIE ABOUT A SECOND WIFE. No matter how much he didn't "LOVE" her or some bull.
The second incident is about Jaime's son, Willy. That is yet another blowout that Claire learns AGAIN from someone else. And yet AGAIN, barely a blip, and then Claire and Jaime are back to clawing at each other's clothes.
And lastly, you mean to tell me these two people, who spent TWENTY YEARS apart, didn't find ONE SINGLE PERSON in those twenty years to FALL IN LOVE with and marry? I know that Gabaldon was trying to make it seem like the love Jaime and Claire had for each other was eternal and blah blah blah, but geesh, I just don't buy it. I can't imagine that Claire would have remained chaste for twenty years (what was up with the Frank/Claire intimate scene after Brianna's birth? Did they reconcile or no?). Same for Jaime.
Plotwise, be open for anything to happen. And I mean ANYTHING. I'm talking shipwrecks (at least two), ocean-crossings, seasickness, VOODOO CEREMONIES AND TALKING TO BRIANNA FROM BEYOND TIME, child rape, a child being kidnapped, imprisonment, smuggling, piracy, a slave trade market (including a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE scene proving the "breeding qualities" of a black man--absolutely DREADFUL), drunken and high priests, everyone and his mother knowing Jaime or being from Scotland, plucky prostitutes, and more. Honestly, I had no idea what would happen at any time, because Gabaldon would just pick something out of the Plot Ideas Hat and toss it into the mix.
And final pet peeve, I swear. A good portion of this novel involves Jaime and Claire racing to the Caribbean to find the missing Ian, their nephew. Only, they have plenty of time to bumble around, getting Fergus and his wife married, cavorting with drunken priests and more WHILE A CHILD IS BEING MOLESTED. And the worst part is, Jaime and Claire rarely seem to be that affected by this. They don't worry about what is happening to Ian. They don't stay up late at night, wondering where he is and what to do. No, instead, it's business as usual--hijinks and adventure and plenty of hot, hot, hot sex to boot.
I know this has been harsh review, and I really hate to be this way, particularly about a book that I was so anticipating. But I can't help but be honest about how the book affected me. I really did want to like--no, love--this book. I was excited to go back to Scotland. I was chomping at the bit to have Claire and Jaime reunite. And if I hadn't cared about the story, about the characters, I don't think I would have bothered so much with this review.
This book (series) has loads of fans; if you've already read the first two books, then I do recommend reading this, just so you can see Jaime and Claire reunite. And hey, you may end up liking this more than I did. And even though I didn't much care for this book, I'm still gonna give Drums of Autumn a chance--eventually.
sophieguillas's review against another edition
4.0
I always love falling into an outlander book (even if I don't always love their politics