Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Drums of Autumn

This is my favorite book in the series to date- it feels like every character is clearly driven by a goal this time, that doesn't feel arbitrary. Recurring side characters popping up feels like a lovely surprise, not like a shoehorned plot device. Excellent novel!

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valleylily's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective tense

At several points throughout, The Drums of Autumn, by Diana Gabaldon, the novel struck me as Gabaldon's most descriptively-written and most frustrating novel so far in the Outlander series. There is so much complexity in Gabaldon's novels that I will not be able to address all concepts thoroughly.

As I mentioned previously, Drums of Autumn, seemed thus far to be the most vividly-written novel in the series and the descriptions of the characters' surroundings were very compelling at many times. I could often envision the scenes taking place and I was moved to tears on several occasions.

One of the frustrating aspects of the the novel I will address is Gabaldon's descriptions of Indigenous peoples and societies. I think there is a misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples and this was one of the major struggles I faced when trying to get through the novel. I struggled with the characters saying "Indian" but most strongly with the consistent use of the word "savage" to describe Indigenous people, even by Claire. I do understand these were words commonly used during the time period and afterward, but I found myself surprised by Claire's use of the word "savage." Because these words were commonly used, I understand the importance of including them in the novel by characters who do not know differently, though it was still difficult to read them. To a certain extent, I understand Jamie's apprehension of Indigenous peoples because heinous propaganda was printed against Native people during the time to stir colonists to violence against them, like in the pamphlets Jamie printed in his Edinburgh printshop in Voyager. I hoped the characters would interact with Native people and there would be a realization that they were not so different from one another, which happened so some degree. Another aspect that bothered me was Jamie's descriptions of Indigenous land as a "wilderness," while Scotland had seen thousands of years of "civilization." This was very irritating to me because Indigenous people have extensively cultivated these lands for thousands of years and the land was in no way a virgin wilderness as it is often depicted. However, as mentioned in the novel, war and disease ravaged Indigenous communities so many Nations were forced to leave their homelands and many areas became overgrown, leaving colonists to think these abandoned places were untouched before European arrival.

I think historical accuracy was lacking in regard to Indigenous communities and society. Though this is not a novel about Indigenous people, I think accurate representation is important. There is also very little the colonists themselves could know in some respects. There is so much history to think about and study in this novel and exploring different areas of the past in the series can be fascinating.

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aheinicke27's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my favorite of the series so far — I enjoyed the dynamics between each of the characters the most. Despite having seen this season of the show, I was still on the edge of my seat to find out who would be reunited and how that would exactly play out. It was so interesting to view the past from Brie and Rodger’s point of view even though I often felt frustrated with some of the choices they made. True to the series, there was as much tension and heartbreak as there was joy and love in this book. I’m looking forward to seeing how the characters continue developing their relationships in the next book and meet the challenges of life in the past.

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ereilly151's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

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maggie1875's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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

5.0

This book was very jam packed with plot but also lots of characters and character growth you see Young Ian grow up as well as Brianna and Roger.

You get the pleasure of seeing Jamie be a father to Brianna and how that changes his personality to the reader. This with Claire and Brianna’s relationship playing a large role in the novel, makes you feel closer to Jamie and Claire than you did before.

This book induced lots of tears but also lots of perspective and growth. It was one of the best books in the later half of the series I believe.

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