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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I’m pretty disappointed in the rhetoric of some of the other reviews. Books are great ways to read about other perspectives. I didn’t start reading the Outlander series because I am actually a 26-year-old British military nurse born in the 1910s. I didn’t start reading them because I’m actually a burly, red headed man. You don’t need to be a queer 18th century man to enjoy this book. It’s biggest fault isn’t the fact that you learn about queer culture, it was just a bit slow. Claire is a pretty solid narrator and it’s hard to switch that up no matter how well the author writes.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
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:
Complicated
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took me forever to get thru this. Trying to be a mystery but it was just ok.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked the story. It was clear that the author had studied a theme and environment about which she wrote. The writing style was easy to read and consistently. The twists in the story were well written and placed. However, in the Czech translation, the sentences sometimes made little sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder
Minor: Sexual content, War
I’m pretty disappointed in the rhetoric of some of the other reviews. Books are great ways to read about other perspectives. I didn’t start reading the Outlander series because I am actually a 26-year-old British military nurse born in the 1910s. I didn’t start reading them because I’m actually a burly, red headed man. You don’t need to be a queer 18th century man to enjoy this book. It’s biggest fault isn’t the fact that you learn about queer culture, it was just a bit slow. Claire is a pretty solid narrator and it’s hard to switch that up no matter how well the author writes.
Not entirely a success - this book is neither meaty, complex and id-pleasing (like Gabaldon's Outlander series) nor witty and smart (like a successful mystery novel), and ends up mediocre.
I think part of the problem here is that Gabaldon's strength is in the epic full of anguish, love, and sex, and this book has none of the first two, and the third is entirely off-stage. She's stuck in part due to the fact that Lord John Grey, the protagonist here, is a secondary character in the Outlander books, and thus has much of his story pre-determined. Nothing too exciting can happen to him here, because it would undermine or undo those books.
Another issue is that Gabaldon stumbles in her dealings with the queer subcultures of 18th century London. She raises interesting issues and introduces potentially interesting characters - and then drops them, with their stories unsettled.
Lord John Grey himself, a highlight of the Outlander books, seems pale and cold here, close to boring. The best scene was his interaction with a Scottish whore halfway through the book. I think without the English-Scottish culture clash, Gabaldon can't manage to write compelling character interplay.
It's not an awful book, but it was a disappointment. I guess if I want to see really interesting (and sexy) things happen to Lord John Grey, I'll have to rely on fanfiction.
I think part of the problem here is that Gabaldon's strength is in the epic full of anguish, love, and sex, and this book has none of the first two, and the third is entirely off-stage. She's stuck in part due to the fact that Lord John Grey, the protagonist here, is a secondary character in the Outlander books, and thus has much of his story pre-determined. Nothing too exciting can happen to him here, because it would undermine or undo those books.
Another issue is that Gabaldon stumbles in her dealings with the queer subcultures of 18th century London. She raises interesting issues and introduces potentially interesting characters - and then drops them, with their stories unsettled.
Lord John Grey himself, a highlight of the Outlander books, seems pale and cold here, close to boring. The best scene was his interaction with a Scottish whore halfway through the book. I think without the English-Scottish culture clash, Gabaldon can't manage to write compelling character interplay.
It's not an awful book, but it was a disappointment. I guess if I want to see really interesting (and sexy) things happen to Lord John Grey, I'll have to rely on fanfiction.