Scan barcode
A review by book_concierge
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
3.0
Audible audio performed by Davina Porter
3.5****
NOTE: If you have NOT read the previous books, you’ll find some spoilers for those works herein.
Book # 7 in the incredibly addictive (for good reason) Outlander series, continues the saga of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser as the American Revolution gears up and Jamie is caught between an oath to support the King and his knowledge that the Americans will win (no spoiler here, I hope). His main concern, however, is avoiding having to face his son, who is now a lieutenant in the British army, on the battlefield.
Meanwhile … forward in time to 1969, Brianna and Roger MacKenzie have settled in Scotland and have discovered a treasure-trove of letters left to them by Claire and Roger.
I really enjoy the historical references in these books. I’ve been to Fort Ticonderoga, and reading those chapters were intensely vivid for me because I’ve walked those grounds and seen the battle stations (not to mention the stunning views). Gabaldon peoples this volume with more real historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold. The dangers were real and the author does a fine job of putting Jamie, Claire and Ian right into the action. I also appreciated the expanded roles of Sir John Gray and Ian MacKenzie.
On the other hand … I thought I was done with Brianna’s drama, but no. She’s fighting for her rights as a woman engineer against an entrenched male-dominated workforce. Roger is struggling to find his path, still suffering from the after-effects of. Jemmy is getting into trouble at school for swearing in Gaelic. And Mandy is having nightmares.
In addition to being tired of Brianna, the thing that I disliked is that Gabaldon could not help but go back to the time travel aspect. And it’s a doozy! Finally, she ends this book with several cliff-hangers, and that’s a pet peeve of mine. Trust your readers to want to read your next book, don’t “force” them to do so.
So I would have rated this 4**** save for that cliff-hanger (multiple story-lines need to be resolved) ending.
As for the audio…. Davina Porter gets 5***** and a ❤ for her outstanding performance of these works. She does an amazing job. I could listen to her for hours (and I did).
3.5****
NOTE: If you have NOT read the previous books, you’ll find some spoilers for those works herein.
Book # 7 in the incredibly addictive (for good reason) Outlander series, continues the saga of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser as the American Revolution gears up and Jamie is caught between an oath to support the King and his knowledge that the Americans will win (no spoiler here, I hope). His main concern, however, is avoiding having to face his son, who is now a lieutenant in the British army, on the battlefield.
Meanwhile … forward in time to 1969, Brianna and Roger MacKenzie have settled in Scotland and have discovered a treasure-trove of letters left to them by Claire and Roger.
I really enjoy the historical references in these books. I’ve been to Fort Ticonderoga, and reading those chapters were intensely vivid for me because I’ve walked those grounds and seen the battle stations (not to mention the stunning views). Gabaldon peoples this volume with more real historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold. The dangers were real and the author does a fine job of putting Jamie, Claire and Ian right into the action. I also appreciated the expanded roles of Sir John Gray and Ian MacKenzie.
On the other hand … I thought I was done with Brianna’s drama, but no. She’s fighting for her rights as a woman engineer against an entrenched male-dominated workforce. Roger is struggling to find his path, still suffering from the after-effects of
Spoiler
his hangingIn addition to being tired of Brianna, the thing that I disliked is that Gabaldon could not help but go back to the time travel aspect. And it’s a doozy! Finally, she ends this book with several cliff-hangers, and that’s a pet peeve of mine. Trust your readers to want to read your next book, don’t “force” them to do so.
So I would have rated this 4**** save for that cliff-hanger (multiple story-lines need to be resolved) ending.
As for the audio…. Davina Porter gets 5***** and a ❤ for her outstanding performance of these works. She does an amazing job. I could listen to her for hours (and I did).