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A review by reydeam
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
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.
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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