A review by willowbiblio
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

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

2.0

“Still less could I be afraid of those ghosts who touch my thoughts in passing. Any library is filled with them. I can take a book from dusty shelves, and be haunted by the thoughts of one long dead, still lively as ever in their winding sheet of words.”
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I really wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It took so long to read because I was kind of avoiding it. About 400 pages in I accepted that it wasn’t getting better and started skimming dozens of pages at a time.

One of my major critiques is that everything felt so contrived. The misunderstandings between many of the main characters would have been easily resolved in a few more words of conversation. It felt like reading entirely new characters who had lost the ability to communicate effectively. 

Claire was also a lot more impetuous, and then passive in her dynamic with family. I didn’t believe any of them the way I did and book one and parts of book 3. 

It’s so hard to invest in a story when you were hyper aware that you’re reading fiction. That’s how I felt throughout this book, sadly. I think a lot of the plot points could have been removed and we would have ended up in the same place. Roger was my favorite character, but he too was problematic. 

I think I’ll take a pause and read a few non-Gabaldon books after this. 😬