Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

I feel as I have been transported in time again and again whenever I read one of Gabaldon’s books. ~ Under the Covers

I’m continuing to feed the obsession. DRAGONFLY IN AMBER is book two in the Outlander series yet it doesn’t start off where the last book ends. In fact, I was a little confused to find that Claire is back in her current time in addition to learning that 20 years has lapsed. She now has a daughter and the beginning brings up a lot of questions. I’m sure if you were like me, you wanted to know what happened since the last book ended for them to end up here. I can’t say that I always agree with the way Gabaldon sequences her books, but she does do a good job of creating a yearning for Jamie that she later fulfills.

So… Claire is back and she has a daughter. We learn quite a bit about Brianna but not enough to really satisfy reader’s curiosity. Interestingly enough, Gabaldon plants a romantic seed involving Brianna that I am very interested to see develop. However, before that happens, another jump occurs and we’re back in the past – with Jamie. You won’t ever see me complain about this.

In the first book, I was 100% behind Claire and all the decisions she made. In this particular book, I was torn. Jamie has a chance to do something that he has always wanted to do and Claire makes him promise that he won’t act on it. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say what but it’s a huge deal and in Claire’s position, I don’t know if I could have asked for the same thing she did. It’s a lot of ask of a saint and Jamie’s inclinations will make it very hard for him to hold onto that promise.

As always, the detail and the writing is exquisite. I feel as I have been transported in time again and again whenever I read one of Gabaldon’s books. The historical accuracy as well as the level of detail are showcased in such a way that it almost acts as a third character in each of the scenes.

In contrast, I feel that this book was a tiny bit darker than the first one. While the first is dark because of the events that transpired, this book addresses the aftermath and the emotions associated with it, which I feel gives this haunting quality to this book.

DRAGONFLY IN AMBER is the type of book that will tug on your heartstrings and also wrench your heart wide open. It will make you feel things you never thought you would feel and if I’m right, it would start a new obsession like it has for me.

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[about-author author=”Diana Gabaldon”]