And not that I was disappointed in the story per se. It just seemed that it started with no real direction, too many plots to keep up with, and way too many details that could have been left out. The second half really picked up, but then I guess she felt she had to stop writing after 820 pages so, she did. In the thickest part of the plot when everything was FINALLY coming together and really had you on the edge of your seat. I really hate it when my favorite authors do this. I was going to buy and read the next book anyways. You could have at least rewarded me with ending the story. I DID read 820 pages, after all!
Anyways, without further ado:
The back of the book:
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST 6, THIS MAY BE A SPOILER ALERT! I WILL INCLUDE THE BACK OF THE BOOK FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES AT THE BOTTOM. SKIP TO THE NEXT BIG BOLD SECTION TO AVOID ANY SPOILERS (OR CONFUSION).
"Jamie Fraser, former Jacobite and reluctant rebel, is already certain of three things about the American rebellion: The Americans will win, fighting on the side of victory is no guarantee of survival, and he'd rather die than have to face his illegitimate son- a young lieutenant in the British army- across the barrel of a gun.
Claire Randall knows that the Americans will win too, but not what the ultimate price may be. That price won't include Jamie's life or his happiness, though- not if she has anything to say about it.
Meanwhile, in the relative safety of the twentieth century, Jamie and Claire's daughter, Brianna, and her husband, Roger MacKenzie, have resettled in a historic Scottish home where, across a chasm of two centuries, the unfolding drama of Brianna's parents' story comes to life through Claire's letters. The fragile pages reveal Claire's love for battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and their flight from North Carolina to the high seas, where they encounter privateers and ocean battles- as Brianna and Roger search for clues not only to Claire's fate but to their own. Because the future of the MacKenzie family in the Highlands is mysteriously, irrevocably, and intimately entwined with life and death in war-torn colonial America.
With stunning cameos of historical characters from Benedict Arnold to Benjamin Franklin, An Echo in the Bone is a soaring masterpiece of imagination, insight, character, and adventure- a novel that echoes in the mind long after the last page is turned."
I would like to add that I disagree with this "Back of the Book"- it really doesn't paint the picture well at all. If I had written it, I would not have mentioned Claire and Jamie's "flight" as they call it. I would more or less word it as their journey, and not on the seas, because they spend very little time on the boat. They also don't mention William (Jamie's illegitimate son) enough- he has a huge role in the story (along with Jamie's nephew Ian). And Brianna and Roger's fate is certainly not as connected with the past in this book as it lets on. It will be in the next book, however (shutting up now).
The Bibliography:
Gabaldon, Diana. An Echo in the Bone. New York, New York: Delacorte Press, 2009.
You can find the book here or at your public library (support the libraries!).
Total Pages: 820
Total pages read in 2011- 386
Total pages for 2011- 2,031
Total pages remaining- 8,969
END OF ALL SPOILERS- YOU MAY START READING AGAIN!
The Back of the Book (Outlander, book 1 of the series):
"The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon- when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach- an "outlander"- in Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord... 1743.
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life... and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire... and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives."
I would like to add that the author has done some extensive research. While this is obviously a work of fiction, the history is legitimate. Even the clans. Don't let the fantasy portions of time travel push you away. It is extremely well done, with lots of history, great characters, and an amazing plot that continues to thrive 7 books into the series. You'll understand why we call them "the Jamie books" very quickly. And Claire is what every woman really wants to be. I swear.
The Bibliography:
Gabaldon, Diana. Outlander. New York, New York: Dell, 1991.
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