While I do have a long time love for literature and thought provoking texts, I definitely partake in my share of stories deemed to be a little “fluffier”. I’m currently immersed in rereading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I first encountered this series when I was 15 and visiting a friend’s family cabin. She had finished reading the first book and insisted I read it as well. 11 years later and I’m still hooked on the series.
Drums of Autumn
It began at an ancient Scottish stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past—or the grave. Dr. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice.
Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became a legend—a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in the American colonies. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century—their daughter, Brianna….
Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the circle of stones and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history … and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past … or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong….
My Take
I was super excited when I read the back of this book and saw that the whole family was going to be reunited. It was something that had to be done carefully as to not spoil the previous parts of the series and I think Gabaldon did a great job. Brianna doesn’t just jump into Claire & Jamie’s storyline, instead she makes her own. While I’ve heard other readers found this part of the series to be a little too drawn out, I’ve been intrigued by the detail. I love history and am fascinated by the development of modern North America (with the exception of the injustices done to the First Nations people). I’ve been amazed by how seamlessly Gabaldon weaves Claire & Jamie’s story into relevant parts of history – to the point that it seems as though they belong there. Although I’ve read the book before, and will likely read it again, I’m enjoying the ups and downs that come with developing a settlement in the colonies.