Title: Drums of Autumn
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander, #4
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Delacorte (Imprint of Random House)
Date Published: November 10th, 1997
Edition: Hardcover
Rating:
It began in Scotland, at an ancient stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past–or the grave. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once buy twice. Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became 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 frontier America. 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 stone circle 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 Review:
I have to say that I was really disappointed by this book in the series. The 3rd book in the series was by far my favorite and, in my opinion, the best of the series so far. So, I held this one up to high standards when I started it I suppose.
My first problem with the book is that, while I’m very happy to hear that not too many crazy things happened before Brianna came back, the first 450 pages of this book – before she came back – were utterly boring. I dragged through this book. The others took me days to finish, this one took me a good month to get through entirely. While I want them to find a final resolution and peace, in the end, it does not make for a good 450 page read.
So that was my first problem. The first 450 pages of the book could have been summed up much quicker.
I also do not like Brianna – at all really. At this point she seems very selfish and uncaring to me.
At first she’s whining that she wants her parents so badly and all. Then, when she has them she’s furious with Jamie, disowning him as her dad, when he was doing what he knew to do to protect her and then she’s pining for Roger, not caring about Jamie at all anymore. And, speaking of Roger, she at first pushes him away entirely. Then, when he returns, she pushes him away again. It’s like she can’t ever be happy. Sure, at the very last five pages she’s happy again. But I just see that being an annoying trend that continues into the next books in the series. So yeah, I really have no like toward her at all.
Poor Roger risks everything and does everything he can to love her and have her love him wholeheartedly back. I just really feel for him. I’m surprised he stayed with the way that she treats him. She should have jumped into his arms on first sight of seeing him, not shunned him.
Anyways, aside from that I’m sad to see Ian go. I hope that’s not the last of him, but it just seems weird for him and Rollo not to be there. First Fergus basically leaves the story line, now Ian. Those were two of my favorite characters, besides Jamie and Claire of course. Now their both out of the story mostly, and that makes me sad.
I still really like John Grey’s character though and I can see why she made an entirely separate series about him. He’s very much likable and just a good person all around it seems.
I’m not really liking Lizzie because she caused the whole confused mess to begin with, but I guess I can’t blame her too much. Because if she hadn’t, then NOTHING would have happened in the book at all.
Finally, despite not really liking Brianna at all and thinking that Roger deserves much better; I am happy that they’re all together right now. That’s pretty cool.
It’s just a far cry from The Voyager, which was constant adventure and change and something to keep turning the page for.
Still, I’m very much wrapped up in the characters and will continue reading. I just hope the next book proves more of a story. It seems that this one was a stretch to make a story out of at all if you ask me.
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