“Go down, and tell them the MacKenzies are here.”

Tonight my absolute favorite TV show returns to television – Outlander!  #ThankYouStarz #ThankYouRonaldMoore

In light of this, I thought this week’s review would be on Drums of Autumn, the 4^th book in the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, whom fans lovingly refer to as “herself”.

Synopsis:  In this breathtaking novel, rich in history and adventure, #1 New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that started with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager. Once again spanning continents and centuries, Gabaldon has created a work of sheer brilliance.

What if you knew someone you loved was going to die? What if you thought you could save them? How much would you risk to try?

Claire Randall has gone to find Jamie Fraser, the man she loved more than life, and has left half her heart behind with their daughter, Brianna. Claire gave up Jamie to save Brianna, and now Bree has sent her mother back to the Scottish warrior who was willing to give his life to save them both. But a chilling discovery in the pages of history suggests that Jamie and Claire’s story doesn’t have a happy ending.

Brianna dares a terrifying leap into the unknown in search of her mother and the father she has never met, 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.

 

In this 4^th book, Jamie and Claire are in America establishing a Scottish colony in North Carolina.  Not without their fair share of misfortunes and difficulties, of course.  But 200 years in the future Brianna finds information that forces her to risk her life and travel back in time (secretly) to find her parents and maybe change their destiny.  Roger, naturally, follows his love back to the 18^th century.  A mix-up concerning his identity drives the main conflict of this novel.  The misunderstanding leads to a series of dramatic events.  Fiery Scots and stereotypical 1970’s Americans make for a hilarious combination.  Oh, and Jamie is the best gift-giver.  It’s beautiful how well he knows Claire.  The end when Brianna says, “Go down, and tell them the MacKenzies are here.” Something about that last scene is just so beautiful to me. It signified Brianna and Rogers place in this world.  I loved watching Brianna and Roger’s relationship grow. Theirs is a love just as epic as Jamie and Claire’s.

This book had me smiling, laughing and crying. My heart was broken and then mended back together. This book gave me epic emotional turmoil and I loved every moment of it.  Gabaldon is an epic storyteller.  She is so wordy and descriptive.  You can tell that she is in love with each scene she writes.  I’m ready to read anything she writes.  I love being taken on an adventure and Gabaldon does exactly that.  You need patience to read these books as they are very long indeed.  So much goes on in them.  But if you have patience and a love for academically adventurous, hugely researched, time travel meets historical romance novels, then this is a must read.  You must read books 1 through 3 first though.

5 stars and then travel back 200 years to give a few more stars!

Drums of Autumn

 

“Do ye not understand?” he said, in near desperation. “I would lay the world at your feet, Claire–and I have nothing to give ye!”

He honestly thought it mattered.

I sat looking at him, searching for words. He was half turned away, shoulders slumped in despair.

Within an hour, I had gone from anguish at the thought of losing him in Scotland, to strong desire to bed him in the herbaceous borders, and from that to a pronounced urge to hit him on the head with an oar. Now I was back to tenderness.

At last I took one big, callused hand and slid forward so I knelt on the boards between his knees. I laid my head against his chest, and felt his breath stir my hair. I had no words, but I had made my choice.

“‘Whither thou goest,'” I said, “‘I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: they people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die and there will I be buried.'” Be it Scottish hill or southern forest. “You do what you have to; I’ll be there.”