Book Review: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

 

Goodreads Summary: Diana Gabaldon’s brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. In An Echo in the Bone, the seventh volume, Gabaldon continues the extraordinary story of the eighteenth-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall.

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.

Goodreads Rating: 4.42 stars with over 124,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Scottish Culture

Goodreads Challenge: 5/50 books (5 behind schedule, whoops.)

2021 Reading Challenge: #18 Read a book by an author born in the 20th century (1901-2000) (Find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Hi readers, I hope everyone survived Day Light Savings Time. The verdict is still out on if I did. The three cups of coffee I had today make me think no. It probably didn't help that I took a two-hour nap yesterday and then stayed up until 3ish, finishing Echo in the Bone and then immediately starting Written in my own heart's blood. I didn't intend on burning through the rest of the Outlander series, but here we are.

I feel like me starting book eight should indicate my thoughts of Echo in the Bone. It left off at a cliffhanger that I had to read more on. I can't even talk about it because it'd be such a spoiler. In the infinite possibilities of endings, I still don't think I'd ever had guessed what happened. Holy Crap. I can't even process it.

The way that Brianna, Roger, and the kids continue to be part of the story is fascinating. The time travel mechanics continue to be explored, and I'm always eager to read more about it. I think there's going to be some exciting happenings surrounding time-travel in book eight. Call it a hunch. 

In book seven, we started getting William's perspective. I wasn't necessarily as interested in it at first, but he grew on me. I did feel pretty bad for him towards the end of book seven. He kind of got a really crappy situation handed to him. I did like the inclusion of Rachel and Denzel. 

Jenny and her family get reintroduced into the story. I don't like why she got reintroduced, but I'm glad she's back. She's one of my absolute favorite characters in the series, and she's been missed these last few books. I'm not even sure she was mentioned in book six. If she was, it was barely. I think she'll have a more prominent place in book eight. Bring on Jenny's sass!

I feel like every time I read the next Outlander book, it becomes my new favorite. I really love this series, and I don't know that I can adequately describe how much. There is just so much that goes on in these books, and they're so interesting. They can be a little overwhelming because of how long they are, but they are worth the read. I guess when I finish book eight, I'll have to read one of my other hundreds of books that I'm neglecting. 

Keeping it short and sweet tonight. I'm exhausted.