A hilarious opulent and incredibly entertaining novel about Claire and Jamie Fraser. Once again, the author catapulted her readers into the world of time-traveler Claire and her family. Life in the colonies is dangerous and every sign shows that time is changing. Another war is in sight and with Claire´s knowledge of the future, Jamie hopes that he will be able to get his family through the storm and beyond. I love Diana Gabaldon´s style. How she uses the power of words, and how she describes a scene or figure. You can literally see the landscape of the new colonies, or Fraser´s Ridge and how things change.
A Breath Of Snow And Ashes
by Diana GabaldonOutlander Series #6
Publisher Delta on August 29, 2006
Genre Historical Fantasy
Pages 980
Format Paperback
Source Purchased
Goodreads
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The year is 1772, and the long fuse of the rebellion is burning: dead bodies lie on the streets of Boston, and remote log homes are ablaze in sparsely populated North Carolina. And a dark shadow grows over the house on the mountainside of Fraser's Ridge. The colony is seething, and the governor sends a messenger to Jamie Fraser for help. The catch is that Jamie Fraser's wife Claire is a time traveler - as is his daughter Brianna and son-in-law Roger. And as Claire assures him, truthfully and mercilessly, there are still three years to go before the shot that will be heard around the world. In the end, there will be independence. Above all, however, weighs the threat of a tiny newspaper clipping from the WILMINGTON GAZETTE from 1776, which reports the destruction of the house on Fraser's Ridge - and the death by fire of one James Fraser, and his entire family. Jamie hopes Claire's prediction is wrong for once - but only the future can tell.
Story
Claire and Jamie are once again living their normal lives on Fraser's Ridge, trying to keep the events of the time out of their humble lives as much as possible. But it's not that easy, as Jamie is asked by the authorities to get involved again in the fight against the ubiquitous arsonists, even though Jamie has long since left the government. In his heart of hearts, he is still fighting for the liberation of the Scottish crown. His daughter Brianna and her husband Roger have decided to stay with Jamie and Claire, so they try to come to terms with the realities of the times and enjoy their little family idyll. But when Claire is captured by the turmoil of the time and Jamie sets out to free her, Claire not only has to use her knowledge of the future again, but she also has to fear for her life and that of Jamie. A newspaper clipping from 1776, which Brianna traveled through time to warn her mother about, proclaims the destruction of Fraser's Ridge and the deaths of Claire and Jamie in the flames.
Style
Diana Gabaldon's novel begins in March 1773 and ends around November 1776. Two epilogues are then attached to the actual plot, the first of which takes place in Lallybroch in the present tense and the second in late 1776 and early 1777 in a printing house. The author has written the plot of this novel with rich, colorful, and impressive words and presented the events of that time in terms of historical facts as well as fictional history in a captivating and very entertaining way for the reader. The individual locations and their characters are well described. Again, the story is written from the first-person perspective of the main character, Claire Randall, and it is fascinating to see the impact that time has had on Claire and her family, both negatively and positively.
Characters
Diana Gabaldon's characters Claire and Jamie are getting on in years, Brianna and Roger are the happy parents of two children, and it's been a treat to experience the events surrounding Jamie and Claire while always wondering if and how things will probably develop. Claire's will to survive is so intensely and impressively portrayed in the scenes of her captivity that I often had to swallow while reading and hoped and prayed that she would get back together with Jamie. The story of the prodigal son Ian finding his way back to the clan was impressive and incredibly captivating for me, and I was more than fascinated and excited about the changes compared to the previous volumes. In this book too, Diana Gabaldon has done an excellent job of giving her characters unbelievable depth and complexity. Which are not only created by the experiences made in their lives, but also by their very own attitudes and character traits that they have shown in the course of the action.
Conclusion
Part six of the Highland saga is a humorous and lively heart-warming book that blends fantasy and history in a compelling way. The reader can expect passion and entertaining reading pleasure in addition to many interesting historical facts. Everything is wonderfully opulent and very entertaining.
Happy reading
Diana Gabaldon
Diana Gabaldon was an honorary professor of deep-sea biology and zoology at the University of Arizona before devoting her full-time to writing. Already her first novel Outlander was a huge international success and led to millions of readers becoming enthusiastic fans of her novels. She is the mother of three grown children and lives with her husband in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
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