TLC Tours - Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone - Review & Giveaway

An Echo in the Bone

Welcome to those of you new to MoonCat Farms and welcome back to old friends. I hope you all enjoy my review of this wonderful book and be sure to enter the giveaway that Ms. Gabaldon and her publisher have generously offered one lucky reader here at MoonCat Farms Meanderings.

I am extremely honored to have been chosen to participate in this book tour celebrating the paperback reprint of Diana Gabaldon's latest addition to the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone.  I have been a fan of hers since she first starting putting excerpts on the Lit Forum of Compuserve way back in the very early nineties.  I fell in love with her "Red Jamie" then and still have a mad passion for him and his love story with wife Claire.  My husband and I even used a variation of their wedding vows in ours!

An Echo in the Bone:  Jamie Fraser is an eighteenth-century Highlander, an ex-Jacobite traitor, and a reluctant rebel in the American Revolution.  His wife, Claire Randall Fraser, is a surgeon - from the twentieth century.  What she knows of the future compels him to fight.  What she doesn't know may kill them both.

With one foot in America and one foot in Scotland, Jamie and Claire's adventure spans the Revolution, from sea battles to printshops, as their paths cross with historical figures from Benjamin Franklin to Benedict Arnold.

Meanwhile, in the relative safety of the twentieth century, their daughter, Brianna, and her husband experience the unfolding drama of the Revolutionary War through Claire's letters.  But the letters can' warn them of the threat that's rising out of the past to overshadow their family.

Diana Gabaldon's sweeping Outlander saga reaches new heights in An Echo in the Bone.

My Thoughts:

*I am trying to do a thorough review without accidentally dropping any spoilers for those readers new to the Outlander series.  I apologize if I do give something away, it's not intentional as I want newcomers to meet Jamie and Claire fresh, as I did those many years ago.

An Echo in the Bone is the 7th book in the extremely popular Outlander series.  The saga chronicles the life and adventures of Claire Randall Fraser and Jamie Fraser.  When we were initially introduced to Jamie and Claire in the first book, Outlander, they were both in their early twenties.  In this latest book, some thirty years later, they are starting to acknowledge their age and that time is creeping up on them.  Jamie is still quite the hero and Claire is still getting into scrapes that he must rescue her from, it just takes them a bit longer to get over the aftermath of their escapades.  

I really enjoyed An Echo in the Bone.  Ms. Gabaldon has remained true to form with superior character development and fabulous settings.  By the end of the book (each of the books, actually), the reader feels that they really know these people personally and that this is more of a diary than a fictional novel.  Her characters come to life and make you feel what they're feeling.  You worry for them just as you would your own family member and cheer their victories.

The historical facts are painstakingly researched for accuracy while still allowing the author room to interweave the fictional Jamie and Claire into the timeline.  First we accompanied them during the Jacobite uprising and the '45 and we're now traipsing through the American Revolution along with them.  We need to stay sharp as there are chance meetings with Dr. Franklin (yes, Benjamin Franklin) and other notable figures in the history of America's bid for independence.  

One of the author's methods of delivering vital information in this book was through letters from Claire in the late 1700s to her & Jamie's daughter Brianna, in the 1980s.  I won't get into how they are in different eras as it will give too much away.  The way the letters both give the reader needed details as well as pave the way for current events, is extremely effective and useful.  The sentimental and homesick feelings it stirs up in both Brianna and her husband, Roger carries over to the reader as well.

I'm not going to go any further with my details of the book.  This is one of my favorite books of the year and I highly recommend  it to anyone who loves romance, history, fiction and any combination of the three.  There are some sexual situations in the novel, but they are tastefully done.   Being that this is set during a war, violence also comes into play at times.  I have to admit that I pretty much didn't do anything but read this amazing book over a weekend.  I'm fortunate that my husband is also a big fan of this series, so he took care of the household so I could immerse myself in Claire and Jamie's world.

Any one of these outstanding books can be read as a highly entertaining, stand-alone novel, but I suggest you start with Outlander and read them in order. Each successive book leaves you with a deeper knowledge of Claire and Jamie's history and story.

If you would like to read more about the author, check out Diana's website or find her on Facebook.  She has a graphic novel coming out this fall that is the retelling of Outlander, from Jamie's point of view.  I can't wait! 

There is also more coming out about Lord John Grey, a then minor character we first met in the second book, Dragonfly in Amber.  His own storyline has developed into a secondary, stand-alone series.

Thank you to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for including me on this great tour. 

Now, I'd like to thank Diana Gabaldon and her publisher for providing a copy of An Echo in the Bone for one of you lucky, lucky readers.  The contest closes at midnight, PST on Wednesday, September 1st.  I will draw one winner who will have 48 hours to respond.  Another winner will be drawn if I don't hear from them.

The drawing is open to followers of this blog who are residents of the United States and Canada only.  No PO boxes please.  Just comment on this post and tell us if you've read or heard of Diana Gabaldon and Outlander before and what you think.  That's it!  Good luck :)

~ If you don't want to wait to get started, you can click on the cover of any of the books above to be taken to the corresponding page on Amazon.com.

Disclaimer:  I received this book from TLC Tours for purposes of a review.  I received no monetary compensation and all words/thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.  I am an Amazon.com affiliate and may receive a small percentage from any sales made through my affiliate links.