An Echo in the Bone

Some readers may recall my great fondness for author Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander Series, which I have written about here and here.

One of the highlights of my holiday reading was the 7th in the series, An Echo in the Bone. I saved it to the end, after reading all of the Millennium Trilogy, sort of like the special dessert that you know is coming, but you don't want to start it, because then you will finish it. Am I the only one who thinks this way about books? I was the same when the 5th of the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel (brief review here) was released in 2002, I almost stopped reading it when there were 50 pages left because I did not want it to end!

The story of the lives of Jamie and Claire continues in this book in 18th C America and Scotland. At the same time, a parallel story is occurring in modern day Scotland. I won't give too much away, because if you want to read a great series - go and get the 1st book Outlander, and start there. I have recently been re-listening to all her podcasts, found via her website. They include interesting information about the way she writes, which I find fascinating because her brain works so differently to mine. But I also really like the way she explains what she set out to do with the series. She wanted to write about an entire marriage, not just a relationship at a point. So far the series has covered close to 30 years, and that's part of what I love about it - the main characters are still in love, still married, growing older and experiencing and joys and frustrations of life together.

A warning though - this one ends at a point that is quite unfinished - and now I have to wait 2-3 years for #8 (which is likely to be the last one). So, if you are interested in starting this series, pace yourself, so you don't have as long to wait as I do!