Book Review: In Print
The time-transcending love story between 20th century doctor Claire Beauchamp and rugged 18th century Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser continues
Reviewed by Virginia B. Wood, Fri., Nov. 13, 2009
An Echo in the Bone: A Novel
by Diana GabaldonDelacorte Press, 832 pp., $30
Loyal fans of Diana Gabaldon's now seven-book Outlander series eagerly await each new installment, hungry for more of the time-transcending love story between 20th century doctor Claire Beauchamp and rugged 18th century Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser. Gabaldon weaves enormous tapestries of well-researched historical fiction enhanced by the epic love stories and political intrigues of her lovingly drawn characters, all within a framework of startlingly believable time travel.
When we last saw the Frasers at the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, they were sifting through the charred remains of their home of Fraser's Ridge in North Carolina, speculating about what the intruders who caused the fire hoped to discover. Like any accomplished creator of addictive serials, the author always leaves tantalizing situations begging for resolutions at the end of each book. With the early days of the American Revolution as a backdrop, An Echo in the Bone reveals the avaricious strategy behind the devastating fire on the ridge and yet another relocation of Jocasta Cameron's stolen gold. This installment details Lord John Grey's efforts to see to it that Continental sympathizer Jamie Fraser does not meet his own son, British Lt. William Ransom, on the American field of battle and safely delivers Brianna Fraser MacKenzie and her family back to 1980s America, where life-saving heart surgery is possible for baby Mandy.
The 1745 Scottish Jacobite rebellion against the English crown still echoes in Jamie's bones in 1776. He decides his best weapon in this particular battle is the printing press he left in Edinburgh. The Frasers set off for Scotland to deliver Ian Murray home to his family in the Highlands and retrieve the printing press, but nefarious plots and political calamities intervene. Claire and Jamie end up in the thick of the Battle of Saratoga, encountering Benedict Arnold and William Ransom, among others, before they can embark on another trans-Atlantic crossing. Gabaldon blends the considerable research skills of a college professor with the talents of a gifted storyteller to the continuing delight of her readers. Her historical detail is fascinating, and her characters are always engaging. The latest book presents another rich tapestry dangling just enough loose threads to make us willing to wait another three years for more of the story.
