Read by Davina Porter
For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ...about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....
Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ...in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....
My Thoughts:
I decided to re-read this book as an audio instead since the actual book is more than one-thousand pages long. Also, I recalled that this second book in the series was my least favorite. I wanted my trip with this to be smoother than the first time I read it. I'm glad I did.
Listening to this audio allowed me to appreciate Diana Gabaldon's attention to facts and details. Gabaldon really did all her research to bring the history come to life. Also, she took the time to describe everything that was going on: from the characters, to the settings, and to the situations. I was able to vividly imagine what was happening.
Next, this re-read allowed me to recall many great moments (and not so great) that happened in this book and also showed me some new events. I was able to enjoy reading the interactions between Claire and Jamie, especially towards the end. I also remembered how I disliked that Jonathan Randall came back and how in this book he was not described the villain that he was in the first book. Last, what surprised me the most was that there some things that happened that I don't recall with my first read. I was completely stunned to read the part on how Claire got Jamie out of jail. I won't say much but my jaw dropped and my eyes bulged.
Now, I was able to enjoy this presentation because of Davina Porter. She was one talented reader. I loved how she was able to change her voice into different accents and how she was able to portray each character perfectly. It always fascinated me to hear her pronounce many of the words I butchered while reading the physical copy correctly. Porter really helped bring the book come to life.
Unfortunately, this re-read reminded me why this was my least favorite book in the series. It was too long! As much as I enjoyed all the hard work that Gabaldon put into it, it was too much. After a while I didn't care much as to what was happening in France or what was going on with any other character besides the main ones. I wanted to read more about Claire and Jamie than about the Prince. Yes, it was easier to go through all of these pages as an audio, but it still felt like the historical facts and events wouldn't end.
As a whole, it's not my favorite book but I still love the main characters. The last fourth of the book was my favorite since it brought a little tear to my eye. However, the audio book will be the only way that I would keep re-reading this book. I rate it:
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