The Second Book in Outlander Series: Dragonfly in Amber

When I blogged about Outlander so many years ago, I said that I loved the book but didn’t feel compelled to continue with the series.

I have to take back those words now. Recently, I started watching the Outlander TV series on Netflix, and I felt curious enough to want to know what happened in the next book or so.

So I picked up the second book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber, and it was good enough for me to start and finish Voyager (the third book) over the course of a rainy weekend home.

About Dragonfly in Amber

In Outlander, Claire, a young married English nurse on vacation in Scotland after World War II, accidentally travels back 200 years to 1743. There, she takes up with Highland Hottie Jamie and develops her skills as a healer. Outlander ends with Claire pregnant, and Jamie insisting she go back to the future to save herself and her unborn child since he thinks he is about to die in battle.

Dragonfly in Amber starts 20 years after Outlander ends. Claire is firmly in the 1960s and there’s no sign of Jaime. Nor is there any clue what happened to him.

After this scene setting, Claire starts to narrate what happened to her after the events of Outlander. This section of the book is the meat of the novel and makes for one giant flashback into the past.

The third part returns to the present, with Claire wrapping up her narration and then Claire, Brianna (her daughter), and Roger Wakefield (the historian) trying to find out what happened to Jaime.

My Review

I”ll be honest, I had a good bit of trouble with this book. The first half was a little disorienting (especially because there was a long gap between Outlander and this book). But apart from that, the writing is just weak. It starts off very abruptly, introducing new characters – Claire’s daughter, Brianna, and a historian, Roger Wakefield.

I can tell by Gabaldon’s writing that these are important characters, but they are extremely boring – especially their romance, it’s just not interesting enough to carry forward the first 100 odd pages.

Another boring part comes when Claire’s flashback into the past starts with her and Jaime in Paris trying to prevent Bonnie Prince Charlie from carrying out his plans to retake England. Technically, this section should have been really interesting (I mean, Jacobite intrigues in Louis XV’s court? Well, duh!). Unfortunately, it’s not.

There was a lot of stuff about medical treatments during that time and a lot of entertainment for the aristocracy. The main plot, where Jaime tries to prevent Bonnie Prince Charlie from raising the money needed for an army, seems submerged in all the hum-drum details of daily life.

Another reason this section was boring is that it’s very obvious to the reader that Jaime and Claire are going to fail. There is no way the massacre at Culloden Field can be avoided. And so, it seems we are just killing time on plots that go nowhere until finally, Jaime and Claire are forced to give up and go back to Scotland.

And this is where the story shines! Once they give up trying to change history, the book briefly covers Bonnie Prince Charlie’s campaign, the early victories, the leadership issues, and the tactical errors. This was fascinating stuff! Historical fiction at its best!

The book ends on a really high note, emotional and thrilling! And on a bit of a cliffhanger! I was so glad I had Voyager on hand so I could immediately start with the continuation of the story.

Final thoughts

This book feels more like two books in one. It started very weak, but Gabaldon slowly upped the intensity, and by the time the book ended, I felt fully committed to the series. I have now finished the third book, Voyager, as well, and that’s also been an excellent read. I plan now to complete this series.

Have you read the Outlander books? What are your thoughts on them?