The Fiery Cross

Diana Gabaldon has created a wonderful novel full of detail and emotion that easily draws the reader into the lives of the Fraiser clan, an amazing array of characters living and surviving in the hills of pre-Revolutionary North Carolina. The characters are so full of life and so well developed that it is easy to fall into their lives through the pages of this novel. Having read the last four of this series made it so familiar, but I think that even had one not read these books, the book would still be good.The ability of some of the members to travel through time in order to reunite as a family poses many intersting possibilities and concepts. Will those who are time travelers change the future by their presence, by their ideas, by their knowledge of not only history( a coming Revolution) and what is to come, but their knowledge of medical information(disease and infection treatments) etc. Are there others who are in the "wrong time"?Under what circumstances would you change your future by traveling back to your own time? Would there be a situation that would cause you to leave your current life and abandon your family? What is truly important to each person shows through.The details of everyday living presents an interesting contrast between all that is necessary to go through each day filled with the knowledge of how easy life in your own time is in comparison. Some of the contrasts that go through your mind, managing diapers and other laundry, preventing infection, innoculations,slaughtering animals, getting from place to place, the mail, clearing land etc.The conversations dealing with what they dreamed about (driving their cars) and the foods they had a craving for (pizza and beer) were interesting when contrasted with their actual circumstances.This was an interesting, beautifully painted novel that draws you into the heart of this family, focusing on love, faith, trust and the meaning of family.

I've read it, and I will most likely read it again while waiting for the next book, but as others have stated, I can't say it grabbed me like the previous books.I only stumbled on to the Outlander series last year and have read the other four books three times - almost obsessively. It was impossible to get Jamie out of my mind. I too, just didnt find the passion or adventure in this book as I did in Outlander or Voyager -- which I believe is almost as good as Outlander. But, maybe thats okay. In every span of life there are and need to be periods of time where things are everyday. In many places, reading this book was like going home for the holidays and catching up with the family. It felt good.However, I did find there to be many places that the plot or mini plots were not completed and I was left hanging. I can recall a few times having to back up several pages to see if I had missed something because I read too fast -- the campfire baby left with the Brown family for instance was just a little beyond believeability for me.If we are taking a Bree / Roger vote, I think he's okay, but she is just a bit annoying. She seems so torn between being an everyday Mommy - and some gun shooting Annie Oakley type. I recommend she gets a grip, lets Marsali watch the kid and go hunt and find more adventure. Maybe she would appreciate the amazing opportunity she has and become more interesting. In the next book I would like to see her pick up her gun and join the Regulators in the Revolution - put some of her 1960's radical experience to work instead of whinning.All in all, I still wish I was sitting to the left of Himself at Fraiser Ridge this Thanksgiving!!

This book begins where the previous one left off, at the Highland Gathering in the Carolinas. And then it sits there for about 200 pages which I thought were leisurely and atmospheric, but which one of my friends is getting seriously bogged down in and is planning to skip out of boredom. Truthfully, not a whole lot of important things happen at the Gathering; they could probably be summarized in a single paragraph.Once the Gathering breaks up and everyone goes home, the action picks up. Vivid, exciting scenes pop out; old friends from previous books briefly reappear by correspondence; old (and new) enemies return.However, in retrospect, I'm not left with a strong sense of narrative focus. The central political conflict has to do with the Regulators, I suppose; if I'd realized that when they were first mentioned, I'd've paid more attention to who they were and what/why they were regulating. (I'll try harder when I re-read the book.) The Jacobites were pretty easy to understand, but I'm pretty hazy about these guys.Also, unlike previous books, whose personal focuses were centered on Claire's yearning for her missing husband du jour, or Roger and Brianna's tag-team chase of Claire and Jamie, the main personal quest this time seemed to be about Roger coming to terms with changes in his own life. It's described just as dimensionally as all the previous quests have been, but since it's naturally more introspective, it's less action-packed and exciting.In a way, I wish the first 200 pp could be lopped off the front and added to the back; the book felt as if it ended just as lots of new things were *about* to happen. I did enjoy it, but as a previous reviewer said, if you're bored by the first few pages or chapters, you might want to skip ahead to section #3 (look for the full-page section dividers every few chapters) and start there. I have a feeling that once the next book comes out, it may be possible for an extremely impatient reader to skip this book entirely, as Gabaldon generally does include enough background material near the start of each book to remind you what happened last time.

"The Fiery Cross" is the fifth and last book in Diana Gabaldon's extraordinary "Outlander" series. Claire and James Fraser have weathered more storms than most, crossed oceans and centuries to make a life together, and this last novel is the culmination of all their struggles. We were first introduced to Jamie and Claire right after Claire made the voyage from peaceful 20th century Scotland to 18th century Scotland and total mayhem. We witnessed passion, love and friendship grow between this couple as they began married life, and experienced adventure, adversity and attempted to alter history. Now they have finally settled in North Carolina along with their daughter Brianna, her husband Roger, their son Jemmie, many of their family members and friends from Scotland, including most of Jamies fellow prisoners from Ardsmuir and hundreds of refugees in exile in the wake of the Jacobite rebellion.The novel opens as "The Fiery Cross," used to summon highlanders to war, is lit again at the 1770 Gathering of Clans in the Royal Colony of North Carolina. William Tryon, North Carolina's governor, has asked Jamie to gather men to form a militia in order to put down a local uprising - one of the many precursors to the Revolutionary War.Unlike Ms. Gabaldon's other novels, this is not a book focused on adventures and conflict, with many plot twists and turns, although there is no lack of excitement here. "The Fiery Cross" is all about character growth, interpersonal relationships, survival in the wilderness, and the mature love of a middle-aged couple who adore each other. We have witnessed Claire and Jamie live, work and love, almost as one entity - now they experience what it is like to be family elders, surrounded by loved ones, and wrestle with commonplace chores and leadership issues. Claire, now a beautiful matron in her 50s, spends much of her time utilizing her physician's skills and searching for ways to bring 20th century science to her 18th century practice. James is the founder of the Fraser's Ridge community and acts as an unofficial clan chief to all the families who look to him for leadership. Brianna and Roger, and Fergus and Marsali are young couples coping with a heavy daily work load and parenting. This is a period when backbreaking work, from first light to last, is necessary for survival.Many may not care for this book as much as they did for the others, but I believe that this may be our last glimpse of the Frasers and am glad to see them settled with their loved ones and still very much in love with each other. The Fraser family, especially Claire and James, have come to mean so much to me. They are aging and Ms. Gabaldon clearly shows the toll that the years and their plights have taken. Now she allows her characters to experience some stability, home life and joy of family.Diana Gabaldon has an imagination for which I will always be grateful, and she is as skilled a writer as there ever was. She develops characters so that they truly come to life and remain with the reader forever - no small accomplishment. Her ability to capture the essence of a loving relationship, whether between lovers, spouses, parents and children, or friends can easily move her readers to tears. The dialogue is excellent and the wonderful Scottish dialect, interspersed with Gaelic, adds much to the novels' credibility and the readers' enjoyment.The "Outlander" books are my favorite series and Jamie and Claire my favorite literary characters. "The Fiery Cross" is a worthy culmination to a glorious saga.JANA

I am obsessed with this story. So well written. Never a lull in the storyline. Can’t wait to start the next one!