Latest in "Outlander Series" A Major Disappointment

Note: I will try to avoid spoilers whenever possible, but there is no avoiding them altogether.

I have been a fan of the "Outlander Series" by Diana Gabaldon since it was first published in the United States in 1991. In my opinion, the first three books, and perhaps even the fourth book, are among the greatest achievements of the romance and time travel genres. I raved about the first book to my friends and family and convinced my now ex-husband and my son to read the series. I defended the author whenever I saw articles critical of her handling of the details of life in highland Scotland in the 18th century. And like most of the fanbase, I moaned as the length of time between books became longer and longer. No more! While the fifth book, "The Fiery Cross," was not up to the standard of the first four, I thought surely Ms Gabaldon would redeem herself with the long awaited (four years!) sixth book of the series, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes." Alas, this is not the case.

"A Breath of Snow and Ashes" contains many of the problems noted by readers of "The Fiery Cross": both books are very long, episodic in nature, with little of major importance happening in terms of moving the plot forward. Both books, unlike the first four, are basically a series of tales or episodes. Unfortunately, many (most?) of the episodes seem to have little relationship to the whole: not to the book nor to the series. In the opinion of many, we should be further along into the Revoluntionary War by the end of this book, considering that it was only nine years away at the beginning of the fourth book, "The Drums of Autumn." We are, however, meandering along, taking every detour and Indian path off the main road, in trying to get to some resolution as to the fate of Jamie and Claire.

While I do like historical romances with more grit in them, some of the episodes in "ABofS&A" just degenerate into the macabre. I won't go into details, as that is entering spoiler territory, but the faint of heart need a warning. If you had problems with the gruesome death of a slave in "The Drums of Autumn," you will have problems with the many, many ghastly deaths in "ABofS&A." Ms Gabaldon seems to particularly relish relating in detail the deaths of children, one of which is particularly wrenching.

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING -- STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS

What seems to be the most controversial episode of the novel centers on the reaction by Jamie to the rape of Claire by a group of ruffians. Some of what I am about to write was related on the blog "Sum of Me;" I happen to totally agree with the author's assessment of the rape sequence and Jamie's reaction. The entire rape sequence was by turns absurd, lurid, and totally unnecessary to the story. But what is even more absurd, lurid, and totally unnecessary was Jamie's reaction: his major concern seemed to be whether one of the men had impregnated Claire! We all know that the paternity of Bree's son has been in doubt for the last two books (and caused considerable angst for Roger), so this may be the author's justification for Jamie's obsessing over the possibility of a woman in her mid-50's becoming pregnant. The only way that Jamie can think of to handle the rape of said wife, whom he says that he loves more than life itself, is to take her home and immediately pressure her into having sex, on the pretext that it will be good for her (Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" swells in the background). Jamie's train of thought is obvious to the reader: if she is pregnant, neither of us will ever know if another man is the father. Jamie seems far less concerned that his wife was beaten to a pulp and hardly recognizable when she was rescued, and her emotional/psychological state is also of minimal concern, although Gabaldon does pay brief lip service to that issue.

Are there any good points to write about "A Breath of Snow and Ashes"? My answer is a qualified yes. As usual, Gabaldon has shown that her strong suit is creating memorable characters, although there were some characters in this book that I could have done without, such as the girl who boinked idiot twin brothers and had no idea who fathered her child, so she wanted to marry both of them. This girl, raised by an extremely religious and seemingly educated father, couldn't seem to grasp the fact that neither her non-conformist church, or the official church of England, or any civil authority would recognize such a marriage. And the increasingly strange Aunt Jocasta is back: when auntie was first introduced in book number four, I thought she was in her late 70s, but she seems to get younger in every book. Now she seems to be only a few years older than Claire!

For those who care at this point, there is some resolution to the story of Roger and Bree, although I am not sure if the resolution is permanent. The child of Roger and Bree is mildly obnoxious -- he suffers from the same "cute child syndrome" that seems to be an affliction common to children in historical romances -- as his statements, questions, and behavior would be more appropriate to a child several years his senior. At one point Roger and Bree want to tell this tot of four about the time travel aspects of their lives -- remarkably, common sense kicks in and they decide that need to wait a little longer, until they can make him understand that he cannot blabb the secret to one and all.

Although some may disagree, much of the writing is still familiar -- in many places Gabaldon demonstrates an almost "literary" style of expression that is rare in most romance novels. I do frequently feel as though I am walking in an 18th century forest primeval as her descriptions of place are very spot on.

Will I read the rest of the series? The answer is yes. I have invested much time in these books since 1991 and, as stated previously, the first four are among the best of the romance genre, and the first two, IMO, can hold their own among the best of popular mainstream literature. Perhaps since I am in the same age group as Claire Frasier I don't find it tiresome, as "Sum of Me" remarked, to read about the sex lives of almost 60 year olds! And Jamie doesn't even have Viagra, although if necessary I am sure Claire could spend endless pages trying to whip some up in her lab if she ever got wind of such a thing...But if I could talk to Ms Gabaldon directly, I would encourage her to realize that sometimes less is more, and go back to the days when the first "Outlander" so enthralled the romance reading public before book number seven becomes the size of a small encyclopedia.

Want a Change of Pace? Try a Classic!

As though reading the 998 page "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" wasn't enough to give my biceps a workout, I just started reading Elizabeth Gaskell's "Wives and Daughters," which comes in at a hefty 600 pages. When I was on vacation last week, I finished watching the BBC miniseries version of this novel, first published in the 1860s. A warning: the book was left unfinished due to the sudden & totally unexpected death of the author. However, the book was for all intents and purposes "finished," in that just some loose ends needed to be tied up, and this deed was accomplished neatly in both the print edition and the movie version of the book.

"Wives and Daughters" is the story of Molly Gibson, her father, stepmother, and stepsister who live in a country town in the England of the 1830s. We meet not just the Gibsons but a representative sample of all the various types of people who dwell in "Hollingford," from the titled to the common laborer. This book is surprisingly modern: it deals with the issues of what we would call now a blended family, a mother who has a strained relationship with her only child, a suitor who is a bounder and a cad, a secret family, unrequited love, two brothers, one of whom is the object of affection of both sisters, all told in a story that unfolds slowly and is never melodramatic or sensational. This book, and the miniseries (which is on DVD), is highly recommended. If you enjoy the works of the Brontes, you will savor this novel by the talented Mrs Gaskell.

The Wait, The Wait....

I haven't posted on my blog recently due to some changes at the office, a mini-vacation, and spending time with my son & grandson at their house. The giant and long awaited "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" finally was released at the end of last month. I have read 130 pages out of 998 pages so far, and while my initial impression is that the book is going to be far better than "The Fiery Cross," it doesn't appear to be another "Outlander."

If you have been, as I have, reading Gabaldon's series since it was first published in the U.S. in 1991, you have developed the patience of the proverbial Job waiting for the appearance of the next book in the series. Rumors abound on the internet, so false sightings of the publication date appeared on various blogs like sightings of Elvis until Gabaldon herself gave us a definitive answer earlier this year. In the 14 years since the first book was published, a new one has appeared on the average of every 2.3 years, although it was four years between number five and number six.

Can there be too much time between books in a series? For me, the answer is a qualified yes. It isn't so much a case of forgetting the plots of the previous stories, or what happened to various characters, because those issues can be easily resolved either by re-reading the entire series (which a couple of people who post on the Romantic Times website are doing) or consulting the author's website. For me, the anticipation of the publishing of the next book in the series can become so great that the book itself is a minor letdown. It reminds me of the Thanksgiving Day when my son was four years old: he had been looking forward to the turkey dinner all day, working himself up into a fever of excitement and bugging everyone about when would the turkey be ready. We sat down to eat, and he promptly fell asleep at the table! I think this is what has happened to me having to wait so long for the last two books in this on-going series. It wasn't helped by the fact that Ms Gabaldon took on other writing assignments (the generally disappointing John Gray series) that apparently cut into her research and writing time for "ABofS&A."

I will always love the "Outlander" series -- I think it is a brilliant achievement and I recommend the books to anyone who loves realistic, gritty historical novels. Jamie and Claire are wonderful characters. There is no way I will not read the concluding books in the series, but I hope that the author doesn't make us wait quite so long between the final books in the series as she did between numbers five and six.