A
Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
BONUS:
This edition includes an excerpt from Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone.
Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.
Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.
The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.
With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.
Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.
Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.
The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.
With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.
Published & Release Date: Random
House, September 27, 20005
Time
and setting: 1773 - 1776 North Carolina/1980 Scotland
Genre:
Historical Romance/Epic Adventure/Time-Travel
Heat
Level: 2
Reviewer rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns
Vikki’s Musings
This is another great addition to the Outlander series. A word of warning,
make sure you buy the audio by Davina Porter, unabridged. I accidentally
ordered the abridged with a different narrator and was terribly disappointed. I
had to constantly stop the audio and read without listening to a great many
parts of the book. It did not include any of Lizzie’s sub-plot and much of
Donner’s intrigues. That is why I have included the link to the correct audio
book. Thank goodness for word search on my Kindle!
The saga continues in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. The eve of discontent marches forward,
bringing to life what led up to the American Revolution. Up to this point, Jamie
has walked a fine line between support of the king, or declaring his allegiance
to the freedom fighters. The governor of North Carolina appoints him a colonel
to lead the militia against the uprising. Since Jamie knows what will happen in
a few years, his heart is not in it. As time marches on, he becomes embroiled
in the delegation for freedom and affixes his signature on a document that declares
him a traitor to England.
There so many facets to this book that at times it
boggles the mind trying to keep it all straight. I am so glad I decided to go
back to the beginning and read these remarkable books again. A Breath of Snow and Ashes gives me a
multi cast of characters. Many I have grown to love, others not so much. While
I love Roger’s character with his faithfulness and honor, I struggle with Bree’s
character. I did love the feistiness and courage she shows when she is
kidnapped and ends up in the hands of Stephen Bonnet. Most women would give up,
but Bree never does.
My heart ached for what Claire had to endure in this
episode of the saga. Ms. Gabaldon handles the rape scene with compassion.
Claire being Claire, she did not let this pull her down. Just like the ‘Energizer
Bunny’ she keeps on ticking. I think
Jamie handles the situation extremely well as usual. For a couple in their
fifties, they are astonishingly agile and very vigorous in their lovemaking.
Having gone through that age myself, I found that believable if a bit rare. The
thread that runs true this this amazing tale is the power of the love Jamie and
Claire feel for each other.
The audio book I listened to, leaves so much out
that to me keeps the story together, like the meeting with Lord John and
William when Brianna realizes this young man can be none other than her
brother. In the audio, she meets him on the quay and Lord John is not even
there! Even though I have finished listening to the audio book, I am still
reading the last part of the book. I hope no one else makes the mistake I made.
When I read An
Echo in the Bone, I struggled with so much of it. And wanted to throw my
Kindle against the wall by the time it ended. I believe I will feel quite differently
this time around. I can’t wait to get started on this one, and I made sure I
downloaded the correct audio this time. Happy reading!
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