Voyager (Outlander Book 3) by Diana Gabaldon

 

Publication Date:  January 1, 1994

Length: 870 pages

This week I finished my third read of this book. I have wanted to read and review all the Outlander books for my blog eventually but this one is especially important to me as it is my favorite of the series. This book is magical.  The first three Outlander books are the best but Voyager has it all. Battles, time travel, sea voyages, Pirates, plague, exotic islands, and witchcraft. And that's only the beginning of the unique storylines and settings found between the covers. I already know someday I will read it again, which sounds crazy because I can't think of another book I've read four times. But it is also 870 pages and every time I think I will be bored and remember everything I am proven wrong. It just never gets old for me. 

The story begins with Jamie's perspective of the Battle of Culloden and his miraculous survival. In the first two books of the series it feels as though one is waiting forever to get to this moment and it makes the opening of the story so satisfying. We see him go from Scottish warrior, to fugitive, to prisoner, and indentured servant in the first parts of the story and this timeline is overlapped with his time traveling wife Claire's life back in 1960's Boston. She is trying to raise their daughter, Brianna, with her husband Frank, failing miserably in her grief over losing her 18th century life with Jamie and believing he has died on Culloden Moor. Although her life as mother, and eventually, doctor is rewarding in its own way, Claire can never escape her ghosts, and she and Frank pretend, for Brianna's sake, to get along in their shaky marriage.

This storyline develops over a period of twenty years. Gabaldon masterfully switches back and forth through the first third of the book between their two centuries, letting the reader in on each of their lives in detail, weaving memories with current situations all of which lead them to a joyous, tumultuous reunion and ultimately, a test to see if they are still made for each other. Jamie and Claire are reunited but what makes the story so realistic and unique is that the challenges they face seem to worsen and test them instead of a world of romantic nostalgia where they just live happily ever after. Both have changed dramatically, while still retaining deep love and connection, but with the maturity that comes with age and life experience. Jamie has a somewhat shady past and occupation,  and Claire struggles to fit back into the world of long ago, having had to create such a different life after she traveled back through the stones in the previous book. All of this takes place while mourning what they have lost over the last two decades and feeling guilt for certain choices they have had to make.

As we settle in for the second half of the book things become a bit more stable between Jamie and Claire, but not with their lives. Starting from Jamie's ancestral home, Lallybroch in Scotland, they end up halfway across the world, looking for one of Jamie's kidnapped relatives. Plague, pirates, and pursuing British officers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their troubles and with a displaced Chinaman and young married couple in tow, Claire and Jamie find themselves struggling to manage it all without losing each other again. We are taken on a wild ride from the island of Hispanola, where we meet a strange, befuddled priest, to Jamaica where we meet not one, but two characters from the past. Finally, they are blown off course to a new life which will begin in the next book, Drums of Autumn. 

I don't want to give away too much of the details because I find half the joy of Voyager is in the not knowing, or in my case, not remembering, all the tiny, moving parts throughout the novel. There are so many surprises, coincidences, and exotic settings that it makes your head spin at times. Just when you think you've figured things out, another side story is thrown in. I especially love the atmospheric surroundings created in Jamaica, and when I visited the island in 2019, I re-read the section of the book in which they travel there. It had been described perfectly, and I even toured Rose Hall, a real plantation that is mentioned, although it is slightly different from the one used in the story. The small bits of history, including the Maroons of the island made me want to research more on my own, and to appreciate the people I met in Jamaica all the more. 

The hardest part of reading Voyager for me is when it ends. I feel like the first three Outlander books are their own story. When we reach book four a new chapter in Jamie and Claire's lives begins and for me, it just never feels quite the same as before. I love all of the series books in their own way, but the world created in Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager will always stand out as a cut above. The heart of the story never returns quite as much as it did before so I'm always a little sad to see it go. Luckily these books are so long and detailed they never get old and you can always start again at the beginning, knowing you will likely pick up some new detail you missed the last time.  

Enemy in the House by Mignon G. Eberhart

Publication Date:  January 1, 1962

Length: 216 pages

My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 3 out of 5 stars

WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK:

I absolutely love historical fiction set in the West Indies, especially Jamaica. They are hard to find, let alone find one that is also a mystery. So this book was right up my alley. Throw in that it is considered a classic, having been written in the 1960's, and I just had to read it. I also had never heard of this author and when I went to do a little research was surprised to find how many stories she penned in her lifetime. You'd think she'd be a more familiar name. Maybe the whole mystery vibe had been done so much she was just one of many by the time her books were being published. I planned for it to be an Agatha Christie type book and to some degree it is but it is also different in its own way. The book synopsis leads you to believe it will take place in South Carolina as well but I found most of the book was set in Jamaica. Which was just fine with me. 

SUMMARY:

Amity Mallam is a southerner living in South Carolina during the American Revolution. Her father has fled to Jamaica, leaving her to run their plantation alone. It is a daunting task, especially since rebel leaders are bent on seizing the property of loyalists for themselves and Amity is feeling overwhelmed. To further complicate matters, Amity's father has remarried since her mother's death to a woman named China, who produces a son, her half brother Jamey. Even though her father has not changed his will and Amity continues to be the heir of the family fortune, it is problematic in that she must bear the burden of her father's absence. Her Uncle and Aunt Grappit and cousin Neville are at present living with her but known for being self serving, are not much comfort. 

Even though Amity is interested in another suitor, Charles, who is China's brother and away at present, she decides to marry her rebel cousin, Simon Mallam for practical reasons, and to find out what has happened to her father. Simon professes to have loved her since they were children and Amity feels gratefulness and affection for him, if not true love. Surprising her with their unexpected arrival on the ship, China, Jamey, and Charles follow Amity as she travels to the family sugar plantation, Mallam Penn, in Jamaica. On the way, China informs Amity that the Parson who married her and Simon was found dead at the bottom of a hill with his neck broken. At first glance it would seem the Parson was the victim of a drunken accident but China reveals that the same night, the family lawyer, Mr. Benfit, was found shot to death. It seems odd and coincidental to Amity that both were present at the wedding and both are now dead. 

Arriving in Jamaica, Amity discovers her Aunt, Uncle, and cousin have seemingly followed her there. She is immediately suspicious and when they tell her their news about her father she is alarmed. Her Uncle relishes in his role as Amity's paternal influence although she is less than impressed with him. He is arrogant and condescending and Amity finds herself unwilling to trust he has her best interests at heart. As mysterious happenings begin to haunt the plantation and a girl is murdered, Amity is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of what has befallen her father and to learn who might be out to sabotage her and her family. She knows the two murders back home of the pastor and the lawyer must be connected to everything else and it will take a lot of sleuthing to figure out how it all fits together. 

WHAT I LIKED:

Well, obviously as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, the huge draw for me was the setting. The 18th century, American Revolution, Jamaica, haunted plantations, yes please! I also found the additional murder mystery to be intriguing and Eberhart does a skillful job of not giving the game away too quickly. I was truly lost for most of the book trying to figure things out. She added a few surprises along the way that really shocked and kept me guessing. The manners and mores of the time were adhered to well and I thought her romantic touches were nice between some of the characters. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

The ending. I hate to be so blunt and I won't give any spoilers away but so much felt unresolved. The main events were taken care of nicely but I literally turned to the last page and was shocked to find it was over. It was kind of odd. It felt a bit like a short story that had another sequel coming. There were characters that still felt in a bit of danger and you were left wondering if they made it out okay and to safety. Others were those you hoped got more of what was coming to them but unfortunately you don't get to find out. It was very strange. Almost as if the author just wanted to be done with it and hoped the reader would accept not knowing the full story. 

RECOMMEND? OR NOT? Yes, with a few reservations....

If you are needing everything fully wrapped up at the end you might be a bit disappointed. But overall I liked this book. The mystery was interesting, the setting unusual, and the plot intriguing. I gave it three stars for the reasons I've already stated but still think it was great for those of us who love historical mysteries. I would like to read another one of her books to fully appreciate her writing and see if I continue to be interested. 

 

 

The Summer Country by Lauren Willig

 

Publication Date: June 4, 2019

Length: 480 pages

I had such high hopes for this book. And there are many positives about it. The lush descriptions of Barbados and its plantations, the people, and the bustling city of Bridgetown in the 1800's.  I was excited because I am always looking for books that accurately portray life in the West Indies long ago and that include depictions of slave owners and slaves without being politically correct. The first few chapters I felt I'd finally found what I was looking for but as I continued it just seemed that many of the situations between the characters were a bit fantastical for the time and place.

It is entirely understandable. After all, it is a balancing act to write about plantation life in our modern times. People often don't want realism here but rather, rewritten history. I prefer truth. And this book just felt historical fiction that was way too heavy on the fiction. 

The style of the book was unique and different. Willig skips back and forth between two time periods, allowing short glimpses to unfold with a dash of mystery. Just about the time you think you are immersed in a character's life she switches back to the past or present. Some might be bothered by this but I found it kept suspense high and made me want to keep reading. 

The story revolves around Emily Dawson and her relationship to the Davenants who are owners of a neighboring plantation. Emily has inherited Peverills upon the death of her uncle and to the shock and surprise of her brother and family she has decided to try to stay and make something of it. Her life takes place during the mid-1800's and as the story switches back and forth in time we are privy to the life of Charles Davenant, living in the early part of the century and his struggle to run Peverills. There is a family mystery brewing throughout that involves deception, romance, and racial strife and Willig does a superb job of giving the reader just enough information to stay curious without giving away too much too quickly. She is a good writer and the dialogue and interactions between the characters is authentic.

Where it went off the rails for me was toward the middle to end of the book. It wasn't so much the mystery (that was quite interesting) but rather that if felt like she was trying too hard to make it a political commentary. While I understand that interracial relationships may have been different in the West Indies than say the Deep South in the United States it still felt like the characters were deliberately put into situations where they were either atoning for their sins or unrealistically modern in their reactions. It just felt a bit forced and took away from the excellent story and atmosphere she'd created at the beginning. 

I am always open to trying other books by an author to see if I feel differently with a different storyline. I have seen some solid reviews for her earlier work and plan to read one to see if I enjoy it.