Dragonfly in Amber

by Diana Gabaldon

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The second book in Diana Gabaldon's acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series. "A triumph! A powerful tale layered in history and myth. I loved... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0770428770
• ISBN13: 9780770428778
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Seal Books
• Length: 976 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic read.

This book is well written, has a great mix of magic and history with a storyline that keeps you wanting more

Did not arrive in the condition I paid for

I paid for a good condition book and it arrived with warped pages, a sticker inside it on the first page, visible damage to the cover and spine, and what appears to be a wax seal melted on the inside of the front cover that had gotten on the following page. And that’s just from looking at the outside and opening the cover not even looking at the pages yet. Overall seems like a very poor condition book for having paid for a good condition book.

Great read!

I'm addicted to this series, and can't wait to finish Dragonfly in Amber so I can read the next book!

I had a problem

I was in the middle of reading this and it skipped pages, 33 to be exact and I am very upset

I have enjoyed the book and plan to read it over again. I was glad to see that Claire volunteered to work in the hospital in France while both she and Jamie were there. I liked the friends she made with the Reverend Mother and Master Raymond. I was glad that that Fergus was adopted by Jamie and Claire. I was sad when they lost the baby. It was a fast paced book.

I still have dreams about this book twelve years later. What a journey.

Easily a favorite

Ms. Gabaldon is my favorite modern author, and this book is a prime example of why. A sequel to "Outlander" and a book that could possibly stand on it's own, "Amber" is humorous, dramatic, romantic and heartwrenching all in one. It's also riveting. Ms. Gabaldon writes characters as though she's lived with them all her life. She also considers details that some might not even think of: Claire horrifying her husband with newly waxed legs; a sight he'd never beheld before. The French plot is as good as any Tom Clancy novel, and the Culloden plot is as endearing as Jane Austin. The irony in that lay in the fact that the French plot is back in history and Culloden is 1968. Pick up "Outlander" and pick this one up to follow it!

In A Word - OUTSTANDING!!

I usually do not care for sequels, whether in novels or films. After reading Diana Gabaldon's wonderful book, "Outlander," I was sure she could not come up with another book to match the first. I was wrong and "Dragonfly In Amber" is an exception to my rule and an exceptional book. Once you begin to read, you will find yourself absorbed immediately and probably forget the novel's length (900+ pages). In fact, you may find yourself wishing it were longer.There are two major storylines here. One takes place in the 18th century. Claire Randall, who had traveled back in time from post WWII Scotland to a Scotland preparing for the restoration of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to the throne, had married James Fraser and confided to him the truth of her time travels. She also told him of the coming disaster of the Battle of Culloden Moor, (1745), and its terrible aftermath for all of Scotland. Together they do everything in their power to halt the inevitable uprising, including move to Paris to become part of the Prince's entourage and perhaps effect a change in history through their relationship with the Jacobites living in France. The relationship developed between Claire and Jamie continues to grow in this book. Their intensely passionate love and close friendship is extremely moving. Although James is a very strong and competent person, Claire with her strength of character, independence, resourcefulness and nursing skills moves adeptly through another time period and is as indispensable to James as he is to her. We travel with both of them, from the Scottish highlands to the pomp of the French court, as they attempt to impact history and continue on together with a love that transcends the boundaries of time.The second and parallel plot takes place in 1968. Culloden is 200 years in the past. James had sent Claire back to the future to keep her and their unborn child safe from Scotland's fate right before the doomed battle and, they both believed, Jamie's inevitable death during the fight. Claire still feels the bitterness of the intrigues, betrayals, murders, treason and violence that were so much a part of her life with James as they fought together to spare Scotland from its future. Twenty years have passed and Claire, now a doctor, and her daughter Brianna, travel to Scotland from Boston. Brianna does not know the truth about her mother's history, before her birth, nor who her real father is. Claire's 20th-century husband is now dead and she is determined to discover what happened to James, their family and friends. He was her soulmate and the only man she ever loved. If there is a chance at all to find her Jamie, or at least discover what happened to him, she is will do it.Once again Ms. Gabaldon deftly portrays 18th century Scotland and France and immerses the reader in another time with her superb historical research and writing style. Her characters, major and minor, complex and simple, grow and develop as you read. Ma

A LOVE THAT TRANSCENDS TIME CONTINUES TO RIVET THE READER...

This is the second in a series of time travel, adventure/romance books by the author. There are four such novels published to date in what is hoped to be a series of six books. These novels have engaged readers everywhere, because of the author's masterful storytelling, as well as for the superlative use of historical detail which is woven into the tapestry in this most intriguing of stories.While the core of the story is about a love that transcends time, it would be a disservice to label it a romance, as it is much more than that. It is a wonderful adventure story interspersed with actual historical events and authentic period detail. It is this attention to such matters by the skillful pen of the author that renders these books three dimensional and so enjoyable. They are positively addictive!The love of the ages that binds these books is the love that twentieth century Claire Randall has for the eighteenth century Scottish highland warrior, James Fraser. Those of you who read the first book in the series, "Outlander", know that in 1945, Claire, an Englishwoman and combat nurse during World War II, is reunited with her husband, Frank, after the war. While on a second honeymoon in Scotland, she visits a strange, flat topped hill in the highlands of Scotland, where a forbidding stone circle draws her. Touching one of the stones, she is hurled through a vortex in time and finds herself in eighteenth century Scotland, where she meets a brave and brawny, red headed Scot, James Fraser, with whom she falls completely in love, body and soul. Finding herself thrust into the midst of clan warfare and intrigue, she and her beloved 'Jamie' have enough adventures to last a lifetime, which makes for a riveting story.This book is a continuation of that story. It is told from the perspective of the twentieth century where Claire, who is now a doctor, has lived for the past twenty years. Upon the death of her twentieth century husband, Frank, Claire returns to Scotland with her grown, red headed daughter, Brianna. There, she discloses to Brianna the events of her secret past, as well as the truth of whom Brianna's biological father actually is and of the love that Claire bore him.While in Scotland, however, Claire discovers something that will forever change her future, as well as her past. You see, for the past twenty years, Claire has believed that her beloved 'Jamie' died in the historic battle of Culloden. It was there that the Scottish highlanders bravely fought the English in a misguided attempt to restore Charles Stuart, their bonny Prince Charlie, to the English throne, only to be decimated and branded as Jacobite traitors. It was this very event that she and James Fraser had conspired to change only to fail. It was this failure that brought Claire and 'Jamie' to a crossroad that would force them to part and have Brianna become a denizen of the twentieth century.This book continues the saga so deftly begun in "Outlander". It tells the story of what hap

Best Series I've ever read!

I can't say enough about these books. If I had to pick a favorite author, there would be no contest. Just remember, if you are new to reading these books, make sure to read them in order! Outlander, Dragonfly In Amber, Voyager & Drums of Autum, in that order. I never wanted to books to end and I am dying for the next two to be released!

Unbeatable! The BEST Historical Romance Novel EVER!

I started this series with Dragonfly In Amber, although it is the 2nd book of the series. I was at a library skimming through and i happened to open up the cover (of the paperback) and saw an artist's depiction of Jamie. WELL, I just had to read the book because Jamie (the drawing)looked so handsome. Anyways, I read the book, and could not believe how AWESOME it was, I actually had a dream about the characters (no lie) because Ms. Gabaldon made it so real . Needless to say, I bought Outlander the next day, and read the entire series back to back. This is the book that started me off though, and I have never felt so strongly attached or so emotional about Jamie and Claire (I can't tell you how many times I burst out laughing or bawled like a baby). It makes me feel like I have a special bond with them somehow, like no one else can intrude in our world. I am a hopeless romantic and have read countless novels, but I am happy to say that Jamie and Claire's stories are the only ones falling apart (from being re-re-re-read of course) BUY THIS BOOK & THE WHOLE SERIES....YOU WILL LOVE IT =)