Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon

Bonnie Prince Charlie! That name conjures up many different images in people's minds. Was he a great romantic hero whose army was tragically defeated, or a self-centred power-seeker who cared little for his men? We shall never know for certain, but reading the book Dragonfly in Amber', I began at last to get an idea of what life could have been like for the Scottish armies in the 1740s, and the reasons why so many people followed the young prince into the ill-fated battle of Culloden. This novel is actually the story of Clare and Jamie Fraser, sequel to the book 'Cross Stitch'. But it's not a straightforward historical novel: Clare was born ...  Read the complete review

There have always been mysteries surrounding the stone circles that have stood high on the moors of the British Isles for hundreds of years. Many believe that these huge structures were used for the practices of witchcraft and other occult ceremonies. Some even believe that these huge rocks have power today and make a regular pilgrimage to them in the hope of being part of the magic. Claire Randell knows the power of one particular stone circle that sits high on a green hill in Scotland. She knows better than anyone. During a holiday with her husband in 1945 in the Highlands of Scotland, Claire Randell disappeared. Of course there was a search party sent ...  Read the complete review

Dragonfly in Amber By Diana Gabaldon In 1999 I lived in Oxford for a time, working for Leonard Cheshire as a live in help to some young students at Oxford Brookes. I fell in love with the literary feel to the city, and found many places over the warm summer days to sit and immerse myself in books. I would scour the charity shops (yes, Oxford did have some charity shops!) for good reading material on a budget, and spend my days off under leafy green, falling in love with stories of other people’s lives and loves. One of my golden finds in such a charity shop was this book, Dragonfly in Amber. But unlike the others, I didn’t rush away to ...  Read the complete review

Desparate to know what happened next after the wonderful Cross Stitch, I read this book so quickly I had to go back and read it again to take it all in. As a second in the Claire and Jamie series it did not disappoint. Growing up in America, the Bonnie Prince Charlie stuff wasn't really an area I was familiar with. This story made me want to go out and find out more. Through the twists and turns of time, Dragonfly in Amber tells the tale of the Jacobite rising as the characters in the story experience it. I'm not one for history books, facts and dates, but reading what it might have been like for the people involved fascinates me. The story jumps around ...  Read the complete review