An Echo in the Bone (Outlander)

by Diana Gabaldon

Paper Book, 2009

Series

Outlander (7)

Genres

Publication

Delacorte Press (2009), Edition: 1st, 820 pages

Description

As battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-travelling wife Claire Randall flee from North Carolina to the high seas during the American Revolution, they encounter privateers and ocean battles. Meanwhile in the relative safety of the 20th century Brianna (Claire and Jamie's daughter) and Roger MacKenzie, Brianna's husband, search for clues not only to Claire's fate--but to their own fate in the Highlands.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: The American Revolution is in full swing, and while its effects haven't quite reached to Fraser's Ridge yet, Claire and Jamie know what's coming. They decide to return to Scotland to get Jamie's printing press, and help the war effort that way, as Jamie's feeling a bit to old to be a
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 regular soldier... plus he does not want to run the risk of facing William, his illegitimate son who is now an officer in the British Navy, across the lines of battle. But of course, nothing in Jamie and Claire's life ever runs according to plan, and they must face press gangs, murderous sea captains, Indians, British troops, blackmailers, supply shortages, medical emergencies, treason, old foes, and new complications before they can face down the spectres of the past and finally begin to realize the future that Claire knows is coming.

Oh, also, Brianna and Roger are readjusting to life in the 1980s, and realizing that history may be more malleable than they'd previously thought.

Review: I read in an interview somewhere that Gabaldon wants to continue the Outlander series until 1800. At the time, I dismissed that as flatly impossible... 1800 would make Jamie and Claire pushing ninety, which seems remarkably unlikely, even given Claire's medical training and knowledge of nutrition. In An Echo in the Bone, however, it becomes clear for the first time how Gabaldon means to shift her focus to the next generation. Brianna, Roger, Young Ian, and William take much more of the spotlight in this book, and while the book still resolves around the Jamie and Claire - who, let's be honest, are the characters that everyone loves, and the reason most of us keep reading - it's clear that the torch is preparing to be passed.

Jamie and Claire aren't going to fade into the background just yet, however; they're both still healthy and spry and getting into all sorts of trouble, and still going at it like randy teenagers whenever the opportunity presents itself (I will admit to mentally editing them back down to their Outlander-era ages whenever they were Doin' It. Plus, there was a rather lengthy discussion on the frequency of red vs. gray hairs above vs. below Jamie's neck that I just really, really didn't need. Aaanyways.) Gabaldon's characters really do feel like family, and while not every episode leads somewhere that advances the plot, almost all of the chapters feel like spending time with old friends.

The exception was William. While we've spent plenty of time with young Ian, and Brianna and Roger, and thus love them (almost) as much as we do Jamie and Claire, this is the first we've really seen of William as an adult... and we get a lot of his POV chapters, and man alive, did I find them dull. This was also the first time where Gabaldon assumed that her Outlander readers had also read the Lord John books... which I haven't, and as a consequence, I was almost completely lost for most of Lord John's POV chapters.

Other than that, though, this book ticked along nicely, with plenty of action, plenty of humor, and more than once where it managed to wring real tears out of my cold dead heart. It's got all of the things that I love about this series, plus it ends with major cliffhangers in just about everyone's storylines, so it's clear that Gabaldon's not done yet. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Don't start the series here, obviously. But for Outlander fans, this book feels like a return home, as well as a start to plenty of interesting things to come.
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LibraryThing member busyreadin
I'm not sure how to review this book. At the end of A Breath of Snow & Ashes, I was almost content enough with the ending to accept it as the end of the series if that had been the case. Yes there were a few loose ends, but it was a satisfying ending.

I struggled some with An Echo. I really got
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 bogged down in the minutiae of the battles and the strategy. It seemed that Jaime & Claire were somewhat unimportant to the story for much of the book. I enjoyed what there was of them, though. I also enjoyed Roger & Brianna adjusting to life back in "real" time.

Maybe I've just grown bored with the whole story...there were many things in this one that I found myself thinking "oh, come on". There were also more loose ends created than there were tied up.

I will continue to read the series; I have too much time invested in Jaime & Claire not to follow them to the end. But I guess I sometimes wish I could see the end in sight.
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LibraryThing member justabookreader
An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in the Outlander series. I will say this right up front --- not as discouragement but as a matter of fact --- if you have not read the six preceding novels, don't bother with this one. You'll be confused and annoyed by page eight and want to hurl the book
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 across the room, and at 814 pages (hardcover), you're likely to break something.

The reason for the above warning --- Gabaldon jumps right in where the last book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, left off. If you don't know who these characters are or how and why some of them end up moving from 1776 to 1980, it would be hard to catch up quick enough to enjoy the story.

If you're familiar with Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his time traveling doctor wife, Claire, then be prepared for a long and meandering story. Having read all of the previous books, I'm fully vested at this point and couldn't wait for this one. Gabaldon answers a lot of questions and leaves you with many more and an obvious eighth book. At least there better be because now I'm left wondering and I hate that!

Jamie and Claire Fraser are still on Fraser's Ridge in North Carolina waiting for their chance to depart for Scotland with their nephew Ian Murray. It's 1776 and the American Revolution is looming. Claire being the time traveler that she is knows what's going to happen and, Jamie, having lost too much in wars past, is trying to get them out before things start erupting.

Unfortunately, before they set foot in Scotland, Jamie ends up in the Continental Army. Luckily, both get through the few battles they see relatively unharmed but a bit battered. In trying to make their way back home, they end up encountering pirates, see two battles of the American Revolution, death, new life, a return from the dead, and new love.

Let's sum it up by saying it's a long trip for both of them. Keeping in mind this is essentially a love story, in order to make the story interesting and move it along, there's a kidnapping, spy charges, lots of fighting, and, oh yeah, sex. Lots and lots of sex.

One of the things I enjoy about this series, aside from the characters which I just find irresistible and charming, is the medical knowledge imparted by Claire. She’s a 20th century surgeon transplanted into the 18th century and doing the best she can to heal people without the technology she’s used to. She gathers plants, makes her own penicillin, and somehow manages to operate on people with a fairly high success rate. She's endearing for this quality and Jamie, well, I guess I find something entrancing about a big, redheaded, Scottish man.

So while I have to say I didn't love this book as much as the first (I always find that to be the case with a series like this one.), I did enjoy it immensely. It's extremely potent and highly addictive brain candy. I find Jamie and Claire to be incredibly entertaining characters and I always want to know more about their life together and the people in it. So, I guess that means at least three more years of waiting to find out what happens with these two.
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LibraryThing member TerriBooks
I love this series -- mostly because I just love Claire and Jamie, and Claire and Jamie together. That chemistry still works in this book - and actually I enjoy following them even more as they grow older together. However, I found this book seemed too long and disjointed. There were a lot of
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 places I just wanted the story to move along better. And then when it did, it hopped all over creation, from North Carolina to Quebec. The flow was missing. I got irritated by the constant coincidences that allowed Gabaldon to bring in famous historical characters, for no good purpose, and by her over-dependence on the time-travel trick. I imagine I'll go ahead and read the next book, but I think it may be time for this series to come to a graceful end.
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LibraryThing member coffeenut1992
Sigh, this far into the saga of Jamie and Claire, and I am still hooked. I love this whole series and know that I will be heartbroken when it is over. Ms. Gabaldon is a gifted author and has really managed to make these characters come to life. Her many characters are varied and complex. I am
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 hopelessly in love with the entire Fraser family and almost feel as though they are my own.

Thank you for another journey, Diana.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
These books are crazy long, yet Ms. Gabaldon manages to make each event fresh, each interaction between her characters new. The American Revolution takes center stage in this novel, but there are enough chapters about modern events to keep Breanna and Roger fresh in the reader's mind. All in all a
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 satisfying read - and the Scottish is so much fun to read!
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LibraryThing member Scratch
I'm done. That is, I'm finally done with this 800-page tree stump, and I fear I'm also done with this series. Now, I'm normally a dirty-realism kind of reader, and the idea of reading a time-travel romance would normally send me into gales of snobbish laughter. But I picked up Outlander in the days
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 directly following 9/11, having decided that I needed to read something that had nothing to do with anything. To my surprise, I liked it. Appealing protagonist, fascinating historical detail, and good dirty bits as well. I read the books as they came out, and I began to notice a shift in emphasis from the female characters to the males. More war, less physick. (And what is with Gabaldon and her penchant for writing gay male sex scenes???) Basically, as the series evolved, it lost what originally attracted me. This book is overlong, overcrowded with people and events, and not likely to gain Gabaldon any new followers. Pity.
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LibraryThing member Glorybe1
I have always shied away from reviewing this series of books by Diana Gabaldon as I always felt that my reviewing skills wouldn't really do them justice! They are so jam packed with everything you could want from a book!
The series comes under the heading of Romance but this does not do it justice
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 at all! There are high jinx and adventure at every turn of the page, along with time travel, sadness, happines a bit of medical drama and yes there is romance but there is so much more than that!
An Echo in the Bone is like the other books bursting with adventure, with twists and turns at every turn , and as with the others ends on a cliff hanger (oh goody there will be another one!!)
Once you start reading these books you will be caught up with the story of Claire and Jamie and their large extended family!
Believe me when you read the first in the series you will want to read on, and good luck to you, you will be in for a treat!!
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LibraryThing member love2laf
I knew it wasn't going to end without questions, but this was frustrating! That of course means, I really enjoyed the book, being so involved that I'm wondering what happens to Roger, Jem, Jamie, Claire, etc.!
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
After seven books, thousands of pages, and hundreds of audiobook hours, anyone reading or listening to An Echo in the Bone soon realizes that the Outlander series just is not what it started out to be. Gone are the witty dialogue, sensual and heart-melting romantic scenes, and fast-paced, thrilling
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 narrative that made the first book so exciting. Instead, one is left with a plodding story, a hugely inflated cast of characters, horrifying descriptions, and sex scenes that are more about scratching an itch than an expression of love. It is a sad state of affairs indeed.

Making matters worse, Jamie and Claire are no longer the central characters of the story. In fact, readers see more of Willie, Young Ian, Lord John, Bree, and Roger than they see of Jamie and/or Claire. It is a shift in focus that may not sit well with fans, as Jamie and Claire are the Outlander series in ways none of the other characters will ever be. Given how many words Ms. Gabaldon devotes to the creaking or aching of their bones, the greying of their hair, and the like, one gets the distinct impression that she is trying to pave the way for the next generation of Frasers, McKenzies, and Murrays to take over the story. It will be interesting to see if that is indeed the case, or if she will end the series upon either Jamie’s or Claire’s death. Of even more importance is whether fans will also follow the next generation or will end their following with Jamie and Claire.

Causing further injury to the series are the poor writing, the excessive melodrama, and the pedantic pacing of the story. Ms. Gabaldon’s reliance on metaphors and similes for descriptions is tedious, while the metaphors and similes she uses are absolutely cringe-inducing and, most of the time, highly inappropriate for the scene being described. She uses these devices so often that a reader begins to dread any descriptive passage in fear of the next horrible metaphor she presents.

There has always been a high level of melodrama in each of these stories, but An Echo in the Bone seems to take it to whole new levels. The last 100-200 pages, or two hours on the audiobook, are particularly bad as Ms. Gabaldon rushes to create cliffhangers for each of her characters and set up interest in yet another Outlander book. The situations are somewhat predictable and mostly comical and just plain weird. If anything, they are good for a good eye roll and snicker of amusement.

Other than the last 100-200 pages, the rest of the story is agonizingly slow and anti-climactic, a trend that first appeared in book four. The story meanders from North Carolina to the high seas to New York, Quebec, Scotland, Paris, and back again, following one character and then another. None of what occurs in the middle of the story has any bearing on the ambiguous last scenes for each character, so it is not as if Ms. Gabaldon were building up to a big finish. Rather, the middle sections feel like exactly what they are – fillers and a chance for readers to get to better know the characters other than Jamie and Claire. One could almost read the first and last 100-200 pages and skip the rest without losing too much or becoming lost. In a novel that is well over 1000 pages, or 46 hours, that is just too much filler.

Of course, Davina Porter remains an outstanding narrator and one of the sole reasons to continue this series. Her performance is spectacular, especially as her voices never change from book to book, and her approach to the narration is conversational in tone. She makes it so easy to forget that she is performing a two-dimensional story. One just wishes she had better material with which to work.

Unfortunately, the multiple endings of An Echo in the Bone make it impossible for long-time readers to obtain the closure they seek. Multiple cliffhangers and open-ended plot lines for all of the major characters mean that their unknown fates will entice readers to continue with the series no matter how readers feel about it. After seven books, fans want to know whether their favorites will live happily ever after, and Ms. Gabaldon makes that impossible with the way she set up the ending. If she used most of the novel to build up for the next book, then a reader might be more excited about continuing. As it stands, fans know they will get answers to the cliffhangers, and the rest of the next story is a complete guess. One can only hope that book eight will finally end this long-winded series and give fans the closure they deserve.
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LibraryThing member brainella
I had great expectations for this book. I re-read the entire series so I could pick up where we left off with A Breath of Smoke and Ashes. I was very excited to start this book. What a waste of time and effort. Echo in the Bone is a meandering, disjointed, badly edited book. Jumping from story to
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 story is bad enough but I'm infinitely tired of having to read all the side stories instead of focusing on Jamie and Claire. Seriously, I thought this series was about them.

Brianna's character is horrid. She's a snide, nasty, self-righteous person. Can't take it. Wish Roger would heave her over and find someone nice. The William/Lord John stories do not fit in this book. What was the editor thinking? Since she can sell books, let her write exactly what she wants?

I don't know why it has gone off-track. I refuse to read this book. I'm one-third of the way through and do not want to waste my time being disgusted by each chapter. I don't even care what happens now. I'm very sad by this -- 800 pages of wandering stories. For instance, when Ian takes the two "boys" to brothel. Why include that story? It means nothing to the storyline other than to include Arch Bug at some point. These characters will never be seen again unless she sticks them in later in some other book. And will they be remembered? Doubtful.

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
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LibraryThing member littlebear514
I really, really wanted to love this book. I feel like I've been waiting forever and just imagining what's going to happen to Jamie and Claire. Instead, she brings more secondary characters and makes them main characters, taking a lot of the focus off of Jamie and Claire. I did like what included
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 them, but I felt like the book really dragged in some places. I did like Young Ian being more involved than previously, but I could've done without William being so heavily involved in the majority of the book. (I did like his bit in the end, though.) I hate to say it, but I'm really dissapointed with this book. I guess my expectations were too high. I will definitely read the next book in the series, but only because I loved the previous books so much- not based on this book.
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LibraryThing member mzonderm
I really hope that Diana Gabaldon is already at work on the 8th book in this wonderful series. I certainly think she left too many cliffhangers at the end of this installment not to be. I'm not entirely sure that this book is quite up to the standard set by the first 6 in the series, but anyone as
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 taken with Jamie and Claire (and their various compatriots) will be left as breathless as ever.
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LibraryThing member peavey1109
Gabaldon is still the best for historical fiction. I read her books for that as much as the love story of Claire and Jamie. This installment left me crying! for more and now I must put my mind in hibernate mode until the next installment. I liked the story told from many perspectives, but still
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 enjoy Claire and Jamie's voices the best.
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LibraryThing member JesseVCoffey
Amazing book! Absolutely amazing. Sometimes a bit scattered, I think she had too many stories going on but she ties them up very neatly at the end and leaves the path open for the next book. Full of suspense, tension, angst, woe, and a few tears. A must read for the J&C set.
LibraryThing member KC9333
Satisfying and some parts touched my heart and imagination as Gabaldon's novel always do. The wonderful historical details brought the early American Revolution to life. ........but not my favorite in the series......wanted more of Claire and Jaime. AND after more than 800 pages I was not thrilled
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 with the the cliffhanger at the end....felt as though this novel was merely written to set up her next.
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LibraryThing member susiesharp
An Echo in the Bone continues the story of Claire & Jamie Fraser.This is book #7 in the Outlander Series.
So I will assume those reading this review have read the previous books so will not go into the story in too great a detail.
At the end of A Breathe of Snow & Ashes Bree, Roger and their children
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 went back to their own time I enjoyed the back and forth in Echo from 1777 to 1980 and seeing them adjust back into life in modern times.
In an Echo in the Bone Jamie & Claire again run into such difficulty during their travels, meeting some new characters along the way some famous in Claire’s actual time.
The love story of course is there with a few others thrown in. The extended family of these two continues to grow as they make their way through the Revolutionary War. With a side trip to Lallybroch where Jamie & Claire deal with endings in more ways than one.

I Loved this book as I have loved this entire series was glad the author let us know what happened with Bree and her family when they went back to their own time. This installment answered some questions revealed some answers and unfortunately left us hanging at the end. But I guess that’s what makes a great series I just wish it wouldn’t be another 2 years or more before we can catch up with Jamie & Claire and find out what happens next. All in All Another Great book by Diana Gabaldon
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LibraryThing member hsudonym
So much going on!
I love the medical parts when Claire doctors people up! I am still sad that Bree and Roger are separated from the eighteenth century, however I loved how Diana bridged the gap through letters. It made perfect sense for Jamie and Claire to continue their relationship with their kin
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 via letters passed through time. I think Ian and Rachel's relationship will be very interesting in the long run. I honestly profess that I think I need a genealogy chart to keep all the relations straight! I was very saddened to see Ian (Sr.) die, but I think Jenny will become an very important part of the future story. I commend Diana for her treatment of Jamie and Claire's relationship as it matures- Diana does understand that there is more to a marriage than sex- like laughter, comfort and peace, as well as trials and tribulations. I look forward to the next in the series, as the ending leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions and I think that since Jamie has at least 4 more lives, we have a lot more adventures to look forward to!
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LibraryThing member SheReadsNovels
I am a big fan of this series, so was looking forward to reading An Echo In The Bone, the seventh book in the series. However, I was left feeling slightly disappointed. It wasn't the worst book in the series but not the best either.

If you haven't read (or like me, have read but didn't enjoy) the
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 spin-off Lord John books, you might struggle with large sections of Echo as a number of characters from the Lord John books feature quite prominently in the story. In fact, there are so many chapters (mainly in the first half of the book) devoted to Lord John, Percy Wainwright, Hal, Dottie, and in particular, William Ransom, that sometimes this didn't really feel like a Jamie and Claire book at all. However, the chapters that do deal with Jamie and Claire are as exciting, compelling and emotional as ever.

I also enjoyed reading about Roger and Brianna, who have arrived back in the 20th century, and are following Claire and Jamie's fate via a box of old letters.

I had been looking forward to Jamie, Claire and Young Ian returning to Scotland again and being reunited with Jenny and Ian Murray - however, this didn't happen until near the end of the book, and when they finally did get to Lallybroch, it wasn't exactly the happy reunion I was expecting. From this point onwards, the final 100 or so pages felt very rushed, with the plot suddenly moving at a whirlwind pace. We were left with a lot of loose ends and cliffhangers (one character is left trapped inside a tunnel, for example) - it's going to be a long wait for the next book in the series!
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LibraryThing member booklady2031
I have read all of the previous books in this series, and will probably read the next one, but I find that the longer the series goes on the more it seems impossible for the main characters to meet seemingly all of the major players in early American history. Ben Franklin and Benedict Arnold both
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 make appearances in this one. It is starting to remind me of what I didn't like about the John Jakes series back in the 1970s.
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LibraryThing member ferventreader
Finished the latest hefty book of the Claire and Jamie saga. Absolutely loved it and am still trying to clear the imaginary world of Gabaldon out of my head. She is a stunning author and researcher who brings her story to life as very few can do. My only complaint is the length of time it takes
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 before a new book in the saga comes out.(about 3 years) I have to remind myself who all these wonderful characters are. If someone is reading this and has not read any of hers, I strongly suggest starting at the beginning of this series. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this book - it grabs you and sticks to you like glue until you finish...
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LibraryThing member armchairreader
Gabaldon is expanding the story in this installment, adding a lot more narrative about Jamie's son (the echo in the bone), and goes into a lot of detail about Revolutionary war battles and strategy. I have to admit, this book (which I was so looking forward to) disappointed me to a degree. It moves
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 the plot forward, but has no really satisfying conclusion of any plot line within this novel. It feels very "to be continued..." Dang it!
I also have to say it reminds me of any given episode of "24'...every journey goes awry-ships sink or are attacked, it just feels frantic and overwrought at times. (I don't watch 24 anymore, either) I look forward to the next novel, and hope it will be a more rewarding read--this is such a wonderful series and Gabaldon is a gifted writer!
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LibraryThing member fglass
This is the seventh and final novel in the series called "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. This last novel continues the romantic and extraordinary story of time travel into and out of 18th Century Scotland and America.

The main characters, Jamie and Claire, are presented once more so that they are
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 just as much alive and full of love as they have been in the preceding novels of the series. The research for this story is as well-done as we have come to expect from the author. As a special gift, we in America have a very interesting look at our own Revolutionary War.

Of course the author has left a few stray threads of the story floating at the end, but they hopefully whisper a promise of something to come in the future.
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LibraryThing member hjjugovic
Gabaldon uses multiple POV in her latest novel - followin the stories of at least 4 major characters, with a few stops elsewhere. While in a way this disappointed me (I'm a huge Jamie and Claire fan and have been waiting FOREVER for another book with them instead of John Gray and he gets a 1/4 of
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 this book as well!) no one could complain about the quality of writing, research, or originality of story. Each chapter reads like a perfectly crafted short story, with gorgeous language and historical detail. I wanted more time with my favorites, and the book ends on 4 - count 'em, 4! - cliffhangers, but this is a wonderful book nevertheless.
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LibraryThing member wadezoe
The story continues and there is no disappointment. Not as fast moving as some in the beginning but, my goodness, it sure got going in the second half. The Gabaldon style is as good as ever, and her historical setting are accurate and wonderfully described. After reading this book one can only wish
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 that she could produce one of these stories every month. Alas, I am once again waiting to join Jaime and Claire, et. al. on their many adventures. I miss them when they are not around. For those familiar with the Outlander series you will not be disappointed - for the uninitiated - start with Outlander the first book and relish the time you have before you get to this novel. Reading Diana Gabaldon is like being on rations - I always consume mine too fast. Like all of her Outlander books, this one is narrated impeccably by Davina Porter, the master narrator for me.
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ISBN

0385342454 / 9780385342452

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