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Jul 13, 2015DorisWaggoner rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Still a page turner, fascinating new characters and new things to learn about familiar characters. But just under 1000 pages is a bit heavy for reading in bed . . . . Gabaldon makes her point, though—many points—that the years 1772 to 1776 in NC, which most of us know so little about, were crucial in the history of the Rev. War. At the beginning, unrest is ambiguous, if sometimes deadly, and felt on Fraser's Ridge. A new time traveler appears, always associated with the Beattles, a stupid man, evil but ultimately helpful to the Frasers in an unexpected way. Stephen Bonnet reappears just as one would expect, and it takes a whore and all the men in the family to resolve the matter. Gabaldon knows just how to end chapters, and books, so that you have got to have the next one waiting in your pile. Oh, and the house burns, not on the scheduled date, but the family all survive the fire. Whether it's predestination or not, they have to, or the books can't go on. This is way too long, way too melodramatic, but I still love her work, and her people—the ones I don't detest. Some surprising revelations about old standbys, including the Bugs, Aunt Jocasta, and some of her slaves. On this reading, I finally got out my Rand MacNally Atlas, because there are two trips from Fraser's Ridge to the Coast and I wanted to know how many of the places were real and how close I could come to placing Fraser's Ridge. One of my ancestors was born in NC and fought in the Rev. War; I did find the county, and the Frasers and MacKenzies traveled through it. Now I want to look at one of the near-contemporary map collections to understand the story better. Gabaldon does her research!