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An Echo in the Bone (Outlander) [Hardcover]

Diana Gabaldon
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (950 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 22, 2009 Outlander
Diana Gabaldon’s brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. Now, in An Echo in the Bone, the enormously anticipated seventh volume, Gabaldon continues the extraordinary story of the eighteenth-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall.

Jamie Fraser, former Jacobite and reluctant rebel, is already certain of three things about the American rebellion: The Americans will win, fighting on the side of victory is no guarantee of survival, and he’d rather die than have to face his illegitimate son–a young lieutenant in the British army–across the barrel of a gun.

Claire Randall knows that the Americans will win, too, but not what the ultimate price may be. That price won’t include Jamie’s life or his happiness, though–not if she has anything to say about it.

Meanwhile, in the relative safety of the twentieth century, Jamie and Claire’s daughter, Brianna, and her husband, Roger MacKenzie, have resettled in a historic Scottish home where, across a chasm of two centuries, the unfolding drama of Brianna’s parents’ story comes to life through Claire’s letters. The fragile pages reveal Claire’s love for battle-scarred Jamie Fraser and their flight from North Carolina to the high seas, where they encounter privateers and ocean battles–as Brianna and Roger search for clues not only to Claire’s fate but to their own. Because the future of the MacKenzie family in the Highlands is mysteriously, irrevocably, and intimately entwined with life and death in war-torn colonial America.

With stunning cameos of historical characters from Benedict Arnold to Benjamin Franklin, An Echo in the Bone is a soaring masterpiece of imagination, insight, character, and adventure–a novel that echoes in the mind long after the last page is turned.

Frequently Bought Together

An Echo in the Bone (Outlander) + A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander) + The Fiery Cross
Price for all three: $61.09

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“All you’ve come to expect from Gabaldon . . . adventure, history, romance, fantasy.”
The Arizona Republic



From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Diana Gabaldon is the New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular Outlander novels–Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes (for which she won a Quill Award and the Corine International Book Prize)–and one work of nonfiction, The Outlandish Companion, as well as the bestselling series featuring Lord John Grey, a character she introduced in Voyager. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 820 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1st edition (September 22, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385342454
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385342452
  • Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 2 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (950 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Gabaldon is the New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular Outlander novels-Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes (for which she won a Quill Award and the Corine International Book Prize)-and one work of nonfiction, The Outlandish Companion, as well as the bestselling series featuring Lord John Grey, a character she introduced in Voyager. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Customer Reviews

There were too many characters and too many confusing plot lines. art lady  |  206 reviewers made a similar statement
There is an amazing story line to the writings of Diana Gabaldon. Koryna  |  132 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
687 of 716 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but boring October 11, 2009
Format:Hardcover
I never in a million years thought I'd give DG less than five stars. She's one of three authors on my release-date auto-buy, and I've been eagerly awaiting this book for years. But having spent the last couple of weeks reading it, I really don't even know what to say (I know I should take that back - I ALWAYS have something to say and I'm about to say it).

Problem one: It took me several weeks to read. I'm a compulsive reader. I can't sleep with a story unfinished, and yet Echo never grabbed me. I went several days without evening picking it up because I didn't feel like it. I never felt emotionally engaged. A good lot of the time, I just didn't care what was happening. And even worse, I felt bored by the story.

Problem two: The book is so physically big that it hurt to read. And I mean that literally. I had shoulder and elbow pain from holding it up. It really, really needed to be cut. There was a point where I wished DG had cut out the last 150 pages and replaced them with "Six months later." There was just too much of mundane life and while beautifully written, it had no presence, no force, no suspense. The book overall needed more focus on story and less on how to fix a collapsed lung using nothing but tar and a bird feather. Many of the elements got lots of story didn't end up leading anywhere (such as Ian & the two orphan girls. I expected them to show up again.)

Problem three: Timing. The book is really three different stories. Jamie & Claire in 1777 America (mostly), William (Wee Willie) Ramsome in about the same time period, and Bree & Roger in 1980's Scotland. But the timelines didn't happen evenly and so I was often rather confused. For example: William is leaving to go find Dr. Hunter in the rebel camp. Then we switch to Jamie/Claire and cover 7-8-9 months time in a hundred or more pages. Then we go back to William who has found the doctor a day or so later. This went on throughout the book, and made me crazy. Since one of the main foreshadows of the book is that Jamie & William would meet again, I could never tell if they were even in the same time / same place.

Problem four: Pacing. The book has more of an episodic plot rather than linear. It unfolds around smaller incidents that contribute to a greater whole. Many of the smaller incidents involve the William, Lord Grey, and the battles of the American Revolution, Jamie & Claire trying to make it to Scotland, Roger and Bree making a life in more modern Lallybroch. Things move slowly, but beautifully. I have learned to expect that from DG, and she is so good at it that I enjoy the details and the history and the true-to-life characters (knowing that she is as historically accurate as possible). But in this book it was way TOO slow.

And the last couple hundred pages (the ending?) were just strange. First things slow down so much that pages and pages are devoted to reminiscing and revisiting the past and death and... (well I can't tell you everything!) Then it switches so that the story & people move so fast I can't keep up. And the turn-about surprises are SO surprising that I have a hard time believing them. I'm left with a feeling of `where did that come from?' and `why did that happen?' and `you've got to be kidding me!' The end was hugely dissatisfying, and yet that was (to me) where the real story was. The good stuff was glossed over.

So while DG is still one of the masters of the written word and I will probably fork out another $30 for her next book, I overall am rather disappointed. I feel like she is more interested in showing all the neat historical details she has learned than in telling a story. She has lost the story. And that makes me so sad because I have spent something like 16 or 17 years following these characters and being invested in their final outcome (we all know it comes back to that ghost watching Claire brush her hair). Please DG, go back to telling us their story rather than showing us what it was like to live in the eighteenth century.
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457 of 478 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars I don't know whether to give this book one star or five! September 28, 2009
Format:Hardcover
OMG! I just got to the end of the book... I can't say I finished the book, I'll just say that I got to the end of it.

Loose ends are loose ends, but Diana.... what is this about? I read this on my e-reader and I kept paging back and forth, trying to find the rest of it, thinking, "This can't be over. There's no ending!" It leaves far too many characters hanging with life or death situations, far too many conversations in mid-sentence. It's worse than a soap opera!

And let's talk continuity, here. Does she even have an editor? At the end of the last book, Jamie stood with John Grey, watching Brianna and William in the street. In this book, Jamie claims not to have set eyes on William since he was 12. There are about a half a dozen major continuity conflicts in this story that would have been really easy to fix, if anyone was paying attention.

Now I love Diana's characters and her writing and I get so wrapped up in her stories that it threatens the rest of my ability to function in life, but this ended so strangely that I'll be jarred and marred for days!

I enjoyed reading this book and I'll buy her next one, but I recommend that no one read this one until the next one is available. Leaving us hanging here, for possibly years until the next one comes out, is too upsetting.

SPOILER ALERT: THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS
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271 of 288 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A little too much left hanging, but .... September 24, 2009
Format:Hardcover
I found the book a wee bit slow to get started, and a tiny bit choppy. But that's because the main character's lives have changed dramatically, and the whole *family* is no longer on *The Ridge*. But once I got into the flow of the story, I found myself reading faster and faster to find out what happened next, which means I'll have to go back and reread it to catch nuances.

But there were some story lines that left me thinking *why*? Why reintroduce a character and then not have that character have any more to do in the story ( I am not naming that character so as not to spoil it for others#.

Another reviewer mentioned why adding Lord John and William into the mix, and not just concentrating on Jamie & Claire's story. Well, then we'd only have half the book we have now, and probably half the total number of books to begin with if their lives aren't fleshed out. And once into the full series of book you want to know what's going on with the extended family, who was doing what with who. And Wlliam isn't just a nobody.

But as I read faster towards the end, I began to think that all the time & effort spent on the story around Ft Ticonderoga, while interesting, left the ending not as well fleshed out by comparison. As if the ending was rushed in the writing. I really felt there ought to have been another 200 pages to flesh out what was happening.

And then the ending. There are quite a few *cliff hangers* at the end. But. But, I am still hooked. And beg Ms Gabaldon to start the next #will it be the last?) book as soon as possible. Cause I need to know!

All told, I love The Outlander series. I love books that are this long and this interesting. That we get to see a love story and lives fleshed out as well as Ms Gabaldon does. Hopefully she will continue the great work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Was Diana Gabaldon Claire Fraser in an earlier life?
This continuing story line of Clair and Jamie Fraser is simply fantastic.

Echo in the Bone finds Claire and Jamie in the midst of one of the largest battles of the... Read more
Published 1 hour ago by M. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars love
Love almost all Diana Gabaldon books - would order more Kindle books if there was a better chance to review order. Same thing for shoes
Published 17 hours ago by gaye fulton
5.0 out of 5 stars Back to Scotland!
I have read all the Outlander series - loved the first, 2 and 3 were disappointing. I felt they were just filling in to get to America. The Carolina ones were good. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Ayiakiriaki
3.0 out of 5 stars Teach me to read reviews.
(Possible spoilers)

Well, y'all weren't wrong. I have procrastinated and hedged and avoided ... until finally I had to go ahead and read Echo in the Bone. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Folina-ma-fyke
5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner
I've loved all the Outlander books. This one was no exception. Diana Gabaldon has a way of sucking me into the story. Love the history lesson along the way.
Published 5 days ago by Donna L. Donnelson
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read
As a Diana Gabaldon fan, I have read all of her books. They are meticulously researched, spellbindingly fascinating, and excellently written.
Published 5 days ago by Patricia A Bond
4.0 out of 5 stars Always a great read?
It is as always an excellent read. But four major cliff hangers with a four year wait for completion is a bit much!
Published 5 days ago by Sara65
5.0 out of 5 stars Love all Gabaldon's book...
All of her books have such an intricate journey to them....they are spell-bounding. The series is the bes I've ever read...EVER!
Published 7 days ago by Linda J. Crolley
5.0 out of 5 stars It is just a lovely writhen series with both historical facts and a...
It is just a lovely writhen series with both historical facts and a credible fantasy that build up the story. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Jonny Nordén
5.0 out of 5 stars An Echo in the Bone review
EVerything by Diana Gabaldon has been terrific! Her style and research have been top notch. Have read every book in the series
Published 10 days ago by Patricia Kral
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Topic From this Discussion
Outlander -Jamie and Claire- Movie
What about the new actor that has joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy. I'm not sure of his name but he is scottish and I immediately thought of Jamie when he started on the show. He is the new love interest of Christina.
Mar 17, 2009 by Vicki M |  See all 977 posts
Is anyone else done? I want to discuss the book! (SPOILERS)
Steelfaerie - well, you took the words out of my mouth! Except after reading page 814 and realizing it was over - I said it with the actual curse word, which of course, we're not allowed to sue on Amazon. I was so engrossed that I thought there would be another chapter [or 5:-)] resolving the... Read more
Sep 23, 2009 by Marija L. Boily |  See all 5936 posts
Are Jamie & Claire getting too old?
I enjoy being there with them as they get old and seeing life as experienced through the eyes of someone of an older age group.

One of the problems we have in modern society is that ageing has become almost a taboo topic and that many younger people nowadays actually have no first hand... Read more
Oct 18, 2009 by AnetteF |  See all 31 posts
Outlander Audiobooks
Hi AnnetteF: I recommend Davina Porter's unabridged audiobooks to anyone who'll listen. My mom enjoyed them in the last years of her life, as she grew too tired to read. We both enjoyed DP's ability, (not common with many female narrators), to create distinct male character accents.

As to... Read more
Nov 16, 2009 by C. J. Gillis |  See all 60 posts
When is the next book in the Outlander Series coming?
I really want it to end before another 7 years. I have loved the series but had no idea when I started it that it would go on for so long. What about her elderly readers? How do we know we will be here 7 years from now and I really want the answers to some of the cliff hangers left in book 7.
Jan 1, 2011 by Etheda J. Wallis |  See all 50 posts
I know this question has been asked before.... Similar author to Diana...
The author with writing ability closest to that of Diana Gabaldon is J. K. Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series. That's why kids all over the world went crazy over the six large Harry Potter books when they were published. Before she finished the last one, the books were made into movies... Read more
Dec 24, 2009 by C. J. Gillis |  See all 150 posts
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