112 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fans of Jamie Fraser will love this book!, December 4, 2011
This review is from: The Scottish Prisoner: A Novel (Lord John) (Hardcover)
Diana Gabaldon's THE SCOTTISH PRISONER is at least as much Jamie Fraser's story as Lord John Grey's. It takes place in 1760, during the time when Jamie was at Helwater, and it fills in many of the details of a time in Jamie's life that readers of the OUTLANDER series know very little about.
THE SCOTTISH PRISONER is very much a character-focused, character-driven book, but there's plenty of action, and the story seems very well-paced. The structure of the book, with the alternating points of view between Jamie and Lord John, reminds me in some ways of Diana Gabaldon's novel
Voyager (Outlander) (and I think it's effective for the same reason). Just as in the parts of VOYAGER that deal with the search for Jamie, and Claire's decision to go back, we as readers have some idea what's coming, we're rooting for it to happen, and when it finally does, it's enormously satisfying.
As a reader, I want to see John and Jamie reconcile and resume their friendship, and although that's not the whole focus of the plot, it makes me hypersensitive to the smallest gesture that indicates progress is being made there. ("They're smiling at each other!" "He said, 'Call me John'! FINALLY!" etc.) There is a sense of the pieces of their relationship falling into their rightful place, particularly in the last part of the book, and that's very satisfying to me as a reader.
John and Jamie's adventure in Ireland was highly entertaining, and kept my attention throughout. I see now why it was necessary to take both of them out of their normal environment before they could begin to re-establish any sort of relationship. Clearly they couldn't do that at Helwater, let alone on Hal and John's turf in London. Ireland is neutral territory, so to speak; it gives them a way to begin to interact as equals, and once that happens, once Jamie starts to let go of the hostility, anger, and depression, and begins to relax a bit and let down his guard around Lord John, the chemistry between the two of them really starts to shine through, and that makes the story even more fun to read.
The scenes with Jamie's young son Willie are terrific -- all of them. Diana Gabaldon has a real gift for writing about young children in a way that's quite natural and believable. We see Jamie's relationship with Willie evolve very gradually over the course of the book, and by the end of the story, it's hard to imagine how Jamie will ever be able to leave his son. Seeing them together in SCOTTISH PRISONER makes their eventual separation, in VOYAGER, even more heartbreaking.
And speaking of separation....
The constant reminders of Claire's absence, the way she is never far away from Jamie's thoughts (or dreams), are just heartwrenching. I kept wanting to assure him, "Don't worry, she's fine, you'll see her in a few years."
There's plenty for Lord John fans to enjoy in this book, too. Many of the major characters from the Lord John novels appear in THE SCOTTISH PRISONER, including Tom Byrd, who is one of my favorites. It's interesting to see how Jamie interacts with all these characters. His reactions to seeing John's brother Hal and Harry Quarry were particularly memorable.
(Just as a side note: Diana Gabaldon has said that you don't need to have read any of the Lord John books and stories in order to enjoy THE SCOTTISH PRISONER, but I think the story will have a lot more depth if you've read
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, at least.)
I really wish I could think of a way to communicate to the fans at large, especially those who don't normally read the Lord John books, how much I think they're going to want to read this book. There's so much in this story that will appeal to even casual OUTLANDER fans. I think it would be a real shame for people to dismiss this book on the basis that they don't like Lord John, or don't want to read gay sex scenes, or whatever.
In my opinion, Diana Gabaldon has done everything she possibly could in SCOTTISH PRISONER to make the point that
a) This is all one immense, interrelated story.
b) The boundary between "the OUTLANDER series" and "the Lord John books" is largely an artificial one, created by the publisher or the marketing people or whoever.
c) People who choose not to read the Lord John books (for whatever reason) are missing important pieces of both the overall story, and the relationship between Jamie and Lord John in particular.
I think it's going to be really interesting to see how readers react to this book, and I honestly do think that readers who dismiss it because they think it's going to be "just another Lord John book" are going to be missing out, big time.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Read, December 12, 2011
Absolutely fantastic. I absolutely love Jamie Fraser and absolutely love John Grey, so to get an entire novel with the two of them was an absolute treat. If you're not an already established Gabaldon fan, don't bother reading my review - but do immediately seek out her novels!
I won't go into the details of the plot, I'm sure others will, but I will say that this book does show how Jamie and John's relationship evolved into a real friendship, given the differences in their current stations, past differences, and vastly different political positions. The plot also gives us a greater understanding of Jamie's life at Hellwater and his relationship with those there. We also get to see how John's involvement with the guardianship of Willie began. The bulk of the plot revolves around Irish Jacobites, which was interesting, especially as we watch Jamie struggle with his conscience and loyalties regarding whether or not to support them knowing the historic outcome of their efforts. By far, this is the best Lord John Book to date!
I have read other critiques of this book on Amazon, where readers complained that this wasn't a "Jamie and Claire" novel. Well, yes, in fact, this isn't a Jamie and Claire book, it takes place during Jamie's time at Hellwater (Voyager). However, anytime you spend with Jamie, and have the chance to hear his internal thoughts and ponderings, is time you spend with Jamie and Claire, since his thoughts are rarely far from her. I was touched how often he reached for her in his thoughts, and in his sleep - especially when he knew he would never see her or 'the child' again. Very touching.
And John! He is such a marvelous character, one of the most valiant, honorable men in all of fictional history, but also complex and vulnerable. I'm a woman most drawn to men, who are...well, real men. Strong, sure, honorable, clever, handsome, and convicted. John has all of these characteristics, as well as a strong love for someone I love too - Jamie Fraser. How could I not feel a strong affinity for this incredible character?
Fantastic, fantastic read. I will certainly reread this book again, and soon. Can't wait for the release of Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander book 8), especially now that my understanding of the genesis and depth of the friendship between John and Jamie now has greater depth.
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52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"It marks you, killing, no matter why it's done.", November 29, 2011
This review is from: The Scottish Prisoner: A Novel (Lord John) (Hardcover)
Gabaldon, author of the immensely popular Outlander series, features the moody and passionate Jamie Fraser in this adventure set during his parole as a prisoner of war after the failed Jacobite Cause. It is 1760 in England, the once committed Jacobite bowing to the terms of his misfortune and at the mercy of fate, banishment from country, the forfeit of wife, the love of a son he cannot claim. Enter Fraser's appointed parole officer, Lord John Grey, who requires Fraser's assistance in obtaining proof of the traitorous actions of a British officer. A poem written in the language of the Scottish Highlanders in hand, Grey and Fraser embark on their secret mission to Ireland, seeking more information about what may be hidden in the text, as well as proof of the British officer's transgressions. Unexpectedly accompanied on the journey by the wily Tobias Quinn, Jaime's former comrade-in-arms in the Cause, Fraser is hard put to honor his word to Grey while keeping his prior association with Quinn a secret, the aging soldier inspired by yet another plan to further what Fraser believes a futile cause.
Caught between past and present, Jamie is forced into daily contact with Grey, aristocrat, soldier and sometimes spy, facing treachery along the road, the incessant persuasion of the old Jacobite warhorse and the chronic aggravation of sorting through his feelings about Lord John, the two men are forced to work in tandem, brothers in arms, for survival and the success of their mission. (Through the tensions between Grey and Fraser, Gabaldon illustrates the complicated nature of their relationship, past resentments poisoning the present, threatening a new-found respect.) There are swordfights and near-escapes, flaring tempers and acts of bravery aplenty to satisfy thrill-seekers, as well as a historical perspective from England to the centuries-old traditions of Ireland, steeped in folklore and myths amid the political machinations of ambitious and patriotic men, not always complementary. Satisfying, albeit but a taste of the Outlander series, this chapter of Fraser's life adds dimension to his evolving relationship with Grey, the melancholy Scot yet to find peace in a tumultuous world. Luan Gaines/2011.
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