Lots to like about this installment but it doesn't sweep me away like the first two books in the series do. ( )

The good: Gabaldon has dispensed with the gay = evil motif of the first two books. In fact, one of the most sympathetic and well-developed characters is a gay man.

Also good: the first third of this was great, because our heroine is a very, very minor character in that third, and the characters who are featured are much more interesting.

The bad: Gabaldon has replaced the homophobia with breathtaking racism. From the heroine's "one of my best friends is black but my daughter had better never date one" to the portrayal of the "Chinaman" that had me repeatedly turning to the copyright information all, "I didn't misread that date; this was written in 1994, right? As in, the late twentieth century? WTF, Gabaldon?", there were large chunks of this I could barely read for cringing.

Also bad: when the heroine does re-enter the story, she does so with a vengeance, beginning with her appraisal of her forty-nine-year-old body as perfectly slim and muscled, with no fat whatsover, "no jiggle" in the arms and a stomach the flatness of which "borders on concavity". This woman is not written as the type of person who would ever, ever work out. But at forty-nine and after having a child she is still effortlessly hotter than you, reader, will ever be. Got that? And we go downhill from there, with men stopping in the street overcome with desire for her, and the hero ranting again about her amazingness and her "core of strength" under all the beautiful delicacy BLAH BLAH BLAH. We get it: she's the most beautiful wonderful perfect human being EVER.

Except for the racism, of course. And the fact that her parting words to her daughter when leaving forever are, "Try not to get fat." (The hero's response to this is to tell her she's the world's most perfect mother. What, you thought there was another possible response to that? Not in this book, there isn't!)

Good read. If you like "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, you'll probably like "Voyager" OTOH, you might feel like you've already got everything worthwhile. ( )

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this series. The books are very long-usually 1000-1400 pages. But Gabaldon gives us so much in those pages. History, love, a place to escape to. People that we learn to love and hope for. Read the series. You will never regret it!! ( )

Contains a lot of interesting secondary characters. Also, characters re-interweave with characters from their past, some who were only trivial at first meeting.

Starts with Jamie, and his broken nose, right after the Battle of Culloden. John Gray's brother spares his life. After living seven years hiding above Lallybroch, Jamie has himself discovered so the family can claim the reward. In prison, Jamie meets John Gray again. After the prison is closed and Jamie move to an English farm, Jamie has a son whose mother dies in childbirth. Jamie has to shoot William's legal father, an Earl, to save William's life. Jamie determines he must leave when Willie starts to age enough to look like a Fraser. John Gray marries Willie's aunt so that he can look after Jamie's child.

Ian Murray, Jenny's youngest, is kidnapped when he tries to retrieve jewels and coins from the White Witches Treasure. As they follow the kidnappers to the West Indies, Claire is pressed to be surgeon aboard a British man-of-war affected by Typhoid fever. The ship is taking the new governor, John Gray, to Jamaica. The two like each other, (until they meet later when Jamie is present and start to feel jealous or in 'competition'). After a 'comedy of errors' series of escapes, they are reunited.

Jamie suffers survivor's guilt from Culloden. Gellis Duncan sent the ship after the treasure, particularly the jems. She has bought Ian and intends to keep him. She steals a picture of Brianna, whom she plans to use to fulfill a prophecy that one of Lovat's line will become the ruler of Scotland.

Frank dies in a car accident the night he tells Claire he is divorcing her and taking Brianna away from her. Claire leaves Brianna to the care of Roger and Joe Abernathy.

I disliked the parts of this book centered on Brianna and Roger in 1968. I also disliked the parts telling what kind of husband Frank had been. I disliked these enough, that they were part of the reason I quit reading the series the first time through. Therefore, I skipped those parts this time. I think the coincidence of 'it's a small world' in the characters and the plot somewhat annoyed me. ( )