Honestly, I don't even know where to start in this review. Diana Gabaldon is one of my all-time favorite authors, and her Outlander series is one of my favorite book series of all time, if not my favorite. I could read her books again and again, and the sheer volume of the books is not a deterrent.An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in the series. The saga of Claire and Jamie, as well as Bree and Roger, really grabs the reader and brings you into their story, which by now is in the middle of the Revolutionary War. Gabaldon clearly does her homework, as is evident by the fact that there usually elapses about three years between each book and also by the number of historically accurate nuances throughout it. She is a researcher, after all.Clocking in at over 800 pages means that the plot is too involved to discuss, and I wouldn't want to give anything away. But, as I was finishing the last hundred or so pages while my students were taking a final exam, I found myself about to cry more than once, and had to remind myself that I was in public. The book ends on a note that basically ensures there will be another book in the series. Even if I have to wait for three years, I'm happy to do it with characters like these ones and a story that is completely brilliant, unique, and well-developed. ( )

A long awaited return to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. As the series goes on my respect for her ability to bring to life the past increases and, once again, her world building and sense of character and history swept me away. Slightly disappointing to me are the references to Lord John's past. If I had read the companion series that details his life I'm sure that the drawing together of the two series would not have jarred so much. But all in all a welcome return to the continuing saga of Jamie and Clare's life. Unfortunately, given the depth of her research, I know it will be a long wait for the next instalment. ( )

I've been waiting for the next book in the Outlander series for quite a while, and I have to say that I'm quite aggrieved with Echo in the Bone. Gabaldon keeps on switching the story perspective from Claire/Jamie to Bree/Roger to William/John Grey. Once I got interested enough in one story, it ends and switches over to another one. It felt like I was reading 4 different stories at the same time, and they never ended up braiding themselves together into one cohesive vision.

I read the Outlander series for Jamie and Claire, not for John Grey or William. I felt that Gabaldon started writing the John Grey novels to "clear the creative faucet" so that she could continue her Outlander books, but she grew more and more interested in John Grey and so Jamie and Claire's story got put on the back burner. ( )

I was sadly disappointed in this book. I have loved every previous book in this series. The central characters have taken on such life for me that after finishing one i find myself missing them, like a close friend you haven't spoken to in a few weeks. However, this installment felt like it took far too long to set up what I feel was the actual meat of the story lines. It just felt like so much filler. Once it actually got to what I thought was the most interesting and exciting, it was done. Cut off. No graceful winding down leaving you anxious for the next installment. Instead just a BOOM! It's over get out! Leaving you wondering what the hell just happened. ( )

 I have been savoring this book for some time now knowing that it will be a few years before Jaime and Claire's story is continued. I absolutely loved An Echo in the Bone and am a little bit sad that it's over. This book felt more like the second and third in the series which were my favorites. Jamie and Claire were wonderful of course but I'm glad that we got to spend more time with Ian and William in this book. I am anxious to see where Ms Gabaldon will take them in the next novel. ( )