Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Buckle up, babes, because MOBY is a wild ride. Diana Gabaldon brings us back into the chaotic and captivating world of Claire and Jamie, and trust me, it’s worth every page.

Gabaldon really knows how to weave together a complex story. There are so many twists and turns (Mostly POV’s), it felt like I was on a literary rollercoaster. The American Revolution is in full swing, and our favorite time-traveling couple is right in the thick of it. It's like watching a historical drama and a soap opera all rolled into one.

Now, I have to admit, keeping track of all the characters and plotlines was a bit of a challenge at times. It’s like trying to remember everyone’s name at a family reunion, but instead of your third cousin twice removed, show more it’s 18th-century revolutionaries and time travelers. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right? A little mental gymnastics never hurt anyone.

Claire and Jamie are as dynamic and lovable as ever. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their unwavering love gives me all the feels. Plus, Ian, Brianna, Roger, and the whole gang are back and dealing with their own drama, making the book a rich tapestry of interwoven stories.

One of my favorite things about Gabaldon’s writing is her ability to blend humor with drama. There were moments I found myself laughing out loud—like Claire’s sass or Jamie’s dry wit—right before being hit with some intense, heart-pounding action. It's a perfect balance that keeps the story engaging and emotionally satisfying.

These books are LONG. Like, "get comfy, you’re gonna be here a while" long. But honestly, by the time I reached the end, I was already missing the characters and ready for more.

MOBY is emotional, thrilling, and full of the rich historical detail we all love. So, grab a cup of tea (or maybe something stronger) and dive in! show less

Note: There are no spoilers in this review.

This eighth and latest book in the ongoing Outlander time travel/historical fiction series begins in 1778 in Philadelphia, in the thick of the American Revolution. The story picks up right where it left off in the seventh book, An Echo in The Bone, but the author does a good job with contriving circumstances in which she can fill in background without engaging in obvious info dumps.

If you already follow the series, you won’t want to know any spoilers, and if you don’t follow it, you probably won’t be interested in what happens during the eighth installment of a series you aren't reading. What can be said generally is that this saga is replete with everyday family interactions, love, sex show more (with most characters having three similar body-part fixations), violence, lots of information about medicine, fighting, Scottish rituals, early American history (with many historical cameos - reminding one a bit of Forest Gump in that regard), and occasional speculation on whether people from the future can or should affect events in the past.

For those who aren’t fond of the characters of Roger and Bree, they figure much less prominently in this book, although William, another unpopular guy, plays a large role.

As with any book this long, there are a number of things that would have been better omitted, but of course opinions about what those things might be will vary among readers. In terms of my own preferences, I would have strongly encouraged the author to expurgate some sentences that seemed racist or prejudiced to me; I would have begged Gabaldon to abjure her fixation with a couple of body parts; and I would have suggested she not feel a need to record every instance of every character belching. I would definitely have omitted the eye-rolling disquisitions on what it means to be a man. I also thought the treatment of Lord John Grey by both Claire and Jamie was disgraceful, and not in keeping, it seemed to me, with either of their characters. And how is it that such a nice guy like Lord John would have such a jerk of a son?

[As for the exhibits of racism and prejudice, I think it can be justified if it helps you understand a character or the times in which the character lives. In the case of this writer, however, I saw some of it as gratuitous or perhaps even unconscious.]

There is, on the other hand, lots to like about this particular installment, especially with the large role given to the eminently appealing characters of Ian and Rachel.

Evaluation: It’s entertaining to make fun of some aspects of this series, and yet these books are compulsively readable. The books are also so long that you can’t help but feel you know these characters thoroughly, and want to know what happens to them. show less

Written In My Own Heart’s Blood - Gabaldon
audio performance by Davina Porter
5 stars

I feel vindicated. The past two books in the series did not impress me, but it was worth suffering through them, and waiting it out for this one. Most of the dangling threads are tied up, or at least, somewhat untangled. Story lines are converging once more, and there is a mostly positive outlook for my favorite characters. Although violated characters are still dealing with the consequences of previous violence,there were no rapes, that I recall, in this 848 page tome. There is, in true Gabaldon form, a lot of sex; reunion sex, wedding night sex, before battle sex, brothel sex, third trimester pregnancy sex, and lots of humorous conversation about show more sex. I’m happy that her characters are happy, but sometimes I wish she would give them a bit more privacy.

There were quite a few laugh out loud moments in this book, including the impromptu bachelorette beer drinking party that Claire has with Rachel and Dotty (one of those conversations about sex). I laughed at Jaime Fraser under the care and scrutiny of Prudence and Patience and at Ian’s encounter with Mrs. Sylvie and the Wurms (in the presence of his wife). Gabaldon wrote another wonderful, ridiculous wedding, and two graveside scenes that made me cry. There are some old characters like Hal Grey, the Duke of Pardloe, who are getting more of the action, and some wonderful new characters like Jane and Fanny.

It’s too bad that I liked this one so much. I was beginning to lose interest in this series. Now I’m very unhappy about waiting 4 or 5 years for the next one.
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WARNING: What follows are my opinions and my opinions only in which I freely discuss plot points from the previous seven books. If you are a huge fan of the series, what I have to say may not be something you will want to read. Continue at your own risk.

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is not the end of the Outlander series. You cannot imagine how much this fact angers and saddens me. Claire and Jamie are not old but they are old enough to be put to rest. They’ve had their tumultuous life, and it is time to let them grow old together in peace. This would be the best thing Ms. Gabaldon could do for these beloved characters.

The rest of the cast can go do their own thing too; I just do not want to hear about it anymore. William is a show more spoiled brat. Bree and Roger do not improve over time. Lord John’s purpose remains nebulous, as it appears as if he is a convenient character to use when someone in the Fraser family needs something. While Rachel and Ian make a tremendously cute couple, I don’t need to see every intimate moment of their lives.

This shift to other characters beyond Claire and Jamie is a true indication that this series has run its course. The series has always been about Claire and Jamie, and if they no longer have enough of a story to fill a novel without all of the extraneous character subplots, then their story is done. It is a shame that Ms. Gabaldon does not feel the same way because she does the entire series, and her characters, a disservice.

As for Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, it remains the clunky chunkster for which Ms. Gabaldon is famous. The entire story is essentially a repeat of previous plot lines, with the added benefit of plot holes the size of supermassive black holes. Claire faces a life-threatening injury. Jamie expresses his undying love. Jamie gets seasick. Claire saves lives with radical (for the time) surgical procedures. They face several military battles together. They try to get away from politics and war but keep getting involved with important historical figures. There are marriages, births, scandals, fires, and fleeing. Yes, it sounds like the plot to every previous book in the series.

There is also more time travel through stones. At this point in time, the stones and the ability to move through time has become nothing but a plot contrivance. Don’t know what to do with certain characters? Send them through the stones! This time, Roger is the one to go through the stones, and what follows is so ridiculous it is embarrassing. There is nothing gained by his presence in the 18th century again other than it is the only way to explain his inclusion in the novel. Of course, this means Bree must go to Roger’s rescue…again…even as she faces her own dangers - which is the only reason she enters the novel. Thankfully, there is not a huge swath of the novel devoted to their inexplicable storyline, but there is just enough to make you hate reading the book.

I’ve stated before and I will continue to repeat that Ms. Gabaldon is not a good writer. Her descriptive paragraphs are awkward and disruptive. She spends too much time lingering over descriptions of things that do not deserve the attention, almost as if she prides herself on her openness by discussing in detail such matters as rectal and vaginal surgery. This time around, there is an unhealthy attention to anal sex, with characters mentioning it in some context in almost every scene, whether it pertains to the scene or not. Then, there are her awful comparisons of female anatomy to seafood. Seriously, female body parts should never be compared to oysters, fresh-caught trout or anything like it. It is an appalling comparative in my opinion, and one that removes any sexiness from any scene.

As much as I struggled listening to the story, as much as I cannot stand Bree and Roger or any of the other subplots, I continue to read the series and find pleasure in Claire and Jamie, at least when I do not have to read about their bedroom antics. They have mellowed into a great example of a strong marriage. Their relationship is built on trust, love, mutual respect, and, above all, friendship. The scenes where they discuss the day’s activities or make plans for their family remain my favorite scenes of the book because they are so normal and realistic – unlike pretty much every other scene in the novel. It is a pleasure to watch them interact as thoroughly as a long happily-married couple does with the little crises that make up an ordinary daily life. They don’t need the constant drama and involvement in major historical events to be interesting or lovable. They just need each other.

Davina Porter, as always, saves this story from utter wretchedness. Her performance is as steady and reliable as always. It is a true pleasure to listen to her narrate the story, even if the words she must speak are horribly repetitive and clunky. She is the only reason I can get through the major holes in the series and the eye-rolling events in the individual stories. I may not like the books, but I do like her performances and will continue to stick with the audiobook format as long as the series continues.

I am thoroughly disappointed that Ms. Gabaldon is extending the series by yet one more book. There is little to no original stories anymore, and long-time readers will find no surprises in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. It is actually an entertaining little game to predict in advance how the story will unfold and confirm whether you are right. There was so much ridiculousness within Roger and Bree’s subplot that readers will feel disgust that they are actually reading that drivel. The first two novels in the series are so good that it is almost disgraceful to see what Jamie and Claire and the rest of the Fraser clan are doing in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. It is time to end the series once and for all. Let them all live in peace. Besides, we now have the TV series to keep our interest and remind us how and why we fell in love with the series in the first place. show less

I think Gabaldon has finally nixed the slump.

Hard to believe that after four years of listening to Davina Porter narrate the Outlander series on my way to school - the journey has finally come to a (temporary) end today. I was a little leery of where this novel's ending was headed, but I do think it ended on just the right note. Really looking forward to Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone! This one had a lot more action than previous novels, which I really appreciated. Though some of the medical scenes were a little over the top for me, I always really appreciate Gabaldon's beautiful representation of the simplicity and complexity of domestic life.

Summary: Claire Fraser, believing Jamie lost at sea, had married Lord John in order to keep herself from being arrested for sedition. When Jamie turns up at Lord John's Philadelphia home, then, the reunion was a bit tumultuous. And from there, things only begin to get more hectic, for in 1778, being the wife (or former wife) of a British Lord in Philadelphia is not particularly safe, particularly when the British Army retreats from the city, and General Washington's troops pursue them close behind. Nor are Claire and Jamie's family safe from the war - Jamie's illegitimate son William has finally learned who his true father is, to his horror, and as a member of the British army, may wind up shooting at his own family across a show more battlefield. Jamie's nephew, Young Ian, is in love with a Quaker, despite his violent past, and current activity on behalf of the American troops. And even Jamie and Claire's daughter and grandchildren are not safe, despite being 200 years in the future. For they're being hunted by someone who wants the secrets of their time traveling, someone who has kidnapped young Jem, and lured Roger into the past. But the past Roger winds up is not the past he's familiar with, and while he finds a Fraser at Lallybroch, that Fraser is Brian, Jamie's father. Roger won't return to the present without his son… but how can he be sure that Jem even traveled to the same time?

Review: I loved this book. I always love the Outlander books. And the reason for that is probably 90-95% down to how much I love the characters. After eight fatty-fat novels, they feel like family, and even though the novels' plots tend to meander, I never mind, since reading about them is just like spending time with old friends. As the series progresses and the main characters age (Jamie is in his late 50s in this book; Claire in her early 60s), more and more of the focus is shifting to the next generation. And this is okay with me: I love Jamie and Clare (and Lord John) as much as I ever did, and they have some fantastic scenes, but I love the next generation almost as much (well, Young Ian and Brianna, at any rate. I'm warming to William, but Roger is still a little self-righteously pious for me.) Gabaldon keeps the story moving along at a quick pace, even given its size, switching between the viewpoints of the various characters. And they all have moments, lines, scenes, that were just wonderful. I cried a couple of times, had my heart melt at a few others (Jamie helping Ian to put on his war paint - gods, that scene was amazingly touching), laughed more than once, almost squirmed out of my seat at one point. (There's eyeball surgery. In 1778. I don't deal well with eye violence. Ick! Not cool, Gabaldon.)

I keep referring to "the story", but when it comes to these books, particularly the later books in the series, that's a bit of a misnomer. This book isn't so much a story with a beginning, middle, and end; it's a slice of these people's lives. Again, because I love the characters so much, I don't mind, but it does make the pacing a little weird. Most of the first half of the book is given over to events leading up to, during, and immediately after the Battle of Monmouth, which would seem like a cohesive story arc own its own. But then the book keeps going for another 300 pages. It's a little wrong-footing, and it takes a bit of adjustment to not having a strong (or really any) narrative driving the story, and even though this is something that can and has driven me bonkers in other books, Gabaldon's got enough writerly voodoo that it doesn't bother me here. Briana and Roger's storyline(s) also have more of complete arc in this book - Roger's stuck in the past, Brianna and the kids are in danger in the present, and neither of them knows when (or if) their family will ever be back together again. There was also a nice tie-in with Roger's story to the short story "A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows" from Songs of Love and Death - it's not necessary for understanding this book, but it built on it nicely.

So, all in all, I really enjoyed this book. It took me quite a while to read it (sorry, everyone after me on the wait list at the library, for keeping it a week past the due date!), but I so much enjoy sharing these character's lives that it's worth reading slowly enough to savor. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you need a cohesive plot running through a book, and don't do well with character-driven fiction, then this is not the book (or series, really) for you. But if you've read the rest of the series (and maybe the Lord John series… and the short stories…) already, then this installment will be a welcome return. But if you've read all of the other books already, then you don't need me to tell you that. show less

This is the 8th book in the Outlander series, and I'm beginning to wonder if these time traveling characters will ever die. I have to admit that I'm beginning to get rather sick of them, but I've kept plodding through these substantially sized books anyway. I enjoy the historical background, but ol' Claire and Jamie are getting a big tiresome. And ye gads, they are still acting like hormonally imbalanced teenagers under some of the most preposterous circumstances. In this book, they are still in the formation years of the United States, with friends and enemies on both sides. Through the course of the books, I've come to know some of the characters quite well, and I do wish them well. But I do hope things wrap up in the next book. show more Davina Porter, however, is still a fabulous narrator. show less