A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)

WOW what a roller coaster ride this books is first off let me just say i love A Breath of Snow and Ashes so many moments that had me laughing and crying but i cried like a baby when i read the scenes where Claire is kidnapped and the terrible things she goes through but not to worry Jamie will always save Claire and he is able to save her and help her through a terrible ordeal. We get to meet a lot of new characters and there are a lot of amazing different story lines and can't forget about all the great adventures. ( )

I almost feel like Claire and Jamie are family. We have been through a lot together over the years and it seems like things never really get any easier do they? This was my first time through this book and I went ahead and did the audio instead of reading the paper version. This was a really long audio. Too long if I am being honest. I love Jamie, Claire, Brianna, Roger, and the whole gang but I was really ready to move on to something else by the time I finished this audio. Don't get me wrong this story is really good and I am glad that I listened to it but it almost exhausted me at a point.

These books are a little different than what you would normally read. I always tell people that most books deal with a certain problem and have a definite story arc. Books in the Outlander series are very character driven and they don't focus on any particular plot point. It is really just all of the things that happen during this period in Jamie, Claire, Brianna, and Roger's lives. You do need to read this series in order because things from previous books do tend to pop up from time to time.

So much happens in this book. Like I said, Jamie and Claire feel almost like family so when bad things happen to them, I really tend to feel it. Bad things do happen in this book. Things that made me want to cry, things that made me laugh, and things that made me mad. I do really like how Jamie and Claire's love for each other never wavers and even now that they are older, they still have a very healthy sex life.

Davina Porter does a fabulous job in narrating this book. The voices and accents that she uses for all of the main characters have remained very consistent over the course of the series. I find it amazing how well she handles the male voices. Her Jamie is just perfection. I like how much emotion really shows in her voice as she reads this story. I am able to listen to her voice for hours at a time without ever tiring of it.

I would highly recommend this series to others. This is a series that I plan to revisit from time to time because the characters are so wonderful and the writing is so well done. I will be continuing with this series in the near future. ( )

Tremendous ups & downs in this story. The overwhelming point being love. So beautiful I feel the pain of tightness in my chest & the sting in my eyes. ( )

Wow, this book took FOREVER to read. It is not cohesive at all and tends to go on a lot. Reads more like articles at times. Rather tedious a lot. Feels like she lost interest in the serious and should have quit. Should have been maybe 300 pgs not 900+ pages. Small torture to read. Punishment to read it. Severe disappointment including the disjointed nature of her daughter and their family going back to the present suddenly and just jumping off to that. Jerks along a lot. ( )

A Breath of Snow and Ashes is the sixth book in the Outlander series and continues the saga of the Fraser family. I felt that this book really moved the series along as the American Revolution finally got started and many changes occurred within the family unit. Brianna was finally settling into life in the 17th century, while Roger had decided on becoming a minister but all their plans were put on hold with the birth of another child and some major decisions that had to be made about their future. Steven Bonnet made a return and that story-line was finished off. Claire and Jamie had their own troubles as a young woman, who was training as Claire’s apprentice, claimed that Jamie was the father of her unborn child. Of course there were many more adventures and occurrences that took place over the course of this 1400 plus page book that is packed with characters.

This is a story of love and romance, the history, although well researched and accurate is really second to the story of Claire and Jamie. Their love and adventures are what steer these books. I love reading about them, they are the perfect fantasy couple. They are not young anymore, Claire is into her fifties now with Jamie not all that far behind but they are still spouting lines like “Ye’ve no idea how lovely ye look, stark naked ...” Yes, a little over-the-top but definitely sigh worthy.

I have been listening to the audio version of these books and I believe the performance of the reader, Davina Porter raises them to another level. Her inflections for each character are spot on and she brings the books to life for me and allows me to get totally lost in the story. I am already looking forward to book number seven but will probably wait a couple of months or so before I dive back into the Outlander world. ( )