Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Outlander, Book 8

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Davina Porter

The latest epic volume in the multi-million-copy best-selling Outlander series.

It is June 1778, and the world seems to be turning upside down. The British Army is withdrawing from Philadelphia, with George Washington in pursuit, and for the first time, it looks as if the rebels might actually win. But for Claire Fraser and her family, there are even more tumultuous revolutions that have to be accommodated. Her former husband, Jamie, has returned from the dead, demanding to know why in his absence she married his best friend, Lord John Grey.

Lord John's son, the ninth Earl of Ellesmere, is no less shocked to discover that his real father is actually the newly resurrected Jamie Fraser, and Jamie's nephew Ian Murray discovers that his new-found cousin has an eye for the woman who has just agreed to marry him. And while Claire is terrified that one of her husbands may be about to murder the other, in the 20th century her descendants face even more desperate turns of events. Her daughter Brianna is trying to protect her son from a vicious criminal with murder on his mind, while her husband, Roger, has disappeared into the past....

©2014 Diana Gabaldon (P)2014 Recorded Books LLC

Utterly satisfying!

As one of Diana Gabaldon's huge fan base, I came to this eighth "big book" expecting it to be wonderful -- and I was not disappointed!

Written in my own Heart's Blood weaves four separate story lines effortlessly together, resolving all the cliff-hangers from An Echo in the Bone (while introducing some tempting new questions), enlarging our understanding of the characters -- and providing heart-stopping thrills pretty well all the way through!

When I get a new Outlander book, I find I have to read it very, very fast -- just to be sure everyone I care about will survive -- then I can go back and re-read it slowly, savouring all the delightful details, fascinating historical information and character development. And this is where the audio version really comes into its own: my first race through the book is always done on my Kindle, but enjoying all the details with Davina Porter's wonderful reading (she really is one of the very best readers around!) is utterly satisfying.

No spoilers in this review, I'm afraid -- but I cannot recommend this book too highly!

Best author and amazing book as usual.

This is my favourite series of all time and this book was no exception. I loved the tiny details and the emotions she invokes. I can't say enough good things about this book.

I admire Davina Porter for her Narration:

This book, like all the other books of Diana Gabaldon are truly well written, Bravo!

It's everything I wished for!

Where does Written in My Own Heart's Blood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Diana Gabaldon and Amy Harmon (my favourite authors) have written some amazing books and I rank all of their books equally at the very top of my listening tree. Written In My Own Heart's Blood is a book I have been eagerly anticipating for four years and it is everything I hoped it would be.

What other book might you compare Written in My Own Heart's Blood to and why?

At first I was going to say that I haven't read any other books that I could compare to this one but that wouldn't be true. The first one was named Outlander and was the story of a time traveler named Claire and a young Scotsman named Jamie.

Which scene was your favorite?

I had many favourite scenes but there were a couple of notables that I keep thinking of over and over again. One would be when Bree was reading the letter she found from Frank Randall. It showed just how much he loved and treasured Bree and how he had done all he could to prepare her for the life ahead. The other scene would be the tragedy the family suffered just before leaving Savannah. Absolutely heartbreaking. And then there was William! Oh and of course Lord John.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is amazing in that it brings together so much of what has come before. I think I will need to listen to it a couple of times to pick up all it has to offer. Did I want to listen to it all in one session? Hell yes! I wanted to know it all. But realistically with a book that spans 48 hours of listening time that was never going to happen.

Any additional comments?

Any book that can leave you constantly thinking about what you have just read, about the decisions the characters made and the way their lives evolved is a gift to be treasured. But now I find that I need to go back to the beginning yet again because I realise that I didn't pay enough attention to what was written before! Well done Diana.

Rambling

I read on Diana Gabaldon's blog that she doesn't always know where a story will take her. This book if proof of that, I feel. For a long while it just didn't seem to be going anywhere. Too many story lines going at once which made piecing it all together and keeping track of who all the characters were in relation to each other a bit more difficult. Having said that, Claire and Jamie's story ... and that of their immediate family .... continues along a very satisfactory path and I was as easily caught up in their lives as with all the other books. Davina Porter's characterisations are as brilliant as always and a pleasure to listen to. I look forward to book number 9 and to seeing how much further the story of Claire and Jamie will go.

Spoiler Alert

Oh no! That ending……

This book was so much better than book 7! For one thing, William’s character started to develop enough, that I started to relate to him.

Naturally my heart broke at the death of both Rolo and Anri-Christian, but I was deeply moved by the prayer Jamie prayed when Jane was buried. The words were beautiful and washed both spirit and soul!

I’m am relieved that Ms Gabaldon is writing at least 2 more books in this series and look forward to visiting all the wonderful friends I have made from this series!

One of the best I've heard!

Excellent narration!! Can clearly hear the different voices, outstanding! Comes to life with every word.

So invested

James Fraser has come back, presumably from the dead, to find that his wife has married his best friend. William has discovered that he is really the illegitimate son of General James Fraser. Oh, and did I forget to mention that they’re in the middle of the American revolution? But at least they know their only daughter is safe, back in the twentieth century…or is she?

If there was ever a cliffhanger in the Outlander series, ‘An echo in the bone’ was it. I’ve been dying to find out what happens to Jamie and Claire. The story picks up right in the thick of the action, and the blunders, misunderstandings and consequences make for entertaining reading. Once again, I found the war and camp scenes tedious at times, but that really just made it more authentic.

The storyline with Roger was fun, but I’m not sure it really added much to the story. The plot with Brianna was understated. I was a little surprised by this, as Gabaldon is not one to shy away from what could have been a seriously thrilling encounter. It was a little too vague for my liking.

I enjoyed seeing a more ‘human’ side to Claire in this installment. She’s been through so much and always appears so strong and put together. Sometimes she can come across as hard because of her efficiency, so this softer side was endearing.

I’ve never before stuck with a series for so long. Usually by book four, I find the story begins to repeat and the characters start to annoy me, but I can honestly say that I’ve never been more invested in a set of characters as I have been - and continue to be - with the Frasers. Another pearl from Gabaldon!

Abrupt end

What made the experience of listening to Written in My Own Heart's Blood the most enjoyable?

I have enjoyed the whole series but feel book 8 ended with a lot of loose ends and feel as though i am missing a part

If you’ve listened to books by Diana Gabaldon before, how does this one compare?

Good except for the abrupt ending

New twists in an old world

I loved the twist involving Roger in this novel. No spoilers, but it just tickled me to think that the author could still shock me and make me gasp out loud on my daily commute to work. Excellently performed as usual!!