***WARNING: This review will contain spoilers. If you don’t want to know what happens either in this book or in the Outlander series, I suggest you don’t read the rest of this post.***
Description (from cover):
“In this rich, vibrant tale, Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber. Sweeping us from the battlefields of eighteenth-century Scotland to the exotic West Indies, Diana Gabaldon weaves magic once again in an exhilarating and utterly unforgettable novel…
Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her…and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.
Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and the pain awaiting her…the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland…and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite–or forever doom–her timeless love.”
My thoughts:
***Once again, I will give the spoiler warning. Stop reading now if you don’t want to read spoilers.***
I loved that Claire and Jamie are reunited at last. This book takes place twenty years after Claire returns to her own time. Gabaldon catches the reader up with what has happened to both Jamie and Claire during their twenty years apart from one another. That’s all fine and dandy. So once Claire and Jamie are reunited and spend some time being reacquainted with one another, some things happen (trying to not give too much detail) and they must set out on a voyage to the Caribbean. They leave Scotland via ship and spend months on the sea. Claire is then taken by the captain of another ship because of her medical knowledge; the ship has had an outbreak of typhoid. She is separated from Jamie and left alone on this ship to provide the crew with medical assistance. She learns that someone on this ship has it out for Jamie and will be using her as bait to have Jamie arrested for previous seditious charges. Claire decides to abandon the ship once she is close to shore.
Claire finds herself washed up on an uninhabited island. However, lo and behold, the first person who finds her is someone Jamie once knew back in Scotland. Now what are the odds of that happening? Seriously? Gabaldon, what are you thinking? This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever come across in my reading. Not only is this not even remotely close to being believable, but it is absurd. For someone to sail halfway across the world, end up on an virtually uninhabitable island and be rescued by someone one knows to an extent, would NEVER happen. Ever. Does anyone else find this odd? I know that this is fiction and a book and not real life, but I at least like my books to be somewhat plausible.
The other thing that drove me up a wall with this book was that Jamie and Claire seem to have a million lives. They get hurt, end up in situations where it is impossible to escape, yet they somehow survive unscathed. I get that the author is trying to create suspense within the plot, but it’s getting to the point of being annoying. The first two books in this series were great. This one not so much, for me at least. I know these books have almost a cult following, but if this is what is to be expected for the series and for Gabaldon’s writing, I might have to throw the rest of the books at the wall in frustration. I will continue with the series because I want to see if Gabaldon can pull it together and get the series back on track, but if this is what the rest of the series looks like, then I’m very much afraid I will be left seriously disappointed. I am however making a decision not to continue with the series right now. I need a break. The sheer size of these books are overwhelming to me and I feel like I need to spend some time apart from these books in order to come back to the series refreshed. At this point I feel like I would nitpick every little thing and to be honest I am a bit annoyed (as if you couldn’t tell). So a break from the Outlander series is just what I think I need.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Title: Voyager
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander #3
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: December 1, 1993
Pages: 880
Genre: Historical Fiction
Disclaimer: This book was selected from the library by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
Girl Lost In a Book 
Hi Kimberlee, thanks for visiting my blog and following, nice to find your blog and following back now! Look forward to reading your posts.Lindsayhttp://thelittlereaderlibrary.blogspot.co.uk/
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I'd forgotten about what happens in this book but I agree that it isn't very plausible for someone who happens to know Jamie to be there on the remote island. Maybe in this century where the Internet makes us more interconnected but not back then…Like you, I loved book one of this series. I liked book two though not as much as the first. I did like Voyager but it isn't as good as Outlander. I have also read Drums of Autumn (but it was years ago and I don't remember it well). I don't think I am going to like the direction that this story takes. I picked up a copy of The Scottish Prisoner from the library and there was an excerpt of the next Outlander book that really really disturbed me. I hate when a beloved series starts to lose steam or change direction in strange ways. These are massive books and I don't blame you for needing a break. Excellent review!
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I'm really sorry to hear that the new one disturbed you. That doesn't bode well for me continuing with the series. Boo. I also hate when series start out wonderful and fall flat. It's almost heartbreaking.
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Kimberlee — Your points are very valid and I agree that these books are so intense that sometimes you do need to step away from them for a while in order to continue. I've had to do that myself and it took me years to work through all of them. I think I've mentioned on another post that I am committed to following the series to the end, but I will tell you that I have not been on board with many of the things that happen to the characters. It continues to get very dark and I just wish Jamie and Claire can have just a few days of peace together — but there is always crisis and war and horrible tragedies. It definitely has both good and bad, and I'm finding only the extremely committed fans follow through all the books. I think if you decide to read Drums of Autumn you will know whether you want to continue or not. Hope you have many great reading experiences ahead this week!
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Hi Kimberlee!! Glad you found me! I love your layout.
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I am really sad to hear that what bothers me with these books continues with the rest of the series. I will read 'Drums of Autumn' and see if it's something I will continue with. Just not right now. I will get around to it eventually. I am really glad that there are other people who feel the same way that I do, because all I hear about is that these books are great. Yes, they are but they have a lot issues that I am having to deal with. Reading should be fun and at times, reading this series isn't all that fun for me. It sucks, because 'Outlander' was a book that made me step back and say 'WOW' what a great novel, but it's been downhill since then. Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate hearing other reader's thoughts about what I read. Kimberlee
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Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you around!Kimberlee
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Hi Kimberlee! Found you on Book Blogs and followed. Beautiful site! Stop by when you get a chance http://tometender.blogspot.com.
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Thanks for the follow! I'm following back.
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Ah – I have been tempted lately to drink the Koolaid that is Outlander but I don't know if I want to dive in to such a huge commitment for books that are just good. I want great if I'm going to read that many pages!
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I didn't read the review because of the spoiler alert. I still have not read this series, although I have read part of Outlander. A bucket list series for sure!I wanted to thank you for visiting my blog and for the lovely compliment. I do see that we have similar tastes. I love your header. I used a similar image (in color) from the Marie Antoinette film as a summer header for my Seasons of Reading blog. I am following you back on GFC and I'll also be subscribing via email, as it's easier for me to keep up that way. Look forward to getting to know you and your blog. =O)
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Oh no problem. I didn't want to ruin it for anyone else. Thanks for following back. I hope to see you around.Kimberlee
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Hi, thanks for visiting my blog. I'm not quite as far as you in the series so I didnt read this post, but it is nice to know someone else who is just discovering this great series. I will be coming back when I am finished to see what you thought of it.
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Hi Kimberlee, Thanks so much for discovering my blog and letting me know about yours. I love your blog and am so happy to have discovered it. I'm now an avid follower too. You've done a wonderful job! Mirella Sichirollo Patzer
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This is one of my all time favourite series but I still rated Voyager and The Fiery cross (book 5) lower than the others in the series. I think you'll find Drums of Autumn similar to the standard of the first 2 books 🙂 Have you read Sara Donati's Wilderness series, similar style, I loved it too!
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No, I haven't read that series, but I will definitely have to check it out now..Thanks for the heads up.Kimberlee
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Thanks for coming by my blog. It's great to meet fellow historical fiction fans. A friend just recommended (strongly) this Gabaldon series. It's been on my list of books to read for a long time, but I'm going to have to get to it soon! I'm a new follower.Susan from Reading World http://susancoventry.blogspot.com
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Hi there, thanks for stopping by my blog. I love you blog and am following you now.This is a favorite series of mine. I have been doing the audio though and am on book 3, I will get to it one of these days.
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Thanks for following! I will be reading the rest of the series as well someday. They are huge books so I have to work them in as they take up a lot of time.Kimberlee
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Thanks..I definitely check it out.Kimberlee
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Thanks. Hope to see you around.Kimberlee
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For some reason these books either are really liked or really hated. I say try it for yourself and if you like them then they are worth the time it takes to read them. Thanks for your comment and I hope to see you around.Kimberlee
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That's okay. I'm curious to see what you think about them, when you get to this point. Let me know.Kimberlee
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Thanks for your lovely compliment. Hope you come back.Kimberlee
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Thanks for following! I love historical fiction and I love getting recommendations from friends. I think that is one of my favorite things about reading. Hope to see you around.Kimberlee
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My problem with the books are the author's errors in research. For example I do not think Eleuthera was ever owned by the Dutch. Also, topics get ignored. For example, Marsali's birth control instructions and was Rev. Campbell's crimes told to the authorities. There are lots of continuity errors, too. I guess I shouldn't over think it and enjoy it as a far-fetched romance.
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My problem with the books are the author's errors in research. For example I do not think Eleuthera was ever owned by the Dutch. Also, topics get ignored. For example, Marsali's birth control instructions and was Rev. Campbell's crimes told to the authorities. There are lots of continuity errors, too. I guess I shouldn't over think it and enjoy it as a far-fetched romance.
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