Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Fiery Cross

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

This book continues the Outlander series - book 5.  The year is 1771.

Claire and Jamie are living in the colony of North Carolina on what is called Fraser's Ridge.  War is coming and they are trying to survive their day to day life as well as the volatile politics of the time.

As always, Gabaldon has painted a vivid picture of life during this time.  It really makes me appreciate the luxuries of our modern world.

The love stories of Claire and Jamie as well as their daughter Brianna and Roger continue.  The romance aspect of this series is secondary to the research of the history at the time.

I continue to love these books.  They are fantastically fun escape books.

The Tiger's Wife

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

This is a story told through stories that are myth-like much of the time.  If that kind of story bugs you, don't read this.

This book is set in the present somewhere in the Balkans.  The country has survived a war and the story is of a young doctor, Natalia.  She tells her story by also telling the story of her grandfather.

The timeline jumps back and forth between the present, Natalia's past and her grandfather's past.  It can be a bit confusing at times trying to figure out who the people are and how the stories fit together.

My book club read this book and most everyone, but me, felt that the story didn't really come to a close.  They felt like the book just ended and there wasn't really any resolution.  I thought that the stories all tied together nicely and the novel did close nicely.

This is a great book club book as there is much to mull over with regards to who the different characters are and how they relate to each other across the different stories that are told.