Each book in the Outlander series is better than the last, and the first was already fantastic!
This book is different from most of the others in the fact that it is not only from Claire’s first-person perspective. It also follows Roger Wakefield (Mackenzie) and Brianna Randall (Fraser) in the third person. I like that the author chose to write it this way because what’s happening with these other characters that Claire doesn’t get to be present for is very important to the story, but having Claire be first-person makes me feel like I have a special connection with her above all the other characters, like I am her when I’m reading because I can get inside her mind.
The story takes place both in the 1970s and the 1760s and 70s, most both in America, though Roger’s stuff takes place in London and Scotland with Brianna visiting him. I don’t want to give too much away of the story in case you haven’t watched it or read it, but it’s a great convergence of time and characters towards the end.
I love the American history displayed in this novel. There was not much of that in the previous one, with Claire and Jaimie having just arrived. This one is full of American back-country settler knowledge brought to life. The way the author weaves the little details into the story and character’s lives is inspirational for me, as an author. I hope to someday write a historical fiction as magical and enthralling as Diana Gabaldon has done here.
I usually take a break in between books since they’re so big to read something else light and short, but it was really hard for me to do with this one. I wanted to just keep the story going right into the next one!
This is not going to be an in depth scholarly review of the Broadway play, Hamilton, that premiered on Disney+ today. I won’t give spoilers (can you spoil history? I’m in favor of no…no you cannot). But I do give my honest opinion that it’s most certainly worth the watch and I now want to see it live (with Lin as Hamilton).
I just finished watching the 3 hours of Hamilton on Disney+. Before we started I thought we would only do half because it was so long but we couldn’t stop! The hip-hop, rap, and lyrics were so impressive. Lin Emmanuel Miranda is definitely a word genius.
The production looked amazing. I was worried it wouldn’t look good on film, but it really did.
The cast was perfect. The man who played Lafayette and Jefferson had me laughing so much. If only that were really Jefferson. You just have to watch it to know what I mean. The whole time I kept turning to my husband and saying, can you imagine if this is what they really were like? If this is how it happened? Maybe if the state of the nation included rap battles I’d be more inclined to watch it. I also, and of course, absolutely positively loved Jonathan Groff as King George. Too funny! And his voice is incredible.
This play had it all. I laughed, I almost cried, I maybe learned something? I can’t tell. But I definitely enjoyed it. (And I will be reading the biography that inspired it soon. Picked it up on a Kindle sale!)
I was into this book right off the bat! It captured my imagination from the first page and held it the entire time. When I finally finished it I was actually sad and now I can’t wait for the sequel, Liberte, to come out!
The story is set at the beginning of the French Revolution in 1798 and spans several months through when the Bastille fell. It follows a young woman whom I believe is about 19 years in age and her dysfunctional family. Her name is Camille and she learned magic from her mother. Like all good magic stories, there are rules and I really like how limited magic is in this world. She can change garbage into gold basically, using items like discarded screws and buttons to change them into money so they can buy food that evening. Another form of magic she can do is called a glamour, where she uses a lively dress and makeup to magically change her appearance. This helps her to fit into the in-crowd at Versailles so she can swindle them at cards, changing the cards to the ones she wants in order to win more money. The cost of magic in this world is blood and sorrow. It takes a horrible toll on the magician’s body and there’s no exception for Camille, but it’s all for her family’s survival, right? That’s the big question.
Camille loves her little sister Sophie more than anything. She is seventeen and talented in fashion. Camille desperately wants to provide for Sophie, not only food but also a safe place to live and opportunity to shine. Her sister makes the most glorious hats that soon become popular at the palace. With the money Camille makes turning cards, Sophie is able to realize her dream of owning her own shop, but can Camille keep her safe? Camille’s brother is a whole ‘nother story. He’s a drunk, abusive, and desperate for his own money because he has wracked up and absorbent amount of debt playing cards. He tries to squeeze his sisters for all they have to perpetuate his sick habit, causing the sisters to flee in the night to a new home when they are able. But will their brother find them again? Paris is a big city, but not that big.
On top of all the scandal and magic of Versailles, Camille meets new friends, villians, and of course a love interest. This love interest brings into her life the daring adventure of hot air balloons which gave the story a fun, whimsical touch.
What I really loved about this book is that it was just enough. I didn’t feel like the paragraphs dragged on with minute details about Paris in 1798. It didn’t beat me to death with its history. It gave just enough to help me imagine it and pique my interest in that time. It mentioned real people during that time, but also didn’t overload the story with them causing me to ask “Is this even plausible that THAT MANY historically famous people’s paths would cross that frequently like this?” The history set the scene and the story did the rest. It was delightful!
And I have to comment on the cover design. There are two different types. One is illustrated and reminds me a bit of “The Night Circus”. It’s light and whimsical and fun. The other ones, the one that I purchased, uses a photograph of a girl with brilliant red hair and bright colors and it really modernized the story and caught my attention with its bright colors. I loved it! The sequel’s cover has not let me down either.
I have seen that it says this is a teen/young adult story. I think it’s labeled this because of the age of the main character and the element of magic, but it didn’t feel teeny to me. I’m 32-years-old and I enjoyed every bit of it and related to some of the main character’s struggles even now. If you’re a fan of historical fiction with elements of magic and romance, then this is the book for you! I know that sounds like a narrow group of people, but I really think it appeals to a lot. Enjoy! I’m holding my breath until the sequel comes out!
This is the second Twisted Tale Disney book I’ve read (after the Sleeping Beauty one, which I didn’t care for much). I was skeptical going in because the first one I read felt too modern teen-y to be the beloved fairy tale Disney made so long ago. I was worried this one would ruin Belle by making her a modern whiny teenager who said things like “oh my god” and “like” all the time. But I really liked this one! There were times when Belle didn’t really feel like Belle from the Disney classic, but she was also going through things she didn’t go through in the movie so I get it. She was, however, strong and proactive and smart, just like the Belle I’ve come to know and love. This book did a good job of using familiar characters and twisting them a bit to create little mysteries to keep the reader interested. The story was well-thought-out and flowed nicely. I loved how she created a new backstory for Belle to unravel as she followed the mysteries of the castle. It was a page-turner for me, definitely at the end when everything was wrapping up. The ending was superb! I loved how it didn’t quite go as I thought it would, all wrapped up nice and perfect, but it was still happy for everyone involved. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Disney princesses or fairy tales. As a 33-year-old adult, I did not feel this was too geared toward teens for me to enjoy it.
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Happy reading, everyone! Check back often for new reviews and recommendations. Stay home, stay safe, and stay health. Remember, we’re in this together!
I want to start by saying that I did really like this book. I feel like it was well researched and it flowed nicely. I liked how it spanned a longer period of time, showing what life was like for the main characters before the Revolution started and all the way through it to what life is like for them after the revolution (if they survived!)
The issues I had with this book were only with the characters themselves. I can honestly say there was not ONE character I liked as a person. I enjoyed reading their story, but most of the time I was not feeling sorry for them much. Gabrielle, the main character, was a beautiful aristocrat. She fell in love with a commoner, Pierre-Andre Coffinhal, for some reason. I get that she was fifteen and didn’t know any better but he was obnoxious. She was innocent enough at the time that I did feel bad when her family made her marry that awful older man. She suffered through a terrible marriage. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, though. I was very surprised she went to Paris, knowing Pierre-Andre was there too, and did not contact him right away. She had nothing to be embarrassed at that point about because she was forced into marrying the older man. It would have been nice for them to reunite here and have more time together to build on their love. But she becomes a mistress of another aristocrat who is also a revolutionary. He’s nicer to her than her husband but I still don’t like him much at all. Finally, when she reunites with Pierre-Andre I was like “YES!”…for about a second. He was still as obnoxious, proud, arrogant, and downright mean. I have no idea why the main character loves him like she does except that she feels she owes him a debt. That doesn’t create love, though, so I have no idea. And then he’s gone in the blink of an eye. They got barely any time together and then the book was over. I feel the main character, Gabrielle, didn’t grow or learn much through her terrible journey through the Revolution.
Another issue I had is that most of the horrors of the Revolution were not experienced by the character herself, but relayed to her through friends or news outlets. So she was basically retelling second-hand accounts of what was going on. It would have been a much better story if more had happened to her during the Revolution. That’s not to say she did not see some horrors and deal with some truly terrible things. Just not as much as I would have thought for being an aristocrat in Revolutionary Paris.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction and the French Revolution. It wasn’t a sappy love story, but there was love in it, so I feel it could be enjoyed by just about anyone.
