Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone
1 journaler for this copy...
Got this when it was released in Nov 2021
Outlander is one of my favorite books/series ever. However, I mostly mean the original 4-book series. I've always said that the books went downhill since Fiery Cross. I disliked book 6, 7, 8, and now 9. I keep soldiering on because 1) I love(d) the original Outlander series, 2) I love Gabaldon's writing, and 3) I really want to know how this story ends, dammit.
I enjoyed reading Bees -- BUT, in summary: it was far too long (as usual) and not enough notable things happened to advance the plot (as usual), and there were too many pages dedicated to sub-characters that I don't care about at all (as usual). That being said, I did enjoy the chapters dedicated to the primary characters.
Reading back through my review for book 8, I find that I can actually copy/paste much of the same stuff. How sad is that?
MANY SPOILERS BELOW:
First, the bad:
1. This book is WAY too long. In all seriousness, over 900 pages and hardly anything actually happened? Are you serious??? UGH.
2. It was so similar to the last book -- war, fighting, people moving around, houses burning down/being rebuilt, people being sick, Claire performing miraculous surgeries with invented instruments that would make MacGuyver envious, people dying and people being born. SAME. And, I honestly skimmed past almost every scene having to do with war stuff. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.
3. There was so much boring filler and ridiculous detail in some of the scenes -- I think William is so boring and non-essential the the plot, yet we had to follow him around on his pointless errands, along with all the boooorring war scenes and scenes where someone we don't care much about is searching for someone else we really don't care about. Yet there was not enough time and detail dedicated to other situations.
4. Did I mention that there are boring characters ? And way too many of them? I can't even keep them straight, much less what they did in the past -- so whatever story is being told now about them it's just lost on me and not even enjoyable. I care about maybe a handful of key characters, and I wish the story and plot would just focus on them. It's sad that we have to read about pointless characters, but we don't get very much time at all with Fergus and Marsali, or with Lord John.
Ok, now the good:
1. Gabaldon does have a beautiful writing style, evoking vivid images and emotions. Well done.
2. I will never get tired of Jamie and Claire. And I love that they are still just as in love with each other, and still retaining their animal attraction for each other, after all these years. Jamie and Claire are still the center of this story, and to be honest, the only ones I really care about if it came down to it.
3. I'm happy to see Young Ian happy with Rachel and his small family, and am glad that Jenny is now on the Ridge with them. I also enjoy Roger and Bree, to a certain extent.
4. Adso the cat is still around (but now there's a dog, which I'm not loving).
Ok, so yeah, that's stretching to find good things about this book, huh? Seriously -- I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. It big and long and boring and pretty much NOTHING happened that's notable, and the story just needs to come to an end. Unfortunately, we'll all have to sit around for another 4-5 years, then suffer through another 900 page tome, to find out what happens.
**************************
MY HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT HAPPENED (SPOILERS):
(I'm using this as my journal for remembering what DID happen in this book, so I can review it when the next book comes out.)
- After the Big House burned (without Jamie and Claire in it as foretold), Jamie is building New House and a new Meeting House and other misc buildings. Throughout the book, new walls, a roof, windows, and doors are added to the huge 3-story house.
- Roger and Bree return from the future/Scotland with their kids Jemmy and Mandy.
- Roger becomes ordained as a Presbyterian minister.
- Bree wants to learn how to make gunpowder so she can be the armorer (but she also teaches and draws portraits for commissions). Nothing ever really comes of the armorer thing, though.
- Bree now has heart rhythm issues, possibly heart damage from passing through the stones.
- Bree has a 3rd child, a boy named David (Davy) William Ian. They don't think he's a traveler, as Mandy says his "color" is the same as Jamie's and not the same as Roger, Bree, Jem, Mandy, and Claire.
- Young Ian and Rachel's new baby is finally named Hunter, and Rachel is pregnant again at the end of the book.
- Jenny moved from Scotland after Ian Sr. died, and lives with Young Ian and Rachel.
- Ian and Rachel travel north to see to the welfare of Emily (Ian's Mohawk ex-wife), and she asks Ian to adopt Emily's eldest son, Totis (plays with lizards) because she fears her new husband will harm him.
- The Sachem, a spiritual leader from Emily's tribe, returns with Ian/Rachel to the Ridge to learn more about the Frasers' advice to the tribe that should follow the Americans and not the British in the war. He's also smitten with Jenny. In the end, he goes back home to tell his tribe what he's learned and wants Jenny to go with him, but she stays with the family on the Ridge.
- Emily gives Ian a new wolf puppy (descendant of Rollo) named Shenna (?) meaning Peace.
- Jamie and Claire adopt wayward girls Frances (Fanny) and Agnes, but Agnes goes off with someone else.
- William (Jamie's son) is still a boring petulant jerk and is mad at Lord John and Jamie for lying to him.
- The storyline with Amaranthus is stupid and pointless (Amaranthus is Lord John's niece / his brother Hal's daughter-in-law, and the son Benjamin faked his death for who knows why and Amaranthus is trying to get with William. Or something. Honestly I skimmed it because they're both boring characters.)
- Jamie is still mad at Lord John about his brief sham of a marriage to Claire when they thought Jamie was dead years ago. Lord John is still not speaking to Jamie over it, either. Such a waste of an otherwise excellent relationship and character.
- There's a build-up throughout the book about the Revolutionary War and Jamie has to choose between being a Loyalist to the crown or a rebel siding with the Americans. This is tricky as he knows some of his residents on the Ridge are Loyalists, but he tactfully creates a small militia of his Ridge residents (rebels) who don't want to follow the Crown. After the Loyalist residents try to kill/imprison him, he kicks them off his land.
- Fergus and Marsali are in Wilmington working as printers with Jamie's printing press. They have 5 kids now (including new twins). One child Henri-Christian (dwarf) previously died/was killed. They move to Richmond where they think it will be safer, but then move back again to Wilmington. They send their three older kids (Germain, Joanie, and Felicite) to live on the Ridge to be safer, and they stay in Wilmington with the infant twins. Fergus feels it's his calling to help with the war effort via his printing press.
- Ulysses (Jocasta's former man-servant and ex-lover) is now free and has become a redcoat. He comes to the Ridge with two soldiers from a black regiment and he tries to get Jamie to tell him where Jocasta is. When Jamie says he doesn't know (he does - she's in Canada with husband Duncan Innes), Ulysses threatens Jamie with a letter from an official. The letter says Jamie's deed for the land is void for being a Catholic. Gov. Tryon ignored that fact because he wanted Jamie to settle the land, but it was a legit reason for the official to nullify the claim. Jamie goes after Ulysses to try and get the deed and the letter, but a fight ensues and Ulysses escapes. Claire and Jamie save the life of one of the black soldiers who was with Ulysses -- and at the end of the book, the soldier sends them the original deed to the land and the letter threatening to evict them (he must've stolen them somehow).
- Jamie and his rebel militia were involved in a battle with the British that somehow "The History Book" Frank wrote (that Bree brought back from the future) gave Jamie some intel on. We never really learn what the book said about the battle, or why Jamie thought Frank was "talking to him" when writing it - so that was a pointless plot point. Jamie was prepared to die in the battle, though, and even wrote his Will. He was shot several times, but Claire miraculously saved him (of course). Along with four bullet holes, she also repaired Jamie's knee, but he will likely walk difficultly. The rebels won the battle, and according to Frank's Book, there will be no more battles in the War in their part of the country.
-Roger thought he saw the healing blue light from Claire's hands on the battlefield when she was touching Jamie (that Claire remembers Master Raymond telling her about), which could explain the miraculous recovery. Jamie was also having hallucinatory dreams/thoughts about seeing blue while he was lying on the battlefield with Claire trying to heal him.
- At the end of the book, Claire looks in the mirror and sees her roots have turned white. She remembers when a Mohawk wise-woman told her she would come into her full power when her hair was white.
- Lord John and his ex-lover/step-brother Percy Wainwright were abducted by Ezekiel Richardson (a time traveler Bree and Roger fought with in 1980 Scotland) and are held hostage on a ship. Richardson wants John's bother Hal the Duke of Pardloe NOT to testify to the House of Lords in England. Richardson's goal is to NOT propel the British in the war, and thus the Americans wouldn't fight and would remain under British rule, and slavery in the US would be abolished sooner. It's all a bit confusing. Percy was eventually let go and he went to William for help -- and at the end of the book, William arrived at the Ridge to ask for Jamie's help.
I enjoyed reading Bees -- BUT, in summary: it was far too long (as usual) and not enough notable things happened to advance the plot (as usual), and there were too many pages dedicated to sub-characters that I don't care about at all (as usual). That being said, I did enjoy the chapters dedicated to the primary characters.
Reading back through my review for book 8, I find that I can actually copy/paste much of the same stuff. How sad is that?
MANY SPOILERS BELOW:
First, the bad:
1. This book is WAY too long. In all seriousness, over 900 pages and hardly anything actually happened? Are you serious??? UGH.
2. It was so similar to the last book -- war, fighting, people moving around, houses burning down/being rebuilt, people being sick, Claire performing miraculous surgeries with invented instruments that would make MacGuyver envious, people dying and people being born. SAME. And, I honestly skimmed past almost every scene having to do with war stuff. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.
3. There was so much boring filler and ridiculous detail in some of the scenes -- I think William is so boring and non-essential the the plot, yet we had to follow him around on his pointless errands, along with all the boooorring war scenes and scenes where someone we don't care much about is searching for someone else we really don't care about. Yet there was not enough time and detail dedicated to other situations.
4. Did I mention that there are boring characters ? And way too many of them? I can't even keep them straight, much less what they did in the past -- so whatever story is being told now about them it's just lost on me and not even enjoyable. I care about maybe a handful of key characters, and I wish the story and plot would just focus on them. It's sad that we have to read about pointless characters, but we don't get very much time at all with Fergus and Marsali, or with Lord John.
Ok, now the good:
1. Gabaldon does have a beautiful writing style, evoking vivid images and emotions. Well done.
2. I will never get tired of Jamie and Claire. And I love that they are still just as in love with each other, and still retaining their animal attraction for each other, after all these years. Jamie and Claire are still the center of this story, and to be honest, the only ones I really care about if it came down to it.
3. I'm happy to see Young Ian happy with Rachel and his small family, and am glad that Jenny is now on the Ridge with them. I also enjoy Roger and Bree, to a certain extent.
4. Adso the cat is still around (but now there's a dog, which I'm not loving).
Ok, so yeah, that's stretching to find good things about this book, huh? Seriously -- I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. It big and long and boring and pretty much NOTHING happened that's notable, and the story just needs to come to an end. Unfortunately, we'll all have to sit around for another 4-5 years, then suffer through another 900 page tome, to find out what happens.
**************************
MY HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT HAPPENED (SPOILERS):
(I'm using this as my journal for remembering what DID happen in this book, so I can review it when the next book comes out.)
- After the Big House burned (without Jamie and Claire in it as foretold), Jamie is building New House and a new Meeting House and other misc buildings. Throughout the book, new walls, a roof, windows, and doors are added to the huge 3-story house.
- Roger and Bree return from the future/Scotland with their kids Jemmy and Mandy.
- Roger becomes ordained as a Presbyterian minister.
- Bree wants to learn how to make gunpowder so she can be the armorer (but she also teaches and draws portraits for commissions). Nothing ever really comes of the armorer thing, though.
- Bree now has heart rhythm issues, possibly heart damage from passing through the stones.
- Bree has a 3rd child, a boy named David (Davy) William Ian. They don't think he's a traveler, as Mandy says his "color" is the same as Jamie's and not the same as Roger, Bree, Jem, Mandy, and Claire.
- Young Ian and Rachel's new baby is finally named Hunter, and Rachel is pregnant again at the end of the book.
- Jenny moved from Scotland after Ian Sr. died, and lives with Young Ian and Rachel.
- Ian and Rachel travel north to see to the welfare of Emily (Ian's Mohawk ex-wife), and she asks Ian to adopt Emily's eldest son, Totis (plays with lizards) because she fears her new husband will harm him.
- The Sachem, a spiritual leader from Emily's tribe, returns with Ian/Rachel to the Ridge to learn more about the Frasers' advice to the tribe that should follow the Americans and not the British in the war. He's also smitten with Jenny. In the end, he goes back home to tell his tribe what he's learned and wants Jenny to go with him, but she stays with the family on the Ridge.
- Emily gives Ian a new wolf puppy (descendant of Rollo) named Shenna (?) meaning Peace.
- Jamie and Claire adopt wayward girls Frances (Fanny) and Agnes, but Agnes goes off with someone else.
- William (Jamie's son) is still a boring petulant jerk and is mad at Lord John and Jamie for lying to him.
- The storyline with Amaranthus is stupid and pointless (Amaranthus is Lord John's niece / his brother Hal's daughter-in-law, and the son Benjamin faked his death for who knows why and Amaranthus is trying to get with William. Or something. Honestly I skimmed it because they're both boring characters.)
- Jamie is still mad at Lord John about his brief sham of a marriage to Claire when they thought Jamie was dead years ago. Lord John is still not speaking to Jamie over it, either. Such a waste of an otherwise excellent relationship and character.
- There's a build-up throughout the book about the Revolutionary War and Jamie has to choose between being a Loyalist to the crown or a rebel siding with the Americans. This is tricky as he knows some of his residents on the Ridge are Loyalists, but he tactfully creates a small militia of his Ridge residents (rebels) who don't want to follow the Crown. After the Loyalist residents try to kill/imprison him, he kicks them off his land.
- Fergus and Marsali are in Wilmington working as printers with Jamie's printing press. They have 5 kids now (including new twins). One child Henri-Christian (dwarf) previously died/was killed. They move to Richmond where they think it will be safer, but then move back again to Wilmington. They send their three older kids (Germain, Joanie, and Felicite) to live on the Ridge to be safer, and they stay in Wilmington with the infant twins. Fergus feels it's his calling to help with the war effort via his printing press.
- Ulysses (Jocasta's former man-servant and ex-lover) is now free and has become a redcoat. He comes to the Ridge with two soldiers from a black regiment and he tries to get Jamie to tell him where Jocasta is. When Jamie says he doesn't know (he does - she's in Canada with husband Duncan Innes), Ulysses threatens Jamie with a letter from an official. The letter says Jamie's deed for the land is void for being a Catholic. Gov. Tryon ignored that fact because he wanted Jamie to settle the land, but it was a legit reason for the official to nullify the claim. Jamie goes after Ulysses to try and get the deed and the letter, but a fight ensues and Ulysses escapes. Claire and Jamie save the life of one of the black soldiers who was with Ulysses -- and at the end of the book, the soldier sends them the original deed to the land and the letter threatening to evict them (he must've stolen them somehow).
- Jamie and his rebel militia were involved in a battle with the British that somehow "The History Book" Frank wrote (that Bree brought back from the future) gave Jamie some intel on. We never really learn what the book said about the battle, or why Jamie thought Frank was "talking to him" when writing it - so that was a pointless plot point. Jamie was prepared to die in the battle, though, and even wrote his Will. He was shot several times, but Claire miraculously saved him (of course). Along with four bullet holes, she also repaired Jamie's knee, but he will likely walk difficultly. The rebels won the battle, and according to Frank's Book, there will be no more battles in the War in their part of the country.
-Roger thought he saw the healing blue light from Claire's hands on the battlefield when she was touching Jamie (that Claire remembers Master Raymond telling her about), which could explain the miraculous recovery. Jamie was also having hallucinatory dreams/thoughts about seeing blue while he was lying on the battlefield with Claire trying to heal him.
- At the end of the book, Claire looks in the mirror and sees her roots have turned white. She remembers when a Mohawk wise-woman told her she would come into her full power when her hair was white.
- Lord John and his ex-lover/step-brother Percy Wainwright were abducted by Ezekiel Richardson (a time traveler Bree and Roger fought with in 1980 Scotland) and are held hostage on a ship. Richardson wants John's bother Hal the Duke of Pardloe NOT to testify to the House of Lords in England. Richardson's goal is to NOT propel the British in the war, and thus the Americans wouldn't fight and would remain under British rule, and slavery in the US would be abolished sooner. It's all a bit confusing. Percy was eventually let go and he went to William for help -- and at the end of the book, William arrived at the Ridge to ask for Jamie's help.
