The past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is
the most dangerous time to be alive. . . .
Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the
Jacobite Rising in 1743, and it took them twenty years to find each other
again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.
It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with
their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s
Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought
impossible.
Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects
of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings
run hot enough to boil Hell’s tea-kettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his
tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.
Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers
that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them.
Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them
disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their
family.
Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to
terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity—and thus his own—and
Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet . . . on his
son’s behalf, and his own.
Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to
Fraser’s Ridge. And with the family finally together, Jamie and Claire have
more at stake than ever before.
Loved it. After such a long wait, "Bees" arrived
on my kindle. With a trans-Atlantic flight ahead of me, I waited to start until
I was on the plane. I've never had a flight pass so quickly as that one did. Of
course, I came nowhere near finishing the book, and in a great test of
willpower, spread the reading over the next week. This allowed me to savor what
I'd read before moving on to the following chapters. The book never
disappointed me, though I admit to a few bouts of frustration while reading. One of the
biggest things I noticed about this book is that it doesn't move from one
crisis to another as many earlier books did. It is more character-driven, with
time spent watching those characters grow, change, adjust, and generally deal
with day-to-day life and life-changing situations.
The story picks up where the previous book left off, with
the return of the MacKenzies to Fraser's Ridge. Claire and Jamie's happiness is
evident, but so is their concern over what the future holds. Though Jamie
resigned his commission in the Continental Army after Claire's injury in MOBY,
they know that the war will eventually spread to their area. Jamie already sees
the writing on the wall, as residents of the Ridge are split between Rebels and
Loyalists. One particular resident, Captain Cunningham, will prove to be especially
troublesome. It falls to Jamie to ensure the protection of his people, and he
forms a militia company to do so. I loved the descriptions of his efforts to
train them, including a hilarious riding lesson.
I've seen complaints from other readers that the
relationship between Jamie and Claire is lacking in this book. I'm afraid I
have to disagree. It is perhaps a little quieter but no less intense. Claire
knows him well enough to understand when she needs to worry about him and when
she can write his actions off as business as usual. At the same time, Jamie
knows when to stay out of the way of Claire's medical work and when he can
offer a bit of guidance. Jamie certainly knows that leaving her behind when he
goes to fight is not an option. Both are haunted by the ghost of Frank Randall,
thanks to his book that Brianna brought with her from the future. Knowledge of
the upcoming battle at King's Mountain hangs over their heads.
Other happenings involving friends and family:
With the return of the MacKenzies, Brianna, Roger, Jem,
and Mandy must readjust to life in the 18th century. Roger found his calling
with the ministry and finally pursued his ordination as a Presbyterian
minister. Religious life on the Ridge is as much entertainment as spiritual,
and nearly everyone attends all services, including the Quaker meeting led by
Ian's wife. Some of those scenes are pretty funny and go a long way toward
encouraging tolerance of others' views. Brianna continues her work as an
engineer helping her father and as an artist. Thanks to Lord John, she receives
a commission to do a portrait in Savannah. I enjoyed the descriptions of her
subject and the challenges she faced. It also put Brianna in the right place
for an unexpected and frankly somewhat creepy portrait request. The
descriptions of that event were so vivid that I felt as though I was there.
While in Savannah, Brianna had the opportunity to spend
time with her half-brother, William. I liked his protectiveness toward his
sister and his support during that weird portrait session. Brianna is aware of
the strain between William and Jamie and uses the time to talk about Jamie. I
laughed out loud when she told William about that particular sound he makes
("mmphm").
William matures a fair amount in this book. While he
still hasn't quite come to terms with the truth about his parentage, he is
getting closer. He is still just as determined to renounce his title and
corrects anyone who refers to him by it. Since resigning from the British army,
he's been at loose ends, so he takes on the investigation into his cousin Ben's
reported death. This includes dealing with Ben's widow, Amaranthus. I freely
admit that I do not like her or her hold on William. The shocking information
he discovers about Ben could destroy the family, and her part in it made me
dislike her even more.
I liked William's friendship with John Cinnamon, the
half-Indian, half-white man he met while visiting the family's Virginia
property. John was an interesting character, and his connection to Lord John
made for some tense moments until the whole story came out. I loved Brianna's part in John's story and
its effect on him.
During Roger and Brianna's trip to Savannah, they stopped
briefly in Charles Town, South Carolina. The visit served a dual purpose.
First, they returned Germaine to his parents, Fergus and Marsali. He lived on
the Ridge while they all recovered from Henri-Christian's death. Fergus and
Marsali run a successful printing business, working solidly on the side of the
Americans. Fergus's connections make him the perfect person to help Roger and
Bree acquire rifles for Jamie's militia. The descriptions of everything
involved in this undertaking were, at times, scary and hilarious. There were
some intense moments when Loyalists made their unhappiness with Fergus and his
views plain. The danger motivates Fergus and family to relocate. Fergus also
has another encounter with someone claiming to know the truth of his birth.
Other residents of the Ridge also have their challenges.
Frances (Fanny), the girl William rescued in the previous book, lives with
Jamie and Claire. It takes a long time for her to believe that she is safe with
them and doesn't have to worry about her future. Her grief for her sister
profoundly affects her life, and I ached for everything she experienced in her
short life. She is an interesting mixture of innocence and experience, and some
of the things she says are both funny and heartbreaking. I look forward to
seeing what the future holds for her.
Life in the backwoods can be hazardous, and tragedy can
strike without warning. The gruesome death of a young woman brought that danger
home in a memorable scene. I ached for Bobby over the loss of his wife. In
another scene, attending a difficult birth brings Claire closer to the
manifestation of her full healing powers. It also brings another girl to the
attention and guardianship of the Frasers.
Young Ian and Rachel have settled on the Ridge, along
with Ian's mother, Jenny. Their love was as surprising as it was intense, and I
enjoyed seeing their continuing adjustments to life together as Mohawk and
Quaker. When Ian receives word that his first wife is now a widow and could be
in danger, nothing will stop him from checking up on her. I loved that Rachel
insisted on going with him, along with their baby and Jenny. I wasn't sure how
that encounter would go, and I admit to being pleasantly surprised. The scene
between Emily and Rachel was incredibly emotional, and I loved every moment of
it. There was an interesting twist involving Jenny, and I look forward to
seeing where it goes.
I also enjoyed seeing some minor characters from previous
books make appearances. The Quaker woman and her daughters who helped Jamie in
the last book are on his mind when Ian heads north. When Jamie asks Ian to
check on her during his trip, Ian is shocked by what he finds. I loved his
honor-fueled protectiveness and the actions it led to. It did somewhat
complicate his life and journey. An unexpected twist ended with Mrs. Hardiman
and her daughters traveling back to the Ridge. Ulysses (from River Run) was a
less welcome visitor in a British uniform and bearing ill intentions toward
Jamie.
Lord John and his brother Hal, Duke of Pardloe, have
several appearances in this book. Hal's seniority in the army put him at the
center of the action. His views on the war don't necessarily match those of his
compatriots. I liked his devotion to his family and ached over the effect of
Ben's actions on him. John's relationship with William continues to be strained
over the revelations of his parenthood. The same goes for his friendship with
Jamie, thanks to John's brief marriage to Claire. Strained or not, John is
there for William when he's needed, and there is never a doubt about how much
he cares for William. John's past comes back to bite him when he's kidnapped in
an attempt to influence Hal's plans for a trip to England.
Double agent (but for whom?) Richardson makes another
appearance. This time he has an agenda of his own that he will do anything to
advance. William is especially disturbed by Richardson's statement that he
knows Brianna and the hint of an underlying threat. A rough sketch done by
William and shown to Brianna makes the unthinkable not only possible but
terrifyingly real.
The book ended in a cliffhanger with Lord John still a
captive and William searching for help to save him. I hope that the next book
doesn't take as long as this one did. I need to know what happens!
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