Claire Randall is a practical woman, a nurse in the British Army during World War II. She and her husband Frank, who were separated during the war, have recently reunited and are enjoying a second honeymoon in Inverness, Scotland. They married there and Frank combined their holiday with some research into his family tree, investigating an ancestor named "Black Jack" Randall, who was a Captain in the Army in the 18th century.
After seeing some traditional Scottish sites, such as Loch Ness, Claire goes plant-gathering with an amateur botanist. He shows her a group of standing stones on the hill of Craigh na Dun. Claire tells Frank and he tells her that a group of local women will be enacting a pagan ritual and that the local vicar's housekeeper is one of them. As a history professor, Frank is fascinated; Claire, a budding botanist, is particularly captivated by the flowers and herbs she finds, although the unusual ritual is of interest to her. Returning the next day for a particular plant that interests her, Claire realizes she can hear a buzzing noise from the stones and investigates. The buzzing gets louder as she approaches but makes her disoriented and she blacks out, waking to the sound of battle in the distance. Assuming it is a re-enactment or a movie set, she takes a detour through woods suddenly thicker than they were. Struggling to make sense of her surroundings, she bumps into Captain "Black Jack" Randall, who is, incidentally, Frank's six times great-grandfather and double, physically. Unfortunately for Claire, Randall has earned the "Black" in spades and detains her, asking why she is traveling alone in a "state of undress" and concludes that she is a prostitute. She is saved by an unknown Scotsman who knocks Randall unconscious and takes her with him when he rejoins his party who have been rustling cattle. Still befuddled, Claire doesn't understand the situation, and further puzzled by the reactions to her dress, which everyone calls a "shift," and that her legs are bare.
Forced to travel with them through the Scottish countryside, Claire sees the lack of modern technology and roadways. She begins wondering exactly has happened as the "costumes" and weapons are very realistic. Claire rides with one of the younger Scots, Jamie, whom she met and reset his dislocated shoulder when he was wounded during the fight with the English under "Black Jack's" command. The Scots return to their home, Castle Leoch, seat of the Clan MacKenzie. When questioned by the laird, Callum ban Campbell MacKenzie, Claire claims she was sailing to France to visit relatives and lost her gown, luggage and servant when they were attacked. The Scots are suspicious, wondering exactly who she is. Unfortunately nothing can be proved and after seeing a letter Callum is writing, she realizes when she is for the first time: 1743. The Scots see Claire as a "Sassenach"-- an outsider to Scottish Highland culture and an Englishwoman to boot - though she earns their respect, due to her work as a healer. Wanting to know who Claire really is, Dougal MacKenzie - Callum's brother and war chief of the clan - takes her to the English. She is interrogated by none other than "Black Jack" Randall.
Dougal is horrified at Jack Randall's treatment of her and determined to avoid having to give her to Randall for further questioning, Dougal is informed by Ned Gowan, the clan's lawyer, that the only solution is to make her a Scotswoman. He tells her to wed Jamie but suggests other men when she refuses, telling Dougal she can't marry anyone but admits she isn't married so Dougal ignores her. She gives in and marries Jamie in the same church - much to her horror - that she married Frank. By now, Claire - impressed that Jamie insisted on them having a private room to consummate their marriage and find her a decent dress to marry in - finds that she and Jamie are falling in love, despite Frank and feels guilty.
Claire's healing skills as a 20th century nurse save Jamie repeatedly but as the story progresses, she is determined to return to the stone circle and Frank, knowing he must be worried sick. As life continues at Castle Leoch, Claire's marriage to Jamie, ignorance of local superstition, and jealousy lead to a charge of witchcraft. Thrown into a hole with another accused witch, Geilie Duncan, to await trial, she is rescued by Jamie. Just before her escape, she realizes that Geilie Duncan is from the future too. When Jamie asks her to explain, she initially tells him she can't as he won't believe her, saying it's easier to call her a witch. Shocked by Claire's explanation, he takes her to the stone circle and tells her to return to Frank - seeing for himself, that Claire is telling the truth about the stones. Jamie leaves her there to decide if she wants to return to Frank or stay with him. He is over the moon with her decision to stay and he takes her to his home, Lallybroch, but their happiness doesn't last.
Jamie has a price on his head and is betrayed by Ronald McNab, one of his tenants. Angry that Jamie, after being told by Claire and Grannie McNab of Ronald's abuse of the child, insists Rabbie become a stable-boy at Lallybroch. Jamie is held at Wentworth Prison and sentenced to hang. Sadistic Jack Randall is also at Wentworth and takes the opportunity to torture Jamie. Jamie, however, promises Jack that he'll sleep with him if he lets Claire go. Jack agrees and in revenge, Claire tells Jack she is a witch, cursing him with the "gift" of knowledge that he will marry and have a son but will die before the child's born, giving him the date of his death.
Aided by Sir Marcus MacRannoch, a former suitor of Jamie's mother, Ellen MacKenzie Fraser, Claire, Jamie's relatives and men employed by Sir Marcus, rescue Jamie. She patches him up and they escape to Ste. Anne de Beaupre's monastery in France, where Jamie's uncle is stationed as Abbot. At Ste. Anne's, Claire tries healing Jamie, but discovers broken bones are simple, compared to repairing the damage done to his mind. As he recovers, Jamie tells Claire that his life is hers, that she should decide, will they go "to France, Italy, or even back to Scotland?" for "[they'll] need a place to go, soon." His Uncle, Abbot Alexander, provides Jamie with a letter of introduction, describing Jamie as, "an efficient linguist and translator", to King James of Scotland, living in Rome with his sons Bonnie Prince Charlie and Henry Stuart. Claire and Jamie decide Rome it will be, "to do what they can"(quotes from this paragraph, p 620, Dell Trade Paperback).
Whilst at the abbey, Claire learns more about her faith - she was christened Catholic but not raised as one - and receives absolution from a friendly monk. He describes her as a shipwrecked traveler, forced to survive in a strange land as best she can. He describes her marriages as something she should leave in God's hands as nothing can be done about them. At the last, as they emerge from the healing waters of a sacred hot spring under the Abbey, Claire reveals that she is pregnant with their first child.
As the first in what is now at least an eight-book series (Book 7, An Echo in the Bone, was published in September 2009, and promises at least one more book) of Claire Fraser and her Highlander husband Jamie. The story is the first step in a bestselling and surprisingly rich tale spanning the time from the Scottish Rising of 1745, to the American Revolution.
"This is my favorite books series of all times; I have read all of them and listened to them several times on audio book while I am work sewing. These are the kinds of books that the more you read them the more you get out of them.
You can't help but fall in love with the main characters, there are so many amazing characters weaved in and out of all the books. Some that you love and others that you hate some that you can't wait for them to die; Some characters that you have torn feeling about, you like them but then they do something to make you hate them and some times they don't get back into your good graces.
The thing that I love most about these books is the fact that you can tell Historical fact from Fiction. She has a wonderful companion book to the series call "The Outlandish Companion" she talks about the historical characters the places, the Gaelic language and what the different words that they use in the books.
If you love historical romance a little science fiction and Historical Fictions then you need to check out the Outlander series and go on an amazing journey with Claire Randal and experience what life in 1700's Scotland is like. Here is the link to her website
Plot Summary
No comments:
Post a Comment