Anonymous
Highly enjoyed this book, being a reviewer that has previously heavily critiqued voyager and d/autumn- the winding of the storylines always felt appropriate. Always about the time I started to wonder "Oh, well what about Bree and Roger?" or was pining to learn more about a subplot, Gabaldon gave me the story I wanted within a chapter or two. William specifically can be a bit frustrating at times, but I honestly think that may be because he doesn't have a significant other, really. We have no love-goggles for him, like we did with fiery, stubborn, and often illogical Jaime from earlier in the series. I see so many similarities between the characters, but the reader is softer on Jaime because he's the main love interest. On that note, it was quite wonderful to delve into Ian's relationship.
Funnily enough, with Lisa F's review, I would have agreed on re-hashing story maybe in the first five books, as I found it very irritating, but I honestly had forgotten a few things from previous books, and the re-hashing brought me back up to speed. When a series gets this long, I rather think it's a benefit, not a negative anymore.
As for "how come Claire and Jaime are always in the thick of it"- I am inclined to agree, that I would genuinely enjoy five or so chapters spread about the book with daily life and normalicy, I have to also say... it's fiction! Sure, I have a bit of a laugh when Claire runs into her 5th important historical figure or so in a few chapter's time, but a certain level of suspension of disbelief is often required when reading for enjoyment. I would also like to add that since there is a basis of Jaime interacting with important figures in the past, he is still more likely to run into them through the rest of his life, and this idea helps me suspend my disbelief a bit more as well.