A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2004) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“I did not like the ending, and am loathe to say goodbye to Jamie and Claire. Another epic masterpiece of writing from Gabaldon. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Oh Mrs. Gabaldon! Thank you again for this unpredictable adventure through the lives of these amazing characters. This has got to be the best book yet! In A Breath Of Snow and Ashes, The Frasers' face many life altering predicaments, tests of love, courage, and most importantly, the big question of whether the time traveler's of this series bears truth to the unraveling of history.
Brianna finally comes hand in hand with justice, thus following with one of the biggest decisions she has to face. Still seductive and still utterly entertaining, this book will continue to sweep readers into the clouds of arousal and impose on newcomers the knowledge of what they have been missing.”

• Rated 4 stars

“I loved the book! *spoilers*

This book was one of personal journeys. Ian's on telling what happened to his wife, Roger's on becoming a minister; Bree's on discovering that Jemmy really is Roger's son and finally getting her revenge on Stephen Bonnet. And of course it follows Jamie and Claire in their journeys through the Revolutionary war and on Jamie's decision to be a Whig or a rebel and when he decides to be one or the other. Claire goes on a journey through trust and friendship to loss and disbelief.

Also in this book are a number of out of wedlock babies and some marriages too.
Lizzie gets pregnant by one of the twin brothers and since they don't know who's the father she secretly marries them both. Her father also gets married to Ute McGivelray's sister (the aunt of Lizzie's former fiance).

Malva Christie, daughter of one of Jamie's Ardsmuir men, loves learning from Claire about medicine and healing. They become great friends. Malva ends up pregnant (from her brother) but they lay the blame on Jamie to try to cover it up (saying that it happened while Claire was ill). She says she can't blame him though and so her brother kills her in Claire's garden. Claire finds her and trys to save the baby, but it dies and when everyone finds her covered in their blood they think she killed Malva.

Bree uses what she has to make modern conveniences. She's made matches, paper, fired some plates and things and also made pipe in order to provide heat to their home.

Fergus and Marasali have a midget baby, which is seen as a curse. Fergus tries to kill himself b/c he can't provide for his family with his hook arm and because his youngest son won't be able to either. the family helps him out of that and they get him a printing shop in New Bern because that is something that he can do. He and the family move there.

Roger feels the calling to become a minister. He goes to get ordained, leaving Jem and Bree at their Aunt Jocasta's to get them away from the ridge and all the hatred that is going on toward her parents. She gets kidnapped and taken to Stephen Bonnet, who intends to sell her, but won't sleep with her because she is pregnant. (In the end, Bonnet is sentenced to death by drowning but Bree shoots him as it is her duty to do the justice, at least i think that's why she shot him). Also, during the time they are waiting for the drowning, Bree meets her half brother William, but can't tell him who she really is. or about their father.

Meanwhile Jamie and Claire get taken off by the Committee of Safety to be tried for their crime of killing Malva. Tom Christie offers to go with them. It turns out that Brown just wanted Jaime, but knew that if he threatened Claire Jamie would most likely just go with him. The plan went eyry though and the two become separated. Jamie, of course, being the hero, finds Claire. They soon find out the Bree's been taken and go to find Roger so they can go find her. Roger doesn't get to actually be ordained.

Also in this book, we find out that Phadre, the body servant of Jocasta, is the child of Jocasta's former husband and who is pregnant by her current husband. Jocasta has also been sleeping with her servant, Ulysses, since before her and her dead husband were married. She married for duty, but Ulysses was her love. He was angry that Phadre knew this and had threatened to tell everyone, so he had her sold. Jocasta and Duncan, having their gold all taken buy Mr. and Mrs. Bug, but unknowingly at that, moved to Acadia so as not to be run out of their home.

Bree is pregnant and delivers a baby girl, Amanda, but Amanda has a problem getting oxygen and they have to come to grips with going back, because it is only a simple procedure to save her. the four of them, Bree, Roger, Jem and Mandy, all go back.

Earlier in the book, on Jan. 21st 1776, they all crowded in Bree and Roger's cabin, awaiting the fire that was supposed to take their home and in which they were to die. then Bree thought that maybe it was to be her own and Roger's cabin that would burn, seeing as it used to be Jamie and Claire's. and once the cat knocked over the phosphorous and caught the pantry on fire, they though that was it and went about their business. Then, after Bree and Roger go back, Jamie and Claire's house is attacked (ppl looking for jems to get back to their correct time period as well). Claire's surgery is broken into and the ether is spread all over. It is dark so Ian goes to light a candle, using one of Bree's matches, and catches the whole place on fire. They all get out safely, if not a little singed.

they move in to Lallybroch and Roger finds a wooden chest in the Reverends old things. Upon opening it Bree finds the little wooden snake her father carried around and some letters and two books. The letters are written on the paper that she made and when she reads it it is from her mother, dated Dec. 31, 1776, saying that they are alive.

The last page of the book is a little back story, i guess you would call it. But it tells of the printers setting they type for the newspaper that would announce the death of Claire and Jamie, by fire, their house burning down. And is tells that since the typesetter didn't have a "D" to make December he changed the date of their death to January. So they had seen the wrong date to begin with.

-This book speed up a lot in the last 300 pages or so, not sure if she just had a bunch of ideas flowing or if she just needed it to be over, but it went quickly. I am very anxious to see what will happen in the next book and if I had the stamina I would start it right away.

Two things bother me though, first - how did they explain the disappearance of Brianna, Roger and their family from the ridge. Amy and her boys move into the MacKenzie's home and I'm sure that they couldn't just leave without telling anyone anything. Second - the last page of the book - with the month change - so what changed that made them not die in the December fire. Since that was what really happened before and the printer just changed the information, something else had to happened that changed the circumstances this time.”

• Rated 3 stars

“The series is coming to an end. Just one more book. Yikes. After surviving six books, I still am enjoying it. I think this book has a lot more meat to it especially with the hisotrical plot. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Excellent. Ending was perfect.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Love it!”

• Rated 0 stars

“Book 6 - once again a little harder to get through”

• Rated 0 stars

“Excellent series - history, romance, intrigue, best series I have ever read!”

• Rated 5 stars

“6th book in the Outlander series and poor Claire gets kidnapped, raped, poisoned and mistaken for a murderess, the Big House also gets burned down by another time travel and his dimwitted henchmen while Brianna & Roger's family brave the stone circle passage to save their daughter from a fatal heart condition--all with the impending Revolutionary War coming right around the corner.”

• Rated 4 stars

“This installment I think I preferred over the previous. Many characters had momentous events change their lives and they all grew in interesting ways.”