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Book Reviews of Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4)

Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4)
Drums of Autumn - Outlander, Bk 4
Author: Diana Gabaldon
ISBN-13: 9780385255851
ISBN-10: 0385255853
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 880
Rating:
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 12

4.3 stars, based on 12 ratings
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

76 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

drgldy76 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 125 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
She's the greatest author I have ever read. nothing about her books lacks believability. Most might classify her books as romance, but I disagree. There is romance, but there is all sorts of life to these books. These books have action, suspense, rage, love, lust, cowards, beheadings, historical figures, and so much more that life has offered in the 1700s as well as 1940s-1960s. The books are as follows chronologically so: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drumns of Autumn, A Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes. These are deserving of an A
arenee1999 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 75 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Cast ashore in the American colonies, the Frasers are faced with a bleak choice: return to a Scotland fallen into famine and poverty, or seize the risky chance of a new life in the New World - menaced by Claire's certain knowledge of the coming Revolution. Still, a Highlander is born to risk - and so is a time-traveler. Their daughter, Brianna, is safe - they think - on the other side of a dangerous future; their lives are their own to venture as they will. With faith in themselves and in each other, they seek a new beginning among the exiled Scottish Highlanders of the Cape Fear, in the fertile river valleys of the Colony of North Carolina. Even in the New World, though, the Frasers find their hope of peace threatened from without and from within; by the British Crown and by Jamie's aunt, Jocasta MacKenzie, last of the MacKenzies of Leoch. A hunger for freedom drives Jamie to a Highlander's only true refuge: the mountains. And here at last, with no challenge to their peace - save wild animals, Indians, and the threat of starvation - the Frasers establish a precarious foothold in the wilderness, secure in the knowledge that even war cannot invade their mountain sanctuary.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I won't rant and rave. I simply love this series of books. I could read them over and over and again. I love the characters I love the plot and the historical accuracy. I love the fact that it's never dry or boring. I love the urge to slip a bookmark in and go ahead three pages as I can hardly bear the suspence!

Read the series it it just wonderfully written and such a joy to read on every level.
nyteacher avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 152 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Book four of the Outlander series. Claire has returned to the past and Jamie Fraser. Their daughter, Brianna decides to follow in an effort to save them. It took me longer to get into this book than the first three and I considered abandoning the series. But, by the end Gabaldon had me hooked once again. She has created such real characters that you genuinely care about them. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Lord John Grey in this book.
FitMommyOf2 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 85 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The fourth in a series of linked sagas (Outlander; Dragonfly in Amber; Voyager), her new epic has a delicious premise. Claire Randall, the post-WWII bride of historian Frank Randall, steps through a skew in the Scottish stone circle Craigh na Dun and lands in Revolutionary America and the arms of Highlander Jamie Fraser?putting a new spin on the notion of a two-timing woman. Bold and bawdy, but a believing Catholic, Claire struggles to live a rich and moral life?or, rather, rich and moral lives?under these extraordinary circumstances. Claire's adventures in 18th-century Charleston alternate with equally engaging chapters devoted to her 20th-century daughter, Brianna. Raised as Frank Randall's child, Bree discovers that Jamie Fraser is her real sire. She takes off on a harrowing, confrontational quest through time and space with her suitor, Roger Wakefield, in hot pursuit. Gabaldon's range is impressive, whether she's evoking the rawness of colonial America, the cozy clutter of a modern Scottish parsonage, the lusts of the body or the yearnings of the spirit
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The first book in this series(Outlander) was wonderful. A good story of history and time travel. Sadly I believe the author ran out of steam in this fourth book of the series.
redmama87 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
Helpful Score: 2
This one dragged so bad for me I struggled to finish it,While I whizzed through the other(of course taking sufficient breaks between reading them other wise you get epic historical burnout). Am going to take an even larger break until I read the next one.
scollins avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 59 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Amazing twists and turns in the storyline - keeps me engaged. The books in this series are large 900+ pages but they draw you in and before you know it you have completed one and can't wait to crack the next one. 20 years since Jaime and Claire married and their love is stronger than ever.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent. Enjoyed in particular the North Carolina content, having moved there 15 years ago. Wonderful escapism, with enough historical content to balance -- characters continue to be clearly defined.
Readnmachine avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 1474 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I said I wasn't going to read any more Outlander after the last one, which landed Claire and Jamie in the New World. I felt that was a good time to quit, but I had this next book in my TBR stack. For a while, I thought I'd made the wrong decision and nearly put it down after the first hundred or so pages. It's a ponderously slow book, packed with the minutiae of daily life in the mid-1700s, and full of as many coincidences and recurring chracters as Dickens at his worst. Yet the very strength of those characters is compelling, and one hangs on to see what happens when Jamie and Claire's daughter Brianna crosses the stones to come back and warn them, and then is trapped in the past along with the 20th-century man she loves, who has followed her through. Heaven help my husband, who asked me "What's that book about?" The only question now is whether I go on to the next episode!
jdyinva avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 408 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
4th in the "Outlander" series by this author. Mystery, fantasy, love-story, characters you care about. Well written. Highly recommend.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is an excellent book. This is the fourth in the outlander series about Scottish Jamie and American Claire who's love transcends all time.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 149 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
My absolute, most favorite series in the world ever! She writes such beautiful, haunting books that have adventure, romance, intrigue, travel, history...you name it, it's in it! She makes me laugh, cry and hope that all of her books won't ever end.

I cannot tell you how many times over the years that I have found myself wondering about Claire and Jamie as if they were personal friends of mine instead of characters in a book.
KaysCMAlbums avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 97 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Always spellbinding, never slacking, always suspenseful, this love story is one of the greatest of all time. You just cant put these books down. And it amazes me how much adventure Gabaldon can put in this story! She is one of the most incredible writers I have had the privilege of reading.
ldenoia avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
every bit as good as previous ones in the series, and even more fun if you know the geographical areas!
Isadora avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 122 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
One of the most awesome love stories I've ever read. Jamie is my definition of a hero.
countrylane avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 81 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The author saved the best for last! This is the final book in the series. Preceded by OUTLANDER, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, and VOYAGER. DRUMS OF AUTUMN continues the saga of the stone circle where several generations of strong women have traveled back in time to eighteenth century Scotland and now to frontier America. An epic tale that mixes history, fantasy and romance. A true escapist series that you will not be able to put down. Don't just take my word for it: these books were selected by the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club too. Be prepared to stay up all night reading this impossible to put down series of books!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Bought this book to complete my set before the latest in the series was published. Re-read it and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Am definitely keeping ALL her books in this series.
dmkay avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 223 more book reviews
The fourth book in the excellent Outlander series. Brianna has made the leap into the unknown through the stone circle looking for her Mother and the Father she has never met.
All Gabaldon's books are hard to put down - I just want to keep reading "a few more pages".
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 18 more book reviews
One in a series that involves romance and time travel with Claire Randall who travels back in time and into the arms of gallant eighteenth-century Scot Jamie Fraser.
tnlmorris avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
love, love, loved this book!! excellent series.
mutts4me avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 93 more book reviews
Another excellent one in the saga!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 7 more book reviews
Perfectly Captivating just like the previous books in the Outlander series!!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 45 more book reviews
A mix of history, fantasy, romance and ribald story telling.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 65 more book reviews
Can't wait to get into the next book!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 21 more book reviews
you have to read the first 4 of the series to know the whole story, it's so worth it.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 49 more book reviews
Book 4 in the Outlander series. Time-travel romance. Couldn't put it down.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 23 more book reviews
The fourth book in the "Outlander" saga, continuing the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 25 more book reviews
The 4th book in a set.
a Time travel book.
The First book is the Outlander
The 2nd book is Voyager
the 3d book is Dragonfly in Amber
a really great long read, the books are very thick.
Nee avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 82 more book reviews
I love this serias! Romance, history and time travel all in one! 4th book in the set!
kathyk avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
This is an excellent series. Read Outlander first. Time travel romance and history at it's best. This is the fourth in the series.
MKSbooklady avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 989 more book reviews
Another chapter (actually several) in the life of Jamie and Claire Fraser. Old characters appear, new ones join. To be honest, I find myself skipping some of the detailed descriptions of persons and events sometimes. Still a wonderful book, and Jamie Fraser has raised the bar for all time for how a man should act. sigh
keno avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 869 more book reviews
wow still reading this book-it's taking me longer to read it and i've got to finish it-book 5 is in it's way to me! i'm reading as fast as i can! lol :)

i finished it! gosh it made me cry about ian!
great book!
808momof3 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 2 more book reviews
I love this series. The 4th book and on are a tad bit easier to take your time with (i.e. you're able to put it down). I like that I didn't rush this one. There are places in the writing that make it easier to take a brake. That said, it's just as good as the others in the series. I love Claire and Jamie.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 8 more book reviews
Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the cirlce of stones and a terrifying leap into the unknown. in search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her future to try to change history.
passn2cre8 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 12 more book reviews
Historical fiction. Deals with a woman who time travels, and is an excellent series.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 41 more book reviews
This is the 4th book of the Outlander saga. It began in Scotland, at an ancient stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past-or the grave. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice. Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteeth-century Scot whose love for her became legend--a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in frontier America. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century. Their daughter, Brianna......
Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the stone circle and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history...and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past...or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong.
goddesslovingbookworm avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 170 more book reviews
Keep the series going with number 4--the historical accuracy is fascinating (love detailed descriptions!)
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 20 more book reviews
Wonderful part of the "Outlander" series ... a passionate mix of history, romance and energetic storytelling. I seriously wanted to hop on a plane to Scotland after reading just one of these books. Great because you can start in the middle of the series and not feel left out, but once you read one, you'll definitely want to read the rest of them!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 13 more book reviews
Once I got into this series I was totally hooked. Detailed, interesting historical fiction.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 620 more book reviews
The wonderful story of Jamie and Claire continues in this 4th book in the Outlander series! I can't say enough about this excellent series of books ... they are superb!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 579 more book reviews
It began in Scottland,at an ancient stone circle.There a doorway,open to a select few, leads into the past-or grave.Claire Randall survived the extroidinary passage,not once but twice.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
Great story
mpmarus avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 133 more book reviews
I love this series! This one brings Claire and Jamie's daughter, Brianna, into the mix.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 27 more book reviews
loved every minute of this book as usual need to run out and get the next one!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 10 more book reviews
A great book in a great love-story series. Gabaldon brings to life the Scotland of 200 years ago and writes truly engaging characters.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 40 more book reviews
The 4th installment of the "Outlander Series".
This novel is rich in history and adventure and continues the saga of Clare and Jamie Fraser.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
I thought this book was pretty good, not the best of the series but still ok!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 209 more book reviews
So excellent - the entire series. The only one I haven't read is Voyager. This is an extremely accomplished writer!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 75 more book reviews
great time travel romance novel. 4th in a series
nasturtium avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 12 more book reviews
The Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon, is my all time favorite read. I'm thrilled to be able to collect the entire series in hardcover here at paperback swap. This is one of the only authors/series that I'm happy to re-read again and again. If you're looking for a get away read, one that's not quick to end, this is the series. Very historical and detailed, but the best part is that once you finish one.....the next is there to continue the story. After reading these books, the characters get to feeling like old friends. Not a quick read, by any means, but well worth the reading time!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
Gabaldon does it again! Another fabulous book filled with the adventures of Jamie and Claire Fraser. I am addicted to these books, and half way in love with Jamie! These books are must reads for anyone.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 113 more book reviews
Excellent time travel book.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 54 more book reviews
4th book in the series, I love them all.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 46 more book reviews
Absolutely wonderful! Can't say enough.
Delos avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
most gripping page-turner of the series
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 54 more book reviews
This story was a little slow. I still liked it though.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 7 more book reviews
cant decide which i like better, outlander or drums.....I LOVE this series!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 40 more book reviews
there would be so much to say about this book i would not know where to begin anyone that reads Diana Gabaldon knows what i'm talking about the final book of this series makes me wish there were more i loved reading about jamie and claires final journeys .in there life the excitement of all the foes and friends they meet and some they lose keeps you coming back for more. i hate to see it end. and wish there was another one to the series,
tnlmorris avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
this is the large paperback. excellent series. i am finished with all 6 books and can't wait for the next one!!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 42 more book reviews
this book captivates your interest.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 12 more book reviews
This was a great continuation of the series. The characters and settings are richly described. I really enjoyed reading about early America and the life they led. I can't wait to start the next one.
darkize274 avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 12 more book reviews
Another great book in this series! Loved it!
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 64 more book reviews
It began in Scotland, at an ancient stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past--or the grave. Claire RAndall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice. Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, and eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her beame legend--a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in frontier America. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century. Their daughter, Brianna...
Now, Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the stone circle and a terrigying leap into the unknow. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history...and to save their lives. But as Birianna plunges intoan uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past...or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong...
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 38 more book reviews
This one has GOT to be my favorite of the Outlander series. I love the others, but I just couldn't put this one down.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 8 more book reviews
I love this series. I have read the first book three times. All of the books feel so real. This is a great store for those who relize there are down sides to love to.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 14 more book reviews
Fourth in the Outlander series. This is one of my all-time favorites.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 8 more book reviews
The version I have has a different cover than the one pictured, it's just plain blue...
Grnemae avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 451 more book reviews
Claire Randall's saga continues. Claire risks her future to try and change history as she searches for and tries to save the lives of her parents. Will Claire be stranded in the past?
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 308 more book reviews
excellent time travel series
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 36 more book reviews
Great series.
Transports you to the time and place.
Vivid and detailed.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on
I recently discovered these books, I haven't read fiction in many years. These are so well written I lose myself in them. This book is action packed and fascinating!
KarenLS avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 25 more book reviews
No one does it like Diana Gabaldon. This series ROCKS!!!!
Josiejo avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 48 more book reviews
Great Nora Roberts! and if you like vampires and time travel, this is for you.
reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 33 more book reviews
Small tear in cover but book still intact
cobaltcats avatar reviewed Drums of Autumn (Outlander, Bk 4) on + 27 more book reviews
ditto Outlander