Oops, I did it again . . .

How did I get behind? I keep forgetting to post, but here goes.

Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon. This is the second in the Outlander series. The story is not quite as engaging as Outlander, but still passably good. The first part of the story is mor.e present day, as Clair returns to Scotland with her daughter, having practiced medicine for some 20 years or so. Her present day husband, Frank, has died, and she's ready to disclose to her daughter her paternity. As it turns out, Frank is NOT the daddy. Rather than honor goes to Jamie--not exactly a surprise.

The second part of the story recounts Jamie's and Clair's life after Clair rescues Jamie from prison and nurses him back to physical and mental health. The history of the Jacobites, in my mind, weighs the story down some; the story seems to drag, as Jamie, armed with Claire's knowledge of the future, attempts to rewrite history to avoid defeat at Culloden. The characters too often seem to act, well, out of character. At times, Claire seems irrational and overly emotional. In the end, it was an okay story, but I found myself counting down the pages until the end.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy. This is a re-read, and it was better, although no less tragic, the second time around. Poor Tess. Circumstances beyond her control, and society's view of women, lead to her ultimate demise. The men in her life mostly fail her if they don't outright hurt her in some way. Hardy writes an interesting commentary about the social order, creating what what he believes to be a pure woman. I'm not so sure she's pure, or maybe it's just that I want her to stand up for herself and to be more worldly. Maybe, once again, it's me looking at a 19th century story with 21st century eyes. Well worth the time to re-read.

Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte. There's a reason why Anne didn't enjoy as much fame and renown as Emily and Charlotte. This story is interesting, but ultimately seems to be little more than a glimpse into the world of a governess, with little character development and only a thin plot. Agnes, to help her family who is nearly destitute after an investment goes bad, becomes a governess. The first family she lands with has the brattiest, pre-sociopaths one could possible hope to meet. It's no surprise, given that the parents exercise no discipline and won't allow Agnes to do so either. Plus they condone torturing baby birds, after all, God made animals for man's pleasure. The engagement doesn't last long. The second family has older children, but with much the same attitude. The two boys are arrogant and the daughters are deceitful. One is willing to play with the affections of men just for the pleasure of turning them down. Through it all, Agnes, raised on her mother's love and disciplined with her disapproval, maintains her integrity. She never speaks up, even to defend herself. A little backbone please? Anyway, in the end, she finds her soul mate, who is every bit as good-hearted as she is, and they all live happily ever after.

Reading: The Apothecary's Daughter.
Listening: A Brief History of Nearly Everything.