Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
Nobody is left alone by war. The only true sanctuary is what you can safeguard: your family, your friends, and your house. Neither the past, the present, nor the future offers actual safety.
The Jacobite Rising in 1746 tore Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall apart, and it took them twenty years of grief and heartache to reunite. In 1779, Claire and Jamie have finally reunited with their daughter Brianna, her husband Roger, and their children. They are currently rebuilding their home on Fraser’s Ridge—a stronghold that might protect them from the weather and the winds of war.
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
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But there are severe tensions in the Colonies: Even in the backcountry highlands, where battles are raging from New York to Georgia, emotions are heated enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows that his tenants’ allegiances are divided and that the war will soon arrive at his door.
The threats that prompted Brianna and Roger to flee the twentieth century are something they are concerned about as well. They occasionally wonder if choosing to expose their family to the dangers of the 1700s—including sickness, famine, and an oncoming war—was really the wiser course of action.
Young William Ransom is dealing with the enigmas surrounding his identity, his destiny, and the family he has never known not too far away. Far to the north, Young Ian Murray fights his own war between the past and the future, as well as the two women he has loved. His former father, Lord John Grey, has reconciliations to make and perils to face on behalf of his son and on his own.
Fraser’s Ridge is inching closer and closer to the Revolutionary War during this time. It’s time for steel, so Jamie sharpens his sword and Claire hones her surgeon’s blade.
The MacKenzies’ return to Fraser’s Ridge signals a continuation of the plot from where the previous book left off. Although Claire and Jamie are clearly happy, they are also worried about what the future may contain. Despite the fact that Jamie left the Continental Army after Claire was hurt in MOBY, they are aware that the war will eventually reach their region. The citizens of the Ridge are split between Loyalists and Rebels, and Jamie has already seen the writing on the wall. Captain Cunningham, one specific resident, will prove to be very problematic. Jamie must ensure his people are protected, so he creates a militia company to achieve this.
The MacKenzies’ return forced Brianna, Roger, Jem, and Mandy to reorient themselves to life in the 18th century. Roger eventually pursued his ordination as a Presbyterian pastor after discovering his calling in the ministry. Nearly everyone participates in all religious activities on the Ridge, including the Quaker meeting that Ian’s wife leads, and the religious life there is both entertaining and spiritual. Some of those situations are actually rather humorous and do a lot to promote acceptance of different points of view. Brianna keeps working as an artist and an engineer for her father. She is given the commission to paint a portrait in Savannah as a result of Lord John.
