Lord John and the Private Matter

Rating:
Summary: Ugh-still unfinished
Review: I started this book months and months ago and still have not finished it.It's so boring! I love her other books though.Maybe they have spoiled me.

Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Review: I am a big fan of Diana Gabaldon as well. The Outlander series is my absolute favorite...to say the least! But I am very disappointed in Lord John and the Private Matter.
I feel silly really, I knew that Lord John is gay of course, but I didn't purchase this book with that in my mind. I bought it with the same desire as others, to be swept away once again by Diana's incredible writing talent and her wonderful characters. And while I like Lord John I have discovered I do not like to read about what arouses a gay man! If reading that sort of thing doesn't bother you, you might enjoy this book, however be warned that it does lack Diana's true writing talent.
You must realize that while it does mention Jamie and "that woman" (grin) it has nothing to do with the Outlander Series whatsoever. (And I think that is written on Diana's website.)
If this is indeed going to be a trilogy I'm disappointed as well. I anxiously await to be swept away yet again by a wonderful, romantic, adventurous, well written "Outlander" novel! Diana please hurry and give your loyal fans what we crave!!...pretty please? {grin}

Rating:
Summary: Not your typical Gabaldon work
Review: My biggest complaint with LJ&TPM is that bookstores insist on putting it in the "Romance" aisle -- which it definitely is NOT! Anyone familiar with Diana Gabaldon's beloved "Outlander" series has strong feelings for Lord John, but this book represents a vivid departure from her usual narrative style and delves into the realm of the "whodunit", with mixed results. Those who like Lord John from the Outlander series will enjoy further morsels of his life. Those who pick up LJ&TPM expecting more Outlander, or even a romance, will be sharply taken aback. Not by the homosexuality -- with Lord John, that's a given -- but by the mystery format, and the rather heavy-handed ending that is not at all in keeping with the deftness DG's readers have come to appreciate. Or perhaps her loyal readers are simply so accustomed to 800+ page works that a much shorter work seems abbreviated!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: I really have enjoyed this book immensely. A lot like Anne Perry but with more humanity and emotion, and better drawn characters. I am looking forward to more!

Rating:
Summary: This is a good read.
Review: This story revolves around one of the characters that Diana brought to life in here continuing saga of Claire and Jaime. I found this book to be refreshing in the way that she re-introduces us to Lord Gray. Remembering that he cares/love Jamie very much you see another side of Lord John that endears him to you more. Cudos to Diana for the creation of this character and creating his own saga for your loyal readers to follow.

Rating:
Summary: So-so mystery, better characterizations
Review: Not being a reader of Ms. Gabaldon before (although I understand her Outlander series is wildly popular), I was able to come to this book without comparing it to anything else she's written.

And I found the book, well...OK, but the plot & the mystery are fairly unengaging. What kept my interest in the book was Lord John himself, who I felt sympathy for, and I'd like to know more about him, his personal life, as opposed to reading about murders to be solved, or spies, or really any superfluous nonsense. I found the book to be vastly more compelling when the focus was on Lord John's inner feelings & desires. I did like his friend Quarry; he was, with Lord John, a fully rounded character. Although I was not intrigued by the mystery to be solved, my liking for and interest in Lord John kept me going. I wouldn't re-read it; it just wasn't good enough for a keeper. However, I hope Lord John's next adventure is better, and that he finds a steady man in his life!

Rating:
Summary: Okay Mystery
Review: This is an okay period muder mystery book. However, it lacks the pull that her other novels have had. I would not call it a page turner and wouldn't buy another in this series.


Rating:
Summary: Crisp Writing Wasted on Unlikable Characters
Review: I will admit up front that I've read all of the Outlander Series thus far and that clearly colors all my impressions. I had read the less than glowing reviews of this book but wanted to experience Gabaldon's fine writing in a new setting. From that perspective, the book is a huge success. Once again Gabaldon has written a volume where the language is carefully crafted and you will find many wonderful gems of well-written prose all throughout the book, which sets her far apart from the other authors of this genre.
However, the characters in this novel are much thinner than the characters created for Outlander, Never having cared that much for Lord John to begin with, I didn't have the advantage to at least favor the main character. All of the others were noticeably lacking in any characteristics that would inspire one to care about them. By the time the story was ended, I was glad to be done with them all.
Final impression: a waste of great talent on a mediocre story with indifferent characters.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: I have not (yet) read the other Gabaldon books, so this one did not pale by comparison. I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and the writing a delight. I did "read" this book on CD while driving so maybe some of the grammatical or such errors were less noticeable. Considering that everyone says that the other books are so much better, I can't wait to read them.

Rating:
Summary: Lord John and the Boring Matter
Review: My main gripe with this book is the horrendous, adolescent and plain old slip-shod writing. This reads like a college creative writing project, there are so many glaring grammatical/composition errors. I wanted to love it, as the bold subject matter intrigues me, but after awhile I started viewing it more as a comedy.

Unlike most other reviewers, I did NOT want to see a new Jamie/Claire thing, so that part isn't an issue. I was refreshed to see her doing something entirely different. Some sentences are just plain old weird, and seem to refer to nothing. At one point Grey thinks "Godamn it, now what?" Now what what? Nothing happened. What is he reacting to? It's almost as though they accidentally published an uncorrected galley proof. A couple pages later, two women both seem to be wearing the same wide, black hat. I had to read it three times, and I still couldn't tell them apart. A lot of times you don't know who the "he" or "him" refers to. In another place, Byrd "drew a deep breath, and swiped his knuckles furtively beneath his nose." Huh? Why did he do that, or what was the meaning? I couldn't figure it out.

Then there are corny and hackneyed similes and descriptions, such as "feeling his way through the room through bursts of brilliant white light that lit up the inside of his skull like fireworks on the Thames." Ho-hum, not to mention repeating "light" and "lit." He steps across the threshold as though he owns the place. Her eyes burned like twin candle flames. Someone was panting like a dog. A fog filled his brain. Another time, he "felt rather like a soap bubble--light, airy, and gleaming with iridescent colors"! In another place, there was a "faceless corpse naked and staring"! How can a corpse without a face stare?

Then there are the repeated words, twice in the same paragraph or page, as though she were too lazy to come up with something else. Someone had "alacrity" were "abominable," "stared moodily," had their "jaw set with determination," were "solid merchants" and "at the ready," and were "convinced" twice on the same page. And someone even had a "last regretful lungful"!

It just feels like something slapped together, flat, as though the author could care less. I give it 2 stars for the bold subject matter.