About book Lord John And The Private Matter (2005)
Like many other "Outlander" fans, I've been reluctant to even attempt to read this second Gabaldon series which centers on a secondary gay character first introduced in "Dragonfly in Amber." I was discouraged not only by the average Goodreads rating of 3.35, but by the sheer memory of THE homosexual encounter in "Outlander." I simply didn't feel like going through the same pain and suffering again. But then the 7th book came out ("An Echo in the Bone") and everybody was saying that you had to have read Lord John books to really get into the story. Of course, in this case, I simply had to at least try to read these books to be sufficiently prepared for future series installments. Well, I am pleased to say that I enjoyed "Lord John and the Private Matter" very much. I understand however where the low ratings came from. This book is nothing like Outlander books. They are different in genre, in size, even in vocabulary. This Lord John book is a historical mystery with a lot of old-fashioned sleuthing, unlike smutty romance/adventure type Outlander books are. What remains the same in both series however is the high quality of writing, fantastic characterization and smartly presented historical details.There is no passionate love story (not even a gay one) in "Lord John and the Private Matter," but it is filled with political intrigues and discussions of military affairs, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The subject of homosexuality is presented throughout the story: not only is it always in the back of Lord John' mind, but we also have to follow our protagonist sleuthing through brothels, male secret rendezvous houses and chasing transvestites. Needless to say, it all was new to me, because honestly I know very little about gay life style and especially that in 18th century London. As for Lord John himself and his personal life, Gabaldon managed to make me appreciate this man of honor and feel a lot of compassion for his plight, because if nothing else he is a lonely man who among other things is forced to keep an important part of self hidden at all times, because his "preference" can simply have him executed. What else is there to say? Only that I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written mystery which started as a quest to find out if Lord John's future cousin-in-law had syphilis and ended with him solving two murders and uncovering a spy against England. I am definitely reading the rest of the books in this series. P.S. Just a heads-up, there was one man/man sex scene involving Lord John, but it wasn't at all graphic, although you do know what's going on.
Nearing the end of my Outlander journey I realised, as I started An Echo in The Bone (#7) that there where things (and characters) alluded to within the first chapter that I was completely in the dark about. With trepidation I remembered warnings and a general consensus by other Outlander readers/fans that I should read The Lord John books before I reached this point but, honestly? I thought I'd be able to 'wing' it; I was wrong. With a screeching halt I had to temporarily abandon my love affair with Jamie Fraser to revert back to Lord John (a relatively important secondary character within the Outlander series) and the series of books written with him as the central focus; to say I was very, very unhappy about it is an understatement. Lord John Grey is not a character that I particularly care for within the series, in fact I'd go so far as to say I barely tolerate him, barely. He is, for all intend and purpose, the "other woman' in this tale, and though his romantic feelings are not reciprocated by our hero (who has only ever loved our heroine, aaahhhhh) every-time Lord John expresses his unrequited love, I kinda want to punch him in the face; you see how reading Lord John and The Private Matter might be a problem?And it was. The book is well written, Gabaldon's amazing literary talent shine through as always. Her characters were well rounded and the plot thoroughly thought out and perfectly developed and maybe if I had read them before Lord John became a feature in the Outlander story I might have been more sympatico but as it stood? I sat and 'gritted my teeth' throughout and growled any time he mentioned Fraser and it was a hard uphill battle to continue to the end (it's at time like this that my anti-flounce gene comes in handy) Finally I asked for help (thank you OBC!) and was advised that I didn't need to read all three novels and God knows how many novellas, I should read just the novels and at a push just the Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade in order to move on to Outlander book 7 and then come back to the rest later. I can say now, categorically, that that's never going to happen.
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After reading the first 3 books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager), this first book in the Lord John Grey series really did not meet my expectations. I'd actually give this closer to 2.5 stars if I could. It really didn't have the action and drama that I was expecting...very anticlimactic. The plot of the story is interesting - Lord John Grey, by order of the Crown, is investigating the murder of a member of his regiment thought to be a traitor - a spy for the French. During his investigation, other murders occur, a man goes missing, and new elements arise creating new obstacles in the investigation. It just didn't feel that these events were fully utilized to create the drama needed to capture the reader's attention the whole way through. More often than not I was really having to force myself to stay focused. It was just okay - if it's any indication as to what is to be expected of the other books in the series, I won't be running to the library for the next book. I think I'll just stick with the Outlander series.
—Janelle Harris
You liked it??? I missed out Heather, I'll have to grab it another time. I've only listened to The Scottish Prisoner, which can be read/listened too as a stand alone and I loved.
—Heather K (dentist in my spare time)
I havent read anything else by Diana Gabaldon and I probably never will. When I read it, I didnt know much of the character's backstory - only that he had been a minor character in some other epic adventure. But it sounded intresting and as it turned out, it didnt dissapoint.I picked it up because I wanted to read about a lead that was gay - it was part of the pride festival theme and one of my favourite bookstores had gathered a bunch of their books with homosexual lead characters as a tribute to the subject. As it was, I was rather careful because I didnt want something like a leads sexual orientation to take over the actual story of the book. The clerks assured me that yes, this would probably be the book for me and I have to agree with them, it is. For the actual story... well. Its not particulary complex but its witty and fast paced in a realistic sort of way.Its not a mindblowing super classic but its a good read and it works fine as a stand alone novel. The summary of the next book in this series didnt sound too intresting and neither did the "main" series but we'll see. Maybe in the future Ill pick up them too.
—Jenny
