Summary of Written In My Own Heart's Blood: by Diana Gabaldon | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Summary of Written In My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon | Includes Analysis

 

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Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the love story of time-travelers Claire and Jamie Fraser, as well as the people whose lives they touch. It takes place in the Unite

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: May 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781683782292

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Book Overview

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the love story of time-travelers Claire and Jamie Fraser, as well as the people whose lives they touch. It takes place in the United States in 1778 as the British army and George Washington’s troops collide.

Jamie learns that his best friend, John Grey, married Claire while Jamie was thought to have drowned. Jamie kidnaps John. He beats him when John taunts Jamie by claiming he had sexual relations with Claire. Jamie turns John over to a group of Continental Army soldiers, from whom he later escapes. On his way back to Claire, Jamie encounters a soldier who takes him to meet George Washington. Washington asks Jamie to become a Continental Army general. Jamie feels obligated to say yes.

William is devastated to learn that he is the son of Jamie Fraser rather than the son of the noble Lord John Grey. As he wanders the street in a rage, he encounters a beautiful prostitute named Jane who invites him in for a drink.

Jane and William forge a tumultuous relationship that ends tragically when she commits suicide after being charged with the murder of a man named Captain Harkness, who tried to purchase the services of her younger sister. William delivers Jane’s sister safely to Jamie and Claire.

As Jamie and Claire and their extended family deal with the woes of war and the time period, Brianna, their daughter, is dealing with struggles of her own in twentieth century Scotland. She and her husband, Roger, believe that their young son, Jem, has been lured into the past when in reality he has been kidnapped by a man who is desperate to know more about Brianna’s family history and secrets.  With his friend Buck at his side, Roger travels into the distant past to search for his son. As Brianna gets Jem back and fends off evildoers, she desperately tries to figure out a way to get her husband back. She leans on her uncle, Joe, and devises a plan to travel to a past location where she knows her parents have traveled, and hopes Roger is as well.

Back in 1778, Claire is shot in the side during a battle, and Jamie stays at her bedside and prays as she fights for her life. He resigns his commission in the Continental Army, and looks forward to taking his wife home to Fraser’s Ridge in North Carolina. After a long recovery, Claire, Jamie, and their family head south with the ultimate goal of rebuilding on their beloved Fraser’s Ridge. Once they finally arrive, they discuss their building plans on the site of their new home when they spot a family of four coming up the hill toward them and are overjoyed when they recognize their daughter, Brianna and her family.

Main Characters

Claire Fraser: Claire is married to both Lord John Grey and Jamie Fraser. She is a naturalist, botanist, and physician as well as a time-traveler.

James ‘Jamie’ Fraser: Jamie is the Scottish husband of Claire who is assumed dead at the beginning of the book. He is later recruited by George Washington to lead three hundred men in battle.

Ian Murray: Ian is the son of Jenny Murphy and the nephew of Jamie. He is proud to be half Mohawk and marries a Quaker, Rachel Hunter.

Jenny Murray: Jenny is Jamie’s sister. She accepts and loves Claire even when she learns that she has married Jamie’s best friend, John.

William Ransom: William is the stubborn, hot-headed son of Jamie. He has been led to believe that he is the son of Lord John Grey and is devastated when he learns that Jamie is his father.

Denzell Hunter: Denzell is Rachel Hunter Murray’s brother. He is a physician with the Continental army who is rejected by the Quakers because of his devotion to the army. He