Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander, Farewell to the Bees': War Approaches Fraser's Ridge

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Social tension, the Revolutionary War, family life, adapting to the reality of life in America, discovering medicinal plants and many challenges: there is no downtime at Fraser's Ridge at the end of the 18ththcentury. Neither in Appalachia nor on the Atlantic coast. Passionate writer, attentive to the smallest details, Diana Gabaldon imagined many twists and turns in the lives of Jamie and Claire in part 2 of volume 9 of the magnificent series Outlander, Goodbye Bees. This is THE series you can't put aside… in books and on TV.

By the end of the first part of book 9, the Revolutionary War was approaching Fraser's Ridge. Tensions and scuffles between his sharecroppers have confirmed to Jamie that there are royalists and patriots on his estate. Will they fight, Scottish settlers against Scottish settlers?

Diana Gabaldon immersed herself in the fascinating history of the American Revolutionary War, especially in Appalachia and the American South , like Savannah, to situate the historical and social setting of Farewell to the Bees.

“It is a historical period when there were many wars, both in Europe and in America. It was the Seven Years' War, which happened in the 1750s, and from which the book is not so far removed after all,” she comments, in a telephone interview from her home in Arizona. 

“Some of Lord John's books are set in this time. I look at the battles that are directly involved, those that have a lot of conflict: that's what you need in a good story, ”continues the writer.

The Battle of Savannah

Over the years, the best-selling writer has accumulated extensive documentation on the history of the War of Independence and has many sources on the various battles fought, the protagonists involved and the places. 

For this book, she focused on the Battle of Savannah, where Roger ends up. 

“I chose her partly because a few years ago I was invited to Savannah for a literary festival. My husband accompanied me. We really liked the city, which is beautiful, and there are a lot of historic sites.”

“I visited the museums because I thought it was a place where the Frasers could well be involved. We took a tour of a battlefield and attended a historical re-enactment. It was fascinating”

She kept that in mind and wondered who could be in this battle. 

“Jamie and Claire? No, because they were busy elsewhere. There was Roger. What better than a religious man, who advocates peace, to send him to fight on a battlefield? He does not participate in the battle, but he is there to comfort the wounded and the dying. Members of the clergy risked their lives to help others. I thought it was a good challenge for a new priest.”

Claire, the healer

Claire, a 20th century nurse projected into the 18th century thanks to the imagination of Diana Gabaldon, uses her talents as a herbalist and healer in these turbulent times. People call her “the witch”…

“When I started the Outlander series in 1985 and created the character of Claire, I thought asked what skills she might have that would be useful in the 18th century,” recalls Diana Gabaldon. 

“I thought to myself that I wish I could keep myself and my family alive. So maybe it would be a good idea to have her work in the medical field?”

Create an empathetic nurse character who has knowledge about anesthesia, antibiotics and illnesses seemed perfect to him. “So I made her a nurse in World War II.” 

• Diana Gabaldon is the best-selling author of the novels in the famous series Outlander: The Thistle and the Tartan, The Talisman, The Journey, The Drums of Autumn, The Cross of Fire, A Whirlwind of Snow and Ash, The Echo of Distant Hearts and Written in the Blood of my heart.
• She also published The Circle of the Seven Stones, a collection of short stories set in the universe of Outlander.
• She also published the related series dedicated to Lord John Grey.
• She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona , with her husband.
• The seventh season of the Outlander series is scheduled to air in 2023.
• Since 2004, more than 430,000 copies of the saga have been sold Outlander at Libre Expression. 

EXTRACT

“Despite its relative youth, Salisbury was the largest town in County Rowan and home to its seat. It was the closest between Fraser's Ridge and the Great Wagon Road. It was also the military stronghold of Francis Locke, a patriot who owned arms and militias. So Jamie put Jenny, Rachel, and Oggy in a lodge over an expensive hot pot of coffee and a plate of filled rolls, sent Ian to buy supplies for their journey north, and set off in search of Colonel Locke.

When he found him, he found him likeable. He was a stocky Irishman with a reddish complexion who must have been about his age and whose straightforward manner pleased him.”