| Lord John and the Private Matter (Lord John Grey Novels) | 
 enlarge | Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publisher: Delta
Category: Book
List Price: $11.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  160 reviews
Sales Rank: 65653
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0385337485
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780385337489
ASIN: 0385337485
Publication Date: October 26, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Not on par with Outlander but still an entertaining, character driven story. August 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Lord John and the Private Matter is a short novel told from the point of view of Lord John Grey, one of the smaller characters in Gabaldon's wildly successful "Outlander" series.
Lord John Grey is an officer for the British army living in the 18th century. He is an extremely affable character- well educated, funny, polished, heroic and a true gentleman. He also happens to be gay but, for obvious reasons regarding the time, he keeps this fact to himself and a select few.
This story begins with Lord John dining in the 'Beefsteak'...(a local gentleman's club) where he endures an awkward encounter with his cousin's betrothed. When Lord John notices what he thinks is a pox on the man's "member," he is determined to confirm his suspicions and save his cousin from making the same unsavory discovery after her wedding. Lord John contrives a scheme to sever the betrothal without doing damage to his cousin's reputation. At the same time, Lord John is asked to investigate the murder of a suspected traitor.
As the story unfolds, Lord John meets countless unforgettable characters and finds that he is embroiled in an intrigue that becomes a matter of national security.
Ms. Gabaldon imbues her characters with the same wit and charm as always and although this novel isn't as plot driven as the Outlander series, I still found it to be well worth the read.
Finally, the audio version is fantastic. I can't say enough good things about Jeffrey Woodman- he does an amazing job with making each voice distinct and true to real life.
Not The Same Flavor as Outlander June 30, 2008
Lord John Grey is a busy man. He's investigating a murder and a case of potential treason while trying to puzzle out a personal matter of great importance.
I thought the story was decent and interesting. This book is written by Diana Gabaldon, the author of the Outlander Series. I have read the first three books in the Outlander Series and I thought they were great fun, really wonderful.
This novel has references to some of the characters in the Outlander books, but it is of an altogether different flavor. I expected a richness in character similar to what Gabaldon has written in the Outlander books.
The story is rich in detail regarding London's filth and danger and I thought the mystery was interesting. There was only one puzzle piece that seemed a bit forced to me. But I would have enjoyed this story more if we had gotten to know Lord John a bit better. I just didn't feel like I had a real sense of him as a 'person' and that is what disappointed me as a reader.
I may try the other Lord John books...I'm not sure.
But I think that the Lord John books might be better enjoyed if you haven't already read any of the Outlander books. I think the other books set your expectations very high and this story unfortunately just didn't live up to mine.
Gabaldon has created an excellent new series of books June 20, 2008
After reading all of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series books, I started to read the Lord John books, not expecting to like them as much. This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I've read all three of the Lord John books now and am looking forward to more. I would advise reading the Outlander books first, since there is a lot of information in the Outlander books that is referred to in the Lord John books.
tasteful May 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Lacking though it certainly is as a thriller -we are told how matters stand two thirds through the book, the remaining third devoted to longish explanations; we understand who the culprits are even before- this novel is still a pleasant read.
Written in a neat, very simple and pleasant style, it certainly lacks literary polishing but the plot is not too bad and characterization its main strength.
Lord John is the cadet of a noble family in xviii century London. He is gay in a time when it could be highly embarassing to be that way, he accepts himself as such, he has had some affairs and one great love he has lost.
Being still young (one supposes about 30) he feels quite strongly the needs of the flesh not to mention those of his heart, a fact Ms Gabaldon hints at matter of factly and yet without overindulgence.
While aware of possible risks he is not so torn by guilt (not at all I should say) as to be handicapped in his everyday life: he is a soldier too, a patriot and has a strong sense of duty to his family.
All this makes for a very interesting character, sound, solid, real with strong emotions and not a little brain.
Some of the side characters are well developped too, I especially liked Colonel Quarry and Captain Von Namtzen.
Sometimes I felt the pov of a lady influence their actions but this is a personal opinion.
The plot in itself is not breathtaking and I could not say the usual sentence "I could not put it down". I appreciated the skill of an experienced and competent author but I was never really entranced. Were it not for the great characterization of Lord John this novel would count as little more than mediocre.
Lord John's private matter in fact, his cousin's betrothed being poxed, if far more interesting in his social and cultural implications than the search for the traitor who has put the kingdom at risk.
As it is the book is an entertaining read for everyone: the fact that the main character is explicitly gay is relevant to the plot indeed but tastefully done: homosexual love and sex are mentioned but never gratuitously so that comments in this directions coming by some reviewers are simply ridiculous.
Due to the complexity of the psychological, social, political, historical situations I should say this book is better read and understood from the age of sixteen by any kind of reader, homophobes excluded of course.
Get thru the Private Matters, you'll enjoy the rest of the series March 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I absolutely love Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series. A friend read the "Lord John" series as well, and recommended them to me. She told me up front that "Private Matter" would be hard to get through, but worth it when you get to the next books in the series, and I found this to be true. I crave any hint of Jamie Fraser, and he is mentioned. I'm currently reading "Brotherhood of the Blade" and find that it's much better than the first ("Private Matters"), and there is much more of Jamie in the second book ("Brotherhood"). I'm looking forward to reading the series, just get yourself thru that first book, and it gets better!
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