Outlander

I’m writing this as a review for the *Outlander* series as a whole, even though it isn’t finished yet. What can I say? It’s one of those acclaimed series that actually earns its reputation. It won awards, it got turned into a TV show, it shows up on all the “best of” lists. So of course you go in expecting it to be good. The surprising part, for me, is that it still managed to meet those expectations and even surpass them at times. I don’t enjoy romance novels. At all. I do love time travel novels, they’re my favorite genre, but I really hate when the time travel is treated like a background gimmick or a sub-genre label. In Outlander, the time travel is definitely more of an abstract framework than a hard sci-fi system, and there's a lot of romance. On paper, that should annoy me. But this series is just so good that I’m able to forget all of that. Obviously every book is written by an author. But every now and then you run into an Author, and there is a difference. This is one of those. You can feel the words on the page flow through you. You can see the scene play out in your head. You end up highlighting a line or two almost every chapter because it’s written that well. Phrases you never would’ve come up with in a thousand years show up every few pages. The emotions are handled beautifully, some of the best I've ever seen. When the action (which is rare) does show up, it feels perfectly placed. The background stories are rich. The world building is immaculate. It all just feels incredibly well crafted. I usually enjoy fast-paced novels. This series is not that. You’re pretty much forced to read it carefully. If you skim, you’ll find yourself going, “Wait, what just happened, what did I miss?” and flipping back. And yet, somehow, even for a guy like me who likes action-heavy books, everything still ends up being interesting. The world building is that good. I can’t even imagine how much work and research went into this... it feels like there was a massive amount of research done just for a single random chapter. There are so many little historical tidbits and details sprinkled in. The dialogue and characters are just as impressive. You meet one person and they have their own distinct way of speaking. Then you might see that same character again several books later and they still sound like the same person. Same dialect, same favorite words, same tone. Another character has a completely different voice. That consistency across such a long series is incredible. I honestly can’t fathom the amount of work it takes to keep all of that straight. This is also one of the very few authors I’ve actually subscribed to for updates. That’s how much I respect what she’s doing with this series. It isn’t perfect, of course. Some of the romantic stuff is, to put it mildly, a bit unhinged. There are a good many clichés here and there, and a good many implausible coincidences. The length and slower pace can absolutely be a downside. Sometimes it really does feel like a slog, and you have to be in the right mood to tackle it. But even with those flaws, what the author's pulled off here is incredible. This level of craft is rare. And this is coming from a male reader. I know this is very much seen as a “female” series in a lot of ways, and I know there probably aren’t that many guys who pick it up. All I can say is that yes, it really is as good as the hype says. For me, it even exceeds the hype. If you can handle long books, a slower pace, and a heavy dose of romance wrapped around a more abstract time travel setup, this series is absolutely worth your time.

I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of these books until I heard everyone talking about the new show. When the wedding episode aired, my entire Facebook feed was filled with excited posts about it. Curiosity got me and after discovering I had Starz on my cable I went and watched the first episode. I was hooked and promptly watched all of the episodes, each one better than the last! I fell in love with these characters and figured if the show was that good then the book was probably even better so I knew I had to read it! When I learned that the midseason hiatus would last until April I thought what better way to pass the time than to read the books? Well I finally just finished Outlander and I have to say, it was everything I hoped it would be and I fell even more in love with these characters and this epic story and epic love throughout the course of the book! I’m an avid reader of romance novels, but historical romance was not a genre I’d ever considered, and if I had never seen the show I probably never would have given it a try. Which would have truly been a shame because I would have missed out on this great adventure! Normally I prefer reading the book before I watch a movie or TV adaptation, but in this case I’m glad I did because it gave me a frame of reference and I could clearly picture the locales and the characters as I read. And I can just imagine the brilliant performances we’re going to get to see as the 2nd half of the series unfolds. But back to the book. I loved the concept of time travel and I love how resourceful and strong Claire is when faced with the prospect of having to live in the 1700s. She could definitely hold her own and I loved that she continually stood up for herself and for what she thought was right, often risking her neck in the process, but she didn’t let these foreign times get the best of her. I loved the development of her relationship with Jamie, first as friends, then as reluctant lovers after they are forced together in marriage and finally as soul mates who are clearly meant to be together. Of course the both of them are incredibly stubborn and strong willed so their relationship is not without its fair share of arguments and disagreements but I like how they learn to navigate each other and work together as a partnership. Jamie was a wonderfully written alpha male who like I said was very stubborn and strong willed, but he was also playful and caring and loving. There were many different sides to him and it didn’t take much to fall in love with him! Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from Jamie to Claire that show his alpha and softer sides: “Ye need not be scairt of me,” he said softly. “Nor of anyone here, so long as I am with ye.” “Aye, I mean to use ye hard, my Sassenach,” he whispered. “I want to own you, to possess you, body and soul.” “Oh, aye, Sassenach,” he answered a bit ruefully. “I am your master… and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.” “I wanted ye from the first I saw ye – but I loved ye when you wept in my arms and let me comfort you, that first time at Leoch.” All the while that this beautiful love story unfolds, there is also an epic story going on as the Scots are at war with the British and danger awaits at every turn. Claire is dealing with trying to conceal her true story while trying to fit into this foreign time (with witch hunts a common occurrence and just by virtue of her being an Englishwoman mysteriously appearing in the Scottish Highlands, this often proves to be difficult) and Jamie is trying to keep a low profile due to being a wanted man. And with a sadistic man after them both, the action never lets up. There are many humorous moments and equally as many heart breaking and difficult moments. This book really had it all and I am so glad that I read it. I look forward to watching the second half of the season when it returns and in the meantime I look forward to continuing their journey in the other books in the series!

Wow! This book really grabbed me and kept my interest throughout and it is a long book. It was well written and very exciting and I looked forward to reading it at every opportunity. I love historical fiction and history of Scotland so this book had a lot of appeal to me. I am not a big fan of time travel stories, but I thought this story handled it pretty well, and did not make it the primary focus of the book. While I found this book very enjoyable and will probably read more of the series, I do have some criticisms of it. First, Claire adjusted far too easily to being thrust 200 years in to the past. She quickly devised her cover story as to who she was and immediately adapted to 18th century life with little complaint about the drastic change in lifestyle. Since this story was written in the first person, one might expect some commentary on the difficulties she encountered with the lack of creature comforts and hygiene, but she pretty much glossed over those issues, except for a brief mention midway through the book about how her upbringing with exposure to nature and the great outdoors made her new life easier. Second, I like a good love story, but I do not like romance novels...there is a difference. Initially, I thought the developing relationship and love between Claire and Jamie was handled nicely, however, as the book progressed, the constant focus on their never ending sexual encounters seemed more like a trashy romance novel. I think much of that could have been omitted without the book losing a thing, and would have preferred that. There was a lot in the story that was unbelievable, like rescuing our hero from a prison, but let's face it, those are the things that make stories exciting! Also, Jamie was probably the most perfect hero who ever graced the pages of a book except for the time he beat his wife. On the other hand, I very much enjoyed the religious considerations of time travel issues when Claire asked for guidance from the priest at the sanctuary. Overall, there is so much that went on in this long book that there is a lot to like but also a lot to criticize. In the end, I enjoyed reading this book very much, even though there were aspects I did not care for.

What can I say to anyone who's read a Diana Gabaldon book? This woman has 'the gift,' (and I am also a 'paid' writer/part-time editor, so don't write many customer reviews on books unless they're REALLY, Really good OR, REALLY, Really bad)! I have to admit that although I'd heard of Diana from my sister who's read her books, it wasn't until we watched the (Starz) televised version of her first novel, Outlander, that I sought out her novels. All of Gabaldon's novels are a unique mixture of genres; Romance (but do NOT let this turn you off guys as there is plenty of 'manly action,' and testosterone in the male characters via clan conflicts, revolutions, and plenty of broadsword and dirk, hand-to-hand fighting), History - including U.K. in post world II, and later, US and U.K. in 1960s and 70s, AND, even Scotland, France, & more in the 1740s and, 1760s, because it's also somewhat Sci-Fi due to time travel! I am not typically a big Science Fiction or time travel fan, but Diana has found a most uncommon and pretty fascinating way to weave all of these topics together in such a way that it is quite believable and very entertaining. Her stories are also an inspiration because she had never been to the U.K., Scotland, or France, before writing her first few novels (and to think I was worrying about my current writing project because it covers several time periods and mostly takes place in another major city in the U.S. that I've not really seen firsthand - D.G. has definitely helped to alleviate my fear with this). As a college Professor, Gabaldon, certainly zeros in on research and it shows in the intricate and factual details about pretty much everything she writes about - I love that while being completely entertained, I'm also always learning something new while reading her books! I think that since I saw the TV series (Season One last Fall), I was totally ready to submerge myself into these books and, while I'm on novel number four now, Outlander may always be my favorite - it being my first. This first book begins with the main female character, Claire, and her fairly new husband, Frank, taking a much needed get-a-way to a quaint town in Scotland right after World War II. Claire, who worked through the war as a nurse, and Frank, an officer, hardly saw each other during that time between 1939 and 1945. Anyway, their little second honeymoon doesn't end up being the catalyst for bringing them closer together but instead, on a trip to an ancient circle of stones, Claire is transported back in time through one of the stones smack dab in the middle of a skirmish between the Scots and British soldiers. It takes her a while to realize she's not in the middle of some filming crew doing a historical movie or documentary, but REALLY, 'in' the 1740s! The story just gets better and better as Claire is rescued by a band of Scots from a villainous Red Coat who is about to have his way with her, and, just happens to look just like her husband, Frank, BECAUSE, he is Frank's Great, Great, (however many 'greats') Grandfather. The Scottish clan who swoops her out of harm's way doesn't quite know whether they can trust her since she's English or, as they say, an "Outlander," or a Sassenach. As the story progresses and Claire constantly tries to think of ways to get back to the circle of stones and, her own time frame (and husband), she inadvertently finds herself falling for one of the young Scots, Jamie Fraser and well, by this point, you won't be able to put the book down (or, stop watching the series). Does Claire fall for the handsome young Scottish warrior with a heart and soul as big as he is, or does she find her way back to the stones and her own time and, Frank? You'll want to know so I'll not include any spoilers from this point. I will say, that my husband, is not much for "period romances," but after he watched the first two episodes, he was hooked - like I said, plenty of 'action,' all around if Diana Gabaldon is behind the story. Season 2 of Outlander starts April 4th here in the U.S. and we've already set it to record. In the meantime, you can go to Starz web site and find out how to catch up with Season 1 - which is playing now I believe as a precursor to the upcoming season. I'll also be reading on through novel number four ( Drums of Autumn). There are four more novel waiting after this as Diana has written a total of eight novels in this series - and to think this incredibly gifted author started writing Outlander, "Just to see if I could write an entire book." Uhm, Ms. Gabaldon, I'm pretty sure we can say a resounding "YES" to that!

You’ve heard the axiom; the book is always better than the movie. I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule, but I haven’t found one yet. I’ve mentioned before, that I’m enjoying the show, Outlander. I consider the episodes taking place in Europe more entertaining than the newer episodes taking place in North America. Regardless, I’m happy to have stumbled over the show. Last month I decided to buy the book with a vague notion that I might glean more details. The television series has left a few plot holes which I hoped the book would fill in. So, I went to Amazon and bought the book. My expectation was minimal. I assumed the book would be poorly written and the pages few. Well, shame on me for that assumption. Diana Gabaldon’s skill as a writer is as good as any I ever read. She has talent. The average novel has between 90,000 and 110,000 words. It’s an industry standard. Publishers know how long to make a book without scaring off the readers. Many folks won’t even pick up a book large as a door stop. The word count on Outlander is 305,000 words. I’m not the fastest reader. I read about as fast as a person can talk, if that makes sense. So, I’m half way through this book and glad I bought it. Yes, the book is still better than the movie. Why? Because the author is talking to me and me alone. She is telling me a long story, her words painting pictures in my mind. It’s a fantasy and an adventure and a love story. It’s fun and it’s dark. The author’s command of language is excellent and she knows how to move a story along. I’m having fun, and through my day, whatever happens, good or bad, I know there is another world waiting for me. A world of the written word and the gift of a story only I can hear in my head as my eyes pass over the pages. I say, thanks Diana Gabaldon.

"Outlander" is a novel that fits into many different genre's. It has adventure, intrigue, suspense, witchcraft, time travel, and history to name a few. But first and foremost it is an epic love story. It tells of a love so great that it transcends time and makes one woman give up all that she has ever known to be with that special man despite the dangers present two hundred years in the past. Claire Randall was a nurse for the English Army in World War II. As the war had just ended and she had been gone several years, she goes to Scotland with her husband Frank for a second honeymoon and the chance to become re-acquainted. Frank, a history professor, was working on a family tree and was gathering information on some of his ancestors who had spent time in Scotland. Claire, on the other hand, was content collecting herbs and wildflowers. It was on one of these excursions that she came upon Craigh na Dun and the miniature stone henge located there. She and Frank returned the next morning and witnessed a Druid ceremony, leaving cautiously so as not to be seen. Claire returned alone later to retrieve a lovely wildflower she had seen earlier, but when she walked between a cleft in the rock, the world became fuzzy and began to spin. As her senses recovered, she saw a band of Scots and British redcoats battling in the field below. Thinking it was a movie being made, she headed for the forest so as not to interfere with the filming. There she came face to face with the spitting image of her husband Frank. He introduced himself as Captain Jonathan Randall of the British Dragoons, the very ancestor Frank had been investigating. Thinking quickly, she used her maiden name and introduced herself as Claire Beauchamp. Claire quickly learned that any resemblance to Frank did not extend to personality traits as the honorable Captain Randall attempted to rape her. Rescued by a band of Scots, who she later learned was the McKenzie clan, Claire was taken along with them. It soon became apparent that she was in another time, 1743 to be exact, and the McKenzie's were taking her away from the henge and her only chance to get back to her own time. Claire could not explain how she came to be where she was and the Scots thought she may be a British spy, while Captain Randall thought she was either a spy for the Scots or the French. As the Mckenzie's were discussing what was to be done with her, she saw a young man who had been shot in the shoulder and the joint dislocated. The young man, it was learned later, was named Jamie Fraser, and he and Claire became bound together at that time, though neither knew it then. After treating his wound with a great degree of skill, they decided to take her back to their castle if nothing else than to be a healer. And so began the adventures of Claire Beauchamp and Jamie Fraser. Circumstances threw them together, and as they faced more and more dangers, they became ever closer. I will not spoil the book by going into further details, but the book navigates through a series of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. The descriptions of the Scottish highlands and the customs of the time brought the setting to life before my eyes. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book so much if it was strictly romance, but the other action and adventure involved brought a high degree of excitement along and I did not want to put it down. It seemed to have just the right mix of elements to make this a highly enjoyable read.

What a compelling and riveting book. I found Outlander a hard book to put down. Of course, I had to since it is 642 pages. Even though I read very fast, I obviously could not read this one in one setting. This is not the first time I have read this book, but I am certainly that glad I made the decision to read it a second time. Ms. Gabaldon's writing is so fluid and smooth, and it brings the highlands to life with her vivid description of the landscape. Talk about using all five senses in one's writing--this author is a master at this. For anyone who has not read this incredible book, here is a short synopsis. Claire Randall, a nurse just returned from the battlefields of World War II, is on holiday with her husband Frank, when she stumbles across Craigh na Dun and travels back to 1745. Claire barely escapes from Black Jack Randall, her husband's many time distant grandfather. A group of highlanders rescue her from his clutches. She meets Jamie Fraser and her odyssey to discovering a love that will span distance and time, begins. Claire is feisty, stubborn and very resilient in the face of overwhelming and shocking happenings in her life. I wondered what I would do if faces with the realization that I had traveled back to 1745? I am not sure I could have handled it with Claire's aplomb. I was astonished at the ease in which she adapts to her new surroundings. When happenchance forces to wed Jamie to avoid being taken by Captain Randall, I was a bit taken aback by her easy acceptance of her plight. That is the only criticism I have for the story. She obviously loved Frank; that is clear in the start of the book. I feel that she should have been plagued with more regret and grief over his loss. I know it was critical for her to adapt, but internally, I would like to have seen a bit more struggle. Jamie, on the other hand, is the ultimate alpha hero, strong and fierce, brave and determined, yet with a touch of innocence as well. He is over four years younger than Claire and has managed to remain a virgin at the age of three and twenty. Ms. Gabaldon handles his de-flowering with delicacy on Claire's part when she learns of his innocence. There are a great many tender, yet highly emotionally-charged love scenes throughout the book. While very heavy on the passion that the two feel for each other, the author is able to do this with very little explicit detail. It takes a masterful hand to pull this off, still getting the reader, at least me, fully enmeshed with the characters to the point it as if I were living in their heads. I love it when an author can do this. It allows me to form my own romantic conclusions. To say the least, I absolutely loved this amazing book from start to finish and am now ready to move on to the next one, Dragonfly in Amber. Now I originally read this book in 2004 and voraciously read the first four. I grew quite angry when I read Echo in the Bone because it ended on such a cliff-hanger, then I had to wait for several years for Written in My Own Heart's Blood, but it was worth the wait. That one brought back all the reasons why I loved this series. I do want to mention that I also listened to the audio book as I read and that truly enriched my reading pleasure. Davinia Porter does an incredible job of bringing all the myriad of characters in the saga to life. Each character's voice is so unique and easy to identify. It takes a true master to do that. I highly recommend listening as you read this book. If you love Scottish historical romance/adventure stories with intensely passionate and well-developed characters, and a book full of wonderful and fascinating tidbits of history, then you will want to read Outlander. Perhaps, if you have already read these books, you will decide to re-read this amazing series as I am doing. Happy reading!

After some thought, I've given Outlander 3 1/2 stars. Normally I would've rounded that up to four stars for the sake of leaving some room for aspects of the novel which were only a hindrance to my enjoyment, personally. However, I am reluctant to do so in the case of Outlander because I'm sure that what bothered me will also bother many other readers. There's nothing outrightly wrong with Outlander in the way it is written, save for a little cheesiness now and again which is easy to overlook when taken over by its fast-paced, action-filled plot. And it has definitely got one of those! After the first few chapters, which are deceivingly slow, the story line is filled with action sequences, escapes, fight scenes, mortal danger, etc. There is no doubt that Gabaldon is a master storyteller, and that her main character Claire is a lively narrator. But Outlander is, at heart, a love story. It never pretends to be anything else, and a good love story coupled with a good plot and plenty of excitement in the form of life-threatening situations is usually a good recipe for a wonderful read. And sometimes it worked in Outlander, but at other times, it failed miserably, repulsing the reader instead of compelling them. The main problem lies in the character of Jamie Fraser, the romantic hero of Outlander, if you will. He is one of the biggest reasons why I think that this book was only meant for certain readers. If you fall in love with Jamie like Claire did, then you will undoubtedly love the rest of the novel, and from what I've heard, most Outlander fans would give their right leg for James Fraser to be real. But I was not one of them, and as a result struggled through the novel without much hope of redeeming him in my eyes. That's where I believe the real dividing line is. Depending on who you are-- and consequently how much you like Jamie's character-- you will either love this book or hate it. And to give you an idea of which category you will fall into before buying the book: [MINOR SPOILER WARNING] there is a scene where the "romantic hero" Jamie beats the heroine viciously with a leather strap, and the heroine forgives him about two pages later. I know that in those times, it was not uncommon for a man to beat his wife, but her forgiveness of him just made me lose all respect for her. And more to the point, Jamie says that he enjoyed beating her, which I'm sure is not the mark of a sane human being, either now or then. The main antagonist, Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall is also a sadist, maybe in a more extreme sense, but I kept feeling that at least he was always portrayed as such, whereas Jamie was touted as this warm, kind individual who just occasionally enjoys beating helpless women. Ugh. [END SPOILER] Again, if you have no problem with that, and are just as willing to forgive Jamie for what Gabaldon seems to think is a small indiscretion, then you will probably emerge an Outlander fan, but if you are like me, you will end up not caring what happens to the main characters. And that's never good. There are a number of other characters that most will like, of course. Claire's first husband Frank, though only appearing briefly, was possibly my favorite (kind, handsome and a historian?) and there is a witch named Geilie Duncan who is an altogether fascinating character, not to mention a kindly Franciscan who is everything a proper priest should be. In opposition, the villains of Outlander are amazingly villainous, particularly the aforementioned Jack Randall (although the descriptions of his villainous "actions" are not for the fainthearted or the weak-stomached, another group of people who would do well to stay away from this book). His resounding evil makes the plot enjoyably tense and fraught with danger, as it should with an antagonist that knows no bounds to his cruelty. The main character Claire (who experiences most of this tenseness and fear) is sometimes vivacious, human, and her situation is rightfully intriguing. Somtimes. Mostly she has a very, very irritating way of arguing with almost everyone and being amazingly pigheaded and childish. She hardly gives Frank a second thought, which also makes her shallow in my opinion. Out of sight, out of mind, huh, Claire? Again, just my point of view. So perhaps I shouldn't say that I hated Outlander. I will say that I would have loved it, in fact, had it not been for the one glaring exception of Jamie Fraser. However, as it is, I could not truly enjoy Outlander when its idolized male lead was someone I could not respect or even like.