Outlander

This book is great. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. My only criticism of the book was that it ended too soon, until I realized it's the first of a series. The characters are rich and well developed, the overall plot is interesting, and the action kept me interested. Although it seemed a bit daunting picking up a 600+ page book, it was a pretty easy read. Anyone who enjoys a good historical romance will enjoy this series.

I can't help but wonder if Diana Gabaldon is one of those cooks who, with a few items from the pantry, can turn Tuesday's leftover meatloaf into a five-star repast.

Well, whether or not she can cook is beside the point--because one thing I know for sure is that she can write books. Throwing together elements of science fiction, history, adventure and romance, she has created an unforgettable novel that defies categorizing. And, judging by the number of review posted here, she has a legion of enthusiastic fans clamoring for more.

I'm not exactly sure why this book captivated me. Strictly speaking, it's a sprawling mess that meanders for a couple hundred pages without seeming to go anywhere. The story doesn't so much end as it just stops--and in a rather anticlimactic spot as well. Did I mention that it's written in the first person and that it weighs in at over 600 pages (and apparently the page count increases dramatically in subsequent books).

The story, however, never seems to drag as the heroine wisecracks her way through eighteenth-century Scotland. Gabaldon has real gift for painting word pictures that are so vivid you can almost feel the Highland mists. Her character are complex and beautifully realized, full of flaws and foibles. The romance between the lead characters is defiantly not the typical Harlequin-style love match (a fact that is much appreciated as I despise "romance" novels).

I can sketch out the basic plot for you in a few words: twentieth century girl Claire is magically transported back in time 200 years where she meets and falls in love with Jamie, a Highlander with a price on his head. However, that's like telling you the Grand Canyon is a hole in the ground or the Atlantic Ocean is a big pond. Gabaldon's tale is multifaceted and intricately layered--a most rewarding read.

I can think of no higher praise than this: after reading the last page, I seriously considered starting the book over again. It's been several days since I finished the book and I still find my mind returning to the story. Happily, there are several more books in the series.

This book is a time commitment....this series is a HUGE time commitment, but I feel after reading it that it was so worth the time spent reading it.

This is an epic tale of an unlikely romance between a married ex- army nurse transported back in time and a Scottish Warrior. I am usually not a huge time travel reader, but this time travel story "makes sense" in a strange way and you are so "swept away" by the adventure, romance, and characters that you are gobbling up every chapter, taking deep breaths between each story line, and are emotionally drained and then reinvigorated over and over.

Although this is certainly a romance novel...it is really so much more. This one is very difficult to put into any genre because it's story line spans across many genres. A great many men have read this and recommend it....romance lover's recommend it, fiction lover's recommend it, adventure lover's recommend it, science fiction lover's recommend it....check out the reviews...there really should be no doubt when it comes to the appeal this book has.

Jamie is one of the most highly developed characters that I've ever read. He is what made this novel excellent for me. It is difficult to describe, but the way that Gabaldon gradually and yet so completely reveals Jamie to the reader is absolutely spellbinding.

Claire is "spunky" to say it lightly. I enjoyed her character immensely. The way she adapts to her new life and time period was very interesting to watch and the love between her and Jaime is absolutely all consuming and oh so real. I thought as I was reading "So this is what real love is!", and I meant it. Very few couples display that concept in such pure ways. It is moving and beautiful.

I am hooked. Outlander ends so nicely and completely that you wouldn't necessarily have to continue on with the series, but after reading this I guarantee that you'll want to.

This review may contain spoilers.

I was so disappointed with this book. I had heard from a lot of different people that this series is so great and one of their favorites, so I decided to give it a try. I really don't understand why so many people love this book. I thought some of it was cute, but overall it felt like something a preteen wrote. I had no idea what this book was about when I started it, but as I read the beginning I thought it was a very interesting idea. Sadly, the author took a cool concept and really dropped the ball with it.

This book is the fantasy of every preteen and teen girl. A girl goes back in time, meets a gorgeous and innocent guy, she is sort of forced to marry him, she teaches him about sex because she is so much more experienced, she kicks butt, he gets hurt (and raped!), and she nurses him back to health. Oh, and they have lots and lots of hot, steamy sex while all of this is going on. I read so many fanfictions with this plot when I was 13 or so, and it was not written much better in this book (including the sex scenes!).

I really wanted to like this book, but I guess it just was not meant to be. I probably won't read the rest of the series, especially a lot of people who actually liked the first book say that the rest of the books aren't as good. Overall, this book had some OK parts, but the rest was very disappointing.

Am I the only one who was bothered by the non-stop descriptions of violence in this book? It got a little old. Jamie gets flogged, Jamie talks about getting flogged, other people talk about watching Jamie get flogged. Jamie gets a beating, Jamie talks about getting a beating, other people talk about Jamie or themselves getting a beating, Jamie describes in great detail every beating he ever got as a child. Jamie's injuries are discussed over and over again at great lenght. Jamie beats Claire. Men rape women, men rape other men, the violence goes on and on and on. Oh, and then Jamie get flogged again. Yipee! I just skimmed the last 100 pages or so because I was so tired of reading about pain and suffering.
I've read other's description of this as a great love story, but I don't see it. Great lust, yeah, great sex, yeah, but true love? Would you truly love a man who beat you until you couldn't sit down?

There were parts of this book I really enjoyed, but I won't be reading the rest of this series. Wish I hadn't read the first.