Outlander

This purchase went very smoothly, and I got a book I love at a great price!

I really loved this book and look forward to reading the others in the series. It was slow at first but really if you hang on a little while longer- its worth the wait really!!

I LOVE JAIME!

This series of books was recommended to me by several people. I love long books, and I love books that form a long story in a series. The more the better. Historical fiction is not my usual thing, but I decided to give them a try. I made it about halfway through Outlander and threw in the towel. The characters are neither likable nor believable. I think the author has some bizarre preoccupation with rape-the main character is nearly raped (rescued by some man or another) at least 5 times in the portion of the book that I read. The romance between the two main characters is flat and uninteresting. Even halfway in, I couldn't have cared less what happened next and finally decided to stop wasting my time.

Outlander is absolutely stunning. My great thanks go once again to the contributors on the PNR community boards where I heard first of this book and series.

I believe it is very well written. I love the genre crossings: romance, science-fiction, history. DG has an outstanding ability to delve into minute details (which accounts for the 600+pages) but keeps them interesting and not dry at all. I am not a history buff, so I must say, from the details the author gives about historic events in the books (and there are quite a few and very in depth)I cannot judge the 100% accuracy, but to me it was thoroughly convincing and clear to what I know about that time.

I like the characters as well: Jamie - who couldn't. I don't know what men in 1745 were like, but he seems to be a person who has had his hard share in life and it keeps on coming. He is young and romantically inexperienced, so his infatuation with Claire is perfectly normal to me.
The heroine, Claire is also believable in my book. I personally think it is mainly due to the fact that she came out of the 1945's and not like in other books from the 90s, which made it more believable that she coped with the time travel and all its repercussions so well. Also, she has been a nurse in the war and I reckon that has made her see her fair share of things, which also underscores her strong will and ability to work with what she's got. And her life with her uncle lamb has been quite different than what was probably the norm back then.

If you are looking for a historic, yet fantastic, well fleshed out romance with the "what if" (time travel) aspect and you like following the development of very strong and equal lead characters, this book would fit perfectly onto your bookshelf.

It has been three years since I bought this book and two years since I started reading it. Truth be told, I only made it to the first hundred pages back then before deciding to put it back on the shelf to be forgotten for another year. It was only during a dreaded long flight overseas that I remembered about this book. When I finally took the time to read it again, I decided to start from the beginning. Oddly enough, it didn't feel like such an arduous task this time around. While it wasn't instantaneous, I eventually found myself captivated by this fascinating tale. Diana Gabaldon takes us on a marvellous journey through the Scottish Highlands as seen through the eyes of a twentieth century English nurse who, while honeymooning with her husband, inadvertently gets drawn to a group of Druid stones on the hill of Craig na Dun. Hurled through a vortex in time to find herself in the middle of a brewing war, Claire becomes a Sassenach - an outlander. She survives with the help of the Mackenzie Clan and there she meets a young, brave warrior by the name of Jamie Fraser. While initially linked by circumstance, they develop a friendship that ultimately ends in a passion so profound that the mere thought of returning to her own time tears Claire apart.

While the story centers on Claire and Jamie, OUTLANDER is undeniably more than your average run-of-the-mill historical romance. It is about the mystery of time travel and the complications associated with it as shown by Claire's fears of possibly changing the course of history. It's about overcoming all the trials and tribulations and emerging victorious, if not necessarily unscathed. It's about cultivating friendship amidst the myriad uncertainties of life, a life so alien from what you are used to. We are also indulged with the fascinating, albeit perilous, aspects of living in ancient Scotland. The author's detailing of the characters lives is simply exquisite. Her vivid description of the surrounding is superb, even the simplest thing such as reading about Claire sitting on the grass watching everyone around her felt so real. Every vignette is enthralling that I almost wanted to be her and experience what it was truly like to live in that time (and find a love so complete).

Gabaldon is an incredible writer whose dazzling talent for storytelling made the Scottish Highlands come to life. She has created such multi-dimensional characters that practically leap off the pages. I'm glad that I persisted the second time around for reading OUTLANDER was like opening a treasure trove of history and great narrative. Brimming with rich historical detail, this is a beautifully written, intensely passionate and absorbing tale. It may take a few chapters before you appreciate it, but have the patience for one thing's for sure: it is a journey worth taking.