Thursday, March 20, 2014

Time-Traveling Scottish Romance

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dell; 1992
Historical (Romance) Fiction

Oh, this book.  First off, let me share that this series (yes, it's a series!) is currently being made into a STARZ Original series, and I can't flipping wait.  I decided I would review this novel as a way to encourage more people to read it before the series starts on TV.

On to the review.  Gabaldon's novel starts in 1945 with Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, enjoying her second honeymoon with her husband in Scotland.  She is walking one night when she leans upon an old rock.  Unbeknownst to her, this rock is something more.  Part of an ancient stone circle, Claire leans and falls into the past.  She is transported back in time to 1743 - a time when Scotland is war-torn and being British is very bad.  Discovered by an untamed Scotsman, James Fraser, Claire quickly falls into deeper trouble.  She now has a husband in the future and a lover in the past.

I don't always fall in love with the characters I read, but Diana Gabaldon creates characters you can actually feel.  Although a long book by anyone's standards at 850 pages (not, however, too long for historical fiction), Outlander's pages fly by.  Gabaldon takes her time when laying out the details of the story, so you get to know the characters and become deeply invested in their story.  The description of the Scottish setting and 1743 time period make you feel that you are in the story with them.  Jamie is definitely a product of tumultuous Scotland and his world affects Claire when she falls back in time.  I laughed, cried, and my heart definitely fluttered.  If you aren't blushing when Jamie whispers to Claire in his Scottish accent, then you're not reading it correctly.  I can't wait to see if the passion that burns on the page can be translated to the screen.  This is a MUST READ and hopefully a must see.  Have the second book ready to go because you won't want to wait!

READ-A-LIKES (click the link for Amazon)
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (Book 2)
Delta; 2001 (reprint)







A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Penguin Books; 2011
Magic and history in one book!





11/22/63 by Stephen King
Gallery Books; 2012
Historical time-traveling

1 comment:

  1. Just googled it. The TV show looks interesting ( will have seen when it airs, hopefully not on Sundays because True Blood is ending). I might check out the books ( somewhat a fan of historical fiction. I have found lots of Christian historical fiction books, such as Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly saga)

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