Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Outlander
Book Review: A "Dove Bar" experience
Summary: 5 Stars
Calling Outlander a time travel romance is like calling a Dove Bar ice cream on a stick. Mere labels can't possibly prepare you for the totally engrossing and sensual experience of either one. If you are ready for 850 pages packed with action, sex, life and death, then take the plunge. But then be prepared to read the sequels; there are six currently but at least two more are reportedly in the works.
Claire Randall is celebrating a reunion in Britain with her husband Frank after serving as a combat nurse in World War II. While on a trip to a tourist attraction - an ancient stone circle known as Craigh na Dun - she is suddenly sucked back in time to war-torn Scotland in 1743. She is befriended by a group of Scottish outlaws who are suspicious of her dress and speech. Though they assume she is a British spy, they warm slightly to her when she saves the life of their young comrade, Jamie, an escapee from a barbaric prison.
Claire is eventually sought after by the cruel and twisted captain of the British garrison. In order to protect her, the Scots decide that she must marry Jamie. By this time she has spent some time with the group, and while she has come to admire Jamie's courage and honor, she is not thrilled with the idea of marrying him, especially when he is five years younger than she is and she is still married to Frank somewhere back in her own time. But eventually she and Jamie grow to have a love that is stronger than her marriage bond, a love that is so intense and passionate that the two are prepared to lay down their lives for each other - and they very nearly do.
Gabaldon doesn't spent a lot of time with the "fish out of water" side of time travel. Claire has experience with tough situations from her campaigns as a war nurse, and she quickly adapts to her new surroundings, treating the wounded as best she can under the primitive conditions. She is a solid, resourceful heroine, whose guilt about betraying Frank gives way to her overwhelming love for Jamie.
Ah, Jamie. I think I might be unfaithful for him too. Of all of the heroes I've encountered in my many years of reading, he would have to make the top ten, maybe the top five. The man takes physical punishment for a young girl in the clan so that she won't have to be embarrassed. He rescues Claire almost single-handedly from being burnt at the stake when she is accused of witchcraft. He starts out as a virgin but manages to teach Claire a thing or two about making love. He can swear a blue streak but he can also be poetic and philosophical. Okay, he's a little bloodthirsty too, but that's a product of his time.
The author writes with great energy for a book of this considerable size, jumping from adventure to adventure with barely a breath in between. There's a certainly level of Braveheart-style violence, and some politically incorrect behavior on Jamie's part, but if you can get past that you will be swept away by the passion and intensity between Claire and Jamie. By the time Claire almost literally rescues Jamie's soul the reader is almost exhausted by the sheer emotion of it all. Their relationship develops, matures and is tested, but it never wavers.
I must admit that several friends, whose book opinions I respect, have told me they didn't like Outlander or had trouble getting through it. It is not a light-hearted read, for sure. There's a very high body count, and some brutal torture scenes. But for me all of that was outweighed by the epic-style adventure and truly satisfying romance that made the novel a "Dove Bar" experience.
Gabaldon followed this novel up with Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager and Drums of Autumn. All of them are enjoyable (and of similarly impressive length) but none approach the sheer drama and passion of Outlander.
Readers should also be aware that the Happily Ever After in Outlander is tenuous at best, and a lot of questions are left unanswered. Fortunately, Gabaldon followed this novel up with Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn. All of them are enjoyable (although Dragonfly ends with more tears than anything else) but none approach the sheer drama and passion of Outlander.
Book Review: A "romance" book for people who don't read romance
Summary: 5 Stars
"Outlander" spoiled my vacation. I'd picked up a library copy on a whim -- it sat there on a table, looked sufficiently interesting for the beach, so I lugged it along. What a mistake -- that week, I drove inland TWICE to buy the second, then the third, in Gabaldon's series.When it first came out, the romance community said, "No, not a true romance," the sci-fi community looked askance. Well, people, it's a great novel. Actually, it's great five novels, with Gabaldon working on her sixth.
I admire this series so much. Yes, it's stirring and page-turning, romantic and sensual, as other enthusiastic reviewers have noted here. Yes, it will keep you awake. Even more than that, however, it contains elements that display Gabaldon's excellent storyteller skills.
Take, for example, Claire's talents as a nurse/healer -- which give her value in 18th century Europe, and also adapt and change as she learns how to use plants, or attempts cures she's only observed or read of. Her struggle to heal those around her is one that most women and all mothers can understand and applaud. Gabaldon has graduate degrees in scientific fields, and it shows.
What shows, too, is her insistence on dealing with questions of morals and ethics. Her main characters use their religious faith (many are Catholic) and experience to help them maneuver through moral minefields. There are no actions, no feelings, without consequences. That includes the love Jamie and Claire have for each other.
People do love in these books. They also get hurt. There is suffering, there is intense, shocking pain. Jealousy, envy, lust . . . the pain of lost love, of love unrequited, of love transformed to contempt.
But there is also redemption. Claire, Jamie, those surrounding them, search for ways to connect and ways to resolve conflicts within themselves. How to make amends, how to apologize, how to heal. While many reviewers have commented on Claire and Jamie's sexual avidity, they've failed to note that passion itself can heal. That Gabaldon knows enough of life, of men and women, to be able to write of physical love's healing power is enormously welcome.
I can hardly wait for Diana Gabaldon's next book.
Book Review: A BREATH TAKING ESCAPE FROM THE PRESENT!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I HAD THE PRIVELEGE OF LISTENING TO ALL 4 BOOKS ON TAPE. THE AUTHOR AND THE PERFORMANCE OF GERALDINE JAMES TOGETHER WAS A BREATHTAKING ADVENTURE THAT REMOVES YOU SO INNOCENTLY FROM THE STRESSES OF TODAY AND PIVOTS YOU INTO A TIME OF UNDYING PASSION AND THE LONGING TO ABSORB ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT JAIME AND CLAIRE AND EVERYONE ENVOLVED IN THE STORY. ALAS WE MUST WAIT TILL 1999 FOR MS. GABALDON'S NEXT BOOK AND I PRAY THAT MS. JAMES IS THE SAME PERFORMER. SHE HAS THE MOST SPLENDID VOICES AND FOLLOWS THE ACCENTS OF EVERY CHARACTER WITH SUCH PRECISSION YOU ACTUALLY FEEL ALIVE IN THE STORYBook Review: A Breathtaking Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
The Outlander series is electrifying. Purely sensational. I read the entire series and now I am reading the first book, Outlander, again. I truly can't get enough of these phenomenal books. I'm so happy I found them. Not only is the plot incredibly original, but the way Diana Gabaldon writes, really brings the characters alive. By the end of reading these outstanding books, you will be completely and utterly jealous of Claire and her Scottish warrior.Book Review: A Brilliant Book Can Sure Come in Handy
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought Outlander a couple years ago at a Heathrow airport newsstand, to take my mind off the flight I was about to get on. That day there had been terrorist threats somewhere and I was convinced that I was going to die. But by the time the plane left the runway I was totally engrossed in the novel, and hardly realized I was on a plane the entire flight home. Diana Gabaldon writes books which can instantly transport you to another time and place, as quickly as magically walking through ancient standing stones. I probably would not have bought Outlander if I had realized it was a romance novel, as I had never read one before out of embarrassment. But now I am very grateful for my mistake, and I have enjoyed the following books in the Outlander series very much