Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

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Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Published by: Bantam Bell
Released: June 2, 1992
First Published: January 1, 1991
Format: Paperback
Pages: 896
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Time Travel
Series: Outlander
In Series: 1

Synopsis:

Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Timesbestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and history that combines exhilarating adventure with a love story for the ages.

OUTLANDER
 
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord . . . 1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

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Opinion:

After two months of attempting to “read” this novel I can proudly stand up from my rooftop and scream “I FINISHED OUTLANDER!”

I feel pretty accomplished right now *pats self on the back.*

Now that I have finally read Outlander I can definitely see why everyone drools over Jamie Fraser and why they call him “bae.”

Jamie Fraser is definitely bae.

I won’t say too much about the book because I am still trying to wrap my head around it, but I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It did take me a while to get used to the writing style or the Scottish language being that it was a time piece, but once I did it was smooth sailing and I was completely enthralled within these near 900 pages. I loved Gabaldon’s writing style and I could see everything so vividly as if I was actually there. There were so many twists and turns that kept me on my toes, plus a hot steamy, seductive romance that made me feel so giddy because James Fraser is one fine specimen. If you have seen the show or simply just curious about the series, definitely pick it up. I know it’s intimidating (I, too, get scared of books over 600-700 pages) but it was so fantastic and I am so glad I challenged myself by picking this book up.

The writing was surprisingly easy to follow once I fell into step with the language. Being that I am not from Scotland, it was of course different for me, but I found it easy enough to understand. I am glad of it, too, because that was the one issue that I was holding me back from reading this book. However, Gabaldon weaves words together wonderfully so that it’s easy, yet captivating and staying true to the wonderful and beautiful country of Scotland. I cannot, absolutely cannot wait to see the show now!

The only problem, though small, I had with this book was that there were a lot of areas where it got really slow. For example, there are multiple chapters were nothing is really going on plot wise besides Jamie and Claire having sex. Okay, I get it let’s move on. And I am talking vivid scenes to where it was almost too much and I wanted to skip. Also the attempted rape scenes really churned my stomach. I didn’t care for those at all. However, given the time setting, I get it. I don’t like it at all – in fact I hate it – but I get it.

I’m not going to talk about him, but can we all just agree that Jonathon Randall is scum? God, he makes me stomach churn!

We have a long cast of characters in this world as well. Though we mostly see only a few throughout the entire novel, there is still a bunch of people to keep track of. However, I’ll only be talking about Claire and Jamie because they are the stars of the show.

I absolutely loved Claire. I thought she handled herself beautifully given what has happened to her and I don’t blame her one second for anything she has done and what she feels guilty of. She is strong and quick tongued and isn’t afraid to shove and yell at Jamie when he’s being an idiot. She has a powerful voice that is enjoyable to read and I look forward to hearing more from her. One thing that I found quite hilarious was how little Claire would think about Frank the more she was around Jamie. It’s okay, Claire I would be thinking “Frank who?” If I had Jamie in front of me too. 

Jamie, on the other hand, is my absolute favorite characters. He can make me swoon so fast that I would think I’d be jello. He is beautiful! His heart is beautiful. Every single word that comes out of his mouth is beautiful! CAN I HAVE HIM?! (sorry I let my fangirl get out a second there, I’m okay now). I loved how protective he was over Claire and how deeply his love ran. God, this man would face death itself if only to keep Claire safe. Plus, he has his own silver tongue that made me giggle over his banter with Claire.

Overall, this book was fantastic. I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it already or if you’ve watched the show and are interested in the book. I haven’t watched the show yet because I wanted to read the first book first, but nothing is stopping me now!