Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It5 of 5 members found this review helpful “I was introduced to this book by a friend in college and have been hooked on Diana Gabaldon's books ever since. I have waited with bated breath for each next installment in the series to come out. If you have the opportunity to read each of the books consecutively you'll understand them much...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It2 of 3 members found this review helpful “I read the first 150 pages but I could not read anymore. It was like reading a harlequin. Horrible book. You love it or you hate it. Sorry to say I belong to the last group. |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Not only was this book well-written and populated with interesting characters, it introduced historical facts in a most palatable way. I recommend it highly.”
Mary B wrote this review 11 hours ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I did this as a recorded book. Loved it!!!”
Bonnie F wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Took a while to relate to the plot but it was worth persevering.”
Fiona B wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I loved this book ! I loved the character development in this book. I look forward to reading more of Diana Gabaldon in the future. ”
Msslaydbug wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Very interesting concept, going back in time. A lot of action & a lot of sex. But it keeps you wanting for more. ”
Susan D wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I was investigating this book for my Book Club. Went to the book store and asked for it. "Oh, that's in the romance section" the clerk said.
Susan S wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Romance?! I almost didn't follow her as she headed in the direction of the shelves I've never visited. Romance? Really? But I figured what the hell and bought the book. And so glad I did! LOVED this book! Serious, me, who hasn't read a "romance" novel since "The Wolf and the Dove" in high school couldn't turn the pages of Outlander fast enough! Great story. Excellent character development and strong crisp editing make this story one that I have referred to friends time and time again when I hear the words, "I'm looking for a good book to read".
Would I recommend: Yes
Book Club Selection: Yes”
“One of be best time travel books you'll ever read. Claire steps through a stone circle while on her second honeymoon in Inverness and winds up over 200 years in the past. Great read.
Dana Huff wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I first read Diana Gabaldon’s novel Outlander in about 1998 or 1999. I remember loving it. In fact, I liked it so much that my first early forays into creating websites were focused on a Diana Gabaldon fan site. For the uninitiated, the Outlander series is the story of Claire, who takes an early morning walk to the standing stones at Craigh na Dun near Inverness while on her second honeymoon with her husband Frank Randall and finds herself nearly 200 years in the past. She is captured by members of the MacKenzie clan and falls in love with and marries Jamie Fraser, but she knows the second Jacobite rising is coming, and she fears for his future.
On a re-read, Outlander definitely holds up. Diana Gabaldon describes her method of writing as creating scenes and then putting them together like a puzzle. I am not sure I knew that last time I read, but knowing as I read this time, I could see it in action. None of the scenes appears to stop the plot; instead, they serve to add realism and round out the characters. I remarked to my sister that the book is a little more “rapey” than I remembered, and we laughed. What I mean by that is I had forgotten that Claire was so often in imminent danger of being raped. Once again, a horrific scene of torture near the end of the novel struck me as gratuitous and over-the-top, just as it did on my first read. Gabaldon has created a gift of a character in Jamie Fraser. He pops off the page, larger than life.
Gabaldon has a gift for storytelling. I know I certainly keep turning the pages. She also has a gift for humor, and if she doesn’t flinch from describing scenes of violence, she leavens it with one of the best love stories I’ve read. I have not read a time-travel romance yet that tops Jamie and Claire’s, and I’ve read a few. What? It’s a guilty pleasure. One of the things I like best about her books is that I do learn things. I find the herbalism and history particularly interesting. The herbalism and setting of Gabaldon’s books strongly influenced my own book, A Question of Honor.
I have not read the last three books in Gabaldon’s series, and given the amount of time that has passed since I last read the first four, I thought perhaps a re-read was in order before attempting the last two. I am a little nervous about the time commitment. I have a friend who has read The Fiery Cross (I never finished it) and parts of An Echo in the Bone, and she said they were somewhat boring. I can’t recall if we talked about A Breath of Snow and Ashes. Anyone read them and can verify? I’ll probably try to read them, but I admit to being wary. I felt the early books in the series, even among the first four, were the best.”
“Fun and captivating historical fiction. I really like that there is a strong and capable female main character and that it is historically accurate. It is an easy read and nothing spectacular but I'm definitely hooked on the series. ”
Tertia wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Wow!!! I've never read anything like this before. Love, drama, action, and they kept repeating themselves; just when things were calm and everyone was in a good place something bad happened. And, bad, is a nice word to use because the bad things that happened in this time period were downright scary and horrible!!! Those parts were hard for me to read-whippings, beatings, hangings, etc, etc. The love parts are wonderful-the love the two main characters have for each other is heartwarming! Especially, when it was pretty much forced upon them (although, you could tell they liked each other to start). They did and would do anything for each other. I can't believe I got sucked in to this book because it was about 850 pages or so long and there are a number of books in this series, each of them that long or longer. It took me a while to read this book because I couldn't read it before bed-too heart pumping :) Highly recommended! Can't believe I hadn't heard of it before!”
Kylee R wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Rereading these before starting the newest - as magical and involving the secondtime as it was the first. The book is written so well and the characters are so developed that it makes a rather bizarre premise completely believable. I love the glimpses into 18th century Scotland from the point of view of a modern person.”
Kristen O wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
