Book Review: "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

One man’s search for answers about his ancestry leads his wife, Claire Randall, to an adventurous escapade and an 18^th century Scotsman, Jamie Fraser.

“Outlander” is full of everything you could want in a good book and more. There’s history, sex, violence, implied sex, spirituality, spur of the moment sex, humor and suspense. Did I mention there was sex? Gabaldon doesn’t get too descriptive; she writes the *ahem* love scenes in a way that leaves it up to the reader’s imagination to fill in the gaps. And okay, there might not be that much violence, but there are some incidents that may make you squeamish. There are no words to express how much I enjoyed “Outlander” or that can put forth the emotion that was pulled from me while reading. You will laugh, cry, snort, hold your breath, and fall in love. Oh yes, there is a character for everyone to love in this book, and I’d even go so far as to say you may find your favorite within the first few chapters. My favorites are Jamie and Murtagh. I’d love to know who yours are.

I cannot tell you how reluctant I was to put this book down. I even went so far as to continue reading at night in bed with a little book light. That only lasted about half an hour when I realized the sooner I went to sleep, the sooner I could wake to finish the book. Which is what I did. 850 pages in about three days. How did I do it? Simple. The book is that enjoyable and I did NOT put it down. I was completely sucked in from page one. And yes, I read the sneak peek for the next book in the series. But my endorsement is so high in regard to this book that I’m re-reading it again in anticipation of the next book in the series “Dragonfly in Amber” arriving on my doorstep. It’s not that I’m impatient; I miss the characters.

I’ve thrown myself into books before, but this is by far the most involved I think I’ve ever been. I cannot say I relate to anything the characters have gone through but I love them all the same. The book jumps right into the action early on—chapter three. I was not expecting to be thrust into the juicy bits so soon but I’m not complaining. That is why I love the book so much. There’s no long drawn out detailing that isn’t important, boring you to death before getting to the good stuff. You get straight to the point and can’t wait to read more.

Chapter one opens with Claire Randall and her husband Frank on holiday in the Highlands. He’s in search of information regarding one of his ancestors, Jonathan Randall, who he uncovers was not the upstanding citizen he appeared to be. If that sounds ominous, it’s for a reason. Frank’s great-great-great-great grandfather is a bad, bad man. Just how bad… You’ll have to read to find out. The Randalls end up in Scotland because they were married there and to do a bit of research on Frank’s ancestry because of his overwhelming desire to find out all he can about the elusive Jonathan Randall. It’s during this time Claire stumbles into the past (the 18^th Century to be exact) which is during the same time her husband’s relative lives. So of course Claire meets him upon first arriving in the past, but that’s just the start of the confusion. The odd thing is Jonathan Randall looks so similar to and has mannerisms which remind Claire of Frank. She feels akin to him but learns quickly how looks can be deceiving.

Now, during Claire’s travel back in time (and this isn’t your typical time travel story) she meets a group of rogues—among them Jamie Fraser—and they slowly but surely form a friendship. I kept thinking “is Jamie the one she’s supposed to fall in love with or are they just going to be partners of some sort,” simply because of the way they related to one another. And because I just dove into the first chapter with no idea of what to expect. I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t read the book yet, but know that you won’t be disappointed. (See above description of what’s in the book, i.e., sex).

What I most love about “Outlander” is the feel of authenticity when Gabaldon describes the scenery in 18^th Century Scotland. She does an excellent job with researching certain aspects of the plants, weaponry and costumes of the time—they all come to life, jumping right off the page. All of those things come into play with our protagonists in their many, and I do mean many, adventures. The accents of the Scots come through very well with her use of phonetic spellings. I actually found myself mimicking some of the accents in my everyday life because of my immersion into Gabaldon’s world. If I happened to call someone “a wee lass,” it was not my fault.

The other thing about this book that intrigued me is the effect of changing events during time travel. You know, kill a butterfly and the world ends up roaming with dinosaurs or something. That kind of thing. Well, there are things you might pick up about Claire in her present that don’t grab your attention until she is back in the past. Just a heads up for those of you who, like me, catch every little thing there is to catch while reading.

“Outlander” is a page turner without a doubt. I was left with a few questions at the end but that could be because I read too much into things or perhaps the answers will be in the next installment. And as soon as I finish writing this post, I will go back to reading the book again because I must. It’s calling me and I’m sure it will call to you too!

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Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle