Outlander Review

My mom bought me Diana Gabaldon's Outlander for Christmas in 1998.  She had recently read the book and absolutely fell in love with it.  Well I didn't read it because it didn't sound dreadfully interesting and I was very busy working and in college.  Then in the summer of 2001 two different friends highly recommended the same book within 3 days of each other so I took it as a sign and read the book.  And after doing so I kicked myself soundly in the rear for waiting so long.

Outlander is about Claire Randall, a 1940's English nurse who is on a second honeymoon in Scotland with husband Frank having just returned home after being separated while both served in WWII.  While visiting a stone circle (like Stonehenge) one day, Claire reaches out to touch a stone and is sucked thru a portal into 1743 where she meets, marries by force, and then falls in love with young Jamie Fraser.  The book details Claire's and Jamie's many adventures in Scotland where they have encounters with a wicked distant relative of Frank's and Claire makes good use of her nursing skills as a result of the misadventures in which they find themselves.

This book is the first in the series that has become known as the Outlander Series.  There are 6 books in existence now and fans such as myself are eagerly awaiting the 7th installment in the continuing adventures of Jamie, Claire, and the Fraser clan.

I. Love. This. Book!  I've actually read it three times now as it's the best in the series.  Every time I read it I learn something new as the storyline is so twisted and there are so many characters coming in and out of the story that parts of it don't come full circle until subsequent books.  It sounds crazy but I feel very connected to Jamie and Claire and many of the characters in the book, to the point that I wear a replica of Claire's wedding ring.  The way Gabaldon brings them to life in the book makes them seem almost real to me and when I've finished reading the book I find myself missing them.

This story is rich in true history, complex characters, and situations that are just unreal.  The author went thru great pains to get the facts straight and it shows.  Outlander is often often classified as historical romance, however I feel that it is mostly historical adventure with some romance thrown in for good measure.  Good, steamy romance.