Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is a historical fiction novel that blends elements of romance, time travel, action, and fantasy. The story follows Claire, a nurse from 1945 who is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland, where she meets and falls in love with a Scottish warrior named Jamie. The book weaves together historical events, detailed character development, and emotional relationships, creating a captivating narrative that explores themes of love, family, and the complexities of time travel. The writing style is immersive, with a mix of vivid descriptions, well-researched historical details, and a strong focus on character dynamics.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include detailed accounts of rape, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.
Has Romance?
The romance between Claire and Jamie is central to the narrative and is deeply explored.
From The Publisher:
'Scotland's answer to Game of Thrones' HERALD
THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING OUTLANDER SERIES, as seen on Amazon Prime
What if your future lay in the past?
1946, and Claire Randall goes to the Scottish Highlands with her husband Frank. It's a second honeymoon, a chance to re-establish their loving marriage. But one afternoon, Claire walks through a circle of standing stones and vanishes into 1743, where the first person she meets is a British army officer - her husband's six-times great-grandfather.
Unfortunately, Black Jack Randall is not the man his descendant is, and while trying to escape him, Claire falls into the hands of a gang of Scottish outlaws, and finds herself a Sassenach - an outlander - in danger from both Jacobites and Redcoats.
Marooned amid danger, passion and violence, her only chance of safety lies in Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. What begins in compulsion becomes urgent need, and Claire finds herself torn between two very different men, in two irreconcilable lives.
With more than 20,000 5-star ratings on Amazon and 25 million copies sold worldwide, OUTLANDER is among the most popular book series of all time. Begin your journey into the Highland past here...
(Previously published as Cross Stitch)
Ratings (236)
Incredible (64) | |
Loved It (99) | |
Liked It (29) | |
It Was OK (26) | |
Did Not Like (16) | |
Hated It (2) |
Reader Stats (374):
Read It (244) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (78) | |
Did Not Finish (9) | |
Not Interested (39) |
5 comment(s)
DNF at 51%. I tried, folks. I tried so hard, despite the red flags popping up. However, after two marital rapes, one of which was super violent and then became "pain transformed into pleasure." This was followed by a "gentler" rape because he hurt her so badly the last time, but he "couldn't restrain himself."
I understood Jamie punishing her for getting captured, though it was over the top. However, the rapes and threats of rape, along with the violence being romanticized, made me DNF this book. I'm sorry, but being raped twice by your husband after he beats you to within an inch of your life is *not* romantic. This actually made Twilight look tame by comparison.
I'm counting this as finished because I DNFed Shogun and didn't include that, along with a few other books over the year. So I'm considering all of those read pages together to complete this book.
I hated this book. HATED IT. I wanted to like it, what with all the hubbub surrounding it and I love period drama, but this was ridiculous. Trite characters, anachronistic moralizing, grocery store novel smut, gratuitous shock value nonsense, and bigamy disguised passed off as fine because time travel! And also because I mean...hot Scottish dude! Not for me.
Read when first published. At that time it was different
A classic time-travel historical novel worth reading and re-reading! A perfect escape with multi-dimensional characters, brilliant plot, and incredible historical detail that will pull you in and stay with you forever. A beautifully written book that's impossible to put down. Outlander will forever hold a very special place in my heart. A true labor of love.
Gabaldon writes in the first person for Claire and uses many historical references to actual events, which I found fascinating, being a fan of the genre. The writing is descriptive and compelling - often starting with the end scenario and then going back over the details that led to the event. It's passionate, original, and engaging. It leaves you wanting more, and even after reading the 800-odd pages, I had not had enough. I havn't seen the show but I might look into it now.
What can you read after
Outlander?
About the Author:
DIANA GABALDON is the author of the international bestselling Outlander novels and Lord John Grey series. She says that the Outlander series started by accident: 'I decided to write a novel for practice in order to learn what it took to write a novel, and to decide whether I really wanted to do it for real. I did - and here we all are trying to decide what to call books that nobody can describe, but that fortunately most people seem to enjoy.' And enjoy them they do - in their millions, all over the world. Published in 42 countries and 38 languages, in 2014 the Outlander novels were made into an acclaimed TV series starring Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe as Claire. The series has now been renewed for a fifth and sixth season. Diana lives with her husband and dogs in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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