History Homages and the Highlands An Outlander Guide

by Valerie Estelle Frankel

With oodles of steamy romance, paranormal time travel, adventure, and much more, Outlander is sweeping the nation. From over a dozen volumes to its newest incarnation as a breathtaking Starz show, it continues to delight, even with subtle, clever changes. But what was life really like then – from kilts and bagpipes to selkies and the fair folk? Who was Bonnie Prince Charlie and why was his campaign so disastrous for the Highlanders? Discover the story’s roots, from Doctor Who to Brigadoon to Game of Thrones. Learn to speak Scottish, uncover the difference between Beltane and Samhain, explore customs of Highland weddings, tour Versailles and Edinburgh, and dive into the rich era of history that pervades this incredible epic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Scotland

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Valerie Estelle Frankel is the author of 88 books on pop culture, including Doctor Who - The What, Where, and How; The Villain's Journey, History, Pop Culture, and Hidden Meanings in Hamilton; and How Game of Thrones Will End. Many of her books focus on women’s roles in fiction, from her heroine’s journey guides From Girl to Goddess and Superheroines and the Epic Journey to books like Star Wars Meets the Eras of Feminism and Fourth Wave Feminism in Science Fiction and Fantasy. She's editing a series on Jewish Science Fiction for Rowman & Littlefield. Once a lecturer at San Jose State University, she now teaches at Mission College and is a frequent speaker at conferences. Come explore her research at www.vefrankel.com.

Reviews

[Carolyn Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful information for background of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

The editing of this book was very poor, and it contains many typos and some bizarre punctuation.

[Berita · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not as good as I hoped it would be. One o the biggest annoyances throughout the entire book, was that the author named Jamie for "Jaime" at almost every turn. It was just a few times that she obviously forgot herself, or quoted directly from another source that she got it right. That was horribly frustrating! Besides the book seemed badly organized, messy and confusing to read, as there was much jumping back and forth through times, places, legends characters - no system whatsoever. Also, a constant flow of chapters from the books, made me feel like this book would have been just a third of it's length without the quotations. I feel none the wiser about the highlands, nor it legends and sadly not the character / author either. And as that was the point about me buying the book - meh! I will not recommend this, even to avid fans of both books and the TV adaptation. Read the books or watch the show one more time over instead of buying this book. Bad. Almost a waste of money, and that is a harsh comment from a book-lover like myself.

[Phyllis Runyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anybody who follows the Outlander books and Starz series, this has a huge amount of information. I really enjoyed it.

[Mary Aquino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains so much

If you have any questions about the history of Scotland, England, France, and a bit of America, as it relates to Outlander (and all the books) this helps. Info on the kings of Scotland,England, and France...background on the wars...good stuff.

My main complaint is that the author spells Jamie's name Jaime through much of the book unless pulling directly from the words Diana wrote. She got a couple of other details wrong, but nothing quite as glaring as misspelling the main male character's name.

[Eileen Vernor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author gives interesting historical context and explanations for many events and items referenced in the Outlander and Lord John books. While it is annoying in the Kindle version that she consistently misspells "Jaime" unless quoting from the books and overlooks editing errors, it is a fun and quick pop culture read for Outlander fans.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book to me. It is further help in understanding the outlander. I can't get enough of the history

[Barb Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

easy to read, gives a look into the highlands how it relates to Diana Gabaldon's books. Successful books i might add! Like it alot. Would loan it to some one but i would want it back.

[Rebecca]

Good companion to the Outlander series.