Outlander (Outlander, #1) in Reading the Chunksters

Oct 29, 2014 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book because it had all the elements that I love in a book. The story had lots of action mixed with romance, including historical information about two different time periods.

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Aug 23, 2013 Andrea rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-sorted, fiction-historical, 2014-chunkster

- sorry, nah-huh, this was a bad book
- the story lacked backbone - the common thread that connected random happenings throughout the entire thing. It was mostly "this happened" and then "that happened", and "would you like to hear how I helped a horse to give birth?"
- Jamie is totally in "high-risk" category on his insurance policy. What the heck? This man gets beaten and bled every other chapter or so.
- And speaking of the guy, no dude acts like he does. I mean, Gabaldon just wanted to give her - sorry, nah-huh, this was a bad book
- the story lacked backbone - the common thread that connected random happenings throughout the entire thing. It was mostly "this happened" and then "that happened", and "would you like to hear how I helped a horse to give birth?"
- Jamie is totally in "high-risk" category on his insurance policy. What the heck? This man gets beaten and bled every other chapter or so.
- And speaking of the guy, no dude acts like he does. I mean, Gabaldon just wanted to give her female readers another one of those idealized mannequins to dream about. Not to say that men cannot be selfless and loving, but Jamie has no purpose in life beyond Claire's interests. Also, for being horny all the time, how did he stay a virgin until 23? I thought it was totally unnecessary for the author to bring that into the story
- OMG sex... lots of it. I like an occasional steamy scene in my literature like any other girl. But this book took it to a whole new level. Sex was casually thrown in so often and so out of place, it became at first comical and then just plain annoying. My favourite part was when Claire stabbed a guy to death and then proceeded to roll in hay with Jamie, covered in blood and only a few feet away from the mutilated corpse. Mmmm, nothing says sexy more than a dead man watching you...
- Randall, wth man?! He wins the prize for the most awkward, weird, and sick villain out there. "Tell me you love me"?! Ewww man, get you fantasies under control. Did Gabaldon make him look just like Frank to ease Claire's conscience and our judgment against her for sleeping with another man while still married to Frank?
- and yes, Claire felt not even a teeny bit bad about cheating on her husband, with whom she had a pretty good marriage. Her excuse? "Oh, everyone does that once in a while. You just need to make sure you get yourself out of the fling before bad things like divorce, pregnancy or STDs happen". Bitch.
- the book was waaaaaaaay too long for what it had to offer. Miss Jackie Cantor, the editor, should have done a better job at cutting bs out of this mammoth. It could have easily been twice as short if you ripped out any unnecessary bickering and talking, and walking, and yes, sex. I feel like labouring through this mess for the last three and a half days earned me a medal of valour or something. But I have no one to blame but myself for forcing me to get to the end.
- I made a mental note - absolutely nothing happened between pages 250 and 500. Nothing.
- there was one character I liked - Geilie. But she didn't last too long, if you know what I'm talking about.
- what a pile of crap. That is all.
...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Cindy Newton rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, owned-books, fantasy, part-of-a-series, author-signed

I first read this book years ago, and decided to reread it before the Starz series starts. It was not quite the way I remembered it! I had not previously thought of this book as a romance, merely as historical fiction, emphasis on the history, but apparently my memory was at fault! This was most definitely a romance, and a pretty torrid one, at that. I don't think the other books are quite so chock-full of sex, but maybe my memory is at fault again. I don't see how anyone could be that--active-- ...more

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Aug 10, 2008 MichelleCH rated it did not like it

Shelves: historical-fiction, unfinished, not-for-me

I really wanted to like this novel. For years I have heard friends describe it as a fun series. I do have to give credit for an interesting beginning. I liked the accidental time travel idea and historical happenings, but after that it went sour for me. How many times can one woman be saved and how many beatings, whippings and fighting can one man endure? Apparently a lot. When Jaime whipped his new wife for disobeying that was the last straw for me. Yes I know it was not modern times, but reall ...more

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Jun 13, 2014 Paula rated it did not like it

Shelves: disliked

Well, the one star basically says it all for me. I started this book years ago and got about halfway through when my gag reflex took over and I just couldn't go on. It was chosen by one of my book groups as a summer read for 2014, so I decided to hunker down and finish it over the weekend. It was just as bad, if not worse, this time around. The time travel and Scottish folklore are simply thin devices used to prop up this bloated, overwritten bodice ripper populated by cardboard characters havin ...more

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Dec 08, 2007 Laurel Bradshaw rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: love-stories, scotland, 1st-of-series, time-travel, ebooks-owned, kobo, books-to-re-read, books-i-own, audible-purchased, chunky-plus-600

Dec. 2007 selection for Historical_Favorites@yahoogroups.com

Audio recording performed by Davina Porter. 28 CDs (32.5 hours)

Book Description (from Amazon.com)
Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sa ...more

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May 04, 2015 Jen rated it liked it

Solid 3 stars for me. The right book at the right time. A raucous and creative love story but with too much predictability, cornball, and unnecessary words to make me read on any further.

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