From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

Outlander (Outlander, #1)

Diana Gabaldon

Start date: June 2, 2016

Finish date: June 30, 2016

Discussion: Books of the Month

Why we're reading this: June Fantasy/Sci-fi BOM. Click here to get to the discussion …more
[close] June Fantasy/Sci-fi BOM. Click here to get to the discussion

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 165 topics — 23,410 comments total

Books of the Month

* The Names by Florence Knapp - Sep 25 Adult / Non-Fiction BOM (starts 16 Sep)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 22 posts · 108 views

last updated Sep 27, 2025 11:43PM

* The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asia (Starts 5 September)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 44 posts · 85 views

last updated Sep 22, 2025 08:30AM

showing 10 of 297 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Mar 09, 2012 Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: time-travel

I first read Outlander way back in 1991 when it first came out in hardcover.
As of this date, I couldn't remember much of what I had read (plot wise), but what I do remember is that I couldn't put it down!
I took it everywhere with me just to get in one more chapter.
I also remember it made me laugh and cry and ponder on some of the "going-on's" of the time it was set in, and of course unforgettable characters.
I've been meaning to do a re-read for some time now to find out if I felt the same and ...more

31 likes · Like · see review

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

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2014 Susan Roebuck rated it it was amazing

Time-travel, fantasy, historical, you name it, Cross Stitch (Outlander 1) has it. And also romance which, I'm extremely happy to add, is hot but no way erotic, thank God. Ms Gabaldon's skill at writing takes the reader into the mind of the characters; I lived the adventure with them, I felt what they did (hence the hot sex). I'd heard of the author's fame but had never dipped into her books. Now I have, I'll be getting the series. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2014 Katie Tillwick rated it liked it

This romance sticks strongly to form, with a main character who is a tough, likeable woman. No flouncing floosies here. HOWEVER, the book became repetitive, with Claire constantly wringing her hands about the fact that she loves two men at the same time and OH NO, was it wrong or right??? And was Jaime dead/kidnapped/murdered/raped (you just have to read it), again??? By the third time in the first 150 pages (about a fifth of the way through) I was getting a touch tired of it. Book could have be ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2011 Sonya rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2011, time-travel

4 ½ Stars.

An impressive 1st novel. Well written with great characters. Not my usual type of book - which probably explains why I loved it sometimes, disliked it during others, and then couldn’t put it down at the end. I just finished it and I wish I had the next book to start on at 10 PM…so I guess that speaks for itself.

2 likes · Like · see review