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Outlander (Outlander, #1)

Diana Gabaldon

Start date: June 2, 2016

Finish date: June 30, 2016

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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

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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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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

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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

Aug 17, 2011 Vicky rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, z-author-american-usa, zz-cover-color-blue, own-audible-library, historical-fiction, series-in-progress, setting-scotland, time-travel, romance-historical

Re-read Notes Outlander was even better the second time, I picked up on tons of small details that I had missed and found a greater appreciation for Gabaldon's attention to detail.

During my re-read, I was suffering from an ear infection which made it difficult to listen to the whole book in audiobook form, so I switched between that and an eBook version. I am strongly in favor of the audiobook version, the emotion and skill with which Davina Porter narrates adds to the book in so many ways. Eve Re-read Notes Outlander was even better the second time, I picked up on tons of small details that I had missed and found a greater appreciation for Gabaldon's attention to detail.

During my re-read, I was suffering from an ear infection which made it difficult to listen to the whole book in audiobook form, so I switched between that and an eBook version. I am strongly in favor of the audiobook version, the emotion and skill with which Davina Porter narrates adds to the book in so many ways. Even when I was reading, rather than listening, it was her voices for the characters that I heard in my mind.

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Note: This review contains comments on the audiobook narrated by Davina Porter at the end.

I was wary of reading Outlander, and wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard many conflicting things about the book and I hope to touch on most of them in this review. At any rate, I ended up loving the book.

The characters were easy to relate to them and I really felt and understood their emotions.

Claire, a WWII combat nurse and our heroine, was especially great. She is spunky, quick-witted, resourceful and has a great sarcastic sense of humor. Finding herself in the middle of the 18th century Scottish Highlands, she meets Jamie, who plays the hero. He's strong and independent (often to the point of stubbornness!), but he has his own monsters chasing him. The supporting characters were equally well drawn and unique. Even the main villain, who started out as a love to hate character, grew on me until I finally started to understand his viewpoint.

Historically, Outlander is beautifully researched, and paints a fantastic picture of the 18th century Scottish Highlands and clan life therein. I love when historical fiction ties large scale events into their world, rather than just taking place during a certain period of time.

Two of the main disputing points I've seen between those that loved and those that were disgusted by the novel are the sexuality and brutality of the novel, so I definitely want to say my peace in that regard. Yes, there is a lot of sexuality. Yes, there is beating, whipping, and rape - much if it with a good deal of detail. But I think that without it, Outlander would not be the book it is and, especially with the brutality, it really illustrates the time period where the book takes place. I didn't find any of it unnecessary or out of place. However, if you have a low tolerance for these types of things, Outlander may not be the book for you.

Davina Porter is an excellent narrator. She was able to distinctly portray both English and Scottish, male and female voices. It seemed as though almost all the major characters had a distinct voice. She's definitely going on to my list of favorite narrators.

I've already started the follow-up, Dragonfly in Amber, and plan on continuing with the series. ...more

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