My Thoughts On - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Series: Outlander #1
Genre: Historical Fic/Romance/Time Travel
Publisher: Bantam Dell
Publication Date: 10/26/04
Format: Audio/Print
Pages: 850
Source: Purchase



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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 Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.
 
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.





SPOILER-FREE

First Line  It wasn't a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance.

I can't review Outlander. Honestly? I don't need to. It was originally published in 1991, and book doesn't need my endorsement. It's a much-beloved, discussed and debated book, now a wildly successful -and in my opinion, brilliantly-adapted show with the perfect cast and, so far, a wonderful adaptation. I feel as if everything that could be said about Outlander, has been said, many times and far better than I can express. I've found there are books you read and you need to purge out all the feelings and thoughts, in an effort to process. Then there are books that are so special to your heart, the experience of reading becomes a piece of you and you just want to hold your feelings close, keep them private and wallow - revel - in every word and emotion. And so I didn't really intend to "review" Outlander, and wasn't even sure I would let this post publish. I do feel weird letting it stand, because I know I sound like a melodramatic dork. But if I convince one person to read this book, then I'll be happy.


I have two friends who've been encouraging me to read Outlander for quite a while, who both walked me through the questions, theories, and the lust and tears. Yes, there is an abundance of both! Jenny and Cindy should probably be on a con panel or have their own feature somewhere because they have analyzed and theorized this series from top to bottom, truly blowing me away. And forget the Saturday night conversations as we prepare for the weekly watch, rewatch, and play-by-play. That conversation tends to last a couple days. ESPECIALLY after "The Wedding".  I feel really lucky that they've brought me into their cult fold. They have emails and working docs with discussions that have my mind spinning from their insights and the passion they have for this wonderful world. Some may call that "obsessive", but I call it awesome. So as I read and listened to Outlander, I've talked and worked my way through this book with them, and will continue to do so as we go on. That's where there heart of my "review" is.


So here's my advice: Outlander could be one of the most difficult, brutal, emotional, funniest, richest reading experiences you will ever have. Or not. It's true to the time. There will be moments that addle the 21st-century brain. There are moments of sheer anguish that made me sob.  There will be moments that make you fly because Jamie and Claire share the most beautiful, challenging, timeless love I've had the pleasure of reading. They are not perfect. I had a time of convincing my husband that I don't love JAMMF because he's the perfect man, but because he's a good man. And Claire? I'm just as attached to her. The love story is not about the flowers and eloquence. It's about two characters thrown into a situation that turns into a remarkably powerful love. They fight hard, and love even harder.


It's a big story, more than I imagined when I began. There were many challenging moments, moments in which I had to give the book a time out, put it in the freezer. But it always called me back. There were moments I begged to know if all the pain would be worth it. The answer is a loud Yes. My intention is not to scare anyone away from Outlander, but to promise you that no matter how hard it gets, Jamie and Claire's story is one that will never, ever be forgotten.


As my friend Cindy said of the Outlander Fog we live in: "It's a good place. I'm happy here."


Rating: 5 stars - don't do the story justice.


Favorite Quotes


  "Does it bother you that I'm not a virgin?" He hesitated a moment before answering.
  "Well, no," he said slowly, "so long as it doesna bother you that I am." He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed toward the door.
  "Reckon one of us should know what they're doing."



  "Jamie," I panted. He pushed his kilt out of the way and pressed my hand against him.
  "Bloody Christ," I said, impressed despite myself. My sense of propriety slipped another notch.
  "Fighting gives ye a terrible cockstand, after. Ye want me, do ye no?"  



  "Murtagh was right about women. Sassenach, I risked my life for ye, committing theft, arson, assault, and murder into the bargain. In return for which ye call me names, insult my manhood, kick me in the ballocks and claw my face. Then I beat you half to death and tell ye all the most humiliating things have ever happened to me, and you say ye love me.” He laid his head on his knees and laughed some more. Finally he rose and held out a hand to me, wiping his eyes with the other.
  "You're no verra sensible, Sassenach, but I like ye fine. Let's go."



  “Oh, aye, Sassenach,” he answered a bit ruefully. “I am your master … and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own."




  “I prayed all the way up that hill yesterday,” he said softly. “Not for you to stay; I didna think that would be right. I prayed I’d be strong enough to send ye away.” He shook his head, still gazing up the hill, a faraway look in his eyes.
  “I said ‘Lord, if I’ve never had courage in my life before, let me have it now. Let me be brave enough not to fall on my knees and beg her to stay. He pulled his eyes away from the cottage and smiled briefly at me.
  "Hardest thing I ever did, Sassenach.” He turned in the saddle, and reined the horse’s head toward the east. It was a rare bright morning, and the early sun gilded everything, drawing a thin line of fire along the edge of the reins, the curve of the horse’s neck, and the broad planes of Jamie’s face and shoulders.




  “There was another reason. The main one.”
  “Reason?” I said stupidly.
  "Why I married you.”
  "Which was?” I don’t know what I expected him to say, perhaps some further revelation of his family’s contorted affairs. What he did say was more of a shock, in its way.
  "Because I wanted you.” He turned from the window to face me. “More than I ever wanted anything in my life,” he added softly."




  "You first."
  "No, you."
  "Why?"
  "I'm afraid."
  "Of what, my Sassenach?" The darkness was rolling in over the fields, filling the land and rising up to meet the night. The light of the new crescent moon marked the ridges of brow and nose, crossing his face with light.
  "I'm afraid if I start I shall never stop."
  He cast a glance at the horizon, where the sickle moon hung low and rising. "It's nearly winter, and the nights are long, mo duinne." He leaned across the fence, reaching, and I stepped into his arms, feeling the heat of his body and the beat of his heart.
  "I love you."

 The Outlander Series

                

Diana Jean Gabaldon Watkins grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and is of Mexican-American and English descent. She has earned three degrees: a B.S. in Zoology, a M.S. in Marine Biology, and a Ph.D in Ecology.

She currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona .


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