Outlander

Summer approaches and as it does, the one thing I always get excited to think about is "What am I going to read this summer?" I remember two years ago, when a friend of mine suggested this series to me. I looked at the two inch thick book and rolled my eyes but she told me to trust her- and I did. It was then that I was introduced to a wonderful Scotsman by the name of Jamie Frasier and spent the next few weeks wrapped up in his story and the adventure of the Outlander series.

Here is my review of:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Outlander is one of those books/series you can easily lose yourself in for weeks and not regret a second of it. When you are done with book one, you will be reaching for the next in the series without hesitation.

Claire Randall is a woman who seems to be living a comfortable life with her husband when they go to Scotland for a second honeymoon after being separated for six years while she served in the army. On the trip, her husband Frank begins to research one of his family members who was known as Captain Jack Randall. Everything changes when Claire pays visit to the standing stones of Craigh na Dun. During her initial visit with her husband and some friends they witness a pagan ritual as they hide and play observers to the women. The next day, Claire an ex-army nurse with an interest in botany, goes back to the stones alone to investigate a plant she saw there the day before. While at the stones, she is overwhelmed by a buzzing sound that begins the moment she touches one of the rocks. She passes out and from that moment on, everything changes.

Claire's world is tossed upside down when she regains consciousness and after a series of confusing events, finds herself having traveled back in time to 1743 where she meets not only her husband's relative, the infamous Black Jack Randall, but she also crosses paths with an endearing young man named Jamie Frasier who changes her future and captures her heart in a way her husband never could. Trapped in 1743 Scotland, Claire must find a way to reconcile what has happened and make a life for herself in the past.

Outlander is an adventure from the moment Claire goes to the standing stones and doesn't stop until the last page of the book. The series will suck you into Scotland as easily as it did Claire Randall.

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What I liked: I enjoyed the differences between Jamie and Claire's personalities and how they fall in love. At first I thought it would be difficult to forget Claire had a husband in the present but Diana Gabaldon did  wonderful job of making it believable. The adventure of the book, the cast of characters will keep you turning the pages.

What I didn't like: Diana Gabaldon is a beautiful writer, but she describes everything the characters see, feel, encounter, and are thinking down to leaves on the trees and the grass on the ground. I admit, I am a skimmer when I read if it doesn't move the plot. I have to say, I did find myself skimming at times. Part of it is it's just that's how I read, and part of it was I was so endeared to Jamie and Claire's relationship that I wanted to skip the stuff that wasn't about them. As the series goes on, there were more things about the plot that bugged me than in Outlander, so I will save that for another time.


When you pick up Outlander, be ready to read. It isn't something you get through quickly nor is it something you find yourself wanting to put down. You have been warned ;)

Thank you for Reading my Mind