Book Review: Outlander by: Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by: Diana Gabaldon (1991)

Publisher: Bantam Dell

850 pages

Genre: Fantasy/Historical/Romance

Summary: Claire Randall was an army nurse. Once the war ended she was reunited with her husband. The year was 1945. On their second honeymoon, she touches an ancient stone that sends her into the past. Now the year is 1743 and she is in the middle of Scotland where she must try to stay alive and where she meets the irresistible James Fraser.

Review: I was cruising the internet one day looking for a good romantic novel. I’m not usually that into romance novels but the mood hit me. This book kept popping up over and over again in my search results. Although the plot didn't pull me in at first, I ended up checking the book out at the library.

This book is a great romantic novel. Don't worry, it is also full of fight scenes, adventures, escapes, and of course, men in kilts. My favorite part of the novel is James and Claire's relationship. I very much enjoy their relationship and above everything else, I enjoy reading about an adult relationship. I love young adult novels but this relationship is better, even though there are secrets and centuries between them, their shyness and honesty are genuine. James is the perfect fictional character from a book to have a crush on. 

Gabaldon did a great job at making the reader truly believe they are actually in Scotland during the 1700s. She writes so vividly and is amazing at depicting the physical and emotional drama of the characters. There is only one downside to the amazingly real descriptions Gabaldon gives us. There are some brutal torture scenes that are somewhat unnerving to read. It made me hate the evil scum that tortures people beyond my imagination and sometimes it really rolled my stomach. I suffered through and although it was hard to read, it really showed the characters in a very personal light and made you connect with them even more.

This book is a big novel and took me longer than it normally takes me to read most books, but it wasn't drawn out. I soaked up every sentence on every page. The worst problem was that it ended and I realized that there are many more books in the series. At least the ending didn't totally leave me hanging.

Grab this book next time you are at the library, especially if you are looking for a good romance novel to sink your teeth into to help you forget about the real world.

Rating: 4/5      BUY Outlander