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Summary: A down to earth read
Review: I thouroghly enjoyed this book, there were some parts that raised my jaded eyebrows, but she [Diana Gabaldon] keeps it true to life, for the most part. Although time travel isn't the norm yet. Caution: start this series only if you have the set aside time for an engrossing story, the books are hefty, but worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely a Unique read
Review: This is no ordinary romance...Outlander goes above and beyond romance. Gabaldon's characters reach out and grab a person, you will either like them or hate them, but each character will leave his and her impression on you. James Fraser is the Hero in the book, and not your average "romantic" male. Diana Gabaldon portrayed him in a realistic way, from bodily functions to the typical male "Mmmphmmm!" Jamie is a man to fall in love with. I have to be honest and say that I did not like Claire, BUT it is a sign of Diana's flair for writing, she brings life into the characters. I highly recommend this book if you like time travel, romance, humor, and Scotland.
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Summary: Outlander
Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was da bomb! This is one of those books where you really feel as if the characters are right there, and you in their world-you even smell what the characters are smelling. LOL... Anyway, I love Outlander, and everyone should read this story-it will surely please.
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Summary: Touring Scotland - with a book
Review: During a tour of Scotland last summer, several of the gals on the bus insisted I read "Outlander." (It's titled "Cross Stitch" in the UK). It was on sale at the book stores at the Scottish national parks, so I plunked down my money, and got the thick tome.
Well, it was so engrossing that I hunted down the second novel, and probably missed a bit of Wales because my nose was firmly stuck in Diana's book.
At the end of the tour, in London, I dragged my husband from book store to book store, and finally tracked down the last 2 paperbacks in the series in a tiny shop just a block from the Tower of London. My luggage was considerably heavier by the time we got back to FLorida.
My husband drives a lot, so I checked the unabridged audio tapes of the book out of the library for him. He was soon hooked too. (Get the full versions if you get the cassette tapes -- or else you will miss so much of the rich language and intricate side plots).
Author Diane Gabaldon has her own website, and her notes on how she writes are just as entertaining as her novels. Did you know she has a Ph.D.? She started writing "Outlander" as a private exercise to see if she could write.
You've already read about the bare bones plot on this website. Now try the book for the beautifully written, can't-put-down details.
I'm a writer too - magazine articles and books on travel and outdoor sports. So I appreciate a well-crafted tale. Diana Gabaldon simply does a good job.
Start with "Outlander," and follow heroine Clare on her adventures. I promise.... you won't be able to put the book down.
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Summary: OutRight OutStanding
Review: Are you kidding? An historical romance novel and time travel? After reading Harlequins as a teenager, I avoid romance novels like the plague. As a general rule, I find history rather dry and boring and never read any novel set in a time before 1970 either. Fortunately, a friend talked me into making an exception for this one. She warned me that it might take four or fives chapters before I could get interested in this book, which begins in Scotland in the 1940's and it did. If she hadn't, I likely would have tossed it after the first chapter as something unreadable. But then, I was hooked. It made me laugh, tear up, hold my breath, gasp, gag, sigh, sit on the edge of my seat and neglect my mundane responsibilities for three days. I couldn't put it down. This book has it all. You'll devour it but you'll hope it never ends. The main character, Claire, grabs your hand as she travels back in time to the mid 1700's and never lets go. I have to admit the language was a hurdle at first and I had to shorten Jamie's nickname for Claire because of the way it sounded in my mind, but it enhances the story rather than interfering with it. I don't know if the story is historically accurate and I don't know if their conversations are realistic but I lost myself in the story and the characters and I believed it. It made me think about what people felt and thought and how they lived 250 years ago and realize that, modern conveniences notwithstanding, love, hate, betrayal, tough decisions, happiness, a sense of humor, sympathy, anger and sadness dwell within us all no matter when we were born or where we live. Now, I am somewhat frugal (ok, cheap) and normally borrow books rather than buy them. The day I finished Outlander, I made a special trip to the bookstore and bought the rest of the books in this series. If I could write the way this lady does, I'd give up hot running water and comfortable shoes. And, last but not least, if you've always wanted to know what Scottish men wear under those kilts, read this book.
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Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Although categorized in bookstores as a "romance", this novel is no silly romantic fluff. I would categorize it more as an adventure. Its heroine, Claire, is a practical, passionate, and very modern Englishwoman thrown from post-WWII into 18th century Scotland, where she meets and falls in love with Jamie Fraser, a Highland clansman and outlaw. Now, this sounds rather implausible (and of course it is), but this book is the most riveting story I've read in years! Diana Gabaldon is a talented storyteller and creates credible, complex characters and rich historical settings. I could not put this book down, nor its sequel, Dragonfly in Amber. Intrigue, suspense, adventure, humor, romance, and history combine in a fantastic story about one woman's discovery of herself and what she most values in life. Outlander can be enjoyed strictly as an adventure or romance; however, Gabaldon very cleverly uses the story to explore deeper themes of choice vs. destiny, inclusion, and the complexity of family relationships.
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Summary: Not your typical romance....
Review: I first started reading this book because of a recommendation from a friend. I started it, and after the first two chapters or so, I couldn't put it down. The characters came alive to me, and I couldn't wait to see how the plot was going to turn out. I'm not a fan of romance novels, however, so I'm loathe to call this book a romance, but I guess if you boil it down, it is. But I must say that it has many non-romance characteristics. There is plenty of action, and the characters aren't thouroughly predictable, as I have heard they are in many "normal" romances. Also, Claire, the main character, isn't the swooning female in distress. She is very much a woman who knows what she wants, and will do whatever she has to in order to survive. It is a wonderful book, and a wonderful beginning to the Outlander Series.
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Summary: wonderful series
Review: I loved these books. great book series. These books are a must read.
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: I just re-read Outlander, in preparation for reading The Fiery Cross, Diana Gabaldon't fifth book in this series. This will further confuse those who read my reviews and get aggravated that I re-read books when there are so many new books in the world to read, but this is honestly one of my favorite series of books, primarily because of this novel and Dragonfly in Amber, its immediate sequal. This is a fabulous time travel and historical romance novel, with wonderful characters, lots of very accurate historical and cultural detail, and a very convincing, powerful plot. It is a very hard book to describe, since its plot sounds immensely improbable, but it rings true and sound. Claire and Jamie are very real to me, and I have great appreciation for the respect that Gabaldon gives to these characters. I read an interview with her once in which she said that she intended to tell the story of a marriage, and she is extremely successful with that in this book and its sequals. One of the most interesting things I notices, in my re-reading, is that there are details that I missed the first time around that show that a great deal of forethought has gone into the way the series is constructed. This is quite remarkable, since this book alone is very long, and the overall series is sprawling and complex. There are details that tie the characters to the later books. If you have not read these, be prepared to be delighted and moved. I am looking forward, with some anxiety, to reading The Fiery Cross overy Christmas,and I really don't want to be disappointed by it because I love these characters and the general premise of the books so much.
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Summary: Happily surprised...
Review: I must admit, the synopsis on the back of this tome threw me off. I didn't think I would be much interested in a romance novel based on time travel -- it just seemed way too implausible. However, at the persistence of several friends from a book group, I gave this novel a try. I am certainly grateful that I did. Firstly, this is not merely a romance novel. It involves a romance, to be sure, but this romance is not one you'd find again and again in your average Harlequin. This is an original romance, which so completely describes love that I found myself better understanding love than I did at the onset of the novel. When a novel has the capacity to make you understand something as vague as love, you know it is good.
It is also filled with adventure, religion, and human conscience. A historical novel rarely has the ability to make me understand things about my own presence, and yet, Outlander simply did. I was unable to put this book down, as enraptured as I was by the compelling writing.
The character development is beyond any I have lately read. Dianna Gabaldon has a true gift for understanding human emotion and translating it for the rest of us to understand.
If you fear that the plot seems to be a bit too "outlandish" for you, still, give this one a try. While certain aspects may be unbelievable, the reality is, this novel has so much truth to it, you will be amazed. I was.
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