Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful, captivating surprise!
Review: I happened upon the Showtime movie based on this book and was totally entranced by it. Imagine my joy to read "Based upon the novel by Penelope Williamson" among the movie credits! I immediately found the novel on Amazon, ordered it and received it within a few days. I could not put it down! I am not a fan of "bodice rippers", but I do like an interesting historical romance if the characters aren't caricatures, as so many are. Well, Johnny Cain and Rachel Yoder, despite their romance novel names, are anything but! Ms. Williamson is brave enough to give her characters flaws like ordinary human beings. Johnny Cain, when he stumbles upon Rachel's farm, is not a completely likeable or charming guy, but it is believable that he would be taken in by the love and warmth of Rachel's home and family - especially when the reality of his own origins surface. I could have done with a little less of the prostitute/doctor story line but, all in all, it was one of the best books I have read! The ending of the book is somewhat darker than the movie's version, but it moved me so that I reread it several times! I rate this novel right up there with another of my favorites, "Outlander"! Watch the movie (it's available on Amazon, I think), then read the book. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!
Review: I have never been so affected by a book as I was reading THE OUTSIDER. This book is absolutely incredible! It is the story of two very different people who come together to find the most beautiful and sweetest love, and of one man's figurative journey from the utter depths of hell to the light of heaven.I think what made me love this book so much is the depth of the characterizations, especially that of the hero. Ms. Williamson writes with a lyric beauty that makes you come to know the mind, heart, and soul of *all* the characters. I can't quite find the words to describe the hero, Johnny Cain. He is so completely lost, so very tortured, and so desperately in need of love....and the heroine, Rachel, gives to to him wholeheartedly, and by doing so, saves him. Ironically, there is only one scene in the entire book, where we get a glimpse of Johnny's thoughts. Because Johnny is an "outsider", we never learn what he thinks and feels, never see his point of view (a quite ingenious and appropriate [but at times, a bit frustrating] tool, I must say). Except for one scene at near the end, and oh, what a heartbreaking scene it is! A life long man-killer, Johnny believes himself to be beyond redemption, ("I *like* being damned," he says at one point) but it soon becomes poignantly clear that he craves and needs redemption (and the hope that comes with it) above all else. There is an aching sweetness and tenderness to Johnny Cain, the notorious, hardened killer, that makes him so unforgettable. I completely fell in love with him. ;-) I know I haven't mentioned anything about the plot or the other characters, but, to me, it is Johnny, the outsider, that defines this book. Needless to say, THE OUTSIDER is a very emotional, and often difficult, read. I don't think I've ever cried so much while reading a book. The last 30 pages or so are especially sad and poignant...I don't want to give anything away, but I have never seen a hero and heroine go through what Johnny and Rachel did. I cannot say enough about Ms. Williamson's writing. She is truly unparalleled. I've read two more of her books, and loved them both, but this one is definitely my favorite (if not favorite book I have ever read). Thank you so much for this book, and for creating Johnny Cain. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: never read her before
Review: I have never read one of Penelope Williamson's books before but the ending left somthing to be desired. If I finish a book and I am left hanging and there is no second book I get frustrated. I've read harlequin romances with more complete endings. I guess if the rest of the book han't been so good I wouldn't have minded. I really cared what happened next and now I will never know.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF MY FAVORITE ALL TIME ROMANCES
Review: I just loved this book! For anyone who remembers the movie "Witness", and enjoyed the forbidden love caused by the cultural clash, read this wonderful story and finally achieve satisfaction. Ms.Williamson is an excellent writer who writes equally well when dealing with sensitive isssues, or when building sexual tension between her characters. Just when you think you can't wait any longer..."wham" she DELIVERS! "The Outsider", along with "Hearts of the West" are both in my top 5 all time favorite romance reads.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC, EMOTIONAL, TOUCHING LOVE STORY!
Review: I just loved this book! I just loved the story of Rachel and Johnny. I felt like I was going through everything that they did. I have never read a romance that touched me like this one did. Maybe it was because Rachel had to make a choice about trusting in Johnny or staying with her family and friends and faith that was all she had ever known. It was a really great story and I couldn't put it down. I didn't want it to end. I have read a few of Penelope Williamson's books and the one I had liked the best was "the Passions of Emma" but now I have got to say that this one is my favorite. I think she is a great writer.
Rating:
Summary: The Outsider is a beautiful read.
Review: I loved this book. There was a beautiful relationship that developed between the main characters. I fell in love with them both and was disappointed when the story had to end.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!!!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! This is my 2nd book by PW to read and she is becoming one of my favorites. You really get to know the characters and there are several stories going on at on time- so there is not a dull moment of read. You sure can't skip pages or even paragraphs without missing important detail. Rachal Yoder (strong-willed, independent, God-fearing, "tom-boyish" but yet all-woman) is a widow of the Plain People (Amish) that settled in Montana. Still grieving for her husband that was mistakenly hung (so the towns people say) for cattle stealing, Rachal is trying to make a go of it on their sheep farm for their 10 yr. old son's sake. It is understood that to remarry it must be with someone in their community- and there are several men (other widowers) interested... But Rachal and Ben had had a special love that was not experienced by many of their belief and Rachal is not ready to settle for less. Johnny Cain (tough, independent, loner, worldly, unbeliever, never been married and has no plans to) is a hired gunsman that wonders onto Rachal's property one day half dead after being in a gun fight. Fortunate that Rachal is not the type to turn her head and let him die, Johnny is nursed back to help, while experiencing feelings that he never knew existed- such as acceptance, caring, concern, and possibly love. The Plains people community are stirred with an outsider being taken in causing concern and friction between Rachal and their deacons. In the meantime, there is a battle going on amongst the Towns people's cattle ranches and the Plain people's sheep farms that could get serious and possibly even deadly. WARNING! Don't jump ahead to the back to read the ending- it's a real "tear-jerker." A definite recommended read! A keeper!
Rating:
Summary: GRIPPING
Review: I'm not a fan of historical romance since sometimes I found it hard to imagine...being in the time when I wasn't born *smile* (call me lack of imagination). But this one is different. I found myself hooked to the story of a plain-woman and an outsider. Rachel Yoder is a Plain woman. Her husband died and left her with one son. Until one day, an outsider came to her house, bloody, near death, with two pistols and a knife. And so, one remarkable love story begins....
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: Just a lovely story in so many ways. Somehow, even though Johnny speaks few words of love (completely in keeping with his character) we somehow understand...FEEL...very clearly how deep his feelings are becoming for Rachel. Now THAT is good writing. Also, knowing a bit about the Amish, I found PW's portrayal of Rachel's family & values very heartfelt and believable. She somehow shows us the positive and negative, which helps us to understand the depth of Rachel's confusion. Knowing how 'closed' the society is she really portrays the agony and life-altering scope of Rachel's choices very well. Just a great story. I am glad I listened to you guys and bought a couple more of Penelope's books at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful sense of place, suspensful hero/heroine conflict.
Review: Montana. Scorched plains, rugged mountains and sweet-grassed meadows. A land that both seduces and destroys those who try and tame it... Penelope Williamson's THE OUTSIDER plunges you deep into the heart of the Miawa Valley, and like her God-fearing Plain settlers, you feel the chinook wind gust warm over the frozen prairie, shiver at the chill of lingering frost while you tramp across pasturelands filled with grazing sheep, or through copses of tall boney-limbed cottonwoods. When summer arrives, your skin burns with the relentless heat that is Montana, as it sears through your clothes. Rachel Yoder, a Plain woman of the Amish sect, and widowed when her man is unjustly killed by "outsiders" for rustling cattle, raises her sheep on a small farm under those same, parched skies. She is endeared to us by all that is good; her motherly devotion to her small son, Benjo; her quiet respect for God, His land and hard work--even her ability to forgive those who wronged her beloved husband, Ben. Yet beneath her somber dress and prayer cap--traditions of the Plain people's straight and narrow path to God, Rachel's heart beats free, her spirit strong and compassionate. And when she discovers a man--an outsider--lying gunshot and bleeding one winter's day in her pasture, she doesn't hesitate to take him in and care for him so he might live, never realizing she would soon come to regret it. Cain--hired gun, desperado, outsider. And like Abel's brother, the darker side in us, with a savage heartlessness that draws Rachel like an unwary fly into the spider's web. Having saved his flesh, she tries to rescue his soul, blinding herself to the fact she's fallen in love with a man who can never be part of the Plain life or her people. A man who kills far too easily to walk the straight and narrow path to God. Rachel's path... THE OUTSIDER. This book will make you laugh, cry, and wrestle with the very heart of your own conscience. Written in that daring, hold-your-breath-til-the-last-page style that is only Penelope Williamson, I think it her very best.
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