Outlander // Book Review
Over the past couple of years I've seen Outlander by Diana Gabaldon everywhere. It's been all over Instagram, Youtube, Goodreads and in every book shop I went into. I could tell the book was proving really popular by the five star reviews circling social media so when I stumbled upon the book again, I knew I had to read it.
Here is my review on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon:
Synopsis
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient 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 is catapulted 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 love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
“It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.”
A couple of things let me down with this book, one being a common cause of conflict amongst a few reviews on Goodreads, so I felt was only right I spoke about too and that is a particular scene between Claire and Jamie where he beats her for disobeying him. I understand that the author wrote about this to portray what times were like back in the 17th century for women, however I did feel like this was shown as a healthy thing to do in a relationship and it's quite a uncomfortable part of the book to read. Especially as the situation was dropped fairly easily. I cringed especially at one point, you'll know what I mean if you've read the book, but as I said I understood that this was a different era and it just shows the hardships that women had to go through and how badly they were treated. It was a hard part of the book to read, especially as Jamie is such a likeable character and, honestly, I do feel like it didn't need to be included.
That aside, it was only a small part of the book and the relationship between Claire and Jamie is a memorable one and I really did enjoy watching their connection grow stronger and 'healthier', especially towards the end of the book as I found myself becoming more fond of their unusual, addictive relationship. Although, whilst reading this, I did wonder what was going through poor Frank's mind!
I loved so many of the characters in this book and soon became so attached to a few of them. Geillis being one of my favourites. Her and Claire bonded over their knowledge of plants and medicine. But Geillis is branded as a witch which causes a lot of trouble for them both. She is such a clever and mysterious character that caused a lot of twists and turns. Wicked at times but that only made me want to know more. I'd love it if there could be a spin off solely about her!
“Many of the lost will be found, eventually, dead or alive. Disappearances, after all, have explanations.”
I also fell in love with the setting of this book, which is Scotland. It has made me desperate to visit that beautiful country again. The author's descriptive writing was brilliant and brought the book to life so perfectly. It's hard to make a reader feel like they're living with the characters in the book however Diana Gabaldon captured that really well.
Overall I did enjoy the concept of this book, it was the first historical fiction I've read in a while and despite the fact that I had one hiccup with the story, I did enjoy it. It's been a tricky book to review as my feelings are quite mixed, but I do often find myself thinking about the characters after being invested in them for so long. It's one of many books in the Outlander series so if I'm still thinking about the story in a few months time, I may end up reading the next one!
After a lot of thought, I ended up giving this book 🌟🌟🌟
Have you read this book?
If so, what were you thoughts?
If you enjoyed this, you will also enjoy
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Here is my review on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon:
Title: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Format: Kindle eBook
Pages: 850
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy
Synopsis
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient 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 is catapulted 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 love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
“It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.”
A couple of things let me down with this book, one being a common cause of conflict amongst a few reviews on Goodreads, so I felt was only right I spoke about too and that is a particular scene between Claire and Jamie where he beats her for disobeying him. I understand that the author wrote about this to portray what times were like back in the 17th century for women, however I did feel like this was shown as a healthy thing to do in a relationship and it's quite a uncomfortable part of the book to read. Especially as the situation was dropped fairly easily. I cringed especially at one point, you'll know what I mean if you've read the book, but as I said I understood that this was a different era and it just shows the hardships that women had to go through and how badly they were treated. It was a hard part of the book to read, especially as Jamie is such a likeable character and, honestly, I do feel like it didn't need to be included.
That aside, it was only a small part of the book and the relationship between Claire and Jamie is a memorable one and I really did enjoy watching their connection grow stronger and 'healthier', especially towards the end of the book as I found myself becoming more fond of their unusual, addictive relationship. Although, whilst reading this, I did wonder what was going through poor Frank's mind!
I loved so many of the characters in this book and soon became so attached to a few of them. Geillis being one of my favourites. Her and Claire bonded over their knowledge of plants and medicine. But Geillis is branded as a witch which causes a lot of trouble for them both. She is such a clever and mysterious character that caused a lot of twists and turns. Wicked at times but that only made me want to know more. I'd love it if there could be a spin off solely about her!
“Many of the lost will be found, eventually, dead or alive. Disappearances, after all, have explanations.”
Overall I did enjoy the concept of this book, it was the first historical fiction I've read in a while and despite the fact that I had one hiccup with the story, I did enjoy it. It's been a tricky book to review as my feelings are quite mixed, but I do often find myself thinking about the characters after being invested in them for so long. It's one of many books in the Outlander series so if I'm still thinking about the story in a few months time, I may end up reading the next one!
After a lot of thought, I ended up giving this book 🌟🌟🌟
Have you read this book?
If so, what were you thoughts?
If you enjoyed this, you will also enjoy
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Ah, Outlander! <3
ReplyDeleteI read this series many years ago and adored it. I also love the TV show as well!
I know you're undecided about reading the next book but I definitely think you should. The series only get better (and longer) and it's absolutely wonderful to see how Jamie and Claire's relationship develops. Plus, more characters are introduced who you can't help but (mostly) fall in love with!
Shannon | https://frompagetoplace.wordpress.com/