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| Outlander by Diana Gabaldon June 1, 1991 Dell Publishing Company 870 pages Genre: Historical Romance 18+ (Contains: sex, sexual references, violence, rape) Source: Personal purchase |
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is 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 stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.My Review:
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
Outlander is what I would describe as an epic adventure. It's not just a simple story. It is a whirlwind tale, traveling across time, land, and sea. The sheer size of the book intimidated me, but after hearing so much about it, I had to give it a shot. I felt like I was in the midst of a television series, as there is so much going on throughout the novel. And I loved that about this tome. I could get engrossed in it one moment, and then set it aside until I was ready for the next great adventure to come. There is so very much happening. I personally enjoyed reading it bit by bit over an extended period of time, while I imagine others have blown through the nearly 900 pages in a day or two.
I chose the audiobook route, and I cannot be more pleased by that choice. The audio narrator, Davina Porter, is brilliant perfection. I don't normally like female narrators, but Porter managed to encapsulate all that I had imagined Outlander would be with her amazing voice, her inflections, her management of both male and female roles, her pacing, her animation, and her consistency. As I eventually travel through the rest of the series, I plan on listening to them all on audio as I have fallen in love with Porter's narration and rendition of Claire and Jamie.
If you are on the fence, like I was, about diving into this massive book, I highly recommend the audiobook. It can be listened to at your leisure, while driving, cleaning, cooking, exercising, whatever. Porter's narration is well worth the time and imaginings. This isn't a light read, and it is historical fiction. There is some very heavy stuff going on amongst these pages, with all the ugliness of the time period. But there is also gorgeous imagery and amazing characters that will capture your heart (and villains you'll hate). But if you are up for an epic love story between one incredibly swoon-worthy Scotsman to surpass all others, and a heroine who encapsulates femininity yet fierceness, passion and compassion, then look no further than Outlander.
5 STARS
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