Saturday, June 09, 2007
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Monday, April 23, 2007 3rd Once Upon a Time and 6th Chunkster The first four books of the Outland series have been sitting on my shelf for months now taking up a lot of space. They are really Big. But I listed the first on my Chunkster Challenge and on the "Once Upon a Time Challenge" to give me the gusto to dive in. And it only took me 3 days to read all 850 pages. It was so hard to put down. A true swashbuckling tale. The story begins in 1945 with Claire and her husband, Frank, on a genealogical search in the highlands of Scotland. Somehow, Claire finds herself traveling through time to the year 1743 and all kinds of peril and adventures. And, let's not forget, romance. More than a fantasy, this book is a romance. Truthfully, some passages take me back to my college days when I was consumed with reading what I classified as "smut historical romances." Thankfully, the cover is not plastered with a buxom, half-clad wench falling on the massive chest of an impossibly handsome male model. I could have done without all the sex which was pretty graphic. And Jamie Fraser was a little too perfect and sensitive for a 23-year-old, 18th-century Highlander. But enough nit-picking. This novel was amazing. The characters are fascinating. Gabaldon's descriptions are breathtaking and add to the flavor of the story, not detracting from it. There was adventure after adventure. And the romance . . . . well, too perfect or not and way too young for me, I am in love with Jamie. Who wouldn't be? And Claire faces her dilemma of choosing between the present and the past with a natural confusion that I found endearing. She is such a modern woman trying to fit into this male-oriented culture. My best description of this novel is --- Pure Entertainment!! Rating: 4.75 Posted by Framed at 9:15 PM 13 comments: booklogged said... Yay, you read it and liked it! I had a feeling you would. Some of the sex scenes are pretty steamy, but the rest of the book was so good. Good for you - six chunksters down. I have one more to go and am barely into another. So basically, two more to go. 10:22 PM Alyson said... Big books that are really good scare me a little. Really, I love them, but I steer clear of them (at least while I'm in school) because I won't do anything else while I'm reading those kinds of books. Maybe someday I can read this one, or maybe I'll listen to it. 12:24 AM Quixotic said... I've been toying with the idea of trying Gabaldon's work for ages. Now I've finally broken the ice and jumped into George R.R. Martin's work, perhaps it's time to try out another biggy!Glad you liked it, thanks for the review! 2:42 AM SuziQoregon said... Yay!! Glad you liked it. I agree the steamy scenes could be heavily edited, and it wouldn't diminish the books at all. It's a long and complex series. 9:03 AM kookiejar said... I loved this one two. I'm about the start the third in the series. It's amazing the detail she puts into the story. 11:26 AM Les said... I've been a bit hesitant to start this series simply because the books are so darned big. But if you were able to finish this one in just 3 days, I'm encouraged! Thanks for the review. I'll have to snag a copy to add to my toppling tower of books. :) 11:52 AM Melissa said... I still blush whenever I think of this book, mostly because of the steamy scenes. I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind it if I read it again, though. :)Glad you liked it. 11:59 AM hellomelissa said... i'm on the 5th book.you said it all... pure entertainment. and by now, it's comfort lit to me... familiarity. 6:32 PM Marina said... Maybe it's time for me to pick this one up...husband and I are trying for kid #2. 8:43 PM Nymeth said... Scottish Highlands in the 18th century... that sounds wonderful! Thanks for the review. 4:59 PM Chris said... An old favorite of mine. I love her work. 5:29 PM Chris said... This post has been removed by the author. 5:29 PM Bellezza said... It is surprisingly fast for such a long book, isn't it? I could never read it in three days, as you did, but I did the last half in about three days. At first, I thought it a bit strange in terms of time travel. Then, I got hooked. I haven't read past Outlander, yet, but maybe I will someday. By the time you finish such a novel you almost feel as if you knew the characters like family! |
# posted by Framed @ 5:49 PM 
