Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars
I have been a most delinquent blogger for the past 2 months, and for that I am truly sorry. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and keep my reviews updated, but it's difficult since I'm studying in London this semester and have a TON of reading to do for class. However, here I am with a review of my first read for 2010!
Outlander has, apparently, been something of a cult classic since it's publication in the early 90's. I had never heard of it until I saw An Echo in the Bone, the seventh book in the series, on Amazon's bestseller list. The plot summary piqued my interest, so I picked up book numero uno. I'll have you know, this was no 3 day read. It's not ridiculously literary, but it was very dense. At 850 pages, it was a seriously daunting task.
The length may have been the sole reason I didn't give this book a five. I found that the minor plots that caused the book to be 850 pages were, at times, unnecessary. However, I loved the story. Claire is an ex-nurse in post WWII Britain, on holiday with her husband when she walks through a circle of ancient standing stones and is transported back in time. The would-be sci-fi element of time travel is made much more fantastical by the old magic supposedly lurking in the stones. Whilst in 18th century Scotland, Claire falls in love with Jamie Fraser, a Scottish warrior and is now torn between her two loves. I won't give much more away, because the book was truly thrilling and beautifully written.
This is definitely NOT a YA book, by any means. The reason for the series' cult following is probably the book's sex scenes. They get pretty steamy. Sookie Stackhouse fans, this series may be something to look into while we wait for the release of Charlaine Harris's newest book! Anyway, like I said, very adult content, but appropriate for the storyline.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed Outlander, but I won't be attempting any of the other books in the series until the summer. You really need a couple of marathon sessions to get through these.
ISBN: 978-0385319959
Price: $16.00, paperback
Pages: 850
I read these as 'fillers'. I read several chapters of it in between other books. It takes me longer to finish it, obviously, but then I do not get bogged down by it. I am on the 6th book 'A Breath of Snow & Ashes' and am LOVING it! Keep reading them! It is worth it! :-)
ReplyDeleteI definitely think I'll keep reading them, since I find the writing and setting to be really interesting. I think I just need to wait until the summertime when I can commit large chunks of time to them. The story moves quickly once you get into it, but I just can't commit to the length when I have so many schoolbooks to read.
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