Outlander
(Outlander series, Book 1)
Diana Gabaldon
Dell
Fiction, Romance/Historical Fiction
**
DESCRIPTION: In 1945, Claire and her husband Frank have been married for seven years but still hardly seem to know each other; she spent World War II in the medical tents nursing wounded soldiers while Frank served in the English army. Now, as the bomb-blasted countryside rebuilds and the war's many wounds slowly heal, the pair visit Scotland for a second honeymoon. In truth, however, it's something of a working vacation, as Frank continues his endless search for geneological clues about his family, which apparently dates back long and far into Scottish history. Claire doesn't mind his obsession, but she's never paid too much attention to his histories and ancestors... until they become all too real for her. Pulled back in time 200 years by a mysterious ring of stones, Claire finds herself in the middle of a battle between English Redcoats - led by one of Frank's notorious ancestors, the less-than-honorable "Black" Jack Randall - and wild Highland warriors. Her only thought is to return to her own time as quickly as possible, but all too soon she finds herself caught up in local troubles and clannish intrigues... not to mention the dashing Jamie, a handsome Scottish laird fleeing cruel English justice for a murder he didn't commit. Her head tells her she belongs in her own time, but her heart isn't so sure. Which will she choose, and will she survive to make the choice at all?
REVIEW: This is a tale of sex, violence, and a wee bit o' Scottish burr. It starts a bit slow, and though it picks up now and again, it rarely reaches the escape velocity necessary to hold my interest for long periods of time. Instead, it wanders with almost deliberate laziness through the olde Scottish countryside, piling on names and clans and relations and rivalries until it’s hard to tell one tartan from another. All of this occurs in between increasing bouts of sex and violence, which tend to become interlinked to a very disturbing degree. I started to wonder if Gabaldon had some particular hated Scotsman in mind as she ran Jamie through the wringer again and again and again, so often and graphically did she break the man down and beat him to a bloody, red-haired pulp. Claire herself comes off as little more than deadweight for a fair portion of the book, especially as she is the reason Jamie ends up with many of his scars and bruises. Though hints are tossed out that she is not the first (nor likely the last) woman to pass through the centuries, little enough is made of the matter until the very end, an ending which seemed to take far longer to reach than the story itself should've necessitated. I would've preferred a bit more on the time travel aspect and a bit less pining and pain and passion. Overall, I found this book overlong and wearing to read, especially as it kicks off a series and therefore doesn’t wrap up many of its loose ends. But, then, I guess I'm ultimately more interested in fantasy and science fiction than endless violence and sex.
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