Book: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Grade: B
Recommended To: Historical Fiction Fans.
Happy New Year!! What is better for a new year than starting a whole new book series? I had never heard of Diana Gabaldon, but a friend recommended her series. This book follows a woman who time-travels (a little weird, I know) back to 18th century Scotland. There, she is accused of being a witch, marries a sexy Scot, and frees said husband from jail.
I really liked this book, but of course, I had some issues. The language in this book is exquisite. Gabaldon has a way of weaving together words that leaves you craving more. She is an incredibly descriptive writer and although sometimes it can be too much, that feeling is rare.
This book also had a really intriguing story. I was warned about the time travel before I read the book, so I was prepared, but it actually made the relationships and interactions in the book more interesting. Plus, it made the book a bit easier to understand from a 20th century point of view. The main character reacted in much of the same way that I would have reacted and that made the book seem that much more realistic.
One thing I didn't like about the book were the many rape scenes. I have no idea if that was historically accurate, but I felt like the scenes were too prevalent and were insufficiently vague to lend anything to the book. Further, the Jamie and the main character (this book is written in first person, so damned if I can remember the woman's name) have sex at least every third page in the book, but the descriptions were either romance novel specific or abstinence-only education vague. I wish there had been some middle ground, because I often found myself wondering what had happened.
Overall, I liked this book but gave it a B because I felt like it. There are 5-6 books in the series and I believe that they all follow the same couple and series of events. I'm going to at least try the rest of them so look forward to those reviews.
Happy New Year and Happy Reading!
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