Outlander

By Diana Gabaldon,

Book cover of Outlander

Book description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā€¢ The first book in Diana Gabaldonā€™s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.

One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBSā€™s The Great American Read!
 
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarksā€¦

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Why read it?

39 authors picked Outlander as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I'd heard about 'Outlander' from friends who had watched the TV series, but wanted to start my adventure with the book - and I wasn't disappointed! I love historical fiction as well as sci-fi and fantasy, and it was a treat to learn about this period via such fascinating and well-drawn characters.
As with 'Fourth Wing', I immediately sought out the sequel(s) - though I still have a lot of catching up to do!

I loved this book because it is another time-slip novel, but mostly because of the characters that Gabaldon has created. Claire is a strong woman both in the present time zoneā€“post-war Britainā€“and the Scottish Highland time zone of the seventeenth century and the uprising. You sense immediately that she is in danger as the story is told from her point of view. 

I loved learning about the lives of the Scottish highlanders, how the story moves from one-time zone to another, and how the characters overlap.

From Christine's list on immersed in a medieval world.

This is a historical romance with a fantasy twist, following Claire Randall, a WWII nurse who is mysteriously transported to 18th-century Scotland. Despite its lack of classic fantasy elements, the novel creates its own unique sense of magic through time travel, suspense, and constant surprises. Claire's journey, torn between two lives and a passionate romance, is filled with unexpected twists that keep you on edge.

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, but this one is special to me. I've read it a lot, and I just love the descriptive details Gabaldon has effortlessly woven into the story. Also,ā€¦

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Book cover of Lines

Lines by Sung J. Woo,

On a foggy morning in New York City, a man and a woman run into each other, literally. The man, a writer, invites the woman, an artist, for coffee. They married just two months later. And four years later, their marriage is crumbling. On a foggy morning in New Yorkā€¦

Is Claire supernatural because she can go through the stones? Her skin is certainly milk-soft and bright enough to shimmer in sunlight, but she doesnā€™t. Even when her hair starts to go white, it doesnā€™t exactly shimmer. However, she does fit, and so does the story because Unusual things happen to quite ordinary-looking people.

But the most magical thing about this book is the love that Jamie and Claire find in each other. Swoon.

What happens when you take a modern woman and place her in Scotland 200 years in the past? Outlander. This has it all: epic romance, the science of medicine in its herbal beginnings, historic references, and an intelligent, relatable FMC.

Claire is torn from her present and thrown into a mindboggling situation where she must use her smarts to survive a dangerous environment and a fiendish villain. She also finds herself battling a physical attraction to the perfect Scotsman, all while hoping she makes it home to her husband.

I loved immersing myself in the fantasy of highland loreā€¦

This historical novel, with its time travel and romance elements, swept me away into the 18th century and never let up. Iā€™ve now read it and its sequels many times, and theyā€™re still magic.

When I read a hundred-page description of a wedding told from four different points of view, I donā€™t get confused or lose track of a single character. I fell in love with Jamie. Doesnā€™t everyone? But the love story is only one part of the whole. In one scene, Claire kills a wolf with her bare hands. It would be the climax of another authorā€™sā€¦

From Elizabeth's list on featuring characters you fall in love with.

If you love Diana Gabaldon...

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Book cover of The Haunting of Fury Falls Inn

The Haunting of Fury Falls Inn by Betty BoltƩ,

6-book series set in a haunted roadside inn in 1821 Alabama!

Cassie Fairhope longs for only one thing: to escape her motherā€™s tyranny. Her plan? Seduce the young man, who is acting as innkeeper while her father is away on business, into marrying her. But Flint Hamilton has his ownā€¦

The Authorā€™s style is totally immersive. It begins with time travel through standing stones, and the genres multiply from there. The story has a good pace, plenty of action and adventure, humour, and a hunky scotsmanā€¦ what else could you ask for?

In all seriousness, the main character is a feisty WW2 nurse who, when challenged, is ready to voice her opinions with plenty of sass. She is also strong, skilled, kind-hearted, and downright funny at times. She reminds me a lot of myself.

Gabaldon is a master at blending mysticism and history. She uses Stonehenge-like stones as a time-traveling device to send a British WWII nurse (Claire Randall)  back in time to Scotland in 1743, where she falls in love with a Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser and becomes involved in a doomed Jacobite uprising.

While it is a love story, it's also a very compelling epic drama that transports the reader (like Claire) to a different time and culture. Her struggle for survival and love, coupled seamlessly with Jamieā€™s clanā€™s struggle for freedom, keeps the plot engrossing and always entertaining. This, too,ā€¦

Time travel + epic love story + strong female protagonist? Yeah, Iā€™m in.

Though this is more historical fiction than what I usually gravitate towards, the love story between Claire and Jamie is irresistible and just too powerful to ignore. She literally crosses time to be with him! Albeit accidentally at first, but still!

This book is beautifully written, and I adore Claire so much for being ahead of her time in the 1940ā€™s and way ahead of her time in the 1700ā€™s. Sheā€™s one of my favorite book heroines because of her strength, passion, and conviction. And the loveā€¦

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Book cover of Aftermath: Into the Unknown

Aftermath by Lena Gibson,

Robin dreamed of attending Yale and using her brain. Kory lived on the streets of Seattle and relied on his brawn. Without the asteroid, they never would have met.

For three years, Robin and her grandfather have been hiding, trusting no one. When a biker gang moves into town, Robinā€¦

I am in awe of Diana Gabaldonā€™s achievements as I relate to her writing while raising three children.

At first daunted by the 850-page length, once I started reading, I became enthralled with the fantasy of Claireā€™s time-traveling into the past and meeting the love of her life. I fell in love with the beautiful boy-man, Jamie. He reminded me of the love of my life. Gabaldonā€™s handling of the attraction between Claire and the Scottish highlander is beguiling, especially in the sexual scenes.

Weaving their love story into real history, her descriptions, plots, and prose are exquisitely compelling. Iā€¦

From Patricia's list on women who confront societal norms.

If you love Outlander...

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Book cover of Lines

Lines by Sung J. Woo,

On a foggy morning in New York City, a man and a woman run into each other, literally. The man, a writer, invites the woman, an artist, for coffee. They married just two months later. And four years later, their marriage is crumbling. On a foggy morning in New Yorkā€¦

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