Outlander

It was 1996. I walked into a Walden Books and discovered Diana Gabaldon. Immediately intrigued, I purchased Outlander and was hooked.

When Claire is thrust back in time, she is rescued by a Scot, and finds herself in a pickle. An English captain believes she’s an English spy and wants her brought in for questioning, but according to Scottish law, the order can be ignored if Claire is Scottish.

It is suggested she marry Jamie to avoid imprisonment. The problem is, she’s legally married to Frank Randall in 1945 but is not legally married to anyone in 1746. Left with… show more.

What a book! There’s a reason why this book (and the ones that followed) has swept up its readers and kept them faithful. 

Romance that has endured and a passion to make anyone blush, time travelling fun, highland warfare, high drama, cliffhangers in every chapter, and of course, all set in the beautiful highlands (I love the highlands so very much I set my own book there). There is something for everyone here. An epic adventure awaits you.

You’ll thoroughly enjoy this great Scottish time travel series, it's rich in historic detail in every way.

I loved how the author’s storyteller captured both the conflict and deep personal relationships between the many different characters. The magical time portal pulled me in to the storyline immediately. With a yearning for everything history, Outlander fulfilled my passion for history, action, and time travel, and of course romance. This is a beautifully written novel.

The wedding. Need I say more? I will.

This was one of the first books I read where the steamy scenes didn’t make me cringe and instead made me understand the complexities and nuances of intimacy. It helps that Jamie Fraser is a king among men and is entirely swoon worthy in his own right.

That’s what a good love interest does, makes every read (this should say reader) fall in love with him but also loves that he loves his woman too. Outlander is a commitment but well worth it.

I first read Outlander when I was about fifteen.

I fell in love and devoured it and I loved it so much I’ve read it several times over the years, for a lot of reasons. When I first read this, I was on a historical kick. Everything I read by choice was set in the past.

I loved that Outlander was realistic. It didn’t romanticize living in the eighteenth century, especially from the perspective of someone from the twentieth. On top of that the characters were real and they made you care about them, which is what a good story… show more.

Outlander is an adventure of epic proportion, from the 1940s WWII war-torn battlefield where the story begins, to the bloodstained 18th-century Scottish battlefield of Culloden. 

Like clansman Jamie, whose red arm hairs stood on end when he made love to Claire in the grass, so did the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end with this talented author’s vividly described scenes. Page after page aroused the adventurer in me, sending me on a wild and unimaginable journey into the unknown. My heart was synchronized with the passionate relationship between the former British combat nurse and her… show more.

I picked up this book (twenty-odd years ago) because it was set in the same area where my parents were living, and the estate is even mentioned by name. I was immediately drawn to its main character, Claire, and fascinated by the situation in which she finds herself; Scotland in the days leading up to the ’45 Rising and the battle of Culloden. The way she, a doctor, is initially reduced to simply being the chattel of whichever male currently rules her, is frustrating, but as she searches for a way home, her courage and resilience grow. Just as importantly,… show more.

I have always had a love for historical fiction, but not time travel. Gabaldon does both splendidly in her Outlander series. She had done some thorough research to fill her world with historical events and people and it shows. This series really shows that the best magic systems and world building come from the legends and myths we already think we know. 

Claire Randall is a WWII British field nurse, which served her well in 1945 but leaves her open to charges of spying and witchcraft when she falls through a standing stone circle in the Scottish Highlands and lands at the same location in 1743. The fantastical aspects of time travel open the world of 18th-century Scotland, with its clans, tartans, and longstanding political tensions with England.

I love this book because it crosses genres and contains an indefatigable heroine to root for, a love story with a dreamy Scotsman, action, and high-stakes adventure. Gabaldon’s writing is a sensory experience that… show more.

There’s a reason my Instagram profile says, ‘Mentally married to Jamie Fraser.’ ‘Cause it’s true!

Yes, he’s a fictional character. Yes, he’s a man written by a woman author. But neither matters when you escape into Jamie’s words—his declarations of fealty to his clan, his hatred for Black Jack Randall (boo, hiss), or his unflinching love of, Claire, his wife.

Gabaldon has created a mighty and fierce Scottish warrior who is intelligent, articulate, and oh so amazingly passionate! *waves fan frantically before face*

If I had to sum Jamie Fraser up in one word, it would be: loyal. 

Now, if… show more.