Outlander

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

When I read a hundred-page description of a wedding told from four different points of view, I don’t get confused or lose track of a single character. I fell in love with Jamie. Doesn’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 author’s… show more.

The Author’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 scotsman… 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 Jamie’s clan’s struggle for freedom, keeps the plot engrossing and always entertaining. This, too,… show more.

Time travel + epic love story + strong female protagonist? Yeah, I’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 1940’s and way ahead of her time in the 1700’s. She’s one of my favorite book heroines because of her strength, passion, and conviction. And the love… show more.

I am in awe of Diana Gabaldon’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 Claire’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. Gabaldon’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. I… show more.

This amazing story is one that belongs in multiple sections of any bookstore. Where would you shelve a historical fiction, action-adventure, time-travel, romance? Anywhere you want. This is the quintessential genre combination series, perhaps the best of all time.

I discovered Outlander in 1998 when the fourth book in the series was published. I bought it on a whim, liking the sound of historical fiction/time travel. The book immediately transported me along with Claire into the 1700s, where I rooted for her to fall in love with Jamie Fraser and stay with him.

There is so much love, lust, heartbreak,… show more.

If you haven’t heard of Outlander, you must live under a rock, but I still had to add it to the list for the sheer number of hours this series has ripped me from my mundane existence into far-off lands and times.

History, magic, and epic romance, oh my! And lots of it! I admire how well Gabaldon weaves her story with historical events and folklore, but I also appreciate the sheer bulk of this series. If you escape into the lives of Claire and Jamie Fraser, you can remain there for quite a while.

Warning: unlike the other… show more.

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.