Title: Outlander (Outlander #1)
Genre: Historical fiction/Fantasy (adult)
Pages: 850 (Mass market paperback)
Publication date: June 2nd, 1992 (Original date - 1991)
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
The amount of praise that I have for this book is indescribable.
Diana Gabaldon managed to give every single thing anyone would ever want in a book in the first two chapters, then continued to do it throughout the entire book. She managed to write something so beautifully terrifying and brutal and lovely and intense that I have no words for it. She piled plot twist on top of plot twist on top of plot twist without it being too overwhelming, and she managed to hold suspense for just long enough that you don't throw the book across the room in frustration but end up in tears in about 10 seconds.
Her writing is so beautiful; it seems to just flow and come together naturally, without any thought. There are only so many ways that the 26 letters of the English language can come together, and never in my LIFE have I seen it done so perfectly.
She managed to include so much information as well; languages and history and facts without making it boring, but instead makes me even more curious about my own background and it makes me want to reach back into my family history so that I can see what my ancestors were doing in 1743.
Not only was this book beautifully written and so interesting history wise, it was also one of the funniest and most enjoyable books I have read to date. It had me cry-laughing, (as well as just straight-up crying) and made me wish I had my own Jamie Fraser (because who doesn't?!?).
Overall, 5 stars for this book is nowhere near enough, it deserves the highest of all praise, and more. Thank you, Diana Gabaldon, for writing this book and the rest of the series. I look forward to reading more about spit-fire Claire and her stubborn Jamie.
Overall - ★★★★★
In total I bought 16 books in August.
