"Outlander" - Diana Gabaldon

Hello fellow bibliophiles! It's time for another Throwback Review to a favorite series of mine! You may have heard of this book since it is been made into a TV series by Starz. The series and first book is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Currently there are eight books in the series, with the most recent one just being released this past January. This was a series that was constantly being recommended to me by the different book sites I use but yet continued to disregard. That is until a couple years ago when I decided to pick up the first book. The rest is history.

From the moment I picked up this book, I could not put it down. If you've read any of my previous post, you will know I am a big fan of books set in two different time periods where the story alternates between characters and time periods. This book is similar to that except there is only one character going back and forth. That's right, time travel! While this book could be classified as science fiction, you could also categorize it as romance, historical fiction, military fiction, and so on. Diana Gabaldon, you're amazing. It's hard to quickly describe what the book is about as it's quite a daunting book. Almost 900 pages long with many characters and different events taking place. In short, here's a "brief" summary:

The story starts off after the end of WWII with an English couple, Frank and Claire Randall, on their second honeymoon to reconnect after being separated during the war. They travel to Scotland where they visit different landmarks and historical places of the countryside. One day while Claire is out walking on her own at the site of a circle of stones, she is transported back in time to the 1740's. British solider's, Scottish men in kilts, castles, Highlanders to the rescue, and no idea how to return to the present, Claire is forced to become involved with a Highlander named Jamie Fraser for her protection, and his. I cannot even begin to describe their relationship together. Too many moving parts that all connect and would give too much of the story away. Let's just say this, they were made for each other. They argue, they banter, they fall in love out of necessity, and then fall in love because its true. But Claire doesn't belong in this world. She has a husband and an entire life in the future. Can she stay in the past or must she find a way to get back?

That summary does not give the story any justice. Trust me. It's an amazing book. Diana Gabaldon is an incredible writer. She writes in a way that doesn't just make you feel like you could be there but throws you head first right within its pages. And yes the rest of the books are just as long and just as daunting, but they're worth any minute you spend within their pages. I have recommended this series to many and will continue to do so. I highly encourage you to take a look at this book. I'll end with a quote from Diana herself from her website (www.dianagabaldon.com), "What I used to say to people who saw me sitting outside a store with a pile of books and asked (reasonable enough), "What sort of book is this?", was, "I'll tell you what. Pick it up, open it anywhere, and read three pages. If you can put it down again, I'll pay you a dollar." I've never lost money on that bet." 

Pick it up. Read three pages. Thank me later. Check out the Starz series as well! It's great! Feel free to share any recommendations and let me know what you think of the book!

Happy reading fools :)