What can I say to anyone who's read a Diana Gabaldon book? This woman has 'the gift,' (and I am also a 'paid' writer/part-time editor, so don't write many customer reviews on books unless they're REALLY, Really good OR, REALLY, Really bad)!
I have to admit that although I'd heard of Diana from my sister who's read her books, it wasn't until we watched the (Starz) televised version of her first novel, Outlander, that I sought out her novels. All of Gabaldon's novels are a unique mixture of genres; Romance (but do NOT let this turn you off guys as there is plenty of 'manly action,' and testosterone in the male characters via clan conflicts, revolutions, and plenty of broadsword and dirk, hand-to-hand fighting), History - including U.K. in post world II, and later, US and U.K. in 1960s and 70s, AND, even Scotland, France, & more in the 1740s and, 1760s, because it's also somewhat Sci-Fi due to time travel!
I am not typically a big Science Fiction or time travel fan, but Diana has found a most uncommon and pretty fascinating way to weave all of these topics together in such a way that it is quite believable and very entertaining. Her stories are also an inspiration because she had never been to the U.K., Scotland, or France, before writing her first few novels (and to think I was worrying about my current writing project because it covers several time periods and mostly takes place in another major city in the U.S. that I've not really seen firsthand - D.G. has definitely helped to alleviate my fear with this). As a college Professor, Gabaldon, certainly zeros in on research and it shows in the intricate and factual details about pretty much everything she writes about - I love that while being completely entertained, I'm also always learning something new while reading her books!
I think that since I saw the TV series (Season One last Fall), I was totally ready to submerge myself into these books and, while I'm on novel number four now, Outlander may always be my favorite - it being my first.
This first book begins with the main female character, Claire, and her fairly new husband, Frank, taking a much needed get-a-way to a quaint town in Scotland right after World War II. Claire, who worked through the war as a nurse, and Frank, an officer, hardly saw each other during that time between 1939 and 1945. Anyway, their little second honeymoon doesn't end up being the catalyst for bringing them closer together but instead, on a trip to an ancient circle of stones, Claire is transported back in time through one of the stones smack dab in the middle of a skirmish between the Scots and British soldiers. It takes her a while to realize she's not in the middle of some filming crew doing a historical movie or documentary, but REALLY, 'in' the 1740s!
The story just gets better and better as Claire is rescued by a band of Scots from a villainous Red Coat who is about to have his way with her, and, just happens to look just like her husband, Frank, BECAUSE, he is Frank's Great, Great, (however many 'greats') Grandfather. The Scottish clan who swoops her out of harm's way doesn't quite know whether they can trust her since she's English or, as they say, an "Outlander," or a Sassenach. As the story progresses and Claire constantly tries to think of ways to get back to the circle of stones and, her own time frame (and husband), she inadvertently finds herself falling for one of the young Scots, Jamie Fraser and well, by this point, you won't be able to put the book down (or, stop watching the series).
Does Claire fall for the handsome young Scottish warrior with a heart and soul as big as he is, or does she find her way back to the stones and her own time and, Frank? You'll want to know so I'll not include any spoilers from this point. I will say, that my husband, is not much for "period romances," but after he watched the first two episodes, he was hooked - like I said, plenty of 'action,' all around if Diana Gabaldon is behind the story.
Season 2 of Outlander starts April 4th here in the U.S. and we've already set it to record. In the meantime, you can go to Starz web site and find out how to catch up with Season 1 - which is playing now I believe as a precursor to the upcoming season. I'll also be reading on through novel number four ( Drums of Autumn). There are four more novel waiting after this as Diana has written a total of eight novels in this series - and to think this incredibly gifted author started writing Outlander, "Just to see if I could write an entire book." Uhm, Ms. Gabaldon, I'm pretty sure we can say a resounding "YES" to that!
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Take Care in Ordering Two-Part CD Set
I offer a five-star rating for the book “Outlander” itself, and the audio performance by the incomparable Davina Porter. This is one of my Top 5 favorite novels.However, I offer a warning to those ordering the CD audio set. The entire book is 28 discs, and is packaged in two separate boxes. Each box has the exact same ISBN (978-1-4193-8101-0), as they are meant to be sold together. Box 1 holds Discs 1-14 and Box 2 holds Discs 15-28.Unfortunately, Part 1 and Part II are not held together in any way. They sit unattached on the shelf. Unless you carefully look at the spine of the box, there is no way to quickly tell them apart.When this item is pulled from the shelf for shipment, the tendency is for only one box to be pulled and shipped. This happened to me twice.When I received only the Part II box first, Amazon was very gracious, refunded my money and said I could just keep the half set.I re-ordered the full CD set and hoped that if I once again received only a single half set, it would be the Part 1 that I was missing.Sure enough, when my second order arrived, only half of the set had been pulled. Fortunately, it was the Part 1 that I needed. My guess is that it’s probably the original match, which had been sitting on the shelf in the local distribution center.So, the down side is, I had to order twice, get a refund in the middle, and hope that the second order would hold the missing part.All of this could be avoided by shrink-wrapping the two boxes together on the shelf. Having two boxes is a great idea, as it keeps this large collection from becoming unwieldy. But they need to be held together in some way, if only for shipment.Bottom line: All is well, I have a complete set. However, I offer this description for those out there who are considering this product. Hopefully in the coming years the shrink-wrap option will be deployed.
Top reviews from other countries
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Lais Helena GrisiReviewed in Brazil on June 5, 2024
Como se tornar uma pessoa melhor!!
- BookerReviewed in Poland on December 21, 2024
From this buyer it might be used or damaged
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- Varghese Vayalamannil DevasiaReviewed in India on April 18, 2024
A great and enchanting novel.
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Carlota GMReviewed in Spain on May 29, 2023
Una novela que te cautivará con su apasionante historia
