The Outlandish Companion

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Summary: Very well-written guide that answers all of our questions.!
Review: I have read the Companion and found it to be very interesting and comprehensive. It is the type of book that one can skip around and read only that which is interesting at that particular moment. We asked for it and Diana delivered. Remember all you who are impatiently waiting for book number 5-All good things come to those who wait. Yes, the waiting is hard but in Diana's talented way, it will be well worth the wait. In the meantime we can enjoy the tidbits of books 5 and 6 through the Companion.

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Summary: Gaelic-Schmaelic
Review: I'm not a "learner" of Gaelic, but I can read English! The Glossary section starts right out with an explanation that Ms. Gabaldon doesn't speak Gaelic at all herself, so got an expert who is a native speaker to do the translations for the Gaelic bits. As for whether somebody whoose first langauge is Gaelic should know better than a "learner"...well, some of my husband's family are native Spanish-speakers, and the things they say often don't match exactly what you find in Spanish textbooks, but I don't think they'd agree with you telling them they aren't "correct"!

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Summary: Too cool!
Review: This book is one of the funniest things I've read ever! I was reading it in bed and giggling so hard that my husband wanted to know what I was reading, and after I read some excerpts from it (especially some of the footnotes--I loved the story abbout the male nurse and the dummy!) he wanted to read it too!

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Summary: Geez, people, did you read it?
Review: Wow,wow,wow! This book is a treasure chest just full oof goodies! First I read bits and pieces, then I went back to read from the beginning and found myself engaged both by all the fascinating trivia *and* especially by Ms. Gabaldon's insights on writing and how she came to discover these characters and put the books together. I can't believe the negative comments--don't you guys look at a book before you buy it? Don't you read after you do buy it? It isn't advertised as a novel and it isn''t advertised as a guide to Scotland. It's a companion to the OUTLANDER novels and it's great!

Rating:
Summary: It's what we asked for!!!!
Review: This may not be as engaging as reading one of the novels, but for those of us who WANT to know the backround and really think about the plots and storylines in the book and want clarification, this is a great addition to the series. I read the Outlander for my book club and I am not an avid reader, but I could not put it down. I am halfway through the third book, and just got the companion guide this week and was thrilled. My book club just met tonight and we used the companion guide extensively.

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Summary: Wonderful Book for Outlandish Fans & New Readers!
Review: Diana Gabaldon is simply the best storyteller I have ever read and I have read extensively. The Outlandish Companion is a must have for Gabaldon fans - it's chock full of terrific information. For new readers, it's a great introduction to a wonderful author. Thank you for another wonderful book, Diana!

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Summary: Truly Enjoyable!!
Review: I never write reviews because frankly I wish I had the talent that Ms. Gabaldon possesses in her writing! I must say that this book wasn't what I expected - it was more! I'm enjoying it so much and it has helped a great deal in answering some of the questions I had. So, my final word to Diana is: Take your time writing these books. It wouldn't be fair to you to have a book published that you were less than happy with. Keep up the great work and thank you for providing me and all the others with a most enjoyable respite from the "daily grind."

Rating:
Summary: A dissappointment
Review: I can't believe in my excitement for another Outlander book from Diana Gabaldon that I blindly bought this overpriced book. A good portion of the book is a bibliography of the authors reference material. A foreign phrase dictionary, that is not in alphabetical order makes it difficult to use, and a listing of all the characters in nice, but hey - I read the books. If you haven't read the books, the synopsos is nice, but if you have, well who needs a synopsos. I wish the author had spent her time bringing us the next installment of her wonderful series.

Rating:
Summary: Dissappointment in content
Review: I'm dissapointed in the new reference type book for several reasons: There are no explanations or sketches of the costumes of the period. What exactly are "breeks" anyway? Very few drawings of the geographical areas. The glossary is not alphabetical! How can one look up a word or phrase if you have to page through the whole glossary -- not very helpful while you are reading the books. I was hoping for help in understanding or relating to the times. I was not interested in a detailed horoscope of two fictional characters. I'd rather have had drawings of the characters and a lot more hard fact about the period.

It is an interesting book. Just not quite what I expected.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Gaelic!!!!
Review: As a learner of Scottish Gaelic, I picked up this book to see what kind of ambassador for the language Diana Gabaldon was. Needless to say, I am disapointed. If she is going to use a language she could at least get it right. It is very sad that this might be some peoples only exposure to this beautiful language. Please hire an expert next time!!!