Rating: Summary: An Insult to Her Readers Review: What a rip off! Not very well written. Save your dollars, guys
Rating: Summary: A nice "bits and pieces" book Review: I really have enjoyed reading the Companion -- not in the same way that I obsessively stuck my nose into the novels and didn't come up for air 'til the last pages -- but, rather, as a nice "nightstand book," good for reading a page or snippet or chapter at a time. Sure, there are things I could have lived without (the extensive horoscopes), things I would have loved to see included, but weren't (Steve McManaman!, and just what additional paragraphs were added to "Cross Stitch" that weren't in "Outlander"), and things I would have changed (the foreign phrase dictionary in alphabetical, rather than chronological, order), but those are just my quibbles. On the whole, I found it tremendously entertaining. I was surprised, when I was reading the synopses of the 4 novels, to learn new things from Diana's summaries -- especially given the fact that I practically have the books memorized! Just for those new insights, the Companion was worth the price. On the whole, it was what I expected, but bigger, and better, and certainly funnier. It has definitely whetted my appetite for Novel 5...
Rating: Summary: poorly organized and redundant Review: This volume might have been interesting, if not for the fact that certain obvious steps were overlooked -- such as an alphabetical listing of terms. It felt rushed, as if the author is juggling too much. And for a woman who supposedly has advanced degrees in science, the astrological charts are more than a little incongruous. I found the novels interesting and well told, but this is going too far.
Rating: Summary: Quit Whining..... PLEASE Review: Ok- Personally, I enjoyed the companion. It's been a long time since I read the books and believe it or not, with the hundreds characters I managed to forget a few. Gosh. So the refresher was nice. So some of you think it's a money making gimmick, or perhaps Ms. Gabaldon's success has gone to her head. Well then, DON'T BUY IT. No one had a gun to your head and forced you up to the checkout counter. So quit whining.
Rating: Summary: Great Fun! Review: This is a beautiful, fun book! Yes alot of the same stuff is on the website, but just how much browsing can one do? More fun to have book in hand I think. If you are a Gabaldon fan, the book is a must have for your collection.
Rating: Summary: Everything to know about Jamie and Claire! Review: If you have any questions regarding plots or characters for the outlander series, this is the book to have. Also, lots of interesting information about Diana Gabaldon and her personal life, how she writes, and her adventures in the chat rooms where she got started. However, not the book to sit down and just read straight through. Found it's more like a fun reference book.
Rating: Summary: A generous book by a generous writer Review: The COMPANION was great fun to read and answered a lot of my questions. Thanks, Diana, for so GENEROUSLY sharing your thoughts with us fans and for so PATIENTLY explaining things. I was very pleased to see that Diana takes her readers seriously and loves to communicate with them. In this, too, she is lightyears ahead of other writers. And now I must join the chorus: CAN`T WAIT TO READ BOOKS 5 AND 6 and all the other books that are (hopefully) still to come. Thanks again!
Rating: Summary: an entertaining interlude between novels Review: Right on the front cover, it explains what this book is about--it's NOT the next novel in the series, but it is an enjoyable book for many of us who love the Outlander series. Certainly, there are flaws in the book, just as there are flaws in the series--I, too, could have done without the astrological charts (leave that stuff to Sydney Omarr!!). However, the recipes, the Gaelic dictionary, and the excerpts from coming novels are most interesting. It's true that the excerpts can be read at Ms. Gabaldon's official Internet site, but what's so awful about having them in print form? I'm looking forward to the next novel, whenever it comes out--if it takes a little longer to produce one to your satisfaction, Ms. G., that's fine with me!
Rating: Summary: Exactly what it was MEANT to be! Review: I admit, this book isn't one that I would buy on hardcover; however, that DOESN'T mean that it's a bad book. I thought it was really quite good considering it's a companion to the series. I found all the numerous little bits of information Ms Gabaldon included in the Companion very entertaining and interesting. To the readers that thought this Companion was supposed to be every bit as good as one of the Outlander novels, you need a huge reality check. Ms Gabaldon wrote this for her fans in order to give them what they wanted -more info on the Outlander series! And what is all this about "only doing it for the money?" Don't authors make their livings selling books?!!! Not to mention that this companion book is a million times better than what most authors can write!
Rating: Summary: definately interesting Review: I just wanted to say that I liked this book for what it is-a companion to the novels. As a "die-hard" fan, I can honestly say that for me it was really neat to find out how the characters developed, and how she had help with Gaelic and the other languages that she knows very little or nothing about. I personally didn't like the horoscopes, but I'm not into that kind of thing. Anyway, if you are looking for an interesting and informative read that can give you some insight into how she does reasearch and other things, then please read this. If you don't like that kind of thing, then don't buy it.
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