Rating: 
Summary: Outlander
Review: When a friend let me borrow the book in Novemeber 2000. I was hesitant. After all I thought all "romance" was the same story line over and over again. Gosh was I ever wrong. I couldn't put the book down, I then went out and bought the rest of the series. And this Christmas my husband bought me the Fiery Cross. I can't wait to start it, I started through the series for the third time in under a year when I found out that her new book was coming out in October. I just love the series, she makes you feel as if you are living right along side Claire and Jamie. She is a wonderful writer and draws you in so that you never want to put the book down. I refuse to lend my books to anyone!!
Rating: 
Summary: A down to earth read
Review: I thouroghly enjoyed this book, there were some parts that raised my jaded eyebrows, but she [Diana Gabaldon] keeps it true to life, for the most part. Although time travel isn't the norm yet. Caution: start this series only if you have the set aside time for an engrossing story, the books are hefty, but worth the time.
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Summary: Definitely a Unique read
Review: This is no ordinary romance...Outlander goes above and beyond romance. Gabaldon's characters reach out and grab a person, you will either like them or hate them, but each character will leave his and her impression on you. James Fraser is the Hero in the book, and not your average "romantic" male. Diana Gabaldon portrayed him in a realistic way, from bodily functions to the typical male "Mmmphmmm!" Jamie is a man to fall in love with. I have to be honest and say that I did not like Claire, BUT it is a sign of Diana's flair for writing, she brings life into the characters. I highly recommend this book if you like time travel, romance, humor, and Scotland.
Rating:
Summary: Outlander
Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was da bomb! This is one of those books where you really feel as if the characters are right there, and you in their world-you even smell what the characters are smelling. LOL... Anyway, I love Outlander, and everyone should read this story-it will surely please.
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Summary: Touring Scotland - with a book
Review: During a tour of Scotland last summer, several of the gals on the bus insisted I read "Outlander." (It's titled "Cross Stitch" in the UK). It was on sale at the book stores at the Scottish national parks, so I plunked down my money, and got the thick tome.
Well, it was so engrossing that I hunted down the second novel, and probably missed a bit of Wales because my nose was firmly stuck in Diana's book.
At the end of the tour, in London, I dragged my husband from book store to book store, and finally tracked down the last 2 paperbacks in the series in a tiny shop just a block from the Tower of London. My luggage was considerably heavier by the time we got back to FLorida.
My husband drives a lot, so I checked the unabridged audio tapes of the book out of the library for him. He was soon hooked too. (Get the full versions if you get the cassette tapes -- or else you will miss so much of the rich language and intricate side plots).
Author Diane Gabaldon has her own website, and her notes on how she writes are just as entertaining as her novels. Did you know she has a Ph.D.? She started writing "Outlander" as a private exercise to see if she could write.
You've already read about the bare bones plot on this website. Now try the book for the beautifully written, can't-put-down details.
I'm a writer too - magazine articles and books on travel and outdoor sports. So I appreciate a well-crafted tale. Diana Gabaldon simply does a good job.
Start with "Outlander," and follow heroine Clare on her adventures. I promise.... you won't be able to put the book down.
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Summary: OutRight OutStanding
Review: Are you kidding? An historical romance novel and time travel? After reading Harlequins as a teenager, I avoid romance novels like the plague. As a general rule, I find history rather dry and boring and never read any novel set in a time before 1970 either. Fortunately, a friend talked me into making an exception for this one. She warned me that it might take four or fives chapters before I could get interested in this book, which begins in Scotland in the 1940's and it did. If she hadn't, I likely would have tossed it after the first chapter as something unreadable. But then, I was hooked. It made me laugh, tear up, hold my breath, gasp, gag, sigh, sit on the edge of my seat and neglect my mundane responsibilities for three days. I couldn't put it down. This book has it all. You'll devour it but you'll hope it never ends. The main character, Claire, grabs your hand as she travels back in time to the mid 1700's and never lets go. I have to admit the language was a hurdle at first and I had to shorten Jamie's nickname for Claire because of the way it sounded in my mind, but it enhances the story rather than interfering with it. I don't know if the story is historically accurate and I don't know if their conversations are realistic but I lost myself in the story and the characters and I believed it. It made me think about what people felt and thought and how they lived 250 years ago and realize that, modern conveniences notwithstanding, love, hate, betrayal, tough decisions, happiness, a sense of humor, sympathy, anger and sadness dwell within us all no matter when we were born or where we live. Now, I am somewhat frugal (ok, cheap) and normally borrow books rather than buy them. The day I finished Outlander, I made a special trip to the bookstore and bought the rest of the books in this series. If I could write the way this lady does, I'd give up hot running water and comfortable shoes. And, last but not least, if you've always wanted to know what Scottish men wear under those kilts, read this book.
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Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Although categorized in bookstores as a "romance", this novel is no silly romantic fluff. I would categorize it more as an adventure. Its heroine, Claire, is a practical, passionate, and very modern Englishwoman thrown from post-WWII into 18th century Scotland, where she meets and falls in love with Jamie Fraser, a Highland clansman and outlaw. Now, this sounds rather implausible (and of course it is), but this book is the most riveting story I've read in years! Diana Gabaldon is a talented storyteller and creates credible, complex characters and rich historical settings. I could not put this book down, nor its sequel, Dragonfly in Amber. Intrigue, suspense, adventure, humor, romance, and history combine in a fantastic story about one woman's discovery of herself and what she most values in life. Outlander can be enjoyed strictly as an adventure or romance; however, Gabaldon very cleverly uses the story to explore deeper themes of choice vs. destiny, inclusion, and the complexity of family relationships.
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Summary: Not your typical romance....
Review: I first started reading this book because of a recommendation from a friend. I started it, and after the first two chapters or so, I couldn't put it down. The characters came alive to me, and I couldn't wait to see how the plot was going to turn out. I'm not a fan of romance novels, however, so I'm loathe to call this book a romance, but I guess if you boil it down, it is. But I must say that it has many non-romance characteristics. There is plenty of action, and the characters aren't thouroughly predictable, as I have heard they are in many "normal" romances. Also, Claire, the main character, isn't the swooning female in distress. She is very much a woman who knows what she wants, and will do whatever she has to in order to survive. It is a wonderful book, and a wonderful beginning to the Outlander Series.
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Summary: It doesn't get much better than this -- more than a romance
Review: I am not a romance reader. Or, I wasn't a romance reader until I read this book. I read history, thrillers, detective novels, and the occasional sci-fi. This is all of the above. I grabbed this book at ... because of the good reviews and interesting premise. After an above average opening (maybe 50 pages of set up), Clair gets sucked back in time, and then this book rocks and rolls. This book has great characters, great adventure, rich historical detail (sounds accurate but I don't know the period), leavened with just the right amount of humor, all in lyrical prose. This book sucks you in, just like the henge sucked Clair in, and won't let you go. The heros are, well, heroic, but not overly perfect, and the villian is one of the great villains ever written. You CARE about the heros, and the villian makes your skin crawl. A GREAT read, one of my top five over the last ten years, and I average at least a book a week. These characters stay with you. After I was done, my wife (who is not a big reader) started it and pounded through it in 4 days. Went out and bought the next one today. My only quibble (and that's all it is) is that the 50 to 75 pages in the middle, which provides the basis for the romance classification, is a tad bit coy. Maybe this is a genre thing, but if we're going to write sex, let's write sex! The violence is there in all its gory detail, so why not do the same for the sex? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Do NOT wait for the movie (they MUST be making one soon). If this book does not grab you, you are either dead or so stuffy I wouldn't want to know you.
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Summary: wonderful series
Review: I loved these books. great book series. These books are a must read.
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