Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: I just re-read Outlander, in preparation for reading The Fiery Cross, Diana Gabaldon't fifth book in this series. This will further confuse those who read my reviews and get aggravated that I re-read books when there are so many new books in the world to read, but this is honestly one of my favorite series of books, primarily because of this novel and Dragonfly in Amber, its immediate sequal.This is a fabulous time travel and historical romance novel, with wonderful characters, lots of very accurate historical and cultural detail, and a very convincing, powerful plot. It is a very hard book to describe, since its plot sounds immensely improbable, but it rings true and sound. Claire and Jamie are very real to me, and I have great appreciation for the respect that Gabaldon gives to these characters. I read an interview with her once in which she said that she intended to tell the story of a marriage, and she is extremely successful with that in this book and its sequals. One of the most interesting things I notices, in my re-reading, is that there are details that I missed the first time around that show that a great deal of forethought has gone into the way the series is constructed. This is quite remarkable, since this book alone is very long, and the overall series is sprawling and complex. There are details that tie the characters to the later books. If you have not read these, be prepared to be delighted and moved. I am looking forward, with some anxiety, to reading The Fiery Cross overy Christmas,and I really don't want to be disappointed by it because I love these characters and the general premise of the books so much.
Rating:
Summary: Happily surprised...
Review: I must admit, the synopsis on the back of this tome threw me off. I didn't think I would be much interested in a romance novel based on time travel -- it just seemed way too implausible. However, at the persistence of several friends from a book group, I gave this novel a try. I am certainly grateful that I did. Firstly, this is not merely a romance novel. It involves a romance, to be sure, but this romance is not one you'd find again and again in your average Harlequin. This is an original romance, which so completely describes love that I found myself better understanding love than I did at the onset of the novel. When a novel has the capacity to make you understand something as vague as love, you know it is good.
It is also filled with adventure, religion, and human conscience. A historical novel rarely has the ability to make me understand things about my own presence, and yet, Outlander simply did. I was unable to put this book down, as enraptured as I was by the compelling writing.
The character development is beyond any I have lately read. Dianna Gabaldon has a true gift for understanding human emotion and translating it for the rest of us to understand.
If you fear that the plot seems to be a bit too "outlandish" for you, still, give this one a try. While certain aspects may be unbelievable, the reality is, this novel has so much truth to it, you will be amazed. I was.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous audio
Review: I have already written a review on the 5 Diana Gabaldon books but had reason to travel 5 hours by air to a business appointment. I bought the audio of the first 4 and will listen to all. Geraldine James stunned me with her pure reading of these books and altho I love to read the words myself, her rendition of these books is outstanding. She does Jamie and Claire so well my heart breaks. Her reading Claire is just the most wonderful tone that she makes Claire real. I can once more hear how Jamie is Claire's only anchor in this unique experience. Ms James' voice is soothing, the background music is perfect. These tapes were worth every penny. Ms James is one of the best readers I have ever heard.
Rating:
Summary: I would give it 10 stars if I could
Review: Simply the best book I have read in years! All the other reviews have said everything there is to say but I just had to weigh in too. If you want to a book to lose yourself in, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: I loved this book great read!
Rating: 
Summary: Getting hooked
Review: I found Book II of this series and realized that the series was right up my alley... but I couldn't read the second book without having read the first one... It took me nearly three weeks to find a copy of the first book and I finished reading it in two days - didn't get much sleep but was totally hooked... Ms. Gabaldon made the various players in the story so believeable, the past so real and historically quite accurate that the premise of time travel became only too possible...
Rating:
Summary: Didn't think I'd like it,...then couldn't put it down!
Review: I must say at first I wasn't sure I would enjoy this book. I guess you could say I'm a fussy reader and am not a big fan of "traditional" romance novels. I DO like fantasy-type books where the worlds of modern times are combined with the person suddenly finding themselves in another time or place, along the likes of Charles De Lint (who I love!). During the first few pages, I thought, "Well, I don't know", but as soon as she fell through the stones (within the next few pages) I was hooked. It combined so many different aspects and was amazingly detailed. It follows the adventure of Claire, a 1940's post-war nurse who falls through the stones (like Stone Henge). There she meets up with Jamie Fraser and thus the adventure and romance begins. The author gets so detailed with their feelings for each other and Claire's thoughts all the way it was amazing. And they had SO many adventures, most of them life-threatening. The details of life in the 1700's in Scotland were so detailed and accurate it was astounding. I actually found myself speaking some Gaellic/Scottish slang on accident here and there (ye 'ken?) I was so engrossed. Add in a little sex and it was an incredible book I could not put down. I have just ordered the next in the series, "Dragonfly in Amber" and eagerly await the package on my doorstep. Needless to say, with the fact that there are so many books in the series (5) and with the length of each this will be keeping me happy for awhile. Please keep writing more, Ms. Gabaldon (but Claire and Jamie, not the kids!) and make sure to pick this up and read it. You won't be sorry!
Rating: 
Summary: Dull
Review: I picked up this book because I was looking forward to a good science-fiction/fantasy novel set in the Scottish highlands of yore. The story took entirely too long for any real action to take place. The characters are weak. Gabaldon tries to give us descriptions of her characters to the point that we can actually feel we know them and would know how they would react. She then ruins it by having them respond in ways that do not fit with our previous knowledge. She does do a good job of transliterating the Scottish pronunciation in the appropriate accent however. The descriptions of the scenery are poor and she gives us no understanding of the whereabouts of the characters. I found the story to be uninteresting and slow to develop. Why 2 stars?:
The only redeeming qualities of this book were the setting of the Scottish highlands and one decent character, that of Jamie. However, the rest of the characters and the plotline were dull and uninteresting.
Rating: 
Summary: It started ok
Review: I am not a big fan of romance novels, but this one started ok - an interesting premise, though a bit slow. But then I got to the part where Claire is whipped and it made me sick to my stomach. Not just the cruelty, but how she was all over him not even five pages down. How can you justify anyone who does that to a woman! I understand that that was the reality of the past but this is a fantasy, a far cry from a historic novel and this was really unnecessary. Besides, the heroine came from NOW and the way she handled it was unacceptable. From then on nothing the characters said or did was compelling enough, so I couldn't bring myself to finish the book. Perhaps I'll have better luck next time around.
Rating:
Summary: Glorifies abusing women
Review: I can not believe how many good reviews this book has received here. How can you like a book where the "hero"'s clan recommends that James *beat* Claire for not obeying him and leading them into danger at one point - - which he does - - and then she agrees, weepily, that it was "good for her"? This is not a "love absolute," it is ABUSE, and Gabaldon is morally irresponsible for promoting it in any way.
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