Rating: 
Summary: GREATEST!!!! A MUST READ
Review: This is my favourite novel. I purchased it after reading so many great reviews. And i was not disapointed, in the least. It is everything, a romance, an adventure, its funny,and historical. Its about Claire Randall a nurse in 1945. She is transported through time into the 1700's. And straight into trouble, and into the hands of a group of Scots and a young handsome man named Jamie Fraser. ( I don't think anyone who read this didn't love him). It's truly incredible, something for everyone. You'll miss alot if you don't read it!!:):) I stayed up all night reading it, and can't wait til Galbaldon's sixth novel!!
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating details
Review: Diana Gabaldon uses a wealth of well-written details in her books, which in the beginning made them very interesting and drew me into the story. However, I started noticing a number of inaccuracies that I found distracting. Little things, mostly about plants, farming, etc. - wild foods at the wrong time of year, crops planted out of season, bizarre Scottish low creeping potato vines, and 18th century baled hay (which does become a loose pile in a later book). This might sound picky, but they were numerous and just jumped out at me when I was really getting into the story, and made me wonder about the accuracy of the other details, including the Scottish history, that I am less familiar with.I also did not find Claire's reactions to be believable, or consistent. That said, I have read the first 4 books of the series and will probably read the 5th. I enjoyed most of the minor characters, and have recommended the series to a friend who reads historical romances.
Rating:
Summary: I was hooked!
Review: Outlander was the first book in a series of 5, so far. I literally couldn't put it down. I've since read all of her books. Ms. Gabaldon's stories capture the imagination. I have all of her books in hard cover. Whenever I'm out of fresh reading material, I pull out one of the Outlander series and re-read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Outlander (Abriged) C.D. - A Grave Disappointment
Review: WHAT "GENIUS" DECIDED TO ABRIDGE GABALDON'S C.D. BOOKS AND BUTCHER THE STORIES THAT SHE SLAVED OVER FOR YEARS? WHAT IS THIS GARBAGE?
I ordered Diane Gabaldon's "Voyager" (Abriged) audio C.D. looking forward to being whisked away to Scottland's Highlands and reliving the magnificant tale of Claire Beachamp and Jaime Fraser auditorily. What I got, however, was a lot of choppey garbage that didn't make any sense. Unfortunately, these "Abriged" audio C.D.'s mean that the crucial chapters and important story lines serving as the connecting thread that reveal how friendships/enemies are made, the complexity of the characters and the array of emotions encapsulating their lives are either skipped or omitted entirely, ruining the book's continuity and robbing the story of its innate passion and intrigue. Instead, the listener is forced to listen to a butchered version of Gabaldon's masterpiece, which goes as follows: Claire is with Frank; Claire goes through the stones; Claire's first encounter with Randall; Claire's first encounter with the Highlanders; Claire meets Jaime; Claire marries Jaime; Claire and Jaime have problems with the English; Jaime is captured by the English; Claire saves Jaime's life. THE END. Gone are the story lines showing Jaime's sense of humor, temper and adoration for Claire, gone are the story lines showing Claire's complex emotions for both Jaime and Frank, and her coming to terms with her New World, not to mention life in a Scottish castle in the 17th Century; gone are the scintillating descriptions of Column's "Hall" and the ceremonial Oath Taking; gone are the portions of the novel that make you fall in love with Jaime, cry with/for CLaire, both admire and hate Dougal MacKenzie, feel sympathy for Column and all the other Highlanders. This is a bare-bones, skeletal version of Gabaldon's books and they are shameful. Luckily, I have re-read "Voyager" numerous times so I could fill in the blanks; otherwise, I would have no idea how special and complex Gabaldon's "Voyager" series truly is. Geraldine James is an excellent Reader although the narrative quality is somewhat compromised by her reading both the male and female portions of the book. Admittedly, I looked forward to listening to the male characters read in a male (Scottish) voice. I assume there must be ample Scottish readers somewhere in Scotland who could have easily mastered the task. Ms. James does an admirable job in attempting to sound male as well as Scottish, but one feels as if they're listening to their 3rd Grade school teacher attempting to create different voices during reading time. My recommendation here is that the audio books are done UNABRIDGED and both male and female readers are employed in order to do the books justice. Nobody, certainly not Gabaldon's biggest fans, should have to endure the butchering of her brilliant novels. A grave disappointment, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!
Review: I am an avid reader and I will read just about anything, but like others, I was a bit skeptical about reading a book about time travel. I did NOT think I would enjoy this book, but since it had received such rave reviews I decided to take a chance. I have never in my life been so enthralled in a story! I was hooked from the very beginning and have not been able to put it down since!! I am the working mother of a toddler, so I am very busy all day, every day, but I find myself thinking about this book when I'm not reading it and sneaking moments throughout the day to read - even at work! I'm absolutely obsessed! Halfway through the book I was already growing sad knowing that there would be an end to it! I decided to search here to see if Diana Gabaldon had any other novels. Imagine how thrilled I was to find that this is the first in a series! I immediately ordered the rest of the series and eagerly await the next book!! Diana is an amazing storyteller and I am now her newest, biggest fan!! Thanks for such a SUPERB novel, Diana!
Rating:
Summary: A True One of A Kind Book
Review: I'd put off reading this book for years, thinking that the book jacket sounded silly but after a copy came into my hands via a friend, I am so glad I got past that reticence because Outlander is an amazing book. Rarely in a book do you have a very good historical perspective, a relationship between the characters that is riveting, sensual and truly deep, and a lot of action. All of that is done well and weaved together in a way that has made me a fan of Gabaldon. Claire Randall falls back in time to pre-Culloden Scotland. A nurse, she gets captured by a band of outlaw highlanders and comes to the aid of a wounded man, Jamie. The chemistry between Claire and Jamie is written so well, comes across as so genuine that I find it hard to do it justice here. Through a set of circumstances owing to the strained relations between England and Scotland, the proud and independent highland clans and an English army set on dominating and controlling them, Claire and Jamie are forced to marry, all the while Claire is frantically trying to get back to her own time. Through the book you learn the history of the proud highland clans and the English occupation of Scotland. There are tender moments and moments of heartbreaking cruelty. Jamie and Claire's relationship grows and deepens as the truth of how she ended up in his time comes out. This book is so wonderful that I've read others in the same vein, or at least say they are in the same vein and I've not read a single one that comes close. It is a romance that is not stilted or cheesy. The woman is a true leader, she isn't some quaking 20 year old virgin who shies away from the bad boy trying to seduce her. Jamie is young but he's not a rogue, he's not trying to run from his feelings for Claire and he is a three dimensional character. I gave this book 5 stars, I rarely do that, even with books I really love. It deserves each one.
Rating: 
Summary: A lovely surprise
Review: I normally don't read romance novels, but Outlander's premise --a Englishwoman who accidently timetravels from the 1940s to the 1700s-- drew me in. The book turned out to be a lovely surprise. Heroine Claire is not the traditional blushing virgin. Here's no-nonesense military nurse in her late twenties with a talent for cursing and getting into trouble. Claire's married to an older man, Frank, but the war has given them little time together and they are eager to start a family. Their second honeymoon in Scotland is interrupted when Claire's trip to an ancient stone circle propels her into the past. Half of the novel concerns Claire's attempts to get back to her own time and Frank. But she soon falls in love with Jamie, a brave Scottish Highlander with a price on his head. But Jamie doesn't quite fit the mold of a romance novel hero either. He's a 23 year old virgin, spends much of the book badly injured, and Claire saves him more often then he rescues her. Outlander has so many great elements, well-drawn characters, battles, political intrigue, science fiction/fantasy, a witch trial, a sadistic villian, and of course, a moving love story. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: WOW Best read in years!
Review: What a wonderful tale - amazing charcters - awesome story!
Like someone else said - get all the books in the series lined up before you begin! I read them all back to back and it was like going on a voyage - through time and the world!
Rating:
Summary: out_standing!
Review: When I heard about Outlander I must admit I was put off by the idea of time travel. However, when I saw how many customer reviews for the book, I thought how could over 800 people be wrong? Gabaldon handles the time travel theme with great ease. I completely lost myself to her writing.
What a stong protagonist she has created in the character of Claire, and the hero... Jamie....how can I begin to do this character justice...you'll see what I mean. Please do not let the length of the book frighten you, trust me, near the end, you'll wish the novel was 1000 pages longer.
I am currently waiting for Dragonfly in Amber, and hoping book two will capture me just the same.
Rating:
Summary: A very vivid novel
Review: This was a fun book. It took me a little while to get into the premise--time travel books always have that hurdle to overcome. Once I was in, though, I really enjoyed it. I love Scotland, and the book is set in the Highalnds in the 1700s. The book is action packed and well written, though it does fall victim to the same trap that much of the action genre falls to: everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. In order to further the exciting action filled plot, the characters must of course be placed in as much peril as possible. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, it just makes for a little bit of predictability and eyerolling. If I had a complaint about the book it would be that there was too much time spent describing all the gore and violence, and that she spent too much time on the sex scenes. I'm sure plenty would disagree with me on those points, however.
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