Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Her husband is two centuries away, she is related to her lover's mortal enemy, and her neighbors think she's a witch. In this unforgettable novel of time travel, Diana Gabaldon fuses wry, modern sensibility with the drama, passion, and violence of eighteenth century as she tells the story of one daring woman and the man who loves her.

My thoughts:
I'm not sure if I like the way the book was summarized above.  I first discovered this book about ten years ago and I fell in love with it.  It has remained one of my favorites for years, but it has been quite a while since I reread it.  The way the overview it it sounds like a romance book, when it is really something else all together.  Claire and Jaime aren't just lovers, they are married.  Nothing inappropriate happens and they do not become lovers until after they make their vows before a priest.  One of my frustrations with this series has nothing really to do with the books themselves, I hate that since it doesn't fit well into one category it just gets shuttled off as being part of the romance genre.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading romances too, but that is not where I feel this book belongs.

Before I started blogging I didn't feel quite so much of the need to finish books quickly.  I know it should matter so much now, but I feel like I need to be reading and finishing books if I want to have reviews to post and I felt myself getting frustrated at how the length of this one makes it tough to be a quick read.

I love Jamie and Claire together and plan to continue to reread the series, maybe one a month until I get through them all.  I feel like she has something with Jamie that she did not have with Frank.  They have a glue and a commitment that are not so common in society now.  Also, who wouldn't love the idea of someone bigger and stronger making  a vow to protect you with his body!  Marriage vows have changed a bit since the 1700's!

What I had a tough time with this time was the part with Jamie and Black Jack Randall.  I knew it was there, but I had forgotten how long it went on for and how disturbing it was.  Even a few days later, those scenes keep haunting me.  Obviously it was well written, but I need to read something else soon that will erase it for me as that is not the part of the book I care to dwell on.

I mentioned in my It's Monday, What are you reading? post that I did not enjoy the book as much this time through and I have been trying to put my finger on why.  Part of it was the feeling that it was taking me too long, part of it was being busy and not having as much reading time as I would have liked and those things made it hard for me to really get into the story as much as I have on other readings of the book.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780440212560
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 6/28/1992
• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition description: Reissue
• Edition number: 1
• Pages: 896

Meet the Author

More by this Author

• Drums of Autumn (Outlander Series #4)
• Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Series #2)
• An Echo in the Bone (Outlander Series #7)
• The Scottish Prisoner (Lord John Grey Series)

Diana Gabaldon is the New York Times bestselling author of Lord John and the Private Matter and the wildly popular Outlander novels. She won a 2006 Quill Award for her most recent Outlander novel, A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

The Exile by Diana Gabaldon Illustrated by Hoang Nguyen

Synopsis


Diana Gabaldon’s brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. Now, in her first-ever graphic novel, Gabaldon gives readers a fresh look at the events of the original Outlander: Jamie Fraser’s side of the story, gorgeously rendered by artist Hoang Nguyen.

After too long an absence, Jamie Fraser is coming home to Scotland—but not without great trepidation. Though his beloved godfather, Murtagh, promised Jamie’s late parents he’d watch over their brash son, making good on that vow will be no easy task. There’s already a fat bounty on the young exile’s head, courtesy of Captain Black Jack Randall, the sadistic British officer who’s crossed paths—and swords—with Jamie in the past. And in the court of the mighty MacKenzie clan, Jamie is a pawn in the power struggle between his uncles: aging chieftain Colum, who demands his nephew’s loyalty—or his life—and Dougal, war chieftain of Clan MacKenzie, who’d sooner see Jamie put to the sword than anointed Colum’s heir.

And then there is Claire Randall—mysterious, beautiful, and strong-willed, who appears in Jamie’s life to stir his compassion . . . and arouse his desire.

But even as Jamie’s heart draws him to Claire, Murtagh is certain she’s been sent by the Old Ones, and Captain Randall accuses her of being a spy. Claire clearly has something to hide, though Jamie can’t believe she could pose him any danger. Still, he knows she is torn between two choices—a life with him, and whatever it is that draws her thoughts so often elsewhere.

Step into the captivating, passionate, and suspenseful world of The Exile, and experience the storytelling magic of Diana Gabaldon as never before.

My thoughts:
I discovered this book last weekend when I was looking around at our local Borders which is going out of business.  Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is one of my favorite series.  They are books that I keep in my collection, even though I've already read them, which is rare for me.  I only hold onto my favorites or books I haven't read yet.  While I do not hold the record for having read the first book the most times (Gababldon has a blurb on her blog that one of her readers wrote to tell her she has read the book 23 times!) I have read it more than once over the years and foresee reading it again sometime in the future.

It was interesting to see the tale from Jamie's point of view instead.  This graphic novel covers about a third of Outlander.  I looked on the author's website to see if there is a release date for a second book, but if it was there I couldn't find it.  I hope another one is published because I enjoyed reading this one.  This weekend my youngest was sick and was so congested that he needed to sit up while napping.  So during his nap I was essentially trapped on the couch and I used that time for some guilt free reading!  This was close at hand, and I was excited about giving it a try.

I'm not sure how close either Jamie or Claire are to how I pictured them and Murtagh is much different than he has been in my mind.  One thing that bothers me when a book is made into a movie is that I lose the character as I've created him or her in my mind, but that didn't happen with this.  I am able to look at them both ways and not lose my own version, which is nice.

Because of the page constraints in the graphic novel, some of the aspects of Jamie and Claire's personal relationship seem to be missing.  Some because they might be too graphic and others because there is less time in this format.  I missed some of the passages where Jamie and Claire are sharing their history.  When Claire tells Jamie the truth about where she is from it is just one panel.  I guess since the reader saw her come through the stones and knows she is from the future there is no need to go into more detail but I missed her explanations.

I saw on Barnes and Noble's web site that this book didn't get very good reviews, but I enjoyed it.  I am still new to graphic novels, manga and comic books.  For a very long time I thought they were more geared towards a male audience and I have a feeling that a lot of female readers feel the same way, so it is nice to see authors writing and creating books that appeal to women and might bring them into a whole genre that may be new and exciting for them.  I know it has been for me!   

Product Details

Pub. Date: September 2010
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Format: Hardcover , 224pp
Series: Outlander Series
ISBN-13: 9780345505385
ISBN: 0345505387