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Guests | October 15, 2009

Michelle Wildgen: IMG A Few Initial and Not-Comprehensive Meditations on Group Novels



I am a sucker for a book about a group. What reminded me of this was Joanna Smith Rakoff's A Fortunate Age, her homage to Mary McCarthy's endlessly re-readable... Continue »

Outlander

by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

From Our Staff:

History, time travel, Highland lore, romance, battle, attractive Scottish men, and well-written repartee... is there anything that sounds like it wouldn't be completely riveting? (Correct answer: No.)

Outlander may technically be classified as "Romance" — sure, there's some gushy stuff — but really this book encompasses all styles of fiction from historical to science fiction. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny in spots, and reduces you to tearful wallowing in others. After reading the entire series (multiple times), I'm just waiting on tenterhooks to hear that maybe, just maybe, they will make a worthy mini-series since, for me, the characters already have breath and life; now I just need to see their faces.
Recommended by our staff at Powells.com

Review:

"Absorbing and heartwarming...lavishly evokes the land and lore of Scotland."—Publishers Weekly

"Stunning!"—Los Angeles Daily News

"It is a large canvas that Gabaldon paints, filled with strong passions and derring-do. Strong willed and sensual, Claire is an engaging modern heroine plopped down in a simpler, more primitive time.... Great fun ...marvelous and fantastic adventures, romance, sex ...perfect escape reading!"—San Francisco Chronicle

Synopsis:

First in a three-book series that combines time travel, humor, and passionate romance. While Claire and her husband visit an ancient stone monument in 1945 England, Claire is suddenly thrust back to the year 1743--and becomes torn between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

About the Author

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.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 6 comments:
livresque, February 21, 2009 (view all comments by livresque)
I love this book. Claire and Jamie's story broke my heart; I cried for half an hour at least. Read it! You'll be hooked.
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(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Sandra Tuleja, January 8, 2009 (view all comments by Sandra Tuleja)
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I am ordering yet another copy because it got loaned out and never returned. Ahh..yet another convert to the cult of Jamie and Claire.
The books in this series seem intimidating because of thier size, but they are really great stories. Almost a saga if you will. I read them all over and over again.
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(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
tmtcatalyst, September 9, 2008 (view all comments by tmtcatalyst)
This is one of my favorite books ever, and the entire series does not disappoint. Gabbaldon writes Jaime and Claire beautifully, and their love is one of the only things in this era that is both real and pure. Though the premise is a bit outlandish (no pun intended), Gabbaldon pulls it off excellently, and it makes perfect sense in the story.

This story has wonderful characters and an exciting, often nerve-wracking plot line. It's incredibly hard to put down, and it's still something I reread regularly.
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(5 of 9 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780440212560
Author:
Gabaldon, Diana
Publisher:
Dell Publishing Company
Location:
New York, N.Y. :
Subject:
Historical
Subject:
Scotland
Subject:
History
Subject:
Fantastic fiction
Subject:
Romance - Historical
Subject:
Romance
Subject:
Historical fiction
Subject:
Time travel
Subject:
Love stories
Subject:
Romance - Time Travel
Subject:
Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction.
Subject:
Culloden, Battle of, 174
Subject:
Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-174
Subject:
Culloden, Battle of, Scotland, 174
Subject:
Fantasy fiction
Copyright:
Series:
Outlander
Series Volume:
FPL-GTR-79
Publication Date:
June 1992
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Language:
English
Pages:
864
Dimensions:
6.19x5.04x1.44 in. .94 lbs.

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