Skip to main content

Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon


Book: Outlander

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Pages: 627

I Read: The Kindle version

I Read it in: 10-odd hours over 2 days

Plot Summary: The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone 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 Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

What I Liked: This is one of those books which I happened to pick up because I watched a few episodes of its TV show. The TV is quite nicely done (thus far) and so, I thought why not read the original source material, eh? On to what I liked about Outlander
  • The premise is pretty interesting. A woman travelling back in time to a tumultuous period in history and the hinted romance- what's not to look forward to? 
  • The setting- Scotland in the mid-18th century- loads of intrigue, cloak and dagger stuff and events leading to the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The history geek in me was quite pleased to read about the (highly fictionalized, though it was) backdrop. 
  • The characters were interesting enough- Claire is feisty and sassy, Jamie is heroic (slightly weird) and there are multiple supporting characters that are very likable. 
  • The book is fairly fast-paced, though there are certain sections that are annoyingly repetitive and dull. 
What I Didn't Like: 
  • Jonathan Randall- Claire's husband's look alike and ancestor. What the heck kind of a character was this guy?! Attempts to rape anything that breathes and just didn't seem to have any layers or sane motivation driving his actions! This was a bad piece of character writing. 
  • I would have wanted to see more of the politics of that period. Instead, time is spent on Jamie and his friends/ relatives rescuing Claire from her stupid, self-destructive shenanigans. 
  • Way too much "love making". Not good, just of the meh variety. 
  • This book is the first in the series of 7 or 8 books and there was no closure of any kind. 
Rating: 3/5 

I won't be reading the other books in the Outlander series, (I have read the synopses and can't bring myself to read any of them!) but I will be watching the TV show. This is one of those rare cases where I like the TV show more than its book. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a