Review of ‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon

History and romance stories are two subjects that I have always enjoyed. I enjoy both subjects even more when they are together in the same novel. This month’s choice has the best of both. I will warn you though: This book is not recommended for children or young teenagers. There is a lot of graphic subject matter and I will get into more detail about those later on. I just wanted to make readers aware before I continued.

“Outlander” tells the story of Claire Randall, a World War II nurse who goes to Scotland with her husband Frank on a second honeymoon. While there, she ventures to a stone circle and gets transported back to 18th-century Scotland. While there she meets handsome highlander Jaime Fraser who takes her on the adventure of a lifetime. She gets to live the life of the Scottish highlanders, put her medical skills to the test, and embark on a love story for the ages. This is the first book in a series of eight.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It is rather large so it takes some time to get through. It starts off slow but once the writing picks up you won’t want to put the book down. It does slow down some in the middle but picks back up near the end. There are several violent and graphic fight scenes, and, since this is also a romance, the love scenes are also extremely graphic.

Being Scottish, I enjoyed learning about Scottish history, specifically highlander culture. My ancestors were highlanders as well, so I enjoyed getting a new perspective about just how much they went through. I also enjoy romance, and Jaime and Claire’s love story is very mature. It was nice to read a love story that has passion and no teenage angst and, while there is a love triangle between Claire, Jaime and her World War II husband, it is not the main driving force of the plot.

I recommend this book to anyone 16 or older due to the content. There are sequels so if you enjoy this one I recommend reading the rest. There is also a series on Stars that goes by the same name. It is just as graphic as the book.

Happy reading!

Brittany Frizzell is an avid reader.  She enjoys escaping to faraway places and encountering supernatural beings. She also loves writing and spreading her love of reading to those around her. She hopes to eventually write the next great American novel.