A review by maithewriter
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective relaxing tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The Outlander TV show and the Outlander novel have been in my to-watch/TBR pile for a while, then I finally decided to take the plunge and consume both side by side. So the book felt like a companion piece to the TV show -- you get the abridged version on the show and the more detailed (sometimes unnecessarily so) version in the book. It was an enlightening experience, and a thoroughly enjoyable one.

There are so many things to love about the book, but I have to give the highest praise to Diana Gabaldon's worldbuilding. At the end of the book, there's a short excerpt of Diana's interview where she said that she had not been to Scotland at the time that she wrote this, and that everything she wrote was based on research. Well, what impeccable research she did! The attention to detail is superb. 

For me, the Scottish Highlands setting is one of the charms of this book. I love the air of mystery surrounding the stones, the faerie lore, the historical accuracy of the clan culture, even their politics.

Another charm but definitely none the lesser -- the characters. And of course when we talk of characters, I've got 5 words for you: James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser. With his looks, humor, wit, and chivalry, Jamie is the dashing hero straight out of romance fantasy world, lol. (I guess it also helps that I'm watching the show while reading -- Sam Heughan is the perfect JAMMF.)

It took some time for me to warm up to Claire as the narrator. I love her as heroine -- she's strong and fearless and somehow equipped to survive a 200-year time travel to the past with her army nurse training, plant know-hows, and life skills courtesy of Uncle Lamb -- but as narrator, there were times when she felt detached and emotionless. Like she was watching the scenes unfold through a veil and not happening to her. Maybe it's her disbelief about the situation? I don't know.

While I found the story rich and engrossing, I have to agree with most criticisms -- it's too long. I breezed through
the first part until Jamie and Claire's return to Castle Leoch after the wedding
, then took things one chapter at a time because it's just so long and there are so many details. Many of them can be cut already as they don't really add much to the novel; just a part of worldbuilding.

I also have to say that I'm generally not a romance and raunchy novel type of girl, and the first few chapters exploring Claire and Jaime's sexual tension read too much like it's going to tick every romance novel's checklist, making me internally cringe. Good thing the two of them are written so well, so I powered through the steamy scenes and enjoyed the novel.

Also, fair warning: there's lots of violence and rape that are treated/narrated almost casually. I had a hard time reading
the part where Jamie beat Claire
, but you have to remember that this is 1743, and all those stuff were normal during their time. It may be hard to wrap your brain around it, but once you view them through the 18th-century lens, it becomes easier to read.

I'm not sure when I'll be picking up the sequel (and the rest of the books), but I definitely will. Probably after I've finished the show.
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