Sunday, March 16, 2014

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon | Review & Giveaway!

Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Pages: 870
Publisher: Dell
Goodreads rating: 4.13 stars
Published: January 1, 1991
Source:Paperback/Bought, Audiobook/Borrowed

Description:

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.



Before I get started on the review, I just want to that YES, this is a giveaway on my blog!! The very first! I'll be doing a separate post for the giveaway, but it will be posted right after posting this review!

I think I may have been avoiding all the good books the last few years.  This is my year of awesome book discoveries.  Diana Gabaldon is a fantastic writer, and my only regret with this book is that I didn't pick it up sooner!

Outlander follows the story of Claire Beauchamp Randall, a 27-year-old English woman, at the end of World War II.  It starts with her firmly 1945, with her husband Frank Randall, finally being able to spend time together after being separated most their marriage due to the War.  We get a good description of Claire and Frank's relationship {getting to know each other again after so much time apart}.  Not too long into the story, Claire finds herself suddenly transported to 1743 Scotland after touching one of the standing stones in Craigh na Dun {a fairy ring}.  One of the very first people she runs into is her husband's direct ancestor, Jack Randall, and what the run in!  From there on out, the story really builds.  Diana Gabaldon's writing is so descriptive you will get transported by Claire's side, fall in love with {and be terrified of} 18th century Scotland and her countrymen.

I know a lot of people have issues with Claire being married when she's still technically married to Frank.  Because her husband isn't even alive in 1743 and she marries to save herself from a fate worse than death {seriously}, it seems to be a bit of a gray area to me.  Yes, she begins to fall in love with Jamie, but put yourself in her shoes!  She was offered to marry someone when she had nothing to her name, and with that offer of marriage came the protection against those who sought her to do her harm.  She has no way to get back home, as she's watched like a hawk from all the Scottish clansmen of her new husband.

If I say much else, I'll be giving away the story, so I'll stop there.  But, you guys, you really should read this!  And, if you don't want to go out and find your own copy, you can enter my giveaway for a chance to win the first two books!

Have you read the Outlander series?  What did you think of the first book?


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