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Someone else wrote that in a review so I guess I will have to wait in line in case Jamie Fraser ever came to life. However, let's remember that TIME TRAVEL CAN'T HAPPEN, therefore, don't quibble with the details. I haven't read romance since I was in middle school, but was so completely hooked by this book that I am devouring the rest of the series and can't wait for the new one in the fall. Yes, I do understand the criticisms of some of the other reviewers, particularly regarding the ease with which Claire adapts to the lack of moden conveniences and the lack of introspection she shows regarding her first husband. I defy any woman to read about Claire and Jamie's wedding (and wedding night) & not wish she were Claire.Be warned, one day I was late for work because I couldn't stop trying to find the passage where they meet again. (Very hard to do on a Kindle, my only complaint about the Kindle so far).Truly addicting.
I can't imagine how someone couldn't love these books. You get so invested in the characters. They're like the best friends I've never actually met.
I am not even done with the book yet, but have ordered the second book in the series, read by the same talented lady.Listening to books is my "treat" to myself as I drive to and from work. I want to review the audio version, narrated by Davina Porter. I won't review the book itself; there are plenty of those to go around and the book is simply wonderful. It's a 25 minute trip and listening to the book keeps me from speeding. Again- wonderful. This English reader has a delightful English accent and yet can shift into the tones of a Scottish man without missing a beat. This is a long one- 32 or 33 CDs, I think. Lots to listen to and lots to learn and enjoy.
the "Beaker People") hasn't been current in archaeology in over 20 years, and while there are some beakers buried in stone circles, the association is only partial; in Scotland in particular, it would be incorrect to say that stone circles were built by people who also used beaker pottery. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. The one scene that might have made the point that people back then were really, really different is the beating scene. It might have stones or a variety of other structures inside it, but it is different in both structure and date than a stone circle. Also, there is no glaze on beakers (glazed pottery doesn't occur until the Middle Ages), the idea of beaker pottery representing a group of people (i.e. Yet, as she observes about halfway through the book, it seems that simply being willing to "rough it" a little is all that's required. Once Clare is back in the 18th century, little is done with what should have been a shocking experience on many levels.
The idea that people that long ago would have had completely different sensibilities isn't used by the author at all, which is a pity. That extends even to Clare herself, who seems more like a 21st century woman rather than one from the 1940s. Having read many of the other reviews posted here, I thought I'd offer a more measured one. Also, there are several loose ends that are never tied up-- the one that annoyed me the most was who was the kilted man that Frank saw outside the house in the beginning.As an archaeologist, I also can't help point out a few howlers in the beginning of the book. A henge is a monument with a bank and ditch, the ditch being on the interior of the bank. Clare found her entrance to the 18th century in a stone circle, not a henge. The plot mostly moves along pretty well (except for the middle, which for me dragged a bit), the characters are interesting, the politics complex, and the general tenor of the book diverting enough. But I was involved enough to want to know what was going to happen, and I may well get the second book at some point just to see what else happens.
I agree with the various reviewers who said that the time travel plot was wasted here. Okay, these are trivial, but apparently when the author was doing her supposedly meticulous research, she didn't bother extending this to archaeology.All that said, if you have the ability to turn off your brain and enjoy a pretty good read, then the book is entertaining enough. Gabaldon could have used this to point out that such behavior was considered the norm then, and even the sensitive Jamie wouldn't be immune to such values. Yet, instead of Clare coming to reconcile herself to the idea based her recognition of deep cultural differences, she seems to conclude that she did in fact deserve it, which jars with the rest of her character as written. Rather like the DaVinci Code, which was a very silly book from an historical, archaeological, or anthropological perspective but a fun book to read, Outlander also has some major flaws. If you are willing not to think too much, then it's an enjoyable enough book to keep you occupied on a long plane trip, which is where I read it.
I admit it: the book kept me riveted to the very end. I just felt a little bad for the husband left behind, and I think that more could have been done with the time travel aspect. Very romantic.
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