Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series/Standalone: Outlander Series (Book #1)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adult
Pages: 640
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Year Published: 1991
Format: Paperback Coy (Own it)
First Line: "People disappear all the time."
"Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...
In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war, and reunite with her husband on a second honeymoon- when she innocently touches a boulder 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 border clans in the year of our Lord... 1743.
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life... and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire... and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives."
My New Rating: 4.75/5
This seems like such a minor change and if you don't know me I'm guessing you think this is ridiculous. But here's the facts, I stand by my 5-star books and usually find that I rate them the same after a reread. This was the first time in a long time that I found it just wasn't quite as good the second time around. I have a few reasons that I lowered the rating just this tiny bit. One was that the element of surprise obviously wasn't as there for me as it might be for someone reading the novel the first time. Granted there were many aspects I didn't remember. Mostly because so many things happen in this novel, it's easy to forget an event here or there as there are so many things that happen. That is another reason that I marked it down a bit, it seemed a bit overwhelming with how many things go on. And I found that might have been the reason that I didn't see the problematic aspects of the story. There definitely are some. There are rape, assault, violence and many other aspects that should probably be warned about but every reviewer will likely tell you this. I think another aspect to keep in mind is the time period of the novel. It takes place in 1744 so the things that are described likely were the reality for many women. I understand the upset, but I think that the time period justifies most of the things that were happening in the novel.
After all these jumbled thoughts I'd just like to say that I plan on continuing with the series in April and would recommend it to romance lovers and historical fiction fans as long as you can handle the problematic aspects.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
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