Outlander by Diana Galbaldon
Outlander
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
Okay. So ugh. I really have no idea why everyone seems to love Outlander. It is long and drawn out and boring and just not good. It reminded me of Twilight. Not in a the story lines are similar kind of way, but in an everyone loves it even though it is really not that good kind of way. Now I did enjoy Twilight, but I also realize it is terrible. The writing is not that good, the story, etc, but I still enjoyed reading it. Sometimes I love bad things, when they are bad good. This book was just bad and I have no idea how so many people made it through the entire thing. I mean it is not a short book. It goes on and on and on and on. And then go on to read the next 8 billion books as well? Well I will say I am not reading anymore. I just barely made it through this one. I was stuck on a very long train ride with this book so I finished it but man it was rough. There may be some spoilers ahead.
I was skeptical of the book right from the synopsis. Girl is married, goes back in time and gets a lover? So she just cheats on her husband? Oh that's cool...since everyone seems to love this book I thought maybe it would be written in a way that would make it okay. It really wasn't. So I had a huge issue with the first part of the book as well...cheating is not cool. Yes you are back in time, but it doesn't take you very long to forget about your first husband. Then when you do you feel guilty since you want this other guy. It is just...yes I know you are in different times, but come on. You must really love your first husband to just a few months after you are separated you sleep with someone else? So I could go along with getting married so you are not captured/tortured. I could see sleeping with Jamie once to consummate the marriage though really can't you just pretend? I mean no one is watching so...you cannot just pretend to have sexy time in a loud way so everyone thinks you did? No. Okay I will give you one time. Of course she already like Jamie so they just have lots and lots of sexy time. The sexy time was also a bit odd to read for me. It just didn't work for me, and I kept being confused as to what was happening. That was probably just me, but it didn't work for me.
So then Jamie and Claire are married and have lots of sex and whatever. Once and a while Claire thinks of her first husband and feels a little guilty, but not enough to stop cheating on him. Claire has to be one of the stupidest people ever. They are on the road after being married and they get attacked a few times. Once she had to kill a guy so he didn't rape her and kill Jamie. So you would think she would try and be careful right? Wrong. Jamie has to leave her to go meet up with someone, so he finds a safe place for her to wait for him. What is the first thing she does? Wander off. I mean her magic teleporting stones are only 7 miles away. 7 miles. Seven. So no big deal I am sure she can get there without incident. I mean they have been traveling a few days and have gotten attacked a few times, it probably won't happen again right? Of course she gets caught by Randell's men and gets taken to him. So not only is she stupid, she also puts everyones life in danger. Of course Jamie has to come save her, and he is wanted by Randell so yey. She is so...I know this isn't her time, but you would think she would try and not get herself and everyone she cares about killed. When she first wandered off I was just like you have got to be kidding me. Seriously you think you will get 7 miles through who knows what since this is back in time, and nothing will happen to you? Unfortunately that is just the way she was. Frustrating. Then you have the great scene where Jamie must beat Claire for disobeying him, which is just...it is not a good scene. Overall I did like Jamie, but things like this...well it is set up that that is the way it is so don't question it. So I just go with it.
Finally after what seems like forever Claire tells Jamie about how she came back in time and she is married in her time and everything. He then takes her to the stones so she can go back to her time, and leaves her to go back. He tells her he will be in the inn until that evening to make sure she gets back okay or something. She sits there at the stones all day thinking about what to do...and she decides to stay with Jamie.
After that point the book did get better for me slightly. Still not good as it still went on for freakin ever. The author really likes to draw things out so that even if it were really exciting it is so bogged down with insignificant things I am just like when is this going to be over? She just gets really long winded. So after Claire decides to stay a lot of random ordinary things happen. They travel some, they go back to Jamie's home, they do all kinds of things. There are lots of incidents with first husbands relative, who not a good guy.
There is just a lot that happens in the book, but most of it I have now forgotten (it has been a few days since I have read it). The things I remember? The lady cheating on her husband. Jamie liking being beaten way too much. He thinks fondly of his father beating him as a child. Randell being evil. Jamie's last prison sentence and escape. Claire finding a priest at the end to tell her not to be worried about being married to two people at the same time. It was cool that she cheated on her first husband right away and got married again. Totally cool so don't worry. No sin involved there. Yey! When we finally get to the end I was so relieved. It was finally over. I have a hard time not reading a book till the end once I start it. That plus all the great things I had heard about this book and I wanted to see if it would get better. I didn't think so, but obviously I am in the minority.
Rating: 1/5
So then Jamie and Claire are married and have lots of sex and whatever. Once and a while Claire thinks of her first husband and feels a little guilty, but not enough to stop cheating on him. Claire has to be one of the stupidest people ever. They are on the road after being married and they get attacked a few times. Once she had to kill a guy so he didn't rape her and kill Jamie. So you would think she would try and be careful right? Wrong. Jamie has to leave her to go meet up with someone, so he finds a safe place for her to wait for him. What is the first thing she does? Wander off. I mean her magic teleporting stones are only 7 miles away. 7 miles. Seven. So no big deal I am sure she can get there without incident. I mean they have been traveling a few days and have gotten attacked a few times, it probably won't happen again right? Of course she gets caught by Randell's men and gets taken to him. So not only is she stupid, she also puts everyones life in danger. Of course Jamie has to come save her, and he is wanted by Randell so yey. She is so...I know this isn't her time, but you would think she would try and not get herself and everyone she cares about killed. When she first wandered off I was just like you have got to be kidding me. Seriously you think you will get 7 miles through who knows what since this is back in time, and nothing will happen to you? Unfortunately that is just the way she was. Frustrating. Then you have the great scene where Jamie must beat Claire for disobeying him, which is just...it is not a good scene. Overall I did like Jamie, but things like this...well it is set up that that is the way it is so don't question it. So I just go with it.
Finally after what seems like forever Claire tells Jamie about how she came back in time and she is married in her time and everything. He then takes her to the stones so she can go back to her time, and leaves her to go back. He tells her he will be in the inn until that evening to make sure she gets back okay or something. She sits there at the stones all day thinking about what to do...and she decides to stay with Jamie.
After that point the book did get better for me slightly. Still not good as it still went on for freakin ever. The author really likes to draw things out so that even if it were really exciting it is so bogged down with insignificant things I am just like when is this going to be over? She just gets really long winded. So after Claire decides to stay a lot of random ordinary things happen. They travel some, they go back to Jamie's home, they do all kinds of things. There are lots of incidents with first husbands relative, who not a good guy.
There is just a lot that happens in the book, but most of it I have now forgotten (it has been a few days since I have read it). The things I remember? The lady cheating on her husband. Jamie liking being beaten way too much. He thinks fondly of his father beating him as a child. Randell being evil. Jamie's last prison sentence and escape. Claire finding a priest at the end to tell her not to be worried about being married to two people at the same time. It was cool that she cheated on her first husband right away and got married again. Totally cool so don't worry. No sin involved there. Yey! When we finally get to the end I was so relieved. It was finally over. I have a hard time not reading a book till the end once I start it. That plus all the great things I had heard about this book and I wanted to see if it would get better. I didn't think so, but obviously I am in the minority.
Rating: 1/5
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