Outlander Reviews
"The smartest historical sci-fi adventure/romance ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting Uncle Scrooge comic books." - Salon
"Absorbing and heartwarming, this first novel lavishly evokes the land and lore of Scotland, quickening both with realistic characters and a feisty, likable heroine." - Publishers Weekly
"A satisfying treat, with extra scoops of excitement and romance." - Kirkus Reviews
"It is a large canvas that Gabaldon paints, filled with strong passions and derring-do. Strong willed and sensual, Claire is an engaging modern heroine plopped down in a simpler, more primitive time.... Great fun ...marvelous and fantastic adventures, romance, sex ...perfect escape reading!" - San Francisco Chronicle
The information about Outlander shown above was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's online-magazine that keeps our members abreast of notable and high-profile books publishing in the coming weeks.
In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication.
If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel
that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available,
please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added.
Outlander Reader Reviews
Write your own review
Rated 
of 5
by
Jennifer P
Everything A Book Should Be
I love historical fiction at its best when it teaches me history without seeming for a single moment to be teaching and only seeming to entertain. How fabulous this book is in that respect! There is a love story that is so powerful it causes Claire to give up her entire life for Jamie, and they experience harrowing adventures aplenty. In the meantime, I'm learning all about Scottish history, and look forward to additional books in this series - to learn more of the powerful love between Claire and Jamie and to learn more of Scottish history.
The author has obviously done incredible research, and at the same time has an excellent grasp of human emotions. Though the story is not "realistic", it is what I WISH was realistic (with or without the time travel). I want to BE there and KNOW Claire and Jamie and their extended family and friends.
Finally, as I listened to this as an audible book, I want to praise Davina Porter's narration - through her, I know how the words are all pronounced, and her Scottish accent is so charming and understandable, it adds another layer to the feeling of being there with the characters. I highly recommend this book for anybody with an interest in historical fiction (spiced up with romance, which I usually don't like, so it must be pretty good) and Scottish history in general.
Rated 
of 5
by
Laura A. (Jupiter, Florida)
Outlander - A great story
Diana Gabaldon does a wonderful job developing her main character as she travels through time from 1940 Scotland back 200 years. With great historical accuracy we find out what it would have been like to live as part of a Scottish clan in a time when a lack of education caused fear and suspicion of anyone who appeared to have unusual healing powers. The book could easily have ended 200 pages sooner and it would have been even more enjoyable as the plot becomes tangled and things happen to the characters that seem completely unnecessary to the story. That having been said, I am sure I will read the follow-up to Outlander.
Rated of 5
by
Melissa M. (Ridgefield, CT)
Something for everyone?
Let me start by saying normally I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, romance novels nor stories about time travel, (which is why I wanted to read this recommended book). Certainly Gabaldon is an excellent writer who has done her homework regarding historical 18th century heroics. I would recommend this book to those who like an ambitious read (800 pages!), a strong heroine, and an interesting love story. I can't say I enjoyed it enough myself to commit to the ongoing stories in the series right away nor recommend it to my book club (too long), but for a vacation read where one may want to get lost in a saga -and learn something about 18th century Scottish life, I think the author accomplishes this - with strong, memorable characters and a good, ambitious tale to tell!
Rated of 5
by
Chris W. (Temple City, CA)
Outlander
I have wanted to read this book for a long time and was excited to receive a copy to review. This time travel adventure has enough history, old Scottish dialect and culture, romance, sex, war, and violence for just about anybody. It might be too long for many book clubs. The sympathetic characters and their adventures make me want to read the next book in the series, even though the plot is at times a little unbelievable. A little too long but it's worth reading.
Rated of 5
by
Vicky S. (Torrance, CA)
Can't Believe I'd MIssed it Until Now
There is so much going on in this book just like the cover describes. It has something for everyone with history, romance, timetravel etc. I liked that the main characters had to make very serious choices that effect the lives of themselves as well as others around them. The main female character is also quite able to take care of herself in a variety of circumstances. All of these situations would create great discussions for book clubs.
Rated 
of 5
by
Linda P. (Kearny, AZ)
Outlander
I wanted to love this book. All the reviews I read led me to believe it was the type of book I would enjoy. But in the end I neither loved nor hated it. It had all the things that were listed as "the usual stuff of literature" but that was the problem. A little bit of everything and not enough of just a few good detailed things. The plot just wandered all over. I read the whole book and although I wonder what more adventures await, I probably won't read anymore of these books unless it's the last one. So I wish ye well Claire and Jamie.
Rated of 5
by
Kelly H. (Martinsville, IN)
Fantastic Adventure!
Wow! Outlander is an adventure, romance, and historical fiction novel rolled into one. Gabaldon's research is amazing! I never though I would be so happy learning about 18th century Scotland, but told by Gabaldon, it's captivating. At 600 pages, it's too long and involved for the book club I'm in, but I think it could be tackled by serious book clubbers. Don't finish this book without having the next one in the series on your nightstand!
Rated of 5
by
Sandy C. (Houston, TX)
Long drawn out saga
As a fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed the portions of the novel that related to Scotland and the country's history. It was much too long (850 pages, small tight); however, and much of the sex and violence could have been cut way back. After a certain point, I had to skim over much of that content. I also could not quite relate to Claire, the main character, and was put off by the screaming matches with Jamie. On the positive side, the author definitely did a lot of research and is a good story teller. Overall, just "okay" for me.
Rated of 5
by
Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ)
Hard to believe I felt this was a good book!!
Outlander is a good story with a lot of action, love, and sex that I usually skipped over. The book was written with great talent: the sentences read smoothly and full of information and great flow. I'm not sure I will search out sequels as I had to question the cool and dignified Claire's out-of-character hissy fits, along side the unbelievable goodness of Jamie. If she continues in the next book, I'm outta there! Hopefully Diana Gabaldon will produce a book that eliminates the grating personalities of some of the characters—eg., the sweet, sweet inhabitants of the abbey. I feel that there was much to question regarding reality of the times.
Rated of 5
by
Burlingame Reader
Wow!
Don't let the size of this book scare you off. If you are looking for a good read that is filled with many different elements this is the book for you. You have time travel, history, war and witchcraft just to name a few. I wanted to read every single solitary word because I was afraid of missing something if I read it too fast. Really looking forward to seeing where the rest of this series takes me.
more...
