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albamellark's review against another edition
5.0
Resumiendo, Forastera es la primera parte de una saga de ficción histórica que me ha fascinado por completo. Unos personajes con mucha profundidad junto a unos secundarios memorables. Un ritmo pausado debido a las numerosas y detalladas descripciones pero que no se hace pesado. Un romance que te roba el aliento junto a unas intrigas políticas muy interesantes. Un final desgarrador que te deja con ganas de más.
Reseña completa: https://unalectorasalvaje.blogspot.com/2019/08/resena-forastera-diana-gabaldon.html
4.5/5
Reseña completa: https://unalectorasalvaje.blogspot.com/2019/08/resena-forastera-diana-gabaldon.html
4.5/5
the_reader_mommy's review against another edition
5.0
Outlandish is the first (not terribly original) word that comes to mind when I think of Outlander. I started it on a whim for a book prompt and ended up devouring it in 10 days (not a mean feat; the audiobook reads for over 32 hours). But I FINALLY read it and that is what matters.
I have recently discovered the joy of watching adapted series and seeing if the screen adaptations live up to the written word. Outlander does an excellent job both ways.
The Story:
A WW2 nurse in England goes to the Scottish Highlands with her husband after the war to reconnect. A visit to a Stonehenge-like structure transfers our heroine, Claire, to the 18th century, leaving her husband, Frank, behind. She lands straight in the midst of clan wars and lairds, Jamie among them. From their terse meeting, where she comes across some uncharitable characters, she quickly falls in with them. The rest of their journey forms the story.
I know this is a very bland way of describing the book, but I cannot say more without giving out spoilers.
What I Liked:
- Claire: What a heroine! She is one who takes everything in her stride and moves on. She has a fun voice and I enjoyed being with her on her adventures.
- Geilis Duncan: What female friendships should be like.
- Jamie: The infamous Jamie Fraser comes 3rd? Yes, but he is a good hero, too. I don't see myself falling in love with this guy but he knows how to make a woman laugh.
- The story: There wasn't a dull moment. Totally unputdownable. But I am a sucker for historical fiction so there it is. The way the story interlinks real historical events with fictional ones is amazing (and my favorite type of storytelling).
- The side characters: Not one character was superfluous. Everyone had their parts cut out for them and they served them well.
- The writing: Now I know why these books garnered so much attention. Ms. Gabaldon knows how to spin a sentence.
- The narrator: Davina Porter was an amazing narrator with her English and Scottish accents. She could narrate trigonometry equations and I would listen (I hate maths).
What I Disliked:
- The infamous hitting scene: Yes, we have modern sensibilities, but that is not why I didn't like this scene. It was because Jamie said he enjoyed beating Claire and it was totally out of character for him.
- Claire's transition: Claire goes from 1945 to 17-something and she has no cultural shock? She just realizes she is in a different time period and then....sighs and accepts it? If I'd been in her place, I would have spent at least a week getting my head around things. Least of all, the lack of underwear.
My Final Thoughts:
I watched the series side by side (of course, I did) and I have one thing to say. People who are raving about the series Jamie being great and all should read the book. Book Jamie is much, much better - more hilarious and a gentle giant, really. Overall, the series takes itself too seriously. Book Claire is a person I'd befriend if I knew her in real life. Both of them made me laugh throughout and made life all the more easier.
I am now contemplating reading the next book. What if it is not as good as the first. And what if it is better than the first? Then won't I be committed to reading the whole series???
Decisions, decisions...
4.5 stars out of 5.
I have recently discovered the joy of watching adapted series and seeing if the screen adaptations live up to the written word. Outlander does an excellent job both ways.
The Story:
A WW2 nurse in England goes to the Scottish Highlands with her husband after the war to reconnect. A visit to a Stonehenge-like structure transfers our heroine, Claire, to the 18th century, leaving her husband, Frank, behind. She lands straight in the midst of clan wars and lairds, Jamie among them. From their terse meeting, where she comes across some uncharitable characters, she quickly falls in with them. The rest of their journey forms the story.
I know this is a very bland way of describing the book, but I cannot say more without giving out spoilers.
What I Liked:
- Claire: What a heroine! She is one who takes everything in her stride and moves on. She has a fun voice and I enjoyed being with her on her adventures.
- Geilis Duncan: What female friendships should be like.
- Jamie: The infamous Jamie Fraser comes 3rd? Yes, but he is a good hero, too. I don't see myself falling in love with this guy but he knows how to make a woman laugh.
- The story: There wasn't a dull moment. Totally unputdownable. But I am a sucker for historical fiction so there it is. The way the story interlinks real historical events with fictional ones is amazing (and my favorite type of storytelling).
- The side characters: Not one character was superfluous. Everyone had their parts cut out for them and they served them well.
- The writing: Now I know why these books garnered so much attention. Ms. Gabaldon knows how to spin a sentence.
- The narrator: Davina Porter was an amazing narrator with her English and Scottish accents. She could narrate trigonometry equations and I would listen (I hate maths).
What I Disliked:
Spoiler
- The infamous hitting scene: Yes, we have modern sensibilities, but that is not why I didn't like this scene. It was because Jamie said he enjoyed beating Claire and it was totally out of character for him.
- Claire's transition: Claire goes from 1945 to 17-something and she has no cultural shock? She just realizes she is in a different time period and then....sighs and accepts it? If I'd been in her place, I would have spent at least a week getting my head around things. Least of all, the lack of underwear.
My Final Thoughts:
I watched the series side by side (of course, I did) and I have one thing to say. People who are raving about the series Jamie being great and all should read the book. Book Jamie is much, much better - more hilarious and a gentle giant, really. Overall, the series takes itself too seriously. Book Claire is a person I'd befriend if I knew her in real life. Both of them made me laugh throughout and made life all the more easier.
I am now contemplating reading the next book. What if it is not as good as the first. And what if it is better than the first? Then won't I be committed to reading the whole series???
Decisions, decisions...
4.5 stars out of 5.
laura_devouring_books_crumpets's review against another edition
5.0
Oh Jaime the most selfless man i have read about in a long time...... Loved all the side characters and enjoyed watching the tv series along with what i read
jessafruit90's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Hard to get through if you watched the show first
clarisse4034's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
scoutandbexbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I started by watching the show Outlander and liked it so much, I knew I had to read the books. Let me start by saying that I love history and like many others, have often thought of what it would be like to transport back in time to different historical places to experience the lives that once inhabited the space. So for that aspect of this book, it gets an A+. I really enjoyed the writing and what could have been a very dense book, actually turned out to be a quick page turner. I can't get enough of these two! I've already bought the second book in the series! My one critique having seen both the show and read the book is that the book is a little too heavy handed on the romance for me. The show seems to take a more balanced take on the story. You root for Jamie and Claire but they aren't the only driving force. At first, when I saw people were making the comparison to Edward and Bella, I didn't see it. The books and stories are completely different but I do see how people could compare the relationship that the two sets of main characters have. That being said, I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next book. I'm hoping that because they've set up their relationship in such a concrete way in the first book, that the second book will deal with the other story lines that run through the book.
blue3yednerd's review against another edition
Started reading this and enjoyed it, but had to give up on it due to personal trauma closely tied with the main theme of the book.
jenjones83's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. I found Frank rather boring so I was glad when Claire found Jamie. Now I’m excited to read the rest of the series. I can see with the adventures, travels and drama of the 1700’s why this book became such a hit to read. I can’t wait to read more about Jamie and Claire.
jenjones83's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. I found Frank rather boring so I was glad when Claire found Jamie. Now I’m excited to read the rest of the series. I can see with the adventures, travels and drama of the 1700’s why this book became such a hit to read. I can’t wait to read more about Jamie and Claire.
sugarpopspete's review against another edition
2.0
Quite the bodice-ripper. I will probably read the sequels, but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped.