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abernathy_33's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, and Vomit
robotnik's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Everyone told me I was just going to love Outlander. My parents were enjoying the show a lot and the glimpses I've caught of it were interesting. And, I love historical stuff. I love romance. I love rich detail and expansive lore and I can bury myself in it for hours and hours at a time, just soaking it all in. By all that, this should have been a book that made my want to dance naked in the moonlight, worshiping it.
It didn't. Not even remotely.
The first, I don't know, third, maybe, of the book was really interesting and I was super into it. But, then it just really started to drag on. And on. And on. I was pretty much ready for it to end by the time they reached Lallybroch or whatever it's called, and that's already after the plot stopped resembling a plot and turned into a Monster of the Week format where someone gets captured, people run around a bit and then they get escaped and everyone gets a breather where we pretend that Claire and Jamie are a good romance and then we rinse and repeat the process.
And, don't even get me started on the romance because Jamie was cool up until he turned into a wife-beater. It doesn't matter how many times it happened, or if it fits the time period. Don't expect no modern day reader to read that and be all "oh hey yeah he's super sweet and the perfect romantic hero" cause he just needs to be tossed into the trash heap like all the other ones. The abuse was played for laughs, too, just a reminder. It was funny that Claire couldn't sit straight cause he beat her. Remember that tidbit.
It took me a while to realize why this is a rape-y book, as people like to call it. Claire and Jamie didn't even get it on until about 300 pages in. But, then, yeah, I found out it's a rape-y book. (Oh yeah, extra reminder that sometimes Claire says no but Jamie is horny so they "make love" anyways). In fact, that's pretty much the plot because that's what the climax is about. If that was the climax. I don't even know.
Don't get me wrong. I liked a lot of parts of this book. But, there was so many parts I didn't like or made me side-eye it that, at the end of the day, I just can't be into this series. It should have honestly been half as long. No one needed to be captured and rescue that many times. Seriously.
I'll go read something now where the main character doesn't spend five pages poking the dirt with a stick as she digs for weeds, or whatever it is that Claire does with her time when she's not being kidnapped or rescuing Jamie or whatever.
It didn't. Not even remotely.
The first, I don't know, third, maybe, of the book was really interesting and I was super into it. But, then it just really started to drag on. And on. And on. I was pretty much ready for it to end by the time they reached Lallybroch or whatever it's called, and that's already after the plot stopped resembling a plot and turned into a Monster of the Week format where someone gets captured, people run around a bit and then they get escaped and everyone gets a breather where we pretend that Claire and Jamie are a good romance and then we rinse and repeat the process.
And, don't even get me started on the romance because Jamie was cool up until he turned into a wife-beater. It doesn't matter how many times it happened, or if it fits the time period. Don't expect no modern day reader to read that and be all "oh hey yeah he's super sweet and the perfect romantic hero" cause he just needs to be tossed into the trash heap like all the other ones. The abuse was played for laughs, too, just a reminder. It was funny that Claire couldn't sit straight cause he beat her. Remember that tidbit.
It took me a while to realize why this is a rape-y book, as people like to call it. Claire and Jamie didn't even get it on until about 300 pages in. But, then, yeah, I found out it's a rape-y book. (Oh yeah, extra reminder that sometimes Claire says no but Jamie is horny so they "make love" anyways). In fact, that's pretty much the plot because that's what the climax is about. If that was the climax. I don't even know.
Don't get me wrong. I liked a lot of parts of this book. But, there was so many parts I didn't like or made me side-eye it that, at the end of the day, I just can't be into this series. It should have honestly been half as long. No one needed to be captured and rescue that many times. Seriously.
I'll go read something now where the main character doesn't spend five pages poking the dirt with a stick as she digs for weeds, or whatever it is that Claire does with her time when she's not being kidnapped or rescuing Jamie or whatever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Violence and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
lilwashu76's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love these books. I have most of them both in print & on audio book. Davina Porter is the best possible narrator for this series. Her accent is on point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This has potential but the last 100 pages were just... A Choice... like how she got Jamie out of his trauma 'funk' and then only realising that because she knows the future for the time, she has a duty or maybe not to do something??? Just came out of nowhere. i also found the writing at times to be dense and a slog to get through all of the descriptions and another thing so much sexual harassment? Like did it have to be almost every male character?? Such an uncomfortable time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
creeepybones's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I honestly have no idea what the hype or gross fixation people have with this book.
I could understand how the basic story line could be romantic; but the toxicity and open sexual violence and misogyny is sickening.
I did not enjoy it at all.
As well as it being such a slow read.
I would not recommend to anyone.
I could understand how the basic story line could be romantic; but the toxicity and open sexual violence and misogyny is sickening.
I did not enjoy it at all.
As well as it being such a slow read.
I would not recommend to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
cafelatte235's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is a good, overall read but I found it very long and dragged out at a few points. Although I did enjoy the many adjoining plots this book provides, the scenes at times are very graphic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, and Pregnancy
adam_z's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A few years ago Mike's Book Reviews (YouTube) posed the following question: Can a guy enjoy Outlander? He went on to talk about the first season of the television adaptation on Starz, (which I'm not going to get into here), but never really gave an answer about the book.
My answer to the question is yes - somewhat. I liken Outlander to Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series in the sense that both series have attracted a lot of strong praise and criticism. I come away from Outlander with similar feelings to what I had for Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth book 1): It was okay. I enjoyed it somewhat. It wasn't amazing or terrible. There were things I liked, and there were things I didn't like. I get why some people love this book/series, and I also get where much of the criticism comes from as well. If Goodreads allowed half-stars this would sit right in the middle at a 2.5 for me.
It's hard to classify Outlander - I've seen it called a romance novel, historical fiction, historical romance, historical fantasy... and none of these genre tags really fits quite right if applied individually. I think if I had to pick just one, I'd probably land on putting it in a general historical fiction category, with the caveat that there is a strong romance subplot. Not so strong that it is the dominant theme of the story--first and foremost it's a fish-out-of-water story about an English nurse from the 1940's trying to survive when she is unexpectedly finds herself in 1740's Scotland--but the romance subplot is somewhat more prominent than what I'm used to seeing in the books I typically read.
For me, the romance element just doesn't land. I really don't really enjoy reading the inner monologues of characters in the throes of the puppy love stage of a relationship. It feels voyeuristic to me. It wasn't terribly sappy/cringy - it's just not what I'm into reading.
What I DID really enjoy experiencing with Claire (protagonist and sole POV character) was the feeling of newness and discovery of this strange time and culture from centuries past. Talk about history coming to life! There were times where her knowledge of mid-20th century medicine put her in an advantageous position over the methods of the 1740's, but she had much to learn in order to get along in the time she found herself in - things that a mere introductory knowledge of 18th century history couldn't have prepared her for.
I have nothing against long books in general, and will never shy away from a book based solely on length, but if I'm reading a long book I also expect the author to make the added length worth it. The mass-market paperback edition I have is 850 pages, and I feel like this could have had appx 150 pages worth of content trimmed and been better off for it.
YMMV
My answer to the question is yes - somewhat. I liken Outlander to Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series in the sense that both series have attracted a lot of strong praise and criticism. I come away from Outlander with similar feelings to what I had for Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth book 1): It was okay. I enjoyed it somewhat. It wasn't amazing or terrible. There were things I liked, and there were things I didn't like. I get why some people love this book/series, and I also get where much of the criticism comes from as well. If Goodreads allowed half-stars this would sit right in the middle at a 2.5 for me.
It's hard to classify Outlander - I've seen it called a romance novel, historical fiction, historical romance, historical fantasy... and none of these genre tags really fits quite right if applied individually. I think if I had to pick just one, I'd probably land on putting it in a general historical fiction category, with the caveat that there is a strong romance subplot. Not so strong that it is the dominant theme of the story--first and foremost it's a fish-out-of-water story about an English nurse from the 1940's trying to survive when she is unexpectedly finds herself in 1740's Scotland--but the romance subplot is somewhat more prominent than what I'm used to seeing in the books I typically read.
For me, the romance element just doesn't land. I really don't really enjoy reading the inner monologues of characters in the throes of the puppy love stage of a relationship. It feels voyeuristic to me. It wasn't terribly sappy/cringy - it's just not what I'm into reading.
What I DID really enjoy experiencing with Claire (protagonist and sole POV character) was the feeling of newness and discovery of this strange time and culture from centuries past. Talk about history coming to life! There were times where her knowledge of mid-20th century medicine put her in an advantageous position over the methods of the 1740's, but she had much to learn in order to get along in the time she found herself in - things that a mere introductory knowledge of 18th century history couldn't have prepared her for.
I have nothing against long books in general, and will never shy away from a book based solely on length, but if I'm reading a long book I also expect the author to make the added length worth it. The mass-market paperback edition I have is 850 pages, and I feel like this could have had appx 150 pages worth of content trimmed and been better off for it.
YMMV
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
fuzzy1999's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Some interesting moments, very immersive and insightfu historical details throughout but very, very long and extremely dark/explicit at points.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
ruinstoroots's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
knottyrissareads's review against another edition
I watched the series, so I thought I’d read the books. I got almost halfway through this and just cannot stand the sexual violence.
She gets assaulted many times, even by her husband.
I googled “does the sexual assault in the outlander books end” and found a Reddit thread saying there’s more scenes in the books than in the shows, so I’m out!
She gets assaulted many times, even by her husband.
I googled “does the sexual assault in the outlander books end” and found a Reddit thread saying there’s more scenes in the books than in the shows, so I’m out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence