A review by confusedmuse
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

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? It's complicated

2.0

DNF about halfway through after this:

It's totally okay to beat your wife so long as it's because you rescued her from the evil homosexual who raped your sister and caused you, personally, such distress that you can't see her again. You can make it up to your wife by telling her about that time you almost wet yourself in public. That's definitely the worst thing that's ever happened to you, not that time that the evil homosexual nearly beat you to death in front of your dad, which caused him to have a stroke and die on the spot. This is all totally fine, especially since you ended up enjoying beating your wife and promised not to do it again.

For years I'd heard that this story is a fun, feminist, time-travel romance. Actually reading it made my head spin. Are y'all okay? Like, no shade, enjoy what you enjoy, but I'm amazed that a lot of the discussion I’ve seen around recommending the book is more “teehee, I love the romance, you gotta read it” and not “hey, the main character is threatened with rape several times throughout the book, just be aware if that’s not your cup of tea.” And that’s not even getting into the surprise
evil gay stereotype
villain. He was already evil enough, this story didn’t need to throw in
homophobia
on top of everything else. “Historical Accuracy” is an excuse that can only carry so far. Clearly I went into this with the wrong expectations, and maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I'd read a few more detailed reviews before going in, but because I was blindsided by all this, I did not have a fun time. Two stars because the writing itself is very good, and the author did craft believable characters and an interesting setting, but everything else… yikes.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings