Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to read. Mick and I have a mixed marriage. He loves sports; I love books. The marriage works because I can read through his basketball games and he doesn't mind that I never speak to him while he's driving.
"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon is not just a book. It's actually the first of six that tells one story. When Diana started writing "Outlander" she had no idea that her story would turn into six books, but that is how long it took to tell this sweeping adventure/ love story. Less, and she wouldn't have done it justice.
I'm not going to give a detailed synopsis of the story. I'm going to tell you why you should read this. "Outlander" and the rest of the books in the series, combine the best elements of historical fiction, fantasy (time travel), adventure, and grown-up, enduring love with vivid, believable characters who are true to their times and places. There is enough action that these can't be dismissed as "women's books". The medical procedures alone will appall and delight. Diana Gabaldon took the hard to believe (time travel) and makes it so real that readers will want to find that location in Scotland and see if they can pass through the rocks. This is romance with a capitol R.
I love nothing better than finding a great book and then finding out that it is first in a series. Diana Gabaldon had already written the first five books before Louisa Whitmarsh, librarian-extraordinaire of Pelican, Alaska, made me aware of their existence. It was torture waiting for the sixth book to hit the stores, but I survived and actually went on to read the entire series twice within four years. No better recommendation than that.
The "Outlander" series should come with a warning label. These books are addicting. Dust will settle, dinners will be late, and the light on the bedstand will burn into the wee hours until each and every book has been consumed.
Thank you, Lousia, you enriched my life.
Check it out. You'll see that I'm right. Mick's waiting for the movie.
Comments