Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hate romance stories. I hate gushy, un-realistic, ordinary tales of "love", that do not only make me roll my eyes and gag by just seeing the "sexy" covers of such in bookstores, but also make me cringe when I think about all the women whose expectations of romance will far short simply because they keep gobbling up such literary filth.

Make no mistake, however...Outlander is not a romance novel. It is much more than that. But I will, without hesitation, admit that the words so magnificently written by Ms. Gabaldon had me in tears more than once. Because I didn't just believe in the love between Claire and Jamie -- I felt it, with every inch of my being.

It has been a very long time since I have been so engrossed in a novel to the point where I have cancelled plans to stay home to read. During the week it took me to read Outlander, every time I was not reading, I wished that I were happily curled up in blankets, heart and soul prancing throughout the Scottish Highlands with characters that could very well be my ancestors (my last name being Murray - my imagination has gone so far as convincing myself that (SEMI-SPOILER)Jenny and Ian's children are my predecessors).

Outlander will take you on a long & weary journey, feeling everything from physical pain (through explicit gorey detail of Jamie's multiple floggings, beatings, and more), to the chill of the Scottish Highlands as the characters ride horseback through the misty & windy nights, to the intense sex scenes that are so perfectly descriptive, detailed, and in well-taste that they will have your parts feeling tingly as Jamie again and again makes himself "Master" to his beloved Sassenach.

(Side note: I've had this photo saved on my computer for years...but I had no idea it was from TV adaptation of Outlander until I was searching for pics for this review!)

Perhaps most importantly, this book made me feel incredibly proud concerning two aspects of myself. It made me DAMN proud to be of Scottish ancestry. If I thought I wanted to visit Scotland before, the desire left in me after reading is nearly unbearable. I am looking forward, more than ever, to re-tracing my family's steps in history and finding, if any remain, my living relatives in the beautiful country of Scotland. The detail of both land, foliage, and history in Outlander is so exquisite, I feel almost in my blood that I have been there already.

Secondly, Outlander make me damn proud to be a woman. I both see myself already in our heroine, Claire, as well as am inspired to grow in strength, bravery, and capacity to love as she loves. This book made me feel proud to be a feminist. Alas! I'm sure many of you see this as quite backwards...specifically the part where (semi-spoiler ahead) Jamie beats Claire "nearly half to death" as punishment for putting himself and his comrades in mortal danger. And I won't, as some have, brush it off, pinning it to "that's how the times were" as an excuse, but that is indeed the truth! I'll admit that for about a hundred pages, I was pissed. At Jamie. At the writing. At the book as a whole. However, as Jamie does explain, it was better him than one of his companions. It was not possible for her to get off free from what she did to endanger those men, whether she had meant to or not. As Baloo said when wild "man-cub" Mowgli misbehaved in Kipling's The Jungle Book, "Better he should be bruised from head to foot by me who love him, that he should come to harm through ignorance". As Claire eventually did, I was able to forgive Jamie as well.

Claire doesn't back down and do as she's told. It is beyond stubbornness - besides being flung into a time where women were often expected to keep silent, and if not, to always obey their fathers, and then, their husbands -- it is a strength in her that keeps her from being afraid to snark back to cunning Dougal, to threaten powerful Colum with secrets, to befriend Geilie, despite ill-gossip and warnings. She stands tall.

She is a woman not afraid to love boldly and with everything she has to offer, physical and emotionally. She is a woman who forgives. A woman who makes love, and more often, fucks without shame and with all her heart and soul. Unafraid to adventure and explore thoroughly around her. Like me (whether she denies it or not), a witch. Knowledgeable and curious in all things herbal, magical, and healing. To laugh in the face of those who dare accuse me of wickedness. Claire Randall is one of the most well-rounded, realistic, and lovable female characters I have ever met.

Now, if you need me, I'll have my nose stuck in Dragonfly in Amber for the next week or so. Happy Reading.

(Photos by Mariusz Wozinski & Ruwanika Weerakkody)

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