Prepare yourself for an epic, romantic adventure set in the wild Scottish Highlands of the late 1700s in Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
Our heroine, Claire, is a smart English nurse who’s saved many a man’s life in World War II. Her medical skills come in handy when she is unexpectedly transported back to an age before antibiotics. Stunned by her unladylike and anachronistic knowledge of anatomy, the Scots fear and revere Claire as possibly being a witch.
During her escapades, as she attempts to return to her own time, avoid being burned as a witch, avoid torture and capture from English occupying troops, and fend off wolves, she’s introduced to the dashing and young Scot James Fraser. A rugged outlaw with a heart that beats madly for Claire, of course.
Now that she’s fallen in love, does she really want to return to her own time?
Rich in description and Scottish accented dialogue (I dinna ken what ye mean), Diana Gabaldon weaves a thrilling world where the danger and desire is ever-present. Claire battles one fiend after another, growing stronger and tougher each time. Having read later books in the series, Gabaldon does an excellent job of building on Claire’s development and knowledge. Claire is a character you love to root for, with her intelligence, wit and courage to fight for what is right and for those she loves. Furthermore, the historicity is off the charts: Gabaldon researches all of Claire’s remedies, chooses her words carefully to accurate reflect the dialogue in Gaelic and English, and inserts historical characters so vividly you feel as though you’ve met them.
I 120% recommend it!
EXTRA EXCITEMENT!
The Outlander series is going to be a new television series on Starz starting in August. Yours truly is going to be watching eagerly to see the story come alive!
Fun fact: Diana Gabaldon and George R.R. Martin breakfast together. They both have ongoing book series that are being converted into television series, so the pressure’s on to finish their stories.
{Susie Boles Books} 