Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

8/9/2016

In the interests of honesty, there are a few things you need to know.

I am NOT a raving Outlander fan
I recommend Outlander with reservation
I have only read Outlander

Outlander is an epic story of love found between two unlikely people: 18th century Scot, Jamie Fraser, and WWII nurse, Claire Randall. Obviously there's time travel involved--Claire falls through time.

Chapters 1 and 2 are about Claire and her husband, Frank Randall. They're finally reunited post-WWII and, in essence, learning who each of them is as an individual and within their disrupted marriage.

It took me 3 separate attempts to get past this part of the book. I simply did not like the relationship between Claire and Frank. Plus the book is rather slow at this point.

Chapter 3 begins right after Claire arrives in 18th century Scotland. If you struggle with Outlander, I highly recommend simply starting at this point and, maybe watching episode 1 of season 1 of the Starz series. Be forewarned: it's Starz. Read: explicit and expect full frontal nudity.

Either way, this is where Outlander becomes the freakishly awesome book that fans rave about. For good reason.

The Things Real Fans Say:

Great love story, pretty hot too. Yes, Jamie and Claire's love story is exactly that. Even with Claire's conflict; she's technically married to a man who hasn't been born yet, it's one of the best constructed looks at love between two people.

The details of 18th century life are vivid. Not going to deny it. Part of my joy in reading Outlander was the details and this rarified look at what life could have been like for so many. Ironically, seeing how Claire and Jamie survive on the road, away from a castle where food is prepared, was thrilling.

You will be completely caught up in the story and you will enjoy it. True and true.

Why I recommend with reservation: Chapter 39

A little background, Claire's husband is a decendent of Captain Jonathan Randall, whom Claire personally meets. Captain Randall has "unnatural tendencies," as they were called in the 18th century. More importantly, he wants Jamie and he enjoys torture.

Chapter 39 provides an extremely detailed explanation of how Captain Randall treats Jamie (read rapes and tortures him) in exchange for letting Claire escape a failed prison break.

If you've been subjected to sexual abuse or simply value your stomach, skip Chapter 39. Skip the whole thing. You'll miss only the worst part of the book. A part that you can safely miss without destroying the rest of the story.

Its because of Chapter 39 that I am not a huge fan of Outlander. I'd heard raving fans talk about it for 20 years--yes, I'm sincere and, yes, I'm old enough for that statement to be true. Not one of those fans mentioned the contents of Chapter 39. In fact, most fans seem to be oblivious to its existence.

As an individual who has personal experience with sexual assault, reading about it is troubling. And that's putting it mildly.

I've been criticized by many fans, including family members, for not adoring Outlander. Some have said particularly idiotic things about my opinion.

Here's the thing, Outlander is a truly great story. If I'd known to skip Chapter 39, I'd love it as much as the next fan. But I didn't know. I read Chapter 39. It tainted the whole book.

I've ceased trusting the fans who rave about Outlander. Figure if they can forget about the hero being forcibly raped and tortured for a whole chapter, they aren't the best source.

Read Outlander with joy; skip Chapter 39

So, read Outlander with joy. If you're sensitive about rape, torture, or sexual assault scenes, be sure to skip Chapter 39. Don't trust the fans who tell you Outlander is nothing more than a good love story because Outlander is way beyond a simple love story. It's an epic story of life in 18th century Scotland with a romance inside it.

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Tags:
Book Reviews, Outlander, sexual assault in fiction, Diana Gabaldon

2 Comments

Linda DeBolt

8/9/2016 03:17:39 pm

I totally agree with chapters 1-2 being hard to get through. Most fans probably agree. Sorry I didn't warn you specifically about chapter 39, though Whenever I recommend the book I warn people about the explicit sex scenes & tell them what I do: Scan though it quickly to make sure I don't miss any dialogue needed for reference later -not that I could find - or just scan to the end of the scene & resume reading. On Starz I had to leave the room during 39. The good news is that season 2 on Starz, with the exception of one early scene in the Charity Hospital (gory surgery scene), is much more watchable for sensitive viewers like me. I will warn you that one of the later books (don't know which one) when they are in America & C & J are older has a gang rape scene that I had to not read.

Tamara

8/9/2016 08:01:17 pm

Thanks, Linda. I appreciate the heads up both on the Starz series and subsequent books. Knowing it's coming makes dealing with it much easier (because I'd go into scan mode too).