Review: Outlander (Outlander #1)

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Started reading: January 16th 2017
Finished the book: February 19th 2017
Pages: 896
Short review: Romantic, 1700's, Scotland, fantasy, doesn't feel like a long book
Published: July 26th 2005
Source: Bought the book
Hearts: ❤❤❤❤❤



Characters:
The main character is Claire Randall, who is living with her husband Frank Randall after WWII. By accident she ends up in Schotland in the year 1743. Shocked by what happened she gets to know a bunch of Scottish warriors and among them the young Jamie. Claire slowly builds a life for herself and seems happy. But at some point she has to make a choice between Frank and Jamie.
I truly LOVE Claire. She is my #1 heroine. She is fierce, considerate, full of passion and a very believable main character. Next to Claire you have Jaime, another main character to me. Jaime is a great, strong Scotish guy. He is so stubborn and knows what he wants, I love those aspects about him. The chemistry between Claire and Jaime is great, especially when they fight.
The side characters really provide a nice aspect to the story. It's a very strong set-up and a great tought through set of people.

World-building:
The world-building is the aspect that makes this book great. I'm also very fond of the 1700's. I was able to picture the places very well, even though I've never been to Scotland (cry). The way the scenery is described is so full of life, colours and even smells. I could picture everyting very easily in my head and that's what makes this long book easy to read. One of the better aspects in this book!

Story-line:
I've heard some people say this book is "slow" or has "slow" parts, but not for me. It really felt like a quick book, even though I've been reading it for over a month. I was very busy with other books and buddyreads as well, but I could easly read a 150 pages of this book within 2 hours. I always felt excited to read this book. The storyline never gets dull, there is always something that keeps the story interesting, but it won't rush you out of this book. At some point Claires life is calm and without too much thrills, but the way the story is build, it's still interesting without all the action and tension.

Plot-twists:
The story has some plot twists and some situations where I couldn't see an way out. The plot twists are exactly enough to my taste. This book is not build on the plot twists and I like that! It sometimes felt like some of the important characters could easily die in this book, so that keeps you on edge.

So:
If you like the 1700's and are interested in the Middle Ages this is a book for you. It felt like a quick read to me and the world building is the best aspect of this book. I recommend this book if you like historical books with a touch of romance.

Goodreads Review:
Review Outlander >