WARNING: Here there be spoilers
Outlander was a book and a series I wanted desperately to avoid. Why, you might ask, would I want to pass up this super popular historical fiction series? I’m averse to the hyper-popular, having been let down by it so many times. But Outlander comes highly recommended by my dear Aunt Marjory, who absolutely adores the series. So I took the plunge and ordered myself a copy from a Facebook book buy-and-sell group and dove in headfirst.
As I mentioned above, I wanted to be a contrarian and loathe this series, especially with it being further outside of my literary fiction comfort zone, but I was hooked pretty much immediately. Around 100 pages in I was in love with Jamie Frazer and wanted Claire to have his Scottish-English babies. And let me tell you, that is not me. I am not a romantic, and I am not one to enjoy romance novels, regardless of how sweeping and imaginative they may be. But goddamn, did Outlander capture my heart. The characters in it are either relentlessly loveable or relentlessly hateable; there is no middle ground.
The only thing I’ll say about this book is that I felt the constant barrage of rape or near-rape scenes to be overwhelming and, well, triggering, to be quite honest. Jamie’s rape was exceptionally descriptive and heartbreaking, and while I knew it was to advance the story, I still felt like describing it in such detail was a touch gratuitous, which is why Outlander gets 4.5 stars instead of a full five.
I’m still really looking forward to reading Dragonfly in Amber, which I received, along with the rest of the Outlander series (minus Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone) from my aforementioned darling Aunt Marjory, who had upgraded her mass market paperback set. I’m in love with this storyline and can’t wait to continue it in the next installation.
Dates read: November 28 – December 4, 2021
Have you read Outlander? Have you watched it? I haven’t started the series on Starz yet but I’ve thought about it several times. If you have seen it, is it worth watching? Just curious.
Til next time,
Emjay Reads 