Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon – Book Review

First of all, I need to say that I’m in the middle of reading this series, but because this is an ongoing series, I’ve decided to go ahead and review it. These books have everything that I like in novels. They are well-researched, historically accurate (for the most part), have good character development, and plenty of plot twists.

One of the many things that I like about these books is the interesting take on Scotland, England and the U.S. The oppression that English rule brought to Scotland was well-researched and portrayed quite believably. (There were valid reasons for the recent vote in Scotland to break-away from the U.K.) I really enjoyed the time-traveling, and how the standing stones factored into this.  The few things that I really didn’t like about these books are the historically accurate attitudes about, and treatment of, women.  These can be hard to read, and uncomfortable to think about.  That being said, I think they are also important to be portrayed in an accurate way, since that way we hopefully will avoid ending up in the same place.

The original characters of Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser are wonderfully written, and endlessly interesting due to the historic events that surround them. These books are detailed in a variety of ways including history, medicine, social norms, etc. They are a world unto themselves, and it’s a pleasure to visit there.

I highly recommend this series. I must say that I have not seen the T.V. show regarding these novels; however, I have heard good things. If you enjoy being submerged into another world, these are the books for you.