Outlander

Outlander is a historical romance novel with a twist: time travel. It's the first book in a series of novels... that I am not yet prepared to discuss because I haven't read that far. :P

From Goodreads:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

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I personally LOVED this book. I'm not a frequent reader, not because I dislike reading, but because my taste in books is very specific and my ADD makes it difficult to read a book I have minimal interest in, so it was one of those rare occasions where I just devoured the content. I watched the first season of the TV show on STARZ, so admittedly it was easy to fly through it with the images already embedded in my mind, but I was surprised to see that they, for the most part, stayed true to the source material.

During my reading, I had one question running through my mind that I still haven't figured out:

1. Do you think you could survive in the 18th century like Claire? Or would the comforts of life in the 2000's make it even more difficult for us than it was for her?

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This is a discussion thread for people who have read or are reading the book in question. With that in mind, there are likely to be spoilers throughout. However, in the event of major twists or “how it ends”, please wrap content in spoiler tags.

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[spoiler]Surprise!content here[/spoiler]

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— set by MJ! —

Do you think you could survive in the 18th century like Claire? Or would the comforts of life in the 2000's make it even more difficult for us than it was for her?

Claire only managed because she had a) a historian guardian and b) medical training. The fact that she was from a closer time period definitely helped, too! I could probably make due in the 20th century, and possibly the 19th century, but I'd be screwed in the 18th >.>

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   Edric Umbridge

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

I fucking love Outlander

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   Edric Umbridge

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MJ made this!

I read this book a few years ago and loved it. However, I remember being annoyed by the premise of the second book so I mentally changed the ending to be a solo read. Maybe I should go back one of these days....

As for surviving, I like to think I would. Then again I was a history major in school and come from a family of reinactors who did no modern convince events when I was a preteen, so theres that. Honestly though with health and things like that the risk of dying would be much higher.

I also enjoyed that fact that Diana G was a Marine Biology PhD teaching who just wanted to see if she could write a novel. It was suppose to be a stand alone book but they signed her for a trilogy and once she got there even more. She has now stopped teaching.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

I would personally die a most unfortunate death in 18th century Scotland. Like assuming I was in a similar situation, there is no feasible backstory I could think of under that much confusion or stress. At best I'd pretend I hit my had and lost my memory... but that wouldn't explain my horrendous American accent :P

18th century America, maybe. Genealogy is one of my hobbies so I'd be that weirdo who tried to find my way to New Hampshire or Massachusetts to track down my ancestors and see what they're up to :P

  

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— set by MJ! —

Bree, so what you are saying is you would be burned as a witch in Scotland?

Interesting on the accent/ linguistics side of things, there is an argument that American accents are actually British accent from when they were founded. So colonial accents now reflect the native tongue at the time of colonization. So maybe they would only think you were British?

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Bree, so what you are saying is you would be burned as a witch in Scotland?

Interesting on the accent/ linguistics side of things, there is an argument that American accents are actually British accent from when they were founded. So colonial accents now reflect the native tongue at the time of colonization. So maybe they would only think you were British?

I've heard more that the original British/American accent were likely more comparable to the Boston accent than the Stereotypical American Accent™, and my low-key Southern accent would definitely not pass for that if that was the case xD

So yes. I would be burned as a witch.

  

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— set by MJ! —

Bree, honestly I'm fairly certain I'd be killed by disease before my accent. All the germs and what not. And if I did manage to live I doubt I'd last through childbirth or anything like that with my tolerance for pain.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

I loved Outlander but the end made me almost rage quit. If it hadn't been for Kayte providing me with free ebooks of the rest I would have. I think I pittered out around... book 6 though. The herbs herbs herbs medical stuff I just skimmed through. I'm here for the adventure and romance. xD

Also no, I would def. not survive because of disease and lack of any medical knowledge. And if I actually made it that far - childbirth would for sure kill me. I had 2 c-sections. >.>; I'll stay right here in modern times thank you very much.

  

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set by Bee

I just finished this, sorry to be late to the party! The book was amazing, though hard for me to keep focused on at some points because of my attention span.

1. Do you think you could survive in the 18th century like Claire? Or would the comforts of life in the 2000's make it even more difficult for us than it was for her?

I had been thinking about that a lot as I read the book. I can definitely say for certain that I would not have survived the 18th century. If not killed off by illness, my attitude would have definitely gotten me into trouble with someone.

  

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Magic by Elaine!

Te, I did rage quit after the first book. No lie there. Have been considering picking it up again at some point.

Also knowing how my pregnancy has gone, I'd die in childbirth. So definitely wouldnt survive either.

Kelly, yeeeaaah I feel like my feministic outlook and my sarcastic remarks would have me dead in a heartbeat. I read a book where they travel to Elizabethian England and the woman has to learn to be submissive to survive. It made me consider this question a lot and yeah definitely wouldnt survive.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

OK, I really gotta respond to the frustration with book two, spoilers ahead:

Show

First off, I read the author's reasoning for skipping ahead twenty years. I get it, but it still frustrates me. Throughout book one, it is bluntly stated that Claire can't have kids. If the author didn't want to write about Claire having a little kid running around, why change that at the last second at the end of book one?

But that's not the main thing that bugs me, I can get past the twenty year skip. But what does confuse me is why Claire would go back (though, I will admit I haven't finished book two yet, so there might be a logical explanation). I know she loved Frank, and I know that there were complex things going on in the 18th century, but I can't understand how she could go back to Frank and look at his face every day. I know that he is not the same person as his ancestor, but I would have a hard time living with someone who had a mostly-look-alike who tormented me for months.

  

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Magic by Elaine!

I'm considering starting book one since I have it here with me. Is it worth it?

  

I'm considering starting book one since I have it here with me. Is it worth it?

Absolutely! The third one is probably my favourite of the ones I’ve read, but I always advocate reading in order. It has a good balance of romance and actual plot, and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed it!

  

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— Aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp as the result of a splinching accident. —

— graphics by lady ❤ —

Dang it, Kayte, you know I have trouble not doing what you ask u.u hahahahahah for real tho, I'll start reading! I have tried in the past but I was what, 14? Definitely a better head now to try it.

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   Aldous Crouch