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Book Review of Outlander (Outlander, Bk 1)

Outlander (Outlander, Bk 1)
Outlander (Outlander, Bk 1)
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
reviewed on + 121 more book reviews


This was a very good book. However, Gabaldon could have shortened it by 1/3 and it would have been much better. The story is a good one and kept me interested. But the reader must slog through so many scenes that are so similar to one another that at times it gets very boring. For instance, she could have cut down on the length of the love scenes considerably. Also, I was very turned off by all the attention (and many, many pages) spent on the subject of corporal punishment. It's a testament to the outstanding general story line that I just didn't stop reading at the point of where she and Jamie are going on and on about all the beatings he's incurred over his entire life.

I am in the middle of her next book, Dragonfly in Amber, and I am having the same problem keeping my interest going. If she had reduced the book by about 1/3 I think I would have no problem staying interested. So the dilemma is that the books ARE good enough to just keep you reading, but you must endure a lot of uninteresting redundancy in order to get through them.