It seems like I’ve only made one of these posts so far! Shame on me! I guess I’m busy Wednesdays? Although it doesn’t feel like I am. I don’t know, anyway, it’s finally time for another one of these!

For those unfamiliar with Wishlist Wednesdays, it’s a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it’s entirely up to you), that we can’t wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.

Wishlist Wednesday is also hosted by the lovely Pen to Paper, and this was her most recent Wishlist Wednesday post!!
The book I’ll be discussing today, has been on my wishlist for some years! I think because of the TV show which started airing last year, many of you will be familiar with this book…

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon!

If any of you haven’t seen the TV adaptation yet, GO DO IT NOW! Hahaha. And make sure that your parents or any small children are not around, haha, it’s pretty um…adult-rated, if you catch my drift.

The acting is spectacular, and I love the story line! So, I think that I would LOVE the book, because I love reading (duh), and books usually contain a lot more details than a TV show or movie can ever contain.

Outlander was originally published in 1991! So it’s been around for 25 years! My goodness. It must be good, if it’s still so well-loved today. Let’s take a looksie at the blurb on the back:

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another…

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone 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’s destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning 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 passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire…and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

While to some this may sound like one of those cheap Harlequin romance books, with a half-naked Scotsman on the cover, I can assure you that the plot is too complex to be categorized as such. In a foreword which can be found in some of the newer publications of the book, Diana Galbadon discusses how she came about writing Outlander, and she explained that a historical book was the best choice for her because she was a research professor.

You can definitely tell that she did a good job at researching too, because judging from the TV show, she looked up some of the most intricate details about that time period. While I was not a history major, I do get a bit geeky about some historical stuff…and the historical portion in the TV show, was just the right amount. Just enough detail, without the history taking over entirely. There is still room left for fantasy and romance, which is awesome.

Amazon also provides a preview of the first chapter, and I really like the writing! I’m really picking about writing. Being an English lit student, with a focus on literature from the 1600-1800…kind of does that to you. I have encountered some of the most beautiful English verse to have ever survived…which then makes it hard to read some books which have a good plot, but writing that is just not up to par.

I really like the characters as they have been portrayed in the TV series, and I’m wondering (and hoping) that they will be just as three dimensional as on the small screen! One thing which I find that I did dislike about some of the classics I’ve read, is that there are a number of flat characters (mainly because the authors just don’t give you enough of said character, for you to paint a mental picture of what they’re like). And I know that flat characters still exist, haha, but yeah.

Judging by all of the feedback and such, though, I think that Outlander will not let me down.

Buy on Amazon.ca: Outlander
Buy on Amazon.com: Outlander

What do you guys think? Have you read Outlander or any other Diana Gabaldon? Have you seen the show? Or if not, what about historical romance….do you have any recommendations or comments?

Let me know in the comments below! ❤