Sara Shares Her Love of Outlander
Readers, it’s time for a confession.
“Hello, my name is Sara and I didn’t like the book Outlander.”
Please, before you click away, give me a moment to explain. When I first read Outlander, I was just shy of eighteen years old and had just begun to read Romance. (I was die hard Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader). I had no favorite writers, no genre I preferred and I based a lot of my choices on what my friends were reading. I finally went to my mother, a long time Romance reader, and asked for a recommendation. The first book she pulled off the shelf was Outlander.
”You’ll love it! It’s got time travel which you like and Jamie is the perfect hero.”
So I took the book, immediately intimidated by the size of the thing (it was 1995, no e-readers), and started reading. It only took me a few chapters before I realized that the story wasn’t for me. I didn’t like Claire and was a bit put off with the bigamy aspect. And its worst offense? It was boring. I forced myself to read the whole thing but never understood what was so appealing about the story. Maybe I was too young and had no knowledge of the Jacobite uprising in Scotland. I returned the book to Mom, probably made some rude teenage remark about it, and never thought about trying it or any of the sequels again.
Flash Forward to 2015.
I was older (unfortunately), wiser (that’s what I tell myself) and much more appreciative of romantic fiction. I understood how writers can weave a romantic tale in with history and make it entertaining. Plus, my romance genre of choice is historical romance. So when I heard STARZ was producing a television show based on the series, I figured this was my chance to try the story again. Since my experience with the book was so poor I had forgotten almost all of the details and had nothing to compare the show to. It would be completely fresh in my eyes and I could love or hate it on its own merits. I talked my husband into subscribing to the network and waited for the premiere.
I was an instant convert.
It was incredible. The characters, the setting, the storyline–it all just fell into place for me. The idea of a modern, independent woman struggling against the strictures of a society where women were powerless without men resonated with me. I could now empathize with Claire’s heartbreak at leaving Frank behind while falling in love with Jamie. Having read Highlander stories I now knew the history of the Jacobites and their unsuccessful war to free Scotland from England. Finally I understood what was appealing about the story and why my mother, and so many women like her, fell in love with Outlander when it was first published.
Plus, I had an added bonus. I fell in love with the actors and their portrayals of the characters without the baggage of preconceived perceptions of Claire and Jamie. Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are absolutely stunning–and perfect–in their roles. Tobias Menzies is lovable as Frank but when he switches roles and Black Jack, he’s utterly believable. Outlander didn’t bore me, not a bit. I even got my husband to watch it religiously, and he’s much more a zombies and The Walking Dead fan.
As the premiere of Season Two has drawn close, I’ve done as much as I could to avoid spoilers. Since I didn’t read the second book everything about Season Two will be new to me. The trailers and the Facebook posts show that Claire and Jamie have infiltrated the French court and are actively attempting to change history, but that’s all I know. Will they succeed? Will they fail? And what does it mean that Claire is somehow back in 1945? Inquiring minds want to know! It has killed me to have to wait almost a year to get any of those answers.
I know that it’s practically heresy for me to say I believe the television show is better than the book. I truly believe that this version gives fans the best of Outlander: A love that transcends time itself.
That, and Jamie Fraser!
Sara AAR
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I read the book back in the 90s and didn’t like it enough to read any more in the series. I never could understand why so many people were rabid about these books. I found Outlander boring, as well. And Jamie and Claire were just the same old repackaged romance hero and heroine and Outlander had the same tropes everyone else used. The TV series is much better.
It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in my feelings about Outlander. Some day I will have to go back and try reading the series, just to get the story elements that never make it to screen. For now though I’m enjoying seeing things unfold without having to get through pages of descriptions or extra characters.
I’ve read the first four _Outlander_ books and by the fourth one, it wasn’t holding my interest and so I decided to stop at Book 5. If the series continues, I think it would be fun to watch without knowing what’s going to happen. I watch _Game of Thrones_ and have happily never read the books. I trust the _Outlander_ TV series to do a nice job with all of the books, if they go on that long. I’ve been wondering what they will do with the aging process of the characters though.
I was halfway through the first book (which I only started after my sister begged me to read and finally gifted to me in an effort to make me read it) when I started watching the series. The TV series brought the books to life for me! I love the casting, the sets, the costumes & most of all, I love the chemistry between Jamie and Claire. I couldn’t wait to read all the books – and I did! Book 2 is one of my least favorites in the series – and I eagerly anticipate book 3 – one of my favorites. Outlander – watching it, reading it – made me a romance fan. This former book snob now proudly reads anything (almost) that sounds interesting AND has the word romance and/or sexy in its description. I think newcomers to the series will love the costumes, France & the intrigue of book 2. They might resent the slow pacing – lots of backstory set in Franks time (Frank shmank – I only want Jamie) before the we meet up with Jamie and Claire and the climax of the ending. Me? I’ll love it anyway I can get it!
Honestly, I HATED the first book and couldn’t get through the 2nd either. But I truly love the show. On a more critical note, I thought the books were in need of a good editor because honestly I found them to be over long and choppy in parts. My impression was that there were filler scenes unnecessary to the plot or character development. My friend and I both thought Outlander the book read more as a TV series which is why both she and I gave the show a chance – and boy are we glad we did. The show is near perfection as far as I’m concerned.
I’d read the first book and loved it and enjoyed the first season of the show tremendously. But I only got through the first third of the second book and so this season’s plot is a mystery to me. It’s a different experience, but still one I’m very much looking forward to.
Same here, Dabney. I know many readers who gave up on Dragonfly in Amber while Jamie and Claire were being boring in France.
I listened to the audio of Outlander last year in preparation of the show starting. I expected to love the book because I’d heard such rave reviews but I found it overly long. Honestly half that book could’ve been left out and it would’ve told the same story. The main story is fantastic but parts like the wolf attack made me roll my eyes and long for the conclusion.
Dragonfly in Amber was one of my least favorites in the series. When I re-read the books, I typically skip this one and Ho straight to Voyager.
I love both and will shout it from the rafters! :):):)