So many people have touted this book and the whole series as outstanding that I may have let my excessive expectations color my enjoyment of the story.

The story involves a woman named Claire Randall who steps into a Stonehenge type circle and is dropped 200 years into the past from 1945 to 1743. She meets, marries and falls in love with a Scottish Laird, Jamie Fraser, and decides to stay in the past. There is a lot of ups and downs in their relationship and in Fraser's life as he is wanted for murder by the British authorities.

I often have trouble with first person accounts (the Moby Dick effect) and this story was no exception. Claire's constant reflections on her situation became boring. Her stupid behavior in many situations was frustrating. I never thought I would say this but there was too much emphasis and too many detailed descriptions of Claire and Jamie having sex. Jamie's stubbornness in the face of obvious danger was also frustrating.

On the positive side, the supporting characters are excellently drawn. The descriptions of life in the mid-eighteenth century are very well done. The main villain John Randall is truly evil but also believable for that time.

In summary, the story just dragged too much for my taste. It occurred to me that maybe I just do not have the sensibilities to enjoy a romance/adventure novel such as this. I think I'll wait a couple months and then decide if I want to try the second volume in the series or just go ahead and list it on Bookmooch.com.



Kris (USA: WV) (2011/03/17):
I have to admit I didnt get thru the first chapter of this book, it just couldnt hold my attention. Im a bit dissapointed because the plot sounded great but I couldnt keep my eyes on the pages long enough to get to the good parts. I think part of my problem with this book was the language used. I have trouble with some books that use local slang or old english (at risk of making myself sound like a idiot - I get confused and cant follow the story line).