Outlander is the first in a series of books by Diane Gabaldon. It begins at the end of WWII. Claire Randall; a former nurse is on a second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband, Frank. They have been apart for the last few years; both serving during the war. While walking alone one day, Claire comes across a stone circle. Circles of standing stones are common in England and Scotland. She passes through a cracked stone and disappears. When she awakes she finds herself in 1743 Scotland where she meets a British soldier. This man looks exactly like Frank, her husband, but she quickly realizes that he is not. He is Black Jack Randall; Franks 6th time grandfather. Black Jack Randall is an evil, sadistic man. While escaping Randall she is rescued by a band of Scottish clansmen. To prevent being taken by Black Jack Randall, she is forced to marry a young Clansman, Jamie Frazer.
While being held by the clan, she tried to escape back to the stones to return home to her husband, but slowly falls in love with Jamie. This begins an adventure that leads her on a complicated journey between her life with her husband in 1946 and the love she has for Jaime Fraser in 1743.
This is more than a great love story. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little history, a lot of action and drama but most of all a great read.
Reviewed by Pat Bentley.