Novel Of The Week: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

It is starting to becoming an habit (for me) to watch movies/tv series based on book first and then actually read them...Outrageous, I know! Based on the 1^ season of the series and the 1^ book of the saga, here my review and thoughts on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon!

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1945. Claire Beauchamp Randall is starting is married life again, after serving for 6 years as a nurse in the army, during Worl War II. She has been separeted from her husband Frank for so long, so they're going on a "second honeymoon" in Scothland, before they move to Oxford, where Frank will teach.

After observing a "dance of the witches", that took place by the rocks Craigh na Dun, Claire goes there once again to collect a few herbs and plants she thought might be interesting to study...and that's when she hears awful screaming and voices, before she passes out.

When she wakes up, she finds herself in the middle of what she thought was an "historical re-enactment" of a battle, so you can easily imagine her shock and surprise when she understands she is actually gone back in time, in 1743. 
After being saved from a Brithis soldier (who looked exactly like her husband) by a Scottish man, Claire is now a "prisoner" of the MacKenzie clan and is conducted with the soldiers at Leoch castle, where she'll prove to be a valid doctor.

Claire, of course, wants to get back to her century and she takes every possibility she has to try to run away. In the meantime, she gets close to Jamie MacKenzie Fraser, a young redhead man, kind and polite to her.

She and Jamie will have to face lots of adventures and events and the love that binds them can only grow as long as they get to know each other...

What I liked

I loved the Scottish background: traditions, costumes and last but not least, the Scottish gaelic. The descriptions of the places the protagonist visits and people she mets are detailed and I thought I was there sometimes. Lastly, the character of Jamie is very well designed and descriped, I loved him so much! I loved Claire's character: I appreciate she has been described as a strong, intelligent woman, even if she was too much stubborn for my tastes.

What I did not like

There isn't a specifical thing I didn't liked, but if I have to make a comparison to the TV serie, I found that the affection and passion that binds Claire to Jamie have been portrayed better on the screen than in the book.

There are no major differences between the novel and the 1 season of "Outlander", beside a few characters and minor events during the story's main line.
I was happy to re living such a great story and to be again in that world. I would suggest this book to everyone!

FunFact

A few members of the cast in Outlander were in the movies "Notting Hill" (Father Bain was Max in NH) and "Four Weddings and A Funeral" (Duke of Sandringham was the amazing Gareth and Reverend Wakefield was Tom).

My Vote: 9/10

Related book and movies are:                                                                                                                          
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Time and Time Again by Ben Elton
- The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

- "Timeline" (2003) by Richard Donner. With Paul Walker, Gerard Butler and Billy Connolly 
- "The Butterfly Effect" (2004) by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. With Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Melora Walters
- "Hot Tub Time Machine" (2010) by Steve Pink. With  John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke