Tuesday, August 15, 2006

An Unpopular Opinion

After procrastinating for much of the year , I've done what I said I would do for 2006 . One of my resolutions - I only made a few and losing weight was NOT one of them.

I read a book. A BIG book. A book that so many rave about, clamor over, sigh over and press into our minds that we are missing something if we don't.

Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon.


Once again, I swim against the current.
I am not in love with the character of Jamie Fraser.
Nor am I "in like".
I tolerate.

My wonderful cousin has been asking me for two years to read it and you know what? I HAD read it somewhere in the past. I remember the cows, the vaccination mark on Geillie , and Randall's perversity and how Claire cured Jamie of his PTSD.
It was LONG and detailed and I found myself skimming. Yes - the prose was descriptive and colorful.
I appreciate the hard work that Diana had to have done in preparation for writing this book never mind the actual creation of it.
I can see the allure of a slightly older women tuturing her younger and virginal husband. But did it inspire me to read the series further?
Did it create an obsession?
A desire that needs to be assuaged by buying all the books in the series immediately?

No.
Not by a long shot.

Someone please explain to me what the allure is of Outlander that generates such passion, dedication and loyalty among its readers.

I don't feel it.

6 comments:

Brandy said...

I must be another odd duck, I didn't really care for it, either. I found it distracting.

Daisy Dexter Dobbs said...

You know, Michele, I still haven’t read this book. Like you, I’ve heard so many wonderful things about it but it’s just so big and would take so much time to read… I LOVE to read and do so every day but I try to finish a book in a couple of days and then read something entirely different to help keep me on top of what’s being published. And the books I take to bed to read have to be small ones otherwise they’ll make a thunderous thud when they fall out of my hand as I drift off to sleep. LOL

Unknown said...

I loved the book and have read all of them and am eagerly awaiting the next. The only one I didn't care for was the one based on Lord John Grey. The reason I liked these books was the amazing way Gabaldon uses her words. Paints her pictures. Evokes emotion. Oh, yeah. They are huge, but I take them one page at a time.

Michele said...

*wink*, Hello TO Brandy, a fellow Quack-up! (VBG)

Daisy! I hear you and agree. I enjoy a book I can read in a day. It only took 2 days to read Outlander, but I admit, some of that was burning the midnight oil.
I just wanted to "get through" it.
The only "clunk" from a book I get is when I go to my TBR pile, and it falls on me.

Chickey! Hello and warm welcomes!
I see where you are coming from with regards to enjoying the descriptions and creative imagery. I agree with you in that area. I just didn't connect with the characters as I'd thought I would or should. There was no secondary character that I feel driven to find out about, that I feel deserves an HEA for whatever said secondary character had to go through in the initial story.
Robin D. Owens, LKH, Charlaine Harris, even Jim Butcher have all accomplished that for me. Not Diana - at least, not yet. I have two others in my TBR and I'll get around to them, just don't know when.

Thanks so much for commenting though. :-)

Emmy Ellis said...

Never heard of the book or author.

Oops.

:o)

Michele said...

Until my cousin, neither had I.
Now, thankx to me, you do too.

But as you can tell, I'm not one for glowing and zealous support of it. Outlander was an adequate read,however.

Thanks for stopping by today, M.E.!

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