Monday, June 8, 2009

Cross Stitch (Outlander Series) by Diana Gabaldon -- A Book Review

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century - and a lover in another...In 1945, Claire Randall is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon in Scotland. Innocently, she walks through a stone circle in the Highlands, and finds herself in a violent skirmish-taking place in 1743. Suddenly, she is a Sassenach, an outlander, in a country torn by war and by clan feuds. A wartime nurse, Claire can deal with the bloody wounds that face her. But it is harder to deal with the knowledge that she is in Jacobite Scotland and the carnage of Culloden is looming. Marooned amid the passion and violence, the superstition, the shifting allegiances and the fervent loyalties, Claire is in danger from Jacobites and Redcoats - and from the shock of her own desire for James Fraser, a gallant and courageous young Scots warrior. Jamie shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire, and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

1 comment:

  1. I don’t even know where to start with this review. I saw on Amazon it had 72 five star reviews and 8 one star reviews so I thought I’d give it a try. I am a sucker for time traveling stories. So, for me the time travel in this book wasn’t an issue. My issue was the story itself. She goes back into time and gets into a lot of trouble where her new young husband has to save her a million times. She says that she feels content living in the1700s after coming from 1945. I’m sorry, but I hardly feel comfortable living in a different country in the present. Change isn’t that easy, but after 4 months or so she feels like she fits right in. Not once thinking about her husband Frank. Then the forced marriage and the beating and the gay rape and she kills a wolf (a sick one, but mind you a wolf) with her bare hands. What is that all about? Then when Jamie gets arrested she goes to help him escape and while she’s banging away at his chains with a mallet the Capt’ comes in and she does nothing. It never once said he had a gun to her or anything she just stands there and lets him tie her hands up. I was screaming in my head “for Pete’s sake women use the mallet!!!” but did she? NO! Then her tortured husband has only the use of one hand and he jumps this guy while she lies on the bed with her hands tied. WTF? I would have jumped up and started kicking or something. I was okay with the time travel like I said I like time traveling stories…but this one was ridiculous and then I’m suppose to be convinced to read the rest of the series? Ha!

    I don't know why I bothered finishing this book. Maybe my hopes were too high for this. I did forgive some things. One minute she was a damsel in distress next she was an indpendent woman. I just feel her character was a bit all over the place. And I didn't really feel the love between Claire and Jamie. They were forced to marry to help her and I know love grows and so on. I just felt that he was a little kid compared to her.

    I do however see why other people would love this story. Diana is a good writer and the way the story flows is good. I just don't like her characters. Maybe I should see if she has any other books that don't involve these characters!!

    So I say read it if you like romances and time travel :0) don't if you can't stand either one of those!!

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