[Micdiddy]

I finished Outlander a few weeks after the Book Club did, in fact I was only up to speed the first two weeks. It didn't really hold my interest as much I was hoping. I liked the plot, but then it got really stale and there was too much of just Jamie and Claire being in love, having sex, being a little bit insulted by the other, getting over it. Both of them never seemed to develop much as characters. Even Claire's big choice to stay with him when she could have gone seemed pretty obvious from the start of their relationship, in fact everytime she wanted to escape I felt it was out of character and disingenuous.
I was really hoping to like it but at the end I didn't get much from it. My favorite books are all literary, layered with meaning, that make me think about them for days afterwards. This one felt like a chore to get through and when I was done I sighed from relief.
When I started it I didn't know it was chick-lit, but at first I was really into it, but then the chick-lit really showed through. Ha, oh well at least I tried something different.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Fair enough, Micdiddy.  It did have some of the standard love story conflicts--the young lovers constantly misunderstanding each other.  Good on you for seeing it through and trying something different!

Betsy

 

[tlshaw]

Sorry you didn't enjoy the book. I guess it isn't everyone's cup of tea. But you tried something new. That is always a good thing.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

MicDiddy, glad to hear from you.  I wondered if you dropped out because you didn't like the book or because you got busy with school.  Thanks for letting us know. 

 

[busy91]

Before I read it I read the same reasons for not liking it (Mainly the sex).  So I know what you are saying.  As for myself, I didn't think the sex was too much, it was much more than I normallly read though.  I thought their relationship was typical.

 

[tlshaw]

Outlander does have quite a bit of sex in it, but it is not gratuitous. It is part of the story showing that Claire and Jamie are both very passionate people. They are passionate about each other, but just as passionate about other things. Like when Jamie is fighting with Jenny or dealing with McNab. Or when Claire is trying to take care of Jamie in the first part of the book. It is not because she cares about him yet, she is still not aware of where or when she is, but there is someone hurt who needs medical attention and she will do whatever she needs to to take care of him, even thought it means sitting on his chest and threatening him.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

Outlander does have quite a bit of sex in it, but it is not gratuitous. It is part of the story showing that Claire and Jamie are both very passionate people. They are passionate about each other, but just as passionate about other things. Like when Jamie is fighting with Jenny or dealing with McNab. Or when Claire is trying to take care of Jamie in the first part of the book. It is not because she cares about him yet, she is still not aware of where or when she is, but there is someone hurt who needs medical attention and she will do whatever she needs to to take care of him, even thought it means sitting on his chest and threatening him.

Well said. The way it's written sets a whole different tone from chick-lit. The depth of the two characters make a big difference, too. It is anything but formulaic.

 

[k_reader]

Obviously, this book is not for everyone.... I would categorize the series as an "Epic Love Story" not a romance novel (usually defined as where the relationship between the heroine/hero is 80% of the story) and certainly not chick-lit.  The Chick-lit genre is usually "light" and about a modern woman's relationships in life (men and women).  The Outlander series is a series of adventure stories with dozens of different characters and subplots over decades, in different places, accross historical periods and events (with Jamie and Claire's relationship always in the middle of it). Anyway, Diana Gabaldon has always had trouble putting Outlander into a literary "genre", and I can see why.

It was great Micdiddy tried something outside his norm, even though he didn't enjoy it... but I can't agree with his categorization that this is chick lit.  I think more women might like this book than men because women love Jamie (What's not to love? ) and women love Love Stories. 

 

[Micdiddy]

K_reader, fair enough, I only labeled it chick-lit because I couldn't think of a better label. It is like fantasy and adventure, but with romance as its central point to a higher extreme than most other adventure books. So chick-lit certainly is not correct in recollection, but still I wasn't too interested in the romance and the adventure seemed few and far between;  a lot of waiting and hiding and narrow misses without a the grand climatic battle that usually follows (though that may come in another book in the series I have just this one as an independent text).
tlshaw, I guess that makes sense that the focus on passion is to illustrate their passionate personalities.
And it's not that I'm prude, I'm perfectly fine reading about sex, but I felt like it took away from other parts of the story and procrastinated furthering the plot a bit.

 

[Concrete Queen]

Micdiddy,

I'm with you. I'm about halfway in, Jamie and Claire got married a few "days" ago, and I'm at the point where it's like "right, time to move on with the plot" and it's not. moving. on. I'll finish it, but I probably won't buy the sequels.

Funny story: I was reading it today after getting my flu shot (I had to wait 15 minutes to make sure I wasn't going to drop over dead or something), and a coworker who was also waiting sat down next to me, saw my Kindle and asked to see it. I had just turned the page and discovered I was on a rather explicit page and she probably saw it. OOPS. *blushes* No more reading Outlander in public. Needless to say, I quickly showed her the home page and used another book to demonstrate the font.

 

[CegAbq]

"right, time to move on with the plot"

They don't "move on". Lots & Lots of details, issues, characters.

I've got lots of friends whom I've tried to get hooked on this series, and it just isn't for everyone.