The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I read my fair share of romance novels, so it seemed like a huge gaping hole in my literary education that I had not read the beloved Outlander by Diana Gaboldon. In full disclosure, I'll admit that I have begun this novel no fewer than three times and each time I just kept sending it back to the library after the original time travel scene. I don't do time travel.

And this time I just kept focusing on how the narrator was really and truly just committing adultery and I'm just...not on board with that. So if you take into consideration the time travel, adultery, shrewish main character, and desperately wanting a baby tropes, it is absolutely no wonder I've never completed this book before. It's basically a book with everything I don't love all rolled up into it.

But the writing, man. It's solid. Gabaldon's sentences are fun and exciting to read. After so many hours of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, this book was refreshing in that I looked forward to sitting down with it and just immersing myself in the world. Did I find myself constantly looking up references to make sure that it was time period accurate?  Sure, but doesn't everyone do that when they're reading historical fiction? Did I find myself constantly wonder exactly how smelly it was? Sure, but, again, doesn't everyone?  Was I taken by surprise at the strange religious turn the book took at the end? Yes, but I sometimes forget religion is a thing for people, so I'm going to let that go.

I mean, this is a classic for a reason and props to Gabaldon for some solid writing. But I guarantee I will not read the next book in the series or watch any of the television show. Because, at it turns out, I don't think having babies is particularly exciting or interesting and I'm disappointed that suddenly our lapsed Catholic is having conversations with God.  Go on with ye, if you like this series, but I'm checking out early.