What I Read -- Outlander

In an adventure which deserves a post all its own (one that hopefully I will get around to soon), K planned an excellent trip to London and Edinburgh last month.  I skipped ahead a few months in my 2023 Reaching Challenge to read my August book, Outlander, because its setting matched my travel destinations.

I admit that I have previously watched all but the most recent seasons of the television version of Outlander, and I'm not sure I intend to read the remainder of the books in any short order.  That is not to say that it wasn't an enjoyable read.  It has to be enjoyable to get through 850 pages, but I have lots of other things to read and the show is an easier, quicker, and multi-taskier way to take in what amounts to basically the same material.

For those who have managed to avoid the basics of the plot since this was first published a generation ago, it tells the story of Claire Randall a/k/a Beauchamp a/k/a Fraser.  The story opens in 1945, shortly after the conclusion of WWII.  Claire spent her war years nursing the British wounded.  She's taking a much-needed vacation with her husband Frank to Scotland, where Frank is ensconced in his family's genealogical research.  Claire, left somewhat to her own devices, finds a doorway through time and travels back to the Scottish Highlands of 1743.  She must learn their manners and customs, and navigate a country which is hovering on the edge of war with her own English ancestors. And then, of course, there's Jamie.  He's the swarthy, unbreakable Strider of his day, if you're into that sort of thing.