Outlander Saved My Mentality

I am very picky person when it comes to books. Everyone around me always says to broaden my horizons and read a little of everything so I took a good friend's word on it and started several years ago to do so. I stopped reading for about a year mainly because of work and how exhausted I'd be when I got home. I tried picking up various books but nothing could pull me back in. People always say it takes one good book to pull you back into the world of literature. And it's very true. In a time where I was losing sight of my values, my morals, my own self, where everything was crashing down and stress was eating me alive in my life...I came across the book series, Outlander. Some of you may say that is so cliche- but no...Outlander was honestly the book that fell into my hands and saved me. 

I came across Outlander when I saw a commercial of it on TV. Because of how many books are being turned into shows, I decided to try my chance and see if Outlander was a book and it turned out that it was. When it turned out it was and I read the synopsis to it, I knew I had to get the books no matter what. The story intrigued me, the first few pages that I read sucked me in and pretty soon I was lost in the world of Outlander. The writing style flows so well, the transitions and characters made me lose sight of everything outside of the story. I could not put the book down. It saved me and allowed me to breath despite everything that was going on at work and home. 

Even though the book was released over twenty years ago, the power of the story lives on in all of its readers I am sure. I am not a fan of romance novels unless it's a honorable love story or a deep and meaningful love story. At first I didn't think of it as a deep and meaningful love story until I got deeper into the book, Diana Gabaldon makes you feel every single emotion for every single character in the book and cheer on for Jamie and Claire that it just sold me. By weaving background stories into what was happening in that particular scene and igniting questions in the reader's mind on every page causing everything to be amplified. I have not read such a good series in a long time. The layout of every page and chapter was so well planned and done that Gabaldon is no doubt my second favorite author right after John Steinbeck.

The love between Frank, Claire, and Jamie - tears me apart. The story being told from Claire's point of view breaks my heart into a million pieces when she is conflicted on whether she should go back to her time period or not and the torture she puts herself through on trying to save Frank by preserving Jack Randall. It's a gigantic bundle of  no one knows who is right or wrong- or what is the right thing to do. The other aspect in the book that kills me and makes me love so much is the politics, chivalry, the honor, the morals, the values, the humanity, and the importance of a promise. These are things that are no longer of as much importance now as it was back then. 

I recently just started the third book in the series and the first chapter alone touched me. Jamie was on the brink of death with the survivors of the battle of Culloden. The english soldiers found them and was executing them all one by one until he came to Jamie. At the announcement of Jamie's name, the english solider recalled that his deceased brother owed Jamie a debt of honor because Jamie spared his brother's life. The english solider chose to honor it instead of dishonoring his deceased brother's word. That right there is true chivalry and what this world needs a little bit more of. 

There was another scene in the story that destroyed me and that was when Alexander Randall was on the brink of death. Mary Hawkins was with his child. Claire and Jamie were there to be with him during his last moments. It destroyed me- how Alex asked Jack Randall to marry Mary in order to protect her and keep the unborn child under the Randall name. That was a heartbreaking part of the book to read not only to have Jack Randall in the same room as his dying brother in such an intense moment but also for Claire and Jamie to be in the same room as Jack after everything that happened. I finally saw a more human side of Jack Randall in that chapter more than I had in the previous book that I read. I actually felt upset for him. As for how Jamie was, it was amazing how Jamie didn't lash out at Jack Randall after everything. We as people find it hard to forgive, let go, and forget once we've been done wrong for whatever reason. That chapter was a very powerful lesson for myself and everyone that has read that particular passage. To have all those characters who share such a twisted fate- join in one room goes to show us it is possible to put down- let go of differences, anger, grudges, and hate for a brief moment to honor someone on the brink of death. I feel that that is something that everyone has to learn and practice on a daily basis. That passage in the book is my favorite part in the entire series so far.

Outlander also reminds me of a Chinese book called: Scarlet Heart aka Startling by Each Step by Tong Hua. The skeleton of both books are the same, both are focused on historical fiction, time traveling, romance, politics, fantasy, and life. Definitely big on politics- which is why I love both series so much and how when I was reading the first book of Outlander- it seemed so similar to Scarlet Heart. 

As you guys know, usually I don't do blog posts on books but I felt the need to for Outlander. I usually don't do posts on books because I feel no words can describe a good book once I am done with it. I take every book I read on a much deeper level than those technical techniques and terms I learned in school- maybe that is why. Every book I read is like a genuine friend that hurts me when we have to part ways, books are something that builds me and makes me stronger as  person when I am done.