Outlander - 20 years on....

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Nearly twenty years ago Cross Stitch landed at my feet quite literally when I was searching the library shelves for a good book to read. Intrigued by the title, and more than a little curious to see just how a twentieth century nurse would fare in eighteenth century Scotland, I took the book home.

Captivated by the opening chapter and in love with Jamie by page 100, I read on until my eyes ached with weariness. Time, quite simply, ceased to matter; I existed in a parallel universe, one which was driven by passion and historical intrigue, alive with superstition and dangerously addictive. I devoured every word; I climbed the castle stairs at Leoch, I sat in the great hall and listened to the story teller, I watched with awe the beauty of two people falling in love, and then ranted at the injustice and cruelty of His Majesty’s dragoons. The raw beauty of the Scottish highlands came alive, and the hopes and dreams of a proud nation were expertly captured in the essence of a proud young warrior.

By the time the story was finished Cross Stitch was in the very fabric of my bones, it was in the beat of my heart, and I was obsessed, not just with Jamie, but with the whole Outlander experience. It is the benchmark by which I judge all other books, and the one book I would save if the house was on fire.

This book was released in July 2011 in time for the twentieth anniversary of its first publication, and now thanks to a bunch of wonderful American friends I have my very own copy,actually signed and dedicated to me by Diana Gabaldon.

......I am a very happy Sassenach....

Outlander is also known by the title Cross Stitch 

© Diana Gabaldon 1991

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