So disappointed!! Outlander, both book & TV, spoilers ahoy..

[Amibambini]

Watched the first 8 or 9 episodes of the series and bloody loved it! Time Travel! Plucky heroine! Sam Hueghan in a kilt! I could get lost under that kilt forever.

Anyhoo, so high on dramatic bag pipe fumes I downloaded the book and the first half had me gripped with its trashy sexy goodness. I was reading while pushing the buggy and my poor kid was being bounced into walls. Omg there are 7 more of these bad boys, goodbye all future spare time and accident free buggy trips. But then misgivings started to creep in. 'Hmm, it's quite a bit rapey this.', 'Wow, 18th century fort security is rubbish!', 'Am I supposed to be finding this domestic violence.. cute?', 'See you later witch trial plot!' etc.

Despite these eye rolls I was still fairly into it and cared enough about the characters to want to know what happened to them. And then the whole wolf, cows and ridiculously unsecured back door of a prison caper went down. I mean come on, there was obviously no cctv back in the day but bitch, please.

I'll happily suspend my belief for a time traveling nurse, if the story is good enough I'll go along with pretty much anything. But the spell was well and truly broken when she paused in her implausible prison break to kill a wild wolf with her bare hands. And as I was so near the end, I had to hate-read It through. What. The. Fahhhhh. I don't know about you guys but when I try and solve my violent sex problems with drugs and more violent sex, I tend to end up with more problems, not less.

I don't think I've experienced such a vast, crashing disappointment of a denouement before. Despite the extreme sexiness of Sam Heughan and the excellent production values, I can't even bring myself to finish the TV series. At least my daughter will be safe from being strolled into walls because those books are now nothing more to me than a million pages of Hell No.

Ah that feels better. Totally needed to get that off my chest, I don't know anyone irl that fell down the Outlander rabbit hole. Love to hear anyone else's take.

Great review, I didn't make it past page, what. . 30? But then, I thought it was like a proper book. That, it ain't!

Aww, I loved the (first) book and the TV series. I have a serious crush on Sam/Jamie. It's only a week later that I'm having doubts about the whole thing.

However, I've downloaded the next two books in the series. I skipped ahead to the bit in Edinburgh (as someone on the TV thread said that's the best bit) and DG has introduced a character that all the others are referring to as 'the Chinese.' And I've gone back to start 'Dragonfly In Amber' and I'm only a few pages in and I already can't stand Brianna (sorry if there's any spoilers in there.) I'm seriously disappointed.

However, I did think the TV series is tons better than the book. I'm not sure how they're going to tackle the next books

noooooooo you can't just go from the end of book one to halfway through book 3 in Edinburgh. You've missed tons of relevant stuff

Get back and read it properly

red I know, I'm awful person

I'm maybe halfway through DIA now, and I have to say I'm skipping all the intrigue stuff coz as far as I'm concerned, I know they're not going to stop Culloden happening. And I still wish she'd stopped at one book. But then I wouldn't have the next TV series to look forward to, I suppose.

The tv series is only good up to the halfway point. It really lost its way after the hiatus in the middle of series one.

The books are absolutely nonsense but enjoyable nonsense if you want to switch off your brain. The rape nonsense is utterly despicable. Seems to be a way of livening up the plot a bit.

If you carry on reading, read the first three as a trilogy. It doesn't sound like you've got enough emotional investment to carry you through the rest. Life's too short. I certainly prefer Voyager to the other two books. The Edinburgh bit referenced above (and in the long thread about Outlander) is worth it.

I preferred the second half of the TV series tbh. And I only read the book because of the series. If I hadn't seen it on telly, I probably wouldn't have bothered reading Crosstitch at all, even though when I did pick it up, I finished it in two days.

Mind you, I felt the same about True Blood. Loved the series, but the books-not so much.

Really? I suppose having read the books first, I found the second half laboured, derivative, out of character in several places and gratuitous.

Yep really

I was only half watching the first seven eps or so. It only picked up when they got married (make of that what you will). I know they added all the Douglas Henshall bits (I don't think they were in the book?) but I'll easily take that over Claire killing a wolf

I also thought the episodes that were Jamie-lite dragged.

Brilliant review!

I don't know about you guys but when I try and solve my violent sex problems with drugs and more violent sex, I tend to end up with more problems, not less.

I thought the ending of the book was very fanfic hurt/comfort and felt pretty squeamish about it (not to mention the spanking scene when they first meet).

Massive spoiler alert

• if you do plough through the rest of the series, pretty much all the main characters get raped at some point.

agree with you 100% OP! I was so ready to love outlander, and at first I did (TV series, not tackled the books yet, really wanted to but not sure it's wise now) but started to get a bit at how rapey it is and the finale just seemed needlessly ghoulish. very samey too, anytime claire needs taking down a peg or two someone rips open her dress. The jamie/discipline scene is just plain odd and felt out of context/badly acted - I thought he was joking? Then jamie becomes this ridiculous fantasyman, impossibly progressive? The cow/fortress security was INSANE. I cant suspend disbelief that much, sorry.

I now don't give a shit what those two do in france and oh, she's having a baby - yawn. I actually want to go back and see what's happened to frank, he's the best character for me lol

I only saw the first few episodes of the TV series, but I will say it's very pleasing on the eye - love the setting, the music, and the characters are physically close to what I imagined. By the sounds of it, I should just enjoy my memory of the first few and leave it at tht.

Like you I read the book and found the ending very disappointing and troublesome. I stopped watching the TV series at around episode 10 as a result and don't really have an interest to go back to it.

I downloaded book 2 and got about 120 pages in to it but I have also lost interest in that at the moment. I might pick it up as a holiday read but I think something more riveting might be in order.

Thanks for your comments everyone! I've not checked into the thread for a while and it filled while I wasn't looking.

Bibliomania - hurt/comfort fanfic! Yes that is so it.

I know I swore off anymore but like after a disgusting greasy truck stop hamburger which leaves you sweating 'never again'.. I have a hankering.. A need, a need for cheese!

Should I do it?

Yes, go on. I'm now in the middle of Voyager, and after taking Sauls advice to just go with it and accept it for the pile of nonsense it is, I found them more enjoyable.

Although, I have to say, the more I read, the less I'm liking the characters. And the plot holes... Oh Lordy, the plot holes! I feel they're best read and then forgotten because if you think too hard, you realise they're absolute tosh!

Having said all that, I don't think I'll be bothering with the fourth one.

Oh, I read Cross Stich years ago when it first came out, really enjoyed it. Read the second and the third and found them harder and harder going. Was away on holiday last year and picked it up to re-read and was appalled at how rapey and full of DV it was

So I ended up reading the second and third one. I enjoyed the second one the most, it's plot was interesting enough despite the holes and 'he ran his hands through his red gold hair' every bloody page.
But my god the third one was rubbish. A pile of repetitive tosh, tedious characters and a lot of very shallow and racist stereotypes.
I can safely say I'm not going back.. In fact I don't think I even finished it because it was that bad.

It's a shame because the tv series had such potential, the chemistry between the actors playing Claire & Jaime is quite electrifying and satisfying to watch, but the material just goes downhill.. Ah well.

I have to admit I absolutely love the whole series. I wasn't keen on the first part of book 3 but after the printshop bit I loved it

i found the tv series better than the book (didn't read after the first book) mostly due to the look of the TV series being so good (& Sam Heughan) - can't bear to watch the last 2 episodes of S1 though - if I'm watching escapist historical make-believe, I don't want it to have gratuitous sexual violence in it...totally can't see that was necessary

I think in many ways the TV series is better than the book. The last two episodes are very harrowing, excellent acting by Sam Heughan and Tobias Menzies, but very challenging to watch. I will watch the first series again at some point, but not those episodes.

I saw the TV series and really liked it.
So I downloaded the books.
BIG mistake.
They are just awful.
Got the through the first one but gave up about halfway through the Second.
Dire.
Will give the next series a look for the simple reason the TV series isn't following the books religiously.

I did start on the fourth one I think but had to give it up. It opened while they were still at The Gathering and my god, it was interminable. In fact, reading the books has actually put me off the character of Jamie. Don't want to ruin it for anyone else, but if the author wasn't so in love with the character she's created, she'd realise he's a bit of an arsehole.

I am a few months too late but you are completely right OP.

And I know that the author is American and had never visited Scotland when she wrote the books, but an 18th century Highland laird called Brian? Really? And his wife is called Ellen.

Also, why do the Gaels all speak perfect(ish) Scots as though Scots and Gaelic are interchangeable? What would they have done with a Doric character?

The rape scenes are just uncomfortable. Seems like the writer relishes them. Totally agree about the fanfic comment. At other points it felt like soft porn disguised as historical drama.

That's 99p I am never getting back. Will only be watching for Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe from now on. Preferably on mute. If I hear another "verra" I am likely to stab someone.

I read a classier version of the book, by Sara Donati. Avoided all the above pitfalls but it was a bit dull.

My daughter was raving about this book the other day. Having read the above I won't bother with it. She reads lots of Leslie Pierce which I find not to my liking but then I confess to being a bit of a literary snob! I love a good story but I need it to be well written. I was hoping that this book might fit the bill!