The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Released 1991 and October 26, 2004 (Outlander with bonus content)
$7.99 Paperback and $8.99 Kindle (with bonus content)
Fiction/Historical Romance

This book just celebrated it's 20th anniversary. I think it's a testament to Diana Gabaldon's writing and the characters she created that this story is still as relevant today as it was 20 years ago.  I only just discovered this book and the series last summer when my cousin recommended it to me. My cousin owns every book in the series and also on her Nook, knew that I tend to gravitate towards books in a series and literature  that has  alot of sex  in it.
I was skeptical at first. The book met the above mentioned requirements but it was listed as a "historical romance". I do not do historical books. I do not want to read about old fashioned sex. No petticoats or Lords or Barons in the bedchamber for me! I have come to find out though, that so many women I know have read this book and fallen in love with it. At this point, I am discovering that by reading the "Outlander" you automatically become part of a secret cult of women called the "Fraser Clan" groupies. Nah...just kidding. Seriously though, the fans of Gabaldon are pretty devoted.
I can see why the world is crazy about this story. It is devastatingly good. Diana Gabaldon writes with extreme attention to detail. At times that was wonderful; I could imagine what the sunshine felt like in 1746. Other times, I felt like the details were just page fillers. I don't need to know about the moss on the castle wall (it's in the book!).
The painstaking detail is one of the reasons this book took me about 2 1/2 to 3 months to read. That and it's   thousands of pages long. It was completely worth the time though! The love story of Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall should be in the literary hall of fame. If there isn't such a place-please invent one just for these two characters. The love scenes in this book were romantic, hot and dirty. I mean dirty as in unclean. They didn't have indoor plumbing back then and these two spent much of their time outdoors in the wilderness of Scotland. I actually had to put this book down several times and go and take a cold shower. Yowza. The battle scenes were intense and the torture scenes extremely painful but impossible to skim past. I have read so many books that have left an impression  but this book has two really powerful scenes that I will carry in my mind forever.
For those who have already read the book- you are imagining right now...the scene with Jamie and Captain Randall-prison. The chapter(s) with Jamie and Claire in the monastery. Scenes that make you cry, sweat, feel revulsion and love with just written words. I felt burned by those pages. Amazing.
Fictional writing at it's most powerful.

Do I recommend it: Yes.
But: For the fans .....I imagine Jamie as a towering man with Black hair and Blue eyes! Sorry... the red-headed Scot doesn't do it for me!

Bonus material: Go to www.dianagabaldon.com for more background on the Outlander book and series. There is also a companion guide for the first few books, "The Outlandish Companion". Beware though, if you haven't read the first 3 or 4 books this contains spoilers.