Now is not that almost any woman's dream - a handsome young Highlander? As Diana Galbadon writes on page 262: "A tall, straight-bodied, and by No Means ill-favored young Highlander at close range is breath-taking." Yes, that's for sure - and Claire Randall has the luck to meet her Jamie Traveling back in time from 1945 to 1743 after touching a boulder in an ancient Scottish stone circle. "Outlander" surely is not your average historical romance. Galbadon Creates some most memorable characters and her plot and sub-plots are strong. Most of all, her narrative voice is compelling, her writing style smooth and straight-forward. Many people had recommended the first book of the "Outlander" saga did I was very excited to finally read it myself. Maybe my expectations had been too high Because of all the praise, but It took me a long time to settle into the story even though the writing itself is superb. Later in the novel, I did Not particularly care for the many explicit sex and violence scenes. Some of them felt too intense for my taste. All in all, "Outlander" is silent on outstanding novel in the historical romance genre, so most readers will love it if They Do not MindGraphic scenes.