Welcome to Outlander Recaps!
I'm Gemma, and I have decided to blog about reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I invite you to read along with me and discuss your own readings in the comments. Before I begin, I should offer a few words about my plans:
First, what do I propose to do? My plan is to read each chapter of Outlander and post my thoughts about it on this site. I will be using two sources, the audiobook narrated by Davina Porter (so I can listen while driving/cooking), and the Kindle edition (so that I look up how to spell Laoghaire over and over again).
Second, why am I doing this? Mostly, I am writing here to preserve peace in my real life. My wonderful Spouse (who is, incidentally, a tall, long-haired redhead) is slightly bemused by this whole phenomenon and will listen politely to my theories, but I can see their eyes glaze over when I go on for too long. My siblings and colleagues are good for discussions of the Starz show, but haven't gotten into the novels (yet). My little sister has started reading, but sloooowly. So I'm writing here so that I can indulge myself without annoying anyone.
Third, what is the spoilers policy around here? I have seen the whole first season of Outlander on Starz, so I am familiar with the general plot of Book #1. For the purposes of this site, feel free to comment on anything that happened in the show, but limit book discussion to the chapters currently under consideration. That means that you should NOT spoil future books (or later chapters). Spoilery comments will be deleted or disemvoweled.
Fourth, what about outside information? I am a newcomer to the world of Outlander, not a long-time fan. In fact, I didn't even watch the TV show as it aired — I decided to start watching after two of my siblings spent a family dinner fighting about whether graphic sexual content was inherently gratuitous or a defensible narrative choice. Sign me up. So I have not participated in any message boards, read any author interviews, or seen very much in the way of reviews/think pieces related to Outlander. I know there is a robust fandom out there and that I will probably blunder my way into long-standing controversies, but, at the moment, I inhabit a place of blissful ignorance. I'm mostly going to be confining myself to the text of the novel, rather than seeking out fan theories or other outside information.
Fifth, what are my credentials as a reviewer? As I said, I am not an established fan of this series, just an interested newbie. I do have an advanced degree in the humanities (not literature) and a professional interest in the 18th century (though not 18th-century Scotland). I'm not an expert, just a reader. These recaps are my own subjective reactions to Outlander, not any sort of definitive interpretation.