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My mom's reaction to OUTLANDER



So I finally got my mom to read OUTLANDER, and what was her reaction?

"It's not really my cup of tea."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well, there's a LOT of sex!" (I just nodded, trying not to laugh.) "And it's very violent. Wife-beating and all that."

Before I could say something coherent about different cultural perspectives between the 18th and 20th centuries, and how Jamie's actions only seem outrageous from our modern point of view, she went on, not missing a beat:

"What's the name of the next book?"

"DRAGONFLY IN AMBER," I said, a little surprised. "Should I bring you a copy? You want to keep reading?"

"Yes," she said. "I want to read all of them before we go." (Before our trip to Scotland in July, she meant.)

So, we'll see. I did assure her that the last part of OUTLANDER is about as intense as it gets in the whole series, and the next book is quite different. I am hoping that she'll continue with the series at least through VOYAGER, but I'm not going to pester her about it. It will be interesting to see what her reaction is to DRAGONFLY, though.

Have any of you had this experience, where a friend or family member didn't get addicted right away? Just wondering.

(Judy L., if you're reading this, please note that my mom is at least making a good-faith effort to read the books before we go. And that's progress. <g> She's looking forward to the trip, regardless.)

By the way, my mother does not read this blog, so I figured it was OK to talk about her reaction here.
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  1. author-avatar
    Diane in GA January 7, 2012 at 9:13 PM
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    One member of my book club give a thumbs down to Outlander. The rest of us just couldn't believe it! Jamie just wasn't her cup of tea. She much prefers Pride and Prejudice's Mr Darcy.
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    Juliazun January 7, 2012 at 9:14 PM
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    Well, I recommended Outlander to a friend who read up through Voyager and then just quit. I don't understand that at all. I thought the end of Voyager was sort of a cliffhanger.
  3. author-avatar
    Anna I. January 7, 2012 at 9:26 PM
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    My mom is the one who recommended Outlander to me! BTW, I'm very jealous that you are going to Scotland...someday!
  4. author-avatar
    Lara January 7, 2012 at 9:41 PM
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    I bought Outlander for my best friend (she's very aware of how I feel about the series and about Diana). I honestly thought she'd love it, but she never even finished it. I was disappointed, but I figure it's her loss. I enjoy my Outlander community and that's all that matters. I'm happy your mom is giving it a try and I think it's adorable that despite too much sex and violence, she's willing to keep reading. Keep us posted on her progress and thoughts of DiA.
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    Kristin_Texas January 8, 2012 at 12:03 AM
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    "...a LOT of sex!" - Well, he is a Scot... and fictional at that. :p

    I'm glad to hear she's willing to to continue reading. I think that's great. At least she's giving it a fair chance.

    Kristin
  6. author-avatar
    Jo January 8, 2012 at 2:33 AM
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    I tried with one friend and she found it boring - but then, she is a sci-fi nut and the time travel didn't fulfil that enough. So I passed it to another who couldn't get past the Black Jack stuff and gave up, so I gave it to ANOTHER who is now even more obsessed than me, I think, so that made up for it :D My mum gave them to me.
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    Barbie January 8, 2012 at 9:35 AM
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    I think my mom picked up DIA once, when she found it in her living community's library. She recognized the author's name because I have talked about these books since '94. She said she just couldn't get into the story. Well, duh... it's the 2nd book. Still, she wasn't into giving the first one a try. Oh, well... my sister loves it, and I've just gotten my daughter into it. I do have to say that I'm having lots of fun finally being able to share this book with her... she was 5 when I first discovered it.
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    Unknown January 8, 2012 at 11:11 AM
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    I begged my mom to read it and then she said that she wanted to read it to see what the heck I was making such a big deal for.

    A short while later she started texting me at 4am because she hadn't gone to bed! She loved it and complimented me on my reading taste. She has since read the entire Outlander series.
  9. author-avatar
    JustHeather January 8, 2012 at 12:07 PM
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    My mom introduced me to Outlander. It took her two times of sending me the first book, to which I figured I had better read it and after that I was hooked!!! I'm sad she'll never be able to read the of Diana's books, but I'll always have something to think of her by.

    Also, I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice... Ugh! So not my cup of tea and I love tea (reading too)!
  10. author-avatar
    Nichole January 8, 2012 at 4:38 PM
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    I admit, I was the one who didn't get hooked right away, I just couldn't get into Outlander but a good friend had lent it to me and was so convinced I would love it I felt bad saying no to Dragonfly in Amber when she offered it next. I'm so happy I read Dragonfly in Amber because that got me hooked :)
  11. author-avatar
    pat January 10, 2012 at 8:32 AM
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    I read the first 4 books and was hooked, but rather than passing them direct to Mum I bought her them for Christmas. I knew she was enjoying them but it wasn't until I bought her Fiery Cross for mother's day and found she'd already gone out and bought it for herself that I realised how much! She was as hooked as I am and, like JustHeather, I'm sad that she'll never read the new ones. I'm going to make sure her set goes to someone who 'deserves' them as most have signed bookplates.
    (She also confused my Dad by buying a Fraser thimble for me on one of their annual Scottish trips!)
  12. author-avatar
    Deniz Bevan January 11, 2012 at 1:05 PM
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    Hmm, I've only had two people reject the books and I've made at least three converts. Two friends had read it before me, as well as one friend's mother and a second friend whom that friend also introduced the books to. So I've got at least six people around me who love the books and 2 - no 3! I forgot my mother; 3 people who weren't enamoured. One doesn't like romances (I know, I know) and never got past Outlander, one got bogged down by DiA cos she said she wasn't interested in the historical detail (a lot of people say this about DiA. What extraneous detail are they talking about? I remember Jamie and shaving, Jamie and the sausage, Faith, meeting Bree, and all sorts of other stuff. I don't remember endless historical detail?), and my mother... I think it was too close to the bone for her. She can't read books where pain, etc. is spelled out in such detail.
    Still waiting on one person at work who hasn't started yet...
  13. author-avatar
    maria January 29, 2012 at 5:51 PM
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    My sister-in-law gave me Outlander a couple years ago, i placed it on the bookcase barely giving it a second glance. (i know stupid). Then couple years later i got deployed, found the book in the Library. Holy cow the Outlander books have got me though that deployment and the next one. Trying to get others to read it, but no avail.
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