Drums of Autumn

Outlander, Book 4

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 44 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Diana Gabaldon's fans will be delighted to find Jamie and Claire as spirited and endearing as ever in this fourth installment of this magnificent saga. Romance, history, and time travel blend once again as the couple builds a new life together in the wilderness of pre-Revolutionary America.

Twice Claire has used an ancient stone circle to travel back to the 18th century. The first time she found love with a Scottish warrior but had to return to the 1940s to save their unborn child. The second time, 20 years later, she reunited with her lost love but had to leave behind the daughter that he would never see. Now Brianna, from her 1960s vantage point, has found a disturbing obituary and will risk everything in an attempt to change history.

Davina Porter's narrative talent adds a special vibrance and resonance to Gabaldon's complex, colorful characters.

©1997 Diana Gabaldon (P)1999 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Gabaldon's range is impressive, whether she's evoking the rawness of colonial America, the cozy clutter of a modern Scottish parsonage, the lusts of the body or the yearnings of the spirit. Her legion of fans will love diving into this ocean of romance." ( Publishers Weekly)

Wonderful book!

This is the first of the books I’ve listened to since I cannot wait for the next season on Starz! It took a few chapters to catch the rhythm but once I did the beauty of the writing and the excellent narration swept me through the story.

I love the way the story is unfolding. My only complaint is that I do not believe Brianna would speak in an English accent. But it doesn’t prevent me from enjoying the book. I am already listening to the next installment!

Davina Porter is a Skillful Narrator

Davina Porter almost perfectly tells the story Gabaldon wrote. I am amazed at the way she is able to give each character a different voice right down to accent in most cases. The only type of accent she cannot do is American which is unfortunate but forgivable since she is so wonderful at nearly every other aspect of story telling. my inebper peeve is that as I read along with her I found that she sometimes skipped over a sentence here or there. Most noticeably toward the end of the novel. Not a huge deal but since I was reading along it was hard to miss. Overall a really good listen. I'd definitely recommend it and anything else read by Davina Porter.

Excellent story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes- it kept you interested and entertained.

What did you like best about this story?

That the daughter also went back in time though the stone.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I had a few technical issues with this book which was my reason for a lower rating here. it was the 2nd or three installment there was a distinct buzz on the recording which at some times made it very hard to listen to. Since I usually listen with a headset it compounded the buzz to the point where I could only listen for short periods of time. Once that section was done the remainder of the parts seem to be fine.

Great

Easy to get lost in... The narrative is both strong and unique. The narrator is wonderful to listen to and keeps one coming back to all of these on audible.

Almost the Best in the Series

I enjoyed the North American setting in this series and seeing Jamie and Claire in the colonies. Brianna's character acted totally stupid a few times, but I tried to forgive her and hope the author doesn't write her into behaving erratically. In all I Loved this story much more than the others. The writing is well crafted. The publisher does not have to add explicit sex scenes to sell the work, which those of us who really love to read appreciate. I gave this an R rating similar to what you would see in the movies.

Davina Porter is wonderful!

The story was a bit slow and long winded in places but Davina Porter brings life to each character!

Great story

I love this book and the whole series. I can't wait for the next book.

Loved it

I loved it, and wish I had more time to listen to books. I can not wait to start the next book in the series. They just seem to get better and better.

feels like family

consistent story throughout all the books. a feeling of coming home to family because you care for the characters.

Great, but not as good as the rest of the series

What made the experience of listening to Drums of Autumn the most enjoyable?

The story is addictive, of course, but the narrator, Davina Porter, was born to narrate this series. I have listened to her for the vast majority of the books, since discovering Whisper sync & the fantastic ability to switch back & forth between audio book & kindle.

What other book might you compare Drums of Autumn to and why?

All of the Outlander series

Which character – as performed by Davina Porter – was your favorite?

Davina Porter does a phenomenal job with the characters. You can easily distinguish when she is speaking as a narrator, or portraying a character - distinguishing when she is speaking as Claire or Brianna, etc. When she is speaking as Roger, or Jamie. Her switching between accents is terrific, and she is just simply - excellent!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The fourth book in the fan-favorite Outlander series.

Any additional comments?

I am absolutely spoiled by Whisper Sync. I listen to the books in the car & read at home. It was wonderful to be able to stay in sync. The story of book 4 is definitely good, but not quite as good as books the rest of the series. But still very good!