Outlander

Outlander, Book 1

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 32 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

This stunning blend of historical romance and time traveling adventure has captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world and catapulted author Diana Gabaldon to the top of the New York Times best seller list. Outlander introduces an exhilarating world of heroism and breathtaking thrills as one woman is torn between past and present, passion and love.

In 1945, former combat nurse Claire Randall returns from World War II and joins her husband for a second honeymoon. Their blissful reunion is shattered when she touches a boulder in an ancient stone ruin and is instantly transported to 1743 Scotland, a place torn by war and raiding border clans. Will Claire find her way back to her own time, or is her destiny forever linked with Clan MacKenzie and the gallant James Fraser?

©1991 Diana Gabaldon (P)1997 Recorded Books, LLC.

Critic reviews

"Davina Porter maintains the distinct voices she creates for each character throughout the lengthy narration. Her delivery of 18th-century language sounds authentic and is easily understandable." (AudioFile)

A classic! Couldn't stop listening!

A love story that is timeless with struggle and triumph, humor, anguish and passion. Set in the context of time travel that felt so real and possible!

The crucial beginning

Love her books and Davina does a really great job narrating top notch. It's a really sophisticated storyline covering some deep dark topics with just enough humor and sweetness to make you want to go on..and on. Seriously I don't get sleep when I'm on an Outlander binge..

Wonderful!

Loved It! Narrator is amazing! Can't wait to hear the next book in the series

I finally get the magic of audiobooks!

Would you consider the audio edition of Outlander to be better than the print version?

The book is fantastic and all, but the biggest shock for me was how much the audio aspect added to the experience. Before this book, I thought audiobooks were good for listening while commuting but were not a big deal. However, Davina Porter is just amazing!!! She does all the accents, different voices, all the emotions! It was almost as good as watching it play out in front of my eyes.

What did you like best about this story?

It has a lot of everything: drama, mystery, violence, politics, history and all revolving around a compelling and beautiful love story. It reminds me of Game of Thrones, except the characters are more human and there is an actual honest and passionate love story.

What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

EVERYTHING! She read it amazingly. I wouldn't have been able to emulate all the many accents (so many accents!) and different voices in this book. She also read the narration itself with all the appropriate emotions and at times it's easy to forget that just one person was reading the whole book. It was a one-person dramatic reading.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I laughed out loud many times, swooned and awwwed at the sweet moments and was horrified at the violent ones.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful experience on all aspects!

Epic Adventure and romanve

It begins here - the adventures and romance for our time-traveling nurse, Clair. She travels to the 18th century to meet her soulmate, Jamie. The real history of Scotland is the backdrop for this wonderful - can't put it down book. Be prepared to get caught up in the entire series.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book

By far the longest Audiobook I have ever listened too. I’m glad I listened to it though.


I tried reading the book a few weeks ago before even attempting to listen to it, but the first chapter did not grab me, so I decided to try the audio version next. I was hooked right away. Sure, the beginning is looooooooooooooong and took forever for anything to really happen, but the narrator was good and kept me hooked.


I get WHY the beginning was long and took forever, but I just wanted Claire to be tossed into the past so we could get our story started. Frank is okay, but we all know that he is nothing compared to Jamie ;) However, I did feel bad for Frank and for Claire. They did love each other and had been married for a long while, so it was sad to completely be Team Jamie. Frank is a boring, but a good man.


Oddly…it took me a while to fall for Jamie. Sure, he seemed like a hottie and brave and nice and etc, but, like Claire, it took me a while to really warm up to him and fall for him. Not sure why. I actually enjoyed just going along with Claire as she fumbled with getting used to this country and time period. Thank goodness Frank had been a total history nerd so she remembered some of his ramblings so she was able to fit in sometimes. It took forever for any romance to happen, but it did seem to be okay. It didn’t bug me overly much.


There were a LOT of areas that dragged ON and ON, but the author did well overall to keep such a long book trudging along. I did enjoy the fact that yes this is a romance, but there is a lot going on. I worried at every page about Jamie and Claire and some of my side characters.


SPEAKING of side characters….I want Jenny’s story!!!! Maybe there is a short story or something out there, but I want to see her story. She was my favorite side character. I would want her to be my bestie in this world. She kicked butt.


SO the narration was awesome. I really loved her voice. She really brought the characters to life. She did well with switching accents on the drop of a hat. There were times she slipped with going from Scottish to English, BUT you can easily say that Claire would’ve picked up a touch of an accent while being around it NONSTOP. This narrator really made me hooked to the book and I am glad I decided to give up reading and just listen. It was an adventure indeed!


I was worried about the ending since I knew there are other books, however, I must applaud the author. No real cliff-hanger. Nothing of the sort. She left it so you can be content with just reading book 1. I am shocked!! But I really did love it. A good ending. I am curious about book 2 and how all that will unfold. We shall see. I may just listen to book 2 especially if it is by the same narrator. I’ll check.


In the end, I really enjoyed this book. I am happy I decided to listen because I enjoyed it more than when I tried reading it. The story had been meh, but the narration got me past the hump and hooked to the story. The beginning could’ve used some slimming down, but I get why it was long. It gives the reader a chance to know Claire and Frank in normal life. I get it, but eh get to the time traveling bit! But yes. Good story. Good characters. GREAT ending and GREAT narration. I highly recommend this book. I’ll give this 4 stars overall.

Engaging prose, brilliant narrative, disappointing

This story held great promise and the narration is superb. it is highly engaging as story, and offers promise of great work. the narrator is one of the most talented I've encountered, with a range of interpretation that is beyond astounding. But the climax and denouement fall short of the promise, themes are left unresolved, and the gratuitous sex, which often doesn't move the story forward, tends to become monotonous. Perhaps the next volume will bring some resolution. An enjoying read, but not great literature.

Good Story But Horrible Recording

I really liked the story but in the background of the narrator you can hear talking and one point someone coughing.

Outlander book 1

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narrator did an excellent job with the characters. It kept me riveted to each section and I couldn’t put it down. I found myself carrying my iPad with me, even listening while preparing meals.

Davina Porter is the perfect reader

Davina Porter is the perfect reader for this epic series. Her voices allow you to become lost in the artistry of story. I've read these books many times over the years and look forward to hearing them for many more.