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)

Exactly what I was promised

About 10 years ago my step mom told me that I needed to read this book. As stubborn as I was I didn't listen. Upon seeing the trailer for the TV show I decided that I would give it a try. I have never regretted anything more. This book was the definition of escapism for me. This was only made more prevalent by the heart wrenching words read by Davina Porter. After only getting half way through this audio-book I bought the rest of the series and have not been disappointed. If you need an escape from reality this is the book for you. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY.

A tale of two halves

Any additional comments?

1st half of book: C-
2nd half of book: A

The first half of this book was difficult to get through. The needless detail in numerous areas and lack of action was almost too much for me to bear. Had I not been listening to this along with my wife, I would have given up up on it. Neither on us liked Claire that much through the first two thirds of the book especially after all that Jamie did for her. The author didn’t give the reader much of a reason for Claire to return to her first husband and present time and as such, neither my wife nor I liked Claire. Jamie was doing everything he could to show his love for Claire. We both really liked Jamie. Claire had this deep internal conflict going on and we didn’t see it.

I had heard that there were sex scenes in the book but didn’t know how often they occurred. I could have done without the lurid details of every...single...encounter. I get it, they’re newlyweds and newlyweds have sex a lot. I just didn’t feel I needed to hear/read of every single encounter. Thankfully, the details of every sex scene subside and a story picks up one half to two thirds through. There’s plenty of action to keep my attention and not too much to put off my wife.

Without giving too much away, there’s one other thing that bothered me. Our heroine, Claire, is forced to murder more than once. I was very surprised at her ease of dispatching her victims. I would have thought killing someone for the first time would have a little more of an impact on Claire than what the author gave us. We were treated to every emotional detail of her sexual encounters but nothing on her killing someone for the first time? Claire seemed to be a seasoned assassin and I wasn’t buying how casually she killed.

The writing is very good (specifically the second half of the book) and as I said the action picks up late as well. There’s good historical detail here but it’s buried in some needless detail in other areas. To me, this 32 hours book should have been 20 hours.

The narrator did OK. She’s a perfect Clair, a very good Jamie, but her other voices were too much like Claire and Jamie that I got confused more than once on who was speaking.

My wife has already moved on to book two. I may give book two ago depending on how well my wife likes it. If book 2 is more like the second half of book one, I'll definitely jump in. I’m starving for some fantasy/science fiction from Brandon Sanderson so a review on a Dragonfly in Amber may be delayed.

Great Book --- Great Series

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

This is a well researched historical novel (Book 1) in a series that keeps you glued to the (ah hum) pages. The story moves quickly (except for the love scenes) but in such a way that you feel that you've moved on with a full understanding of the events at hand. I'm glad I didn't read this one, and chose to have it read to me. Pronouncing many of the names, places, and miscellaneous foreign words certainly would have been a challenge. I purchased the "Outlandish Companion," a handbook that addresses many of the details in the series and found that written Gaelic, Scots, and French would have been impossible.

What about Davina Porter’s performance did you like?

Davina Porter does an outstanding job carrying each characters voice through the entire series. Her pronunciation of the difficult Gaelic, Scots, and French is perfect! She is amazing! Kudos!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire book (series) is riveting.

Any additional comments?

I can count the number of novels I've read (I don't particularly like novels) but this series stands among some of the best stories told. Historically correct (Yes, I did spot check those things that seemed a little odd to find that they did make it to the history books --- with the caveat that print doesn't make it truth) in even the most minute detail. It was quite easy to separate fact from fiction where the "holes" in history needed context.

I recommend this series to anyone (like myself) who prefers non-fiction, but might be looking for a novel for a bit of relaxation. And to those who prefer fiction, a little history told well!

Historical Romance

This book is wonderfully romantic, well written and appeals to my interests in natural herbal medicines and the history surrounding the time of Bonnie Prince Charles. I loved it. I want a Jamie.

Historical Fiction Set in a Time Travel Series

After Game of Thrones, it was just a matter of time before a long fantasy series would get transitioned into a TV series. Outlander is that next series. I purchased Outlander to read before watching the show and in short, I'm glad I did.

I really wasn't sure what to expect. The trailers for the show made it seem like an action heavy time travel show. The book and its many variations of covers look more like a romance novel. In essence its a little bit of both. The novel follows Claire who travels back in time to 1757 in Scotland. What transpires is literally part love story part fantasy epic. There were moments in Outlander that I was captivated, and other times that I wasn't sure what all the praise was all about.

The book starts off really strong. Claire is lost in a world she's not familiar with and gets herself into quite a bit of trouble. Things do meander towards the middle portions and then come to a huge climax with a good portion of the book still remaining. I probably haven't mentioned but this isn't a short weekend read. Coming in over 30 hrs on the audio version there were times that the drives flew by and others when the book took its time.

Outlander might be a bit mushy for my taste, but it was still a really entertaining read. I found the characters interesting, but the world of Scotland in 1757 stole the show for me. Its a fascinating time in history, and one that I know so little about. You can see that future books are going to lean heavily on the historical events of that time period and for me that might be the books crowning achievement. Although not as steadfast as I was with Game of Thrones I think I will continue on with the series to see what trouble Claire gets herself into next.

An Unforgettable Love Story

This was an excellent story of two people who seem they're destined to be together no matter that 200 years separate them. Truly beautiful story. Great narration. Definitely recommended.

wonderfully performed

wonderfully performed with character voiced and full of emotion. The beauty of the words spring to life with careful narration

Very long series, but good

If you could sum up Outlander in three words, what would they be?

Interesting historical fiction

What was one of the most memorable moments of Outlander?

The life of characters durning this time period. The people think Clair is a witch, because of her knowledge.

What about Davina Porter’s performance did you like?

She was Great. She brings a whole new level of enjoyment to audio books.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it is way to long to try it.

Any additional comments?

Tried to listen to whole series. I think it would take months. Hard to find that much free time

One of a kind

There are many stories out there about this particular time period...but very few that actually make you feel like your there
Wonderful ... read it ...listen to it and immerse yourself in it... You wont be disappointed

Suspend Disbelief and Enjoy

Any additional comments?

I was hooked in the first 10 Minuets! There are a few plot points that if thought about too much seem a bit far fetched (I don't want to spoil the story so no examples). I found it best to just suspend disbelief and enjoy the story. I did not want to stop listening and spent 12 hours on a Saturday finishing the book (a choice my husband was not exactly pleased about). I'm looking forward to the rest of the series in books. I'm also ready to be disappointed by the TV Series (as the books are always way better than a movie or TV series).