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)

I loved this story and the narrator!

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

Yes. Once Claire falls back through time at the stone circle, I found it hard to put this on pause.

What did you like best about this story?

Claire's romance with Jamie was captivating. They had so much to learn from each other.

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

Claire.

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

A love to last for all time.

I love these books

the characters are extremely well drawn, reading about them, they jump off the page. much of the conflict and plot turns on familial
connections and appearance. If you are into the TV show you may not recognize the people as the actors cast, while all attractive, look completely different from the book descriptions except for the muddy dye job on the actor playing Jamie, there has been no attempt to create the connections so important the story. As new characters are introduced, this trend continues. The supernatural aspects are important. The historical details are point. If you want the whole story, read or listen. Davina Porter does a wonder job bringing the story to life.

Loved everything except homosexual activity

What did you like best about this story?

The action, and romance

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

The accents bring the characters to life

Any additional comments?

The story did not need the homosexual activity. That part could have been dropped from the story and it would have been perfect.

so good

loved it. couldnt stop listening. narration helped with unknown words and their way of speaking.

Took a little while to get into the story but.....

Would you listen to Outlander again? Why?

A friend told me to listen to this book and I had to ask her how long before something hooks me into non stop listening. It did get better a few chapters later and I enjoyed listening. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

This is Not Claire

Where does Outlander rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not as pleasant to listen to as most of the others.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is quite good. The idea of being able to alter history is fascinating, and the setting and timeframe of the book are all well used. The story grabbed me so that I wanted to continue into the sequels. The characters are very likable, deep and well portrayed throughout their difficult moral and otherwise challenging situations. This, plus the author's passion for the era and obvious knowledge of the culture and history are just what I like best in a book.

What didn’t you like about Davina Porter’s performance?

In the end, I was very irritated to have had Claire portrayed as an overly sassy, flirtatious and self satisfied woman. Clair might be very competent, assertive and forthright, but is not without softness and caring, characteristics that are not brought out by Ms. Porter. It was like a Victorian stage performance, over done to make up for the inadequate sound and lighting of the time; a romp, in fact, which does grave injustice to Ms. Gabaldon's achievements.

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

Just glad to reach the end so I can try reading the second one, without this narrator as a companion.

Any additional comments?

Take care of yourr listeners' ears. Many of them are older folks whose eyes are tired or inadequate to read well, and their ears might be sensitive as well. I personally love reading but I also like the idea of closing my eyes and hearing a book, hoping it might be somewhat restful. I can turn up the volume or crank up the speed if I want to, but mostly I'm hoping for a good bedtime story that won't put me right to sleep!

Couldn't put this down!! Magnificent

The story is one of the best Highlander books I have read yet!! Intelligent, brutal, humorous and real in every page.
The narration was awesome as well, will miss her voice and will use it as I read the other books, for audible is to pricy for my budget. Marvelous!!!!!

So glad I found this story!

I have truly enjoyed every minute of this very long audible book. I look forward to the next book in the series!

I cannot say enough!

Amazing book! The story line was amazing. I am in love with the main character. Divina Porter did a fabulous job narrating, her ability to switch between Scottish English and French accents without a moments thought is incredibly impressive! I can't wait to read the rest of the books!

LOVE THIS BOOK!

Would you listen to Outlander again? Why?

Absolutely! The narrator Davina Porter does a wonderful job creating different voices for the various characters in the novel. She truly brings this book to life.

What did you like best about this story?

Diana Gabaldon is a very descriptive and well-researched writer. She provides enough detail to allow you to immerse yourself in the settings and feel like you actually know her characters. I've read this book repeatedly (not something I normally do) and I will listen to it repeatedly as well.

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

Diana Gabaldon's books are too long to either read or listen to in one sitting, but it is hard to stop.

Any additional comments?

This book is being made into a TV series for Starz for 2014. If you've not read it yet, read or listen to it now! I've been reading (and rereading) this series for over 20 years.