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)

excellent story

a bit slow at times but it was an excellent story. the narrator did such a great job with the voices! each man's voice made me think I was hearing him and same with the women's voices. very well done!

Great Story and Fantastic Narrator!

I originally stumbled on this story at the bookstore and after I started reading I had to purchase it on Audible so I could listen and drive. The story of Jamie and Claire will have you hooked and the narrator does such a fantastic job she makes listening to the story better than reading it myself. I have finished all that Diana Gabaldon has written so far in this series and eagerly await the next book.

Good love story

Davina Porter is an amazing narrator. She effortlessly breaths life into any character. This book was good. It borders on a trashy romance in places, but the story is entertaining and the characters are strong. I wanted to keep listening despite being a little bored by the many descriptions of sex and how much they love each other.

Epic Journey

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

Thrilling, Interesting, Addictive

What was one of the most memorable moments of Outlander?

The marriage of Jamie and Clara, how it came about.

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

The depth of family ties, and the separation caused by cultures.

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

Jamie's total devotion to Clara and her devotion to him.

Any additional comments?

Great adventure story with romance.

Enjoyable

I enjoyed listening to this story - I found it really engaging and I was always wanting to come back and listen more whenever I had a couple minutes. I did, however, find it to be more in the romance genre than I was prepared for. I'm not really a romance reader and toward the end of the book I thought the romance aspect and all the sexual encounters were getting a bit tedious. I had even purchased the second book in the series planning to listen to more, but by the end of the book decided I'm just going to leave it lie. That being said, I did really enjoy the story and would recommend it.

Outstanding!

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

It sits in a tie between Outlander or Swan Song.....both are #1

What other book might you compare Outlander to and why?

Not read another book to compare to the story line in this book.

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

It is hard to pick just one...but I think Jamie

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

Time travel, war, love and history

Any additional comments?

I was a bit doubtful about this book. I was afraid it would be a love story with time travel....which is it was....but it was so much more. The narrator was excellent. She had me thinking about the book in a Scottish brogue! She did all the characters with an individual accent and style. The story: I was truly anxious to see what the characters would do. I am just now finishing this first book and have purchased the 2nd book. I just have to know how everything and everyone turns out.

Great Story - Not Crazy About the Narrator

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

With a good narrator, I do prefer the audio book over the print version. Davina Porter's voices for most characters are really good—she's a great narrator—BUT, I didn't like her for the two main characters. I felt her voice sounded too old for such young lovers. Her Claire voice conjured up visions of Maggie Smith as the Dowager in Downton Abbey. I didn't love her Jamie voice either, though I have a harder time putting my finger on why. Though I got used to the voices, it was a challenge for me.

What other book might you compare Outlander to and why?

It's hard to compare Outlander to other stories, but I will say that I read this book after reading A Discovery of Witches (and subsequent books in the trilogy) by Deborah Harkness. Though very different, Harkness's books are a vampire/witch romance, there were similar threads throughout them and I couldn't help compare them to one another as I listened to Outlander. I loved both.

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

I felt a lot of things with this book. I didn't cry, but I laughed from time to time, I cringed, I got mad at characters and quite often I felt uncomfortable. That discomfort was due to the author's poignant and unabashed way of writing difficult scenes and is to her credit. It was a good thing.

Any additional comments?

It's a long book, but I was mostly unbothered by that fact. It dragged in a few places, but the rest of it more than made up for those few moments. I can't wait to watch the TV series on Starz now...

Incredible Series !!

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

Couldn't Stop Listening !

What did you like best about this story?

Love, tragedy, war, romance, and so many surprises ... Twists and turns .... This Series has everything! I purchased and listen to a great deal of books ... This has to be the best of them all ....

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

Davina Porter is an incredible narrator .. She draws you into the story with her wide range of accents that sounds perfect and speaks French beautifully .... I am looking forward to listening to more of the books she has narrated !

amazing

Her voice is abating and she does all of the accents so well. I would recommend this to friends.

Addictive

The game of thrones has nothing on Outlander. I love it! I highly recommend this book.