Outlander

Outlander, Book 1

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Davina Porter

This stunning blend of historical romance and time-traveling adventure has captured the hearts of millions of listeners around the world and catapulted author Diana Gabaldon to the top of the New York Times bestseller 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 Jamie 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'm an addict

I was skeptical at first, my fiance picked this book for me and after reading the description, I wasn't eager to listen. I even teased him a bit about the time travel element.

After exhausting my credits for the month, I grudgingly started Outlander and I am so happy I did! Oh my goodness! I could not believe how much I loved the book. I was drawn into this amazing story and the lives of all the characters. Diana Gabaldon paints a wonderful picture and Davina Porter is a fabulous narrator. I love that you know who is speaking before she even tells you.

I have listened to all 7 books without stopping to take a breath in between. Having just finished the last book in the series, I feel a little empty, like something is missing. I have been trying to pick a new book, but I feel a bit like I am cheating on Jamie and Claire.

My fiance, needless to say has been enjoying my addiction and has not missed an opportunity to say "I told you so!".

Fun book, Great Narrator

This is the author's first book, and I'd say she has natural talent for writing fiction. The time travel is fun. The Scottish clan is fun. The descriptions of sex are great. I like women with a big appetite for sex, so I like this author and her main character.

The narrator is excellent.

I'll probably continue with the series. I've read that the series gets more gripping as it goes on, and that will probably sway me.

a bit disappointing

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

I like time travel and some fantasy novels, but felt that this one could have made better use of the genre. For me it was only a little better than mediocre.

Would you recommend Outlander to your friends? Why or why not?

No. It is well crafted but I found some long passages to be tedious and disturbing. How can you manage to be tedious and disturbing at the same time?!

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the parts that described scenes of Highland life, especially the festive occasions. I also enjoyed the parts about herbcraft.

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

I liked the contrast between how Claire felt about Frank and how she felt about Jamie.

Any additional comments?

If I'd been reading and not listening to this book I would have skipped through many pages, specifically the many long descriptions of floggings and other torture. I felt the love scenes were unnecessarily drawn out too. It's well written in other respects but these flaws make it hard for me to understand why it is such a popular book.

Take the time - it's worth it.

This book was a little tough to climb into but once you are in ... you are taken back in time with a group of characters that you fall in love with over and over again.

Great series

I got hooked on this series, and my husband did too. It had enough adventure, romance, magic, history, and comedy to keep us entertained. I really got into the whole story, and suffered, laughed, and fought along with the characters. I love reading (or listening) to books, and this is one of my very favorites. Loved the characters.