Virgins

An Outlander Short

By: Diana Gabaldon

Narrated by: Allan Scott-Douglas

Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend, Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds, both have good reason to stay out of Scotland, and both are still virgins despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue.

But Jamie's love life becomes infinitely more complicated - and dangerous - when fate brings the young men into the service of Dr. Hasdi, a Jewish gentleman who hires them to escort two priceless treasures to Paris. One is an old Torah; the other is the doctor's beautiful daughter, Rebekah, destined for an arranged marriage. Both Jamie and Ian are instantly drawn to the bride-to-be - but they might be more cautious if they had any idea who they're truly dealing with.

©2013 Diana Gabaldon (P)2016 Recorded Books

Not earth shattering, but enjoyable

I got this simply because it was ‘first’ chronologically. I didn’t expect the content to be relevant to the the main series, so was satisfied with the free standing storyline. Some reviews said it was slow, so I put the speed on 1.2. Some said the narrator wasn’t great because they were used to Davina Porter. Well, he’s not Davina Porter so I didn’t expect it to be the same. I do think his accent for Rebecca was more eastern block (think Dracula) than whatever it should have been—Hebrew/French/Spanish or some such. One other review said we didn’t learn anything about Ian’s leg—I may have missed something but I believe he had both legs in this story. At they very end it sounded like their next adventure they were to be soldiers so that may be when his leg was lost. Also, I recall Jenny saying she nursed him when he returned to Lollybroch having left soldiering because of the leg. Anyways, I thought it was a good story and a nice change to hear a tale of Jamie with a beginning, middle and end.

The fascinating Jamie Fraser Backstory

Really illuminating tale of Jamie Fraser’s origins as a soldier and his early friendship with Ian Murray.

expected better

Not my favorite Dianna Gabaldon story ever. A story that sort of went no where

Learning more about Jamie Frazer.

This was a good read in that it filled spaces of information not touched on or barely touched on in the Highland Series by Diane Gabalon. It picks up as Jamie is "released" after his second flogging. His father has died, and Jamie feels it is his fault, though the reality is that it was Jamie's evil captures fault that his father has a stroke as he watches his son being flogged for the second time, and thinks Jamie has died from the flogging. Virgins:An OUTLANDER Short again fills in information that is referred to in the series, but never really explained.
If you are an OUTLANDER fan you will, enjoy this very quick, short read. I would recommend it to Diana Gibaldon fans.

Enjoying this journey

I liked this novella. I’m reading this story in chronological order and it’s nice to look back and see what took place in Jamie’s life before Jamie and Claire met.

The story was interesting but not long enough!

I enjoyed the story. It kept my interest until the end but I wish it could have been a little longer!

shorter than I expected

enjoyable follows young Jamie and Ian on an adventure before Claire arrives. would buy again

Jamie and Ian Are Terrific

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

I listened to this book when it was published as part of a very long anthology. I bought the anthology just for this book so when Virgins was published as a single, I had to get it. I just love these characters and have read and listened to all of the Outlander books over and over. This one will be no different. It isn't essential to the story but it is always nice to see more details about the characters.

What other book might you compare Virgins to and why?

Virgins is like all the Outlander books, it is detailed and caring. Diana Gabaldon just writes dialogue like no other author. You can just feel every word. As soon as you start reading or listening, you are transported to wherever the characters are at that moment.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the whole novella but perhaps the best part was when they go to the home and Jamie find out that the daughter is going to run away and be married and he and Ian must help protect her. It is a twist that you don't expect and you have no inkling of from reading the big Outlander books.

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

Virgins maybe But in Body Only.

Virgins, indeed.

An unexpected foray for Jamie and Iain as mercenaries. A sad, bittersweet tale, told with customary Gabaldon frankness.

Great Listen

Gabaldon is a supurb story teller and Scott-Douglas was an exellent choice for narration. Thankyou.