So one of my goals for CBR this year is to go through the Outlander series again (which I’ve read through several times over the last decade), this time exclusively on audiobook. The first book is the shortest, and clocks in at 32 hours — so I have a feeling this is going to take a good amount of time. It’s a wonderful listening experience though, especially if you enjoy the accents, which I do!
So if you’re not familiar with the story of Outlander: our hero (Claire Randall) is a nurse on honeymoon her husband in Scotland, after the end of World War II. They’ve been married for several years and have spent most of it apart due to the war. One morning she is out collecting plant specimens, touches some standing stones and gets sent back into 1743. She’s forced to find a way to survive in the Scottish Highlands, all the while trying to get back to her beloved husband.
Since this is a romance novel, the author employees one of those tropes that we were discussing in YA fiction the other day — forcing two people together with a slightly ridiculous premise. In this case, Claire is forced to marry Highlander Jamie Fraser in order to protect her own life and, as it turns out, his as well. Of course they fall in love and bond together over their struggle to survive in such a dangerous world. It helps that he’s gorgeous.
“I had one last try.
“Does it bother you that I’m not a virgin?” He hesitated a moment before answering.
“Well, no,” he said slowly, “so long as it doesna bother you that I am.” He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed toward the door.
“Reckon one of us should know what they’re doing,” he said. The door closed softly behind him; clearly the courtship was over.”
I love these books. There are some sex scenes, and they’re very well done. There’s also a lot of violence and perversion, mainly from Jamie’s sworn enemy, a British officer named Jonathan Randall (Claire’s husband’s ancestor). My favorite aspect of these books, especially as the series goes on, is the historical fiction and political intrigue. I also love that Claire continues being a nurse and a healer in the 1740s, despite the fact that many people think her a witch as result. I have a fascination with historical medical techniques, and watching her combine what she knows of 1940s medicine with what’s available in the 1740s is fascinating. To sum it up, I love these books and if you love romance novels or historical fiction novels or badass women yelling at Scottish men, you should try them out, despite the long length.
I’m at the same point in both the first book and the tv show. And I haven’t been able to get past that scene in 2 years for the book and 1 year for the show. Can I just skip it? I know what happens, I just can’t bring myself to read/watch it.
Which scene?
The rape scene. My husband has even offered to watch it with me, and I still just can’t do it.
If you mean the prison scene, you are making the right call. It is harrowing and awful in a way which is appropriate to the content.
Yeah, it’s easy to skip in the show, and it’s brutal. I couldn’t look away I was so horrified the first time. I had to skip it the second. It’s unfortunately a little harder in the book because it happens, and then Claire gets Jaime to tell her the details in order to help his healing process, and it’s mixed in with other stuff and a little harder to find.
Skip it! There’s enough references to it later that you’ll get the gist anyway.
Och, Jamie. I love these books so very much and maybe I should launch in for a revisit of my favourites.
I gave up on the show in season two because of my devotion to the book version of the characters.
I watched it, and enjoyed it, but the books still easily win out.
When I eventually re-read (long time down the road . . . I still have one more book to read for the first time!) I’m definitely doing audio.
I highly recommend it! Davina Porter’s voice is gorgeous. I find it gets stuck in my head lol
These books are the equivalent of a hate-fuck for me: I’m not sure if I like them, I’m convinced they’re bad for me, but I keep coming back to them.
I hated them. I felt like everyone around me loved them so very much that something might be wrong with me. So I read the first four before I gave up. I can’t even hate-read them.
Oh good, I’m not the only one who didn’t like this. I didn’t even make it through the first one and I put it away.
I think Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a pretty healthy thread of Outlander-hate on one of their “your fave is problematic” type posts. We are not alone.
I’ve been hearing about these books for years and always dismissed them. Something about your review made me want to give them a shot. Was it the fact that there Scottish accents in the audio book? Yes, yes it was.
The Scottish accents are amazing. And I love Claire’s British accent. I will say that having started book 2, this narrator (Davina Porter) does a TERRIBLE Amarican accent for Brianna. It sounds like a little girl — very high pitched and soft spoken and still vaguely British. Certainly not the Boston accent I expected.
My experience getting sucked into the Outlander vortex is that if you like them, you really like them, and I am one of those people. They’re not perfect books for me, but I love the day-to-day historical reality elements so much that I can get past the parts I don’t enjoy. Plus Jamie Fraser really will ruin you for all other fictional men.
The day-to-day stuff is my favorite. How they dress, how they live, the medicine, the parties. I just get all wrapped up in it.
Exactly! What is he wearing? What is it made of? Who made it? What is the mattress stuffed with? What are they eating? Who made it? How did they grow it?
I LOVE all of that stuff. I could gladly skip 80% of the political machinations and outside world details just for the living in the 18th century details.
Re-reading these is on my to-do list as well (not sure it will be this year, but someday) – I’ve been reading them as they’re released, and it makes for a big chunk of time between books. So I spend the first third of the book trying to remember who everyone is, and what is happening. They need a back-to-back binge read someday. The audiobook idea is intriguing. 100% because of the accents.
The medical history parts of these books are my one of my favourite parts too- I don’t know why exactly – but it’s just so fascinating!
I look forward to the rest of your review on this series! :)
Thanks! I did back-to-back binge reads on these every couple years as the new ones came out — up until A Breath of Snow & Ashes, I think. But it definitely takes up a good portion of the year to do so!
Breath has my favourite line of the entire series in it and I loved that book so much.