Title: OutlanderSeries: Outlander #1
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Narrator: Davina Porter
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Recorded Books
Pub Date: July 2006 (Orig. 1991)
Story Rating: 5 Stars
Narration Rating: 5 Stars
Our thoughts...
Outlander is one of my all-time favorite audiobooks. The story is charming and captivating with characters I can’t help but love. The setting is a complete world that is inviting and as easy to fall into as Claire falls into the past. I’m not going to review the story due to my blind love for the tale but I do want to talk about the audiobook performance.
This particular audiobook casts light on the magnitude of a great narrator. Diana Gabaldon’s entire series has received a lot of praise but a lot of readers seem to be split on their feelings for Claire, either loving or questioning her character. While I understand how readers can regard Claire as “standoffish,” I feel that listeners will garner a completely different feel of the character. Davina Porter takes Claire from someone who has the tendency to come across as too bold and rude to a character who is charming, witty, and full of spunk. To take it a step further, those of you who have seen the Outlander television series have had the privilege of a third version of Claire. The Starz show initially portrays Claire as a serious woman who eventually finds her spunk and sarcasm. Davina Porter’s Claire is consistently sassy and tongue-in-cheek. Her outlook is never too serious but also never too flippant. All three versions of Claire are distinctly different primarily because of who is portraying the character: the reader, the narrator, or the actor. The audiobook version is by far my favorite.
Davina Porter is hands-down one of my favorite narrators. She invokes life and personality into so many characters, creating such a cohesive and fulfilling story. I highly recommend listening to at least the first book in the series, if not for the whole experience then for the stellar performance of Davina Porter.
Outlander on Goodreads
Outlander and audio sample on Amazon (Available for Whispersync, Kindle $1.99, Audible $3.99!)
Previous Audio Slave posts
This particular audiobook casts light on the magnitude of a great narrator. Diana Gabaldon’s entire series has received a lot of praise but a lot of readers seem to be split on their feelings for Claire, either loving or questioning her character. While I understand how readers can regard Claire as “standoffish,” I feel that listeners will garner a completely different feel of the character. Davina Porter takes Claire from someone who has the tendency to come across as too bold and rude to a character who is charming, witty, and full of spunk. To take it a step further, those of you who have seen the Outlander television series have had the privilege of a third version of Claire. The Starz show initially portrays Claire as a serious woman who eventually finds her spunk and sarcasm. Davina Porter’s Claire is consistently sassy and tongue-in-cheek. Her outlook is never too serious but also never too flippant. All three versions of Claire are distinctly different primarily because of who is portraying the character: the reader, the narrator, or the actor. The audiobook version is by far my favorite.
Davina Porter is hands-down one of my favorite narrators. She invokes life and personality into so many characters, creating such a cohesive and fulfilling story. I highly recommend listening to at least the first book in the series, if not for the whole experience then for the stellar performance of Davina Porter.
Outlander on Goodreads
Outlander and audio sample on Amazon (Available for Whispersync, Kindle $1.99, Audible $3.99!)
Previous Audio Slave posts
I totally agree with you, Outlander is hands down my favorite historical series, but with Davina Porter narrating it it brings a whole different slant on it and you can feel like you are there seeing it first hand! Great review Jenny!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I completely agree! :D ~Jenny
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