Free Downloads Virgins: An Outlander Short
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.
Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 3 hours and 3 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Recorded Books
Audible.com Release Date: April 8, 2016
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B01DYH4W1I
Best Sellers Rank: #68 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical > Military #86 in Books > Audible Audiobooks > Fiction & Literature > Historical Fiction #129 in Books > Audible Audiobooks > Fiction & Literature > Action & Adventure
Diana Gabaldon consistently delivers for her fans. This novella, Virgins, is yet another mini installment in the "behind the story" story that she presents to us in an attempt to give us a glimpse into events that were spoken of but never really explored fully in her book series. Everyone that loves Outlander and her other books LOVES Jamie Fraser and can't get enough of these mini stories to keep us going between books. This is definitely NOT a stand alone story and you wouldn't have a clue as to what was going on if you didn't read the Outlander series, or at the very least, the first book itself.Ian and Jamie are young in this story, Jamie just having escaped from confinement in an English prison. He has just encountered his nemesis, Black Jack, for the first time and is lucky to be alive. Ian is traveling with a band of mercenaries and Jamie hopes to join them in the hopes of staying clear of Scotland and staying close to the one man he trusts like a brother. What I liked about this is that Jamie is very young here and we have had little exposure to him at that age. He is a naïve boy who has just suffered extreme punishment and lost his father and homeland quite suddenly. He's trying to fit in among these seasoned men in France and he is just learning the ropes. I almost feel like a fly on the wall! That is where our story begins, and I doubt you will be disappointed. Hold on to your kilt!It took me about 3 hours this morning to finish, in between a few phone calls and laundry. It's a great prelude to the second season of Outlander beginning on STARZ tomorrow! Now I REALLY can't wait!
Anything Jamie intrigues most Outlander fans. So the idea of learning more of him sounded too good to be true. The story gave a glimpse of young Jamie, but was not satisfying for a number of reasons. I felt the writing was not Diana Gabaldon's usual style. Ghallaig was thrown in to keep things "authentic" but seemed contrived. Her usual turn of a phrase wasn't up to par. Story seemed choppy and disjointed. More like a scene she felt obligated to expand for her fans. It didn't show us emotions, just left them surmised or worse yet, not expressed. Story did not have the depth i've come o expect . Wanted better,more.
In the Outlander series, Gabaldon has always written with an extremely lyrical, nearly poetic style. This novella has none of these qualities. After plodding my way through this poor example of "literature," I am at a total loss as to why she would put this out for her readers. It went from extremely run on sentences to very short choppy ones. The writing went from good grammar to extremely poor phraseology.As far as any kind of rhyme or reason behind the story line, as far as I could tell, there was none. If this had different names to the characters and was written under a pseudonym, I doubt it would warrant 2-stars from anyone. If you are a discerning reader, skip this novella totally! If you are a mindless Gabaldon fan, then I am sure you will ignore what is such a poorly written novella of giberish and blithely give out a 5-star rating.In my opinion, this is horribly written and seems like a first-draft that needed much more work before even being thought of for ppublication!
As a long time fan of Diana Gabaldon I found this book very disappointing. It feels unfinished, gives no background information and therefore, if you haven't read the Outlander series of books you really won't have a clue as to what is really going on here. I have read Gabaldon's books, love them all and I am very well acquainted with all of the characters but I feel for the people who aren't. This small insignificant missive will make little or no sense to them. I have to say, this is the first bit of writing from Diana Gabaldon that I haven't fallen in love with and I think she certainly could have done a great deal better.
I enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't what I expected. The story starts just after Jamie escapes from Fort William, joining Ian Murray in France. Probably the most intense moment in the book for me was when Jamie told Ian about Jack Randall and Fort William, and subsequently, Brian's death. Brought tears to my eyes.The rest of the story, though, didn't resonate for me. Jamie just was not himself - his essential Jamie-ness was missing. I know he was 19 in this story, but in just 3 years he will meet Claire and Outlander begins, and there is just no resemblance between the Jamie in this story and the Jamie we meet 3 years later. Not even a glimmer of the man he becomes.Jamie and Ian's relationship something special, I thought that was well done. I loved when Ian told Jamie he was "on his right". That was referenced in Outlander, and it was nice to read it as it happened. Something I didn't get was that Ian kept referring to Jamie as a "wean". I think I remember Ian was a year or so older than Jamie, but a wean is a child, and Jamie was 19 in this book. Also, I thought that the two of them were soldiers in France, not mercenaries, so I was surprised at that turn of events.I thought there were parts of the story that could have been taken further - specifically, when Jamie was thinking of his father, and looking for a spiritual connection with him. But that ended sort of abruptly, without Jamie finding it. During that part of the book, I thought just maybe there would also be some premonition of Claire, but that didn't happen, either.Overall, worth reading. Just had to manage my expectations, I guess.
Virgins: An Outlander Short Outlander Kitchen: The Official Outlander Companion Cookbook Outlander Written in My Own Heart's Blood: Outlander, Book 8 A Breath of Snow and Ashes: Outlander, Book 6 Outlander 2017 Wall Calendar The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel Highland Knits: Knitwear Inspired by the Outlander Series The Fiery Cross: Outlander, Book 5 Dragonfly in Amber: A Novel (Outlander) The Fiery Cross (Outlander) An Echo in the Bone: A Novel (Outlander) Written in My Own Heart's Blood: A Novel (Outlander) The Space Between: An Outlander Novella The Making of Outlander: The Series: The Official Guide to Seasons One & Two A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander) The Outlandish Companion (Revised and Updated): Companion to Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn The Outlandish Companion Volume Two: The Companion to The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander) Voyager (Outlander) Written In My Own Heart's Blood (The Outlander series)
