Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
★ Most-read book of 1991 · #1 on Best Books of 1991
In 1945, former combat nurse Claire Randall touches an ancient standing stone and is thrown back to the war-torn Scotland of 1743. Stranded among danger and violence, she turns to the young warrior Jamie Fraser for safety.
Best for: Readers who want a sweeping historical love story with adventure and passion
Outlander is #1 on BookWard's Best Books of 1991, out of 23 1991 books that cleared our data bar.
What Outlander is about
In 1945, Claire Randall is back from the war and on a second honeymoon with her husband in the Scottish Highlands. Then she walks through a standing stone in an ancient circle and finds herself in 1743, in a Scotland torn apart by war and raiding clans. To the people she meets she is a Sassenach, an outlander, and she has no obvious way home.
Her best chance of staying safe lies with Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. Diana Gabaldon began writing the book in the late 1980s, and it was published in 1991 as the first of a long series, now with nine volumes and more than 50 million copies sold worldwide. The novel mixes romance, history and danger on an epic scale, and it earned a place among the best-loved novels in America on PBS's The Great American Read.
Outlander on the Best Books of 1991
Outlander came out in 1991. Of the 23 books first published in 1991 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #1 on our Best Books of 1991 list.
Why it made the list: 1,288 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (66 ratings); 69 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Most-read of 1991 and being read right now.
Nearby on the 1991 list
- Needful Things Stephen King, #2
- American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis, #3
See all Best Books of 1991 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1990 Best Books of 1992.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 1,120 want to read it, 69 are reading it now and 98 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.1 out of 5 from 66 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 96 | 55% |
| Reader love | 70 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 96 | 20% |
Questions about Outlander
When was Outlander published?
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was first published in 1991.
Was Outlander one of the best books of 1991?
Outlander is #1 on BookWard's Best Books of 1991, out of 23 1991 books that cleared our data bar. 1,288 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (66 ratings); 69 are reading it right now.
Why is Outlander on the Best Books of 1991 list?
1,288 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (66 ratings); 69 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1991
- Needful Things Stephen King, #2
- American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis, #3
- Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, #4
- The Firm John Grisham, #5
- Reaper Man Terry Pratchett, #6
- Witches Abroad Terry Pratchett, #7
See the full Best Books of 1991, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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