SPOILER ALERT: Do not read unless you have finished Dragonfly in Amber... and peeked at the first few pages of Voyager. This post is FULL OF SPECULATION. Keep that in mind.
So Friday night was tough. I finished Dragonfly in Amber... but not without a good cry. Or five.
I called my Outlander mentor and biological sister, Tracey, when I finished... and lamented for a good 90 minutes about everything I've read so far. Outlander... Dragonfly in Amber... Claire going through the stones... and Claire coming back through the stones. Claire nursing Jamie's hurt shoulder... and Claire nursing Jamie's not-so-hurt manhood. Rupert. Murtaugh. Dougal and Colum. All of them. We talked and talked and talked. And when I got to the part about Claire and Jamie's last night in the cottage together... I pretty much lost it. Who wouldn't? When he said he'd spend 200 years in Purgatory and find her eventually? I thought I might fall right off the couch from convulsing whilst crying. (And yeah... I thought it gave my blog title some sick validation... but that's not important right now.)
I felt like everything was tied up nicely... and made perfect sense. I felt like Jamie did and said all he need to... as did Claire... and I wouldn't have done anything differently. Even going back through the stones. Don't get me wrong - my first impression was "wasn't there any other way?!" but I truly believed there wasn't - as did Claire and Jamie - and I was content in knowing they did what they had to do.
UNTIL JAMES ALEXANDER MALCOM MACKENZIE FRASER'S DEAD ASS WOKE UP ON CULLODEN AND (for the most part) SAID TO HIMSELF "WHAT THE F%$# DID I DO???????"
Then... all bets were off. That's where I am. AND I AM PISSED. Because I know... I KNOW what is coming. Jack Randall is dead. And I KNOW Red James Fraser's ass is going to go and marry Mary Hawkins and raise JACK MOTHERHUMPING RANDALL'S would-be child as his own. (We all know it's Alexander Randall's child, but work with me here, People. Mmmmkay? Thanks.) And I cannot take it. I CANNA TAKE IT, SASSENACH!!! I know I am going to have to endure AN ENTIRE FRIGGIN DIANA GABALDON NOVEL'S WORTH of Claire trying to get back to Jamie... and Jamie DOING ANOTHER WOMAN. And I am none too happy. I suppose it's only fair since Claire was married to Frank all those years... but that doesn't really matter, does it lassies? No. It does NOT. As usual, Claire will have been doing what Claire needed to do. And Jamie? JAMIE! I am LIVID at him and he hasn't even done anything yet.
But I know it's coming.
And her 50 year old ass had BETTER MAKE IT BACK TO 18TH CENTURY SCOTLAND by the end of this book. That is ALL I have to say.
MMMPPPPPMMMMMHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
PS - Italy reunion between Edward and Bella where Edward thinks he's in heaven in New Moon.... and Jamie waking on Culloden in Voyager and wondering if he's in heaven or hell. Similar? Um, YEAH.
Keep reading! ;)
ReplyDeleteI did! I did! Just finished Voyager! Now on to Drums of Autumn. Probably starting Sunday. I have to be a little present at home for a few days. The laundry is atrocious! ;)
ReplyDeleteTWO BEST BOOK SERIES EVER EVER EVER in the world.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, gods.... you DID NOT just compare that tripe Twilight with Diana Gabaldon's masterpiece. Seriously?! Might as well compare "Sweet Valley High" with "Wuthering Heights". I'm so absolutely insulted on the part of Gabaldon's works.
ReplyDeleteEdward and Bella = need to die slowly in a flaming bus crash. Edward is evil, stupid, whiny, and he GLITTERS IN THE FUN FOR FEXAKE. Bella is whiny, spoiled, bratty, and has no charm whatsoever. I'm not seeing any connection between the two.
Please, please, take it back, on behalf of all adults everywhere who don't find whiny teenagers to be titillating.
I LOVE Sweet Valley High!! ;)
ReplyDeleteCarol, if you do a My Sweet Valley High Purgatory I'd read it for sure, cause you're awesome! :)
I completely understand that some people may have not enjoyed Twilight. I get it. I really liked it. When I read it, I was hooked and I credit it for getting me back into reading.
There are books that I have not enjoyed but I'd never intentionally try to make others feel bad for liking a book that I didn't like.
Ooooooooooooooo, Anonymous,
ReplyDeletesounds like you are "Team Guy-Who-Almost-Ran-Bella-Over"!! Yikes!! (FWIW, so is my 14yr. old daughter)
Hildy,
I KNOW!! Same here!! Twilight totally got me back into reading. I'm still so obsessed. Carol suggested I read, "Midnight Sun" by SM. OMIGOSH. I LOVED IT. Oh, and Vampire Diaries? My hubby and I are HOOKED------again, thanks to Carol.
As for comparing books, I do that constantly. I have my faves, and that's ok...........right? I personally don't find it offensive when other people compare books. I just love discussing books in a fun, non-judgemental forum. And discussing them, and discussing them, and discussing them.
DG's books are in a league of their own. ITA. I don't even describe Outlander to people. I just say, "Read it. Trust me. READ IT NOW."
Carol,
I got all teary when I was reading your blog post again. I love the way you write so honestly about your feelings. Especially, your "Downtown Nat" post. OMIGOSH. HILARIOUS!
Actually, I wasn't comparing the novels/stories...I was comparing the feeling you get when reading two scenes. I suppose I should have used the word "feeling"; my bad.
ReplyDeleteCOMMA HOWEVER..."Anonymous" - let me tell ya - there are a TON of blogs out there that would have deleted your comment in a nano-second because you had a pretty nasty attitude and didn't have the guts to sign your name to it.
I didn't do that this time - but I will if it continues. Be warned.
And PS - I feel sorry for you that you're that snotty about literature that you can't just enjoy a good story for what it is. I would never compare Stephenie Meyer's writing style to Diana Gabaldon's. Hell, I don't think Stephenie Meyer would dare compare the two. But if you're going to tell me SM didn't have a fantastic story to tell, I've got a few box office records and Best Seller lists that will prove you wrong.
Dear Anonynon,
ReplyDeleteIn the words of our gal DG...
*eye roll*
Love, Tracey
I am so glad that the books did not play out the way you imagined as you were reading this book. I have read all of this series several times and am now listening on audio. My favortie books of all time. I miss Jamie and Claire when I am not reading or hearing about them. I can talk for hours about these books.
ReplyDeleteI normally hate spoilers, but I am so glad for the comment from Terri above that things did NOT end up the way you had imagined. For real. Jamie is OFF FREAKING LIMITS to anyone except Claire (But don't tell me if it happens. I am in nursing school and MUST take a few weeks off from reading. And I am hanging on the edge of going and buying Voyager tomorrow. Self control. I need some ;)
ReplyDeleteJENNY! Girllllll! Do NOT read the comments! (Am I the only idiot on the planet who tells people NOT to read parts of her blog? LOL!!) You do not want one spoiler from here forward. Seriously. Be careful, OK? Tracey (my sister) saw the most horrific spoiler a few books down the road and was really devastated when she got to that part of the book. Just follow my spoiler alerts and you should be OK. And then come back and read the comments when you've finished the series. (I finished Sons of Anarchy a few weeks ago and I've been googling like a freakkkkkkkkkk!)
DeleteKeep us posted and let us know when you start reading Voyager!! It's Tracey's favorite! And we love watching reactions from new readers!! I can live vicariously through you! :)
Holy Cow Bells... I just stumbled across your blog and it's HI-sterical. And, I too am glad the story didn't play out as you speculated with Jamie and Mary Hawkins. Did NOT even consider that, but that could have just been too weird in the time continuum sort of way...a spiraling thought process.
ReplyDelete