SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read until you have reached Chapter 80 in The Fiery Cross.
So there I was... reading along merrily.... kindof shaky subject matter, what with Jamie, Claire and Bree waiting for the order to "charge" to come down.. but not really all that worried. I mean, let's face it, Lassies, there are 2 more books after this one.. and Diana is writing #8 as I type (I hope.)
So imagine my surprise when Roger suddenly finds himself HANGING FROM A MOTHERFARGIN TREE for the love of all that's holy in this world.
I was nothing short of verklempt. Tears. OH there were tears. LORDDDDD there were TEARS!! I'm lying in bed on Saturday morning... just reading and reading with my cup of joe that my hubby brought me (he's a good egg).. and then I get to that part and flip the HELL out. I sit up - and I'm going "No. NOOOOO!!!! He CAN'T be dead!!! Nooooo!!!" I then email my Outlander mentor/sister, Tracey (because it was 8:30 and I figured she wouldn't be up yet)... and entitle the email: "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG". The email said the following:
Yes. That's what I wrote. I actually contemplated not reading any more of the Outlander series. (Oh who am I kidding, that would have lasted all of 10 minutes.) And that is precisely the moment that I realized I truly love Roger and would be devastated if he were dead.
So at that point, I found the will to read again (much like Edward found the will to stop. But that's another book series.) And what did I read?
Morag brings Jamie and the gang to where the hangings have taken place. And Jamie - sadistic %$#@ that he is (kidding) actually makes BREE cut him loose. And they get Roger down... and he moans. He WHAT?!? HE MOANS!!! And what did I hear in my head at that point?
HE SAYS HE'S NOT DEAD!!!!
And then Claire starts working on him like a FREAK and cuts open his throat and shoves a PIPE in there for god's sake - in all her MacGyver glory - and Roger starts breathing! And at this point I'm on my treadmill and I've got my fist in the air and what do I think to myself but:
"FUCKING CLAIRE!!!!!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!!"
(sorry about that but it was a very emotional moment and some shamefully crass language got the better of me. C'mon... even Diana/Claire throws the f-biscuit around SOMEtimes!!!)
OK I have to stop typing because this is getting dangerously long... but yes. Roger lives. With little to no voice... and a geese-shooting, horseback-riding, portrait-painting, land-surveying, baby-nursing wife who could not give a shit that he's losing his dignity with every passing breath. Nope. Girlfriend doesn't give a rat's ASS. All she cares about is the fact that she has to remember eating dolmades alone, because Roger is too sad to remember it with her. POOR HER (said like Tony Soprano's mom.)
More to come lassies... more to come...
So there I was... reading along merrily.... kindof shaky subject matter, what with Jamie, Claire and Bree waiting for the order to "charge" to come down.. but not really all that worried. I mean, let's face it, Lassies, there are 2 more books after this one.. and Diana is writing #8 as I type (I hope.)
So imagine my surprise when Roger suddenly finds himself HANGING FROM A MOTHERFARGIN TREE for the love of all that's holy in this world.
I was nothing short of verklempt. Tears. OH there were tears. LORDDDDD there were TEARS!! I'm lying in bed on Saturday morning... just reading and reading with my cup of joe that my hubby brought me (he's a good egg).. and then I get to that part and flip the HELL out. I sit up - and I'm going "No. NOOOOO!!!! He CAN'T be dead!!! Nooooo!!!" I then email my Outlander mentor/sister, Tracey (because it was 8:30 and I figured she wouldn't be up yet)... and entitle the email: "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG". The email said the following:
IS ROGER DEAD?????
I had to stop reading at the hanging. But he voided and saw the white light and heard the cries of an "orphan" in the distance - assuming that's his own Jemmy. WTF??? And was Morag standing there watching????? And not HELPING????
But I don't see how you wouldn't have called me and said something huge happened if he was really dead.
But he MUST be dead???? Ugh. I'm going to read on the treadmill. I am already in tears. Damn that DG. If Roger is dead, I might not even read this anymore...
Yes. That's what I wrote. I actually contemplated not reading any more of the Outlander series. (Oh who am I kidding, that would have lasted all of 10 minutes.) And that is precisely the moment that I realized I truly love Roger and would be devastated if he were dead.
So at that point, I found the will to read again (much like Edward found the will to stop. But that's another book series.) And what did I read?
Morag brings Jamie and the gang to where the hangings have taken place. And Jamie - sadistic %$#@ that he is (kidding) actually makes BREE cut him loose. And they get Roger down... and he moans. He WHAT?!? HE MOANS!!! And what did I hear in my head at that point?
HE SAYS HE'S NOT DEAD!!!!
And then Claire starts working on him like a FREAK and cuts open his throat and shoves a PIPE in there for god's sake - in all her MacGyver glory - and Roger starts breathing! And at this point I'm on my treadmill and I've got my fist in the air and what do I think to myself but:
"FUCKING CLAIRE!!!!!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!!"
(sorry about that but it was a very emotional moment and some shamefully crass language got the better of me. C'mon... even Diana/Claire throws the f-biscuit around SOMEtimes!!!)
OK I have to stop typing because this is getting dangerously long... but yes. Roger lives. With little to no voice... and a geese-shooting, horseback-riding, portrait-painting, land-surveying, baby-nursing wife who could not give a shit that he's losing his dignity with every passing breath. Nope. Girlfriend doesn't give a rat's ASS. All she cares about is the fact that she has to remember eating dolmades alone, because Roger is too sad to remember it with her. POOR HER (said like Tony Soprano's mom.)
More to come lassies... more to come...
THIS is what I've been thinking of this whole time when I've said "Poor sweet Roger..." LOVE HIM. How in the heck does he manage to wander into such HUGE BIG TROUBLE ALL THE TIME?? *facepalm...and weeps*
ReplyDeleteWas it Morag that was watching the hanging and went to warn Jamie? I guess I don't remember that detail--thought it was just some random woman.
ReplyDeleteI'm not placing any blame on Roger at all. I love him too. However. No comments at all on his boneheaded behavior leading up to the hanging?? I'm sorry, but that was seriously DUMB of Roger Mac.
Roger's fascination with Morag is interesting. Is it just that he knows she's his ancestor, or is there something more? And what if there WAS something more, and he acted on it--can one do it with one's own great-great-great-great[squared] grandmother before one is supposed to be born? WHOA. (Said like Bill and Ted, another set of lovable time travelers whom I was watching this morning whilst I ate my cereal.)
ReplyDeleteOf course you can. Look at Claire & Jamie. 200 years difference. ;o)
DeleteI also find it really jarring that Roger got all lip locked with Morag - I don't know.. I'm in two minds about the whole incident.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand it could be more to do with the thrill of finding a close, blood relation than wanting to get up close and personal. After all he's adopted, has dead parents, no siblings etc etc.
On the other hand well maybe there was some kind of basic genetic attraction - (like when siblings are raised apart and then find themselves attracted as adults).
All I do know is that Bree would go up the wall if she found out - (she might even have to call a halt on her alpha female, baby tending, portrait painiting, sharp shooting action gal ways for a moment and actually talk to poor Rog! )
Louise
Loved your thoughts on one of the most intense moments in the series! Everytime I read that part I still get choked up and tense. Even though I know for Gods sake whats going to happen!! I love Roger and I am also (again) disgusted with Bree and her behavior. I hope that if I ever were put in that position then I would rise to the occasion much better then she. And at the same time...what is Roger thinking when it comes to Morag??? Duh!! I can't remember if Roger ever tells Bree about what he did but maybe he should to WAKE HER UP!!
ReplyDeleteOhhh, I remember that feeling, on my own first reading of FC in 2006. Like you, I was utterly convinced at first that Roger was dead.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what the reaction must have been like when this book first came out!
Karen
Guys I didn't really think Roger majorly kissed Morag. Am I wrong? I have to reread it. I thought he just sortof planted one on her smackers - but I didn't see it as a passionate kiss. Either way, it wasn't a smart thing to do at all. Do you think it was because he forgets he's in a completely different time where you just can't do things like that? Here's something interesting, too... I'm finding a lot of parallels lately with Claire and Roger. I'll dig up the moment I realized this... it wasn't long ago, and I think I underlined it in the Kindle. I should blog about it; it was a bit of a revelation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments. I love that you guys are going through this with me and I'm not alone!!! :)
I don't think it was a passionate kiss either. I feel like he was almost protective of her, thinking of her as his "grandma" of sorts. I didn't picture it being anything offensive or over-the-top, but of course her husband is from the 18th century and just happened to see it "out of nowhere", so I can see how he could overreact (I guess) but definitely think he overreacted WAY TOO MUCH.
ReplyDeletePoor sweet Roger. :(
I agree that it wasn't a passionate kiss--it's one of those "I'm a Highlander and I kiss people when I'm feeling great emotion of any sort" type of deals--but still, I think Rog has been fascinated with Morag ever since he first laid eyes on her at the docks in Scotland (remember he noticed that she was a bonnie lass), and that was BEFORE he knew who she was in terms of his own heritage. Whether or not that fascination comes in a romantic attraction--even subconsciously--I do not know.
ReplyDeleteOH. MY. HECK! I told my roommate that I have been on pins and needles FOR YOU, Carol (how pathetic...). This, after the whole "Claire, I have to send you through the stones, but I have to die at Culloden", was the MOST traumatic part of the series thus far for me. I TOO thought Roger was dead, and I TOO swore that I would stop reading and loathe DG forever if Roger Mac was a goner. I mean REALLY! How could she do it?!
ReplyDeleteAnd then we found out he was alive, and all seems well in the worl, but oh, no, just you wait...sigh...this book is soooooo good!
Wow. That was a lot of pent-up emotion that I have apparently been harboring since reading Fiery Cross myself last year...
Like everyone else, I don't think it was a passionate kiss either. But Roger needs to remember what time he's living in. Not only should he NOT kiss a married woman (even if it is just a friendly peck), but he can't truthfully explain who he is to try to "fix" the situation. Can you see it? "It's OK. I'm not in love with you. We feel close because you're my great-great-great-(whatever) grandmother. How's that possible? Well, funny that you should ask..."
ReplyDeleteHe's a historian--he should have had some kind of idea about the proper way to behave in the 18th century. My two cents... :)
Right right RIGHT! Dinah. Perfectly stated.
ReplyDeleteJo M - I am having my Outlander night tonight and then it's BACK TO READING! I canna WAIT to read in front of the fireplace this weekend.
Tracey - I am going to Cameron's today to pick up my Scotch pies - I wish the owner would give me one of those Highlander kisses when I walked in!
Sassy - that's so funny - can you imagine if he slipped and called her "Gram"? LOL!
Ok, so I have been snowed in here in good ole Nashville, TN for the last 4 days. With 3 bairns at home it is amazing I had any time to read but I sure did read. Now up to Chapter 80!!! Almost caught up to read this blog from the current date forward instead of with one eye shut. Yea!!
ReplyDeleteAlright, I did shed a tear or two and definately felt a rock in the pit of my stomach when Jamie sent Claire back through the rocks before Culloden but I knew how many books lie ahead and knew it might be painfully for a little while but certainly things would get better at some point.
However, when Roger was being hanged and it was Roger's thoughts being described, I lost it!!! I was bawling like a baby. I quickly fell for Roger back when he and Bree went to the festival back in "their" time. And though he doesna hold quite as close a place to my heart as Jamie he is a close 2nd. - My hubby was at the firehall and I was alone reading with the bairns in bed snoozing, it was a mighly lonely place to be. So I believe I read until around 1:30 am until I KNEW Roger Mac would be okay.
Now with his depression and loss of voice (for the most part) I am anxious to find out how his story will play out...
I was telling the lasses on Saturday at our Outlander meeting that when I got to the Roger hanging part, it wasn't so much, "OMG, Roger's dead!" as much as it was, "OMG, how is DG gonna get Roger out of THIS one??" I've sort of come to the conclusion (and with just about two books to go, I could be way off the mark here, but whatever) that pretty much all characters are expendable OTHER than the main foursome of Jamie, Claire, Bree, and Rog. CERTAINLY no Jamie/Claire = No Story, but I really can't see Bree/Rog going anywhere, either. Certainly not Miss Bree--unless there happens to be some kryptonite on Fraser's Ridge somewhere... ;-)
ReplyDeleteYEY Jennifer, I'm glad you can read along with us now! You are probably ahead of me; I haven't blogged in a couple days. I think I'm on chapter 96. Jenn M, Shannon and I are going to meet on Thursday and we said we'd all stop at chapter 100 (god - chapter ONE HUNDRED!) so we'd all be at the same spot.
ReplyDeleteI completely thought Roger was dead. I had a little nagging voice saying "He CAN'T be dead" but honestly, I agree with Tracey; anyone can pretty much die - with the exception of Jamie and Claire. And of course Bree. She will just fight off any human or disease that tries to bring her down.
I smell a Bree blog brewing... ;)
I was freaking out over Roger. Like Jennifer above my hubby was at the fire station and i texted him WTF Roger is dead. He was texting back Who died? I explained it was Roger in my Outlander book. To say the least he texted he was going on a call and I needed to see a therapist. Hell maybe I do.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Roger has a death wish. He can't be let out alone without getting into trouble, and Jamie/Bree seem to be the ones who cut him loose! For his own safety he should go back to the 20th century and send postcards through the stones. Bree can just leave coded messages in future history books to keep him up to date how she's getting, although even that might be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI don't hate Breana, she's just a confused character who can't quite be Jamie - in spite of her red hair, height and freakish mastery of Gaelic (possible if you're saturated in the lingo for a few months). She's painfully immature, unlike her parents who were off in wars from early on, or just about anyone else from the 18th century. Hopefully she'll get a sense of humour and some empathy soon. I hope that Series 2 of the TV series helps me like her more.
I just finished reading An Echo in the Bone...promise not to let on anything here! But I do have a question about further books in this series. I found a couple and the John Grey series, but there are characters in particular who do not seem to be followed through on by the author. If anyone has finished the series and can help with directing to more books please e-mail me at llyon99163@yahoo.com! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnon/llyon - did you read Written in My Own Heart's Blood? That comes after An Echo in the Bone and is the last current book in the series (until book 9 comes out in about 47 years. LOL KIDDING. Maybe 4.)
DeleteI am absolutely cherishing reading these books, my milestones being guided by this blog. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI especially love the fact that everyone seems to share my feeling about Bree. URGH! Is it wierd that I'm hoping for a Roger and Morag coupling? That's strange right? Yes definitely - but anything to get Bree gone!!
LOL at Fifi10's observations of Roger. He IS always getting himself into the worst trouble. Love the postcards through the stones idea LMAO
Roger's like...the Jack Tripper of Outlander. 😂 God bless him. I'm a big Roger fan (as you can see!)
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ReplyDeleteMany thanks. Quite a lot of write ups! Roger Chainsaw
ReplyDelete