SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have read Chapter 92 in The Fiery Cross.
Bree is now COMMANDING men - in 18th century mountainous, Carolina (cleared) brush - on how to properly SKIN A MOTHERHUMPING BUFFALO.
I HAVE NOW SEEN IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. Bree is a spoiled brat. DISCUSS!
No, she's not, but FWIW, a lot of readers seem to agree with you.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that scene, where Fergus holds up the tail of the buffalo. "Where would you have us put it, madame?" What a terrific line.
Karen
Bree isn't my favorite character, either. I liked her when she told off Laoghaire in Drums of Autumn, but she's been on my bad side pretty much since the whole Roger-sent-to-the-Iroquois debacle.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you ladies. Bree is one character that DG has written that I just don't understand how she wants us to interpret.
ReplyDeleteBree is practically written as a superhero. Super Bree comes to the rescue!!! Got a problem? See Bree. Uggh!!
Some of this may be her Jamieness coming out with a 1960's feminist cross. Definately a strong female character.
ReplyDeleteHere's the deal - while she may not be a spoiled brat (you're right, Karen), she is becoming totally ridiculously unbelievable as a character. I'll be blogging the NEXT superhuman thing she did verra soon...
ReplyDeleteFor me Bree was at her worst when she tried to blackmail Lord John into marrying her. I have a large soft sport for poor old Lord J and his hopeless infatuation with Jamie. However Bree didn't bat a ginger eyelash before threatening to destroy him. That was where any sympathy ended I'm afraid!
ReplyDeleteI think Carol is right when she says she is becoming completely ridiculous as a character - Her relationship with Roger feels completelty out of balance for me now - not only can the guy not shoot,soldier or even survey his own land without getting into trouble the one thing he was good at in the 18th century ie:singing has now being taken away. Bree meanwhile just keeps adding more alpha female talents to her list....annoying just doesn't cover it!
Louise
Louise: That Bree/LJ scene, in my opinion, is a top five scene of the series. You're absolutely right--it was the ONLY time (well, maybe that and Stephen Bonnet) where Bree went into a situation with her usual confident, slightly holier-than-thou attitude and was promptly SMACKED DOWN by my bestie LJ. Good LORD that was an "OH, SNAP!" scene if I ever read one.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Tracey, amen. :)
ReplyDeleteAgree with you 100% on that Tracey - Was cheering all the way with his "Don't play with fire" speech - I just LOVE that scene.
ReplyDeleteLouise
Louise--in case you haven't read it on another post somewhere, my dream of dreams is to be Grace to LJ's Will. :-) I. LOVE. HIM.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought it was just me!! ....Every girl should have a Lord John in their life...
ReplyDeleteLouise
I have never particularly liked Brianna's character, and wished that Jamie had had a much more compassionate, less self-serving daughter. But, i do think her attitude is typical of the sixies/seventies women's libbers. They tried to be self competent without men. Belittled men, and were generally obnoxious. Hell, it's true of some women NOW. I think Claire can be just as hard to take at times, lol. She can be daft. Diana was true to the era, much as we hate it. Jamie's daughter should have been different,tho, cuz HE'S different! LOL! When Bree screamed at Roger for dirtying the floor after she scrubbed it, and his clothes after she just washed them, THAT is just a spoiled 20th century woman for you! At the time I thought what a b*tch! But, that is just how 20th century people would deal with those men i'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to laundry and floor scrubbing remember Bree is a 20th century woman working in the 18th century. I would have yelled at my husband too if he had gotten his clean clothes dirty. Laundry was hard work. It had to be boiled in a pot over an open fire, scrubbed on a washboard, wrung out by hand and hung to dry. And then Briana scrubs the floor using a bucket probably lye soap and a coarse scrub brush. This is hours and hours of hard physical work. No wonder she is a little tweeked. By the way Tracey, I love LJG too. He is one of my favorite characters. I can't wait for the Scottish Prisoner to come out.
ReplyDeleteI hope this doesn't double post. Anyway, that is what i was saying Cathy. I know it is a lot of hard work, that is why I said initial reaction. But I am not sure the women of the 18th century did so much 20th century whining. They did what they did because they were expected to. I doubt then men gave cleanliness any regard. They messed and the women cleaned. Kind of like now, but we are allowed to speak our minds now. Still, Brianna is wound a little too tight all the time, IMO
ReplyDeleteYes, I've said it before, Bree badly needs a sense of humour and some empathy. That's what I love about Jamie. Bree knows it all though, and what she doesn't know she doesn't care about (eg Roger's singing - his ONLY talent godammit). You can see DG trying with the Green Eggs reference but to me the best type of humour is self-effacing - not something Bree can do unless she can get down off her high horse and mock herself a bit, or even resort to some good old privy/necessary humour, which should be plentiful in the 18th century.
ReplyDeleteI'm really hoping they get a fantastic actress to play Bree on TV. Amy Pond from Doctor Who is the kind of strong character I would have liked as Bree, as she is kick-ass and has a nice, devoted but less strong boyfriend/husband who she loves and protects but doesn't demean.