I love putting up a video and saying "discuss". What a loaded statement!
I agree with the general consensus. He's not my Roger and - while I absolutely ADORE Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica on True Blood; she's not really my Bree.
But I did love the song - and I also love that people take the time to put these videos together. You have to give them props. It takes countless hours of research to go through video and cut up parts that you think pertain to the story. I loved the boat shot - even though it was roughly 200 years (give or take a decade) too late. It reminded me of Roger on the ship headed to find Bree... and I got a lovely warm feeling in my wame.... like the kind you get when you have a cup of hot tea or coffee on a freezing cold, rainy afternoon.
I miss Roger. I miss Bree. Don't even get me started on how much I'm missing Jamie and Claire. And I know the general consensus of THAT commentary is "reread the books!" But it's not what I truly want. It's so difficult when you've read all 7 books in a row without stopping - and then have to wait for so long. Lorddddddd where's Diana's Methadone list when I need it?!
I miss everyone!! I have listening to Echo in my spare time... [Side Note: I have to mention that I think you miss so much in an audio book. Side Note: I love Davina Porter, but sometimes she reads things WAY different than I do in my head (it does put a twist on things though).]
ReplyDeleteAnywho. I am realizing how much I miss Jemmy! He's such a sweet boy, and I can't wait to see how he grows up. I love it when he uses those Jamie-ism and the funny things he says "D'ye think Mam will give Mr. Mingus laldy?" or "He just said he'd like to be buried here, and if I came here, I should leave him stane. So I did" or when he is walking back from swimming with Germain and Jamie and he kisses Jamie's scars on his back and says, "Is that make it better?"
I have not been able to get attached to Mandy at all, I think I'm still bitter that she is the reason Rog and Bree are away from Jamie and Claire and the family is broken up. And, my poor Jemmy is having such a hard time adapting to 20th century life. :-(
Carol, I thought I'd throw another book suggestion your way. I've been watching Pillars of the Earth on Netflix (were there more than 5 episodes, by the way?), and I was reminded of a wonderful novel: The Sunne and the Splendour, by Sharon Kay Penman. It's set in the 1400s and is about Richard III. And it's nice and long, so it should keep you buys ;).
ReplyDeleteI miss everyone too, especially Jamie.
ReplyDeleteJessica, you reminded me of something essential. Mandy is really the reason they are apart. Tell me something...Why couldn't they go back again after she had her heartsurgery? I know, for the sake of the story, it's more interesting if they are apart, blah blah blah, BUT...did I miss anything? Is there a reason they are apart still, some reason they couldn't go back through the stones?
Diana, hurry up an write that book, for goodness sake. We're dying here...!
Ugh. I miss them all too! I think that's why I loved seeing a strapping redhead and soulful-eyed dark haired boy in the bree-roger vid. I've started the Book thief, but it doesna compare of course, nor should it. Our new at-home-unlimited viewing Netflix account is pretty rad - the Tudors, and Pillars of the Earth - and that's helped some, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd just to continue w/other commenters' statements, my feeling was that, with each trip through the stones, the traveler couldn't know if they would make it out alive. That's a reasonable risk if it's one grownup, but when children are involved, it becomes untenable unless illness is a factor. And once the kids are well, I feel like they'd be too hesitant to risk going through the stones and losing someone, and since Claire has been through that time-passage, she understands the price one pays to go one way, but not the other. Just kind of my take!
I agree with Sirena. Going through three times was terrible for Claire, and just her reaction to the stones when Bree, Roger, Jemmy, and Mandy went through was intense. It probably would have killed her to go through again.
ReplyDeleteI think we also have to consider what kind of turmoil the Colonies were in. It was probably safer, at least for the time being, for them to stay in the future/present until the Revolution had worked itself out.
*SPOILER*
And it seems that the end of Echo hints that Roger DOES go back because he believes that Jemmy is there...
Thanks Jo! I'll add it to the list. I've gotten so many awesome suggestions. I want to make a list of all the suggestions from last week's post and make it into a "page" with the rest of the menu.
ReplyDeleteJessica I agree about Davina. She's fantastic but she doesn't always read Jamie the way I heard him in my head - and that makes it hard to enjoy sometimes. He is much more funny in my head, whereas he sounds annoyed from time to time on the audio.
Agree with Sirena/Jo. I think sometimes we the readers (or at least I do!) underestimate the difficulty and danger of going through the stones--we treat the trip almost like it's something you could do a few times a year, almost like going to Florida for the winter.
ReplyDeleteOne reason might be that up to this point, everyone we've seen go through (except for maybe Roger on his first try) has done so with seemingly no ill after-effects and remained relatively unscathed. (Yes, yes, we have Geillis' book and Otter-Tooth's diary to prove that in fact lots of people DON'T make it through, but it's a little harder to transfer that danger onto the characters we actually know.) It might be interesting to see first hand someone who DOESN'T make it back. Hmmm...maybe uncle Buck is expendable?
I read them all right in row last year (summer of 2009) and then started my reread in April and finished in July of this year although I didn't read straight through this time. I read a ton so as much as I love them all I can't just devote all my time to them and have to get in some other books too! I have noticed since I've started reading them though my book count for the year has gone down and my "too be read" pile has gone up! I can't complain though - I love the books so much I think I'll probably be rereading them every year no matter what.
ReplyDeleteCarol-Penman has quite a few novels, but I've only read two: Sunne and the Splendour (which I liked better) and Here There Be Dragons (the main female character was named Joanna, which I don't encounter too much!). She also has a serious about Eleanor of Aquitane and whichever Henry (?) she married that I am interested in.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Breath of Snow and Ashes, and HOLY CRAP did I forget a lot...like Alan Christie. Sheesh, I forgot how nasty he was!
While driving through the park on the way home from work today, I noticed a man with long auburn hair running along on the sidewalk. His hair was a bit dark, and he wasn't 6' anything, but I could imagine a kilt swinging in the breeze....oh my!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I practically drooled over a guy that I saw in a restaurant a few weeks ago: long thin nose, red hair, very tall. I couldn't even follow what my brother was saying!
ReplyDeleteAnother reason why Bree and Roger don't just return to the past, I think, is because the past is a really dangerous place. They are 20th century people who expect long life expentancies and health care and lots of life choices for their children. Jemmy would have been expected to be man at a very young age, Mandy would be limited as a woman in that time period and any of them could die of a treatable(now) illness. Now that they have made the dangerous trip to the present, they would need a strong reason to return.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I really hope the dangling story lines we see at the end of Echo lead to them going back! I enjoy them all being together.
Also, I have been reading your blog from the beginning for the last few days. It is a lot of fun!
April