SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT read this unless you have read VOYAGER - the 3rd book in the Outlander series!!
Do you ever wake up in the morning and go about your day, when all of a sudden it hits you all over again like a ton of bricks:
"Holy shit! Jamie married Laoghaire!!!"
Me too.
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YES! That's why my Voyager always falls open to "Daddy?" I couldn't believe it then... but reading scenes from Joan's and Marsali's pov and learning how much they love him and learned from him, I think sometimes that it wasn't such a bad thing...
ReplyDeleteExactly, Deniz! Joan and Marsali's lives make you kindof forget about Laoghaire...especially Marsali, since she's so prevalent in "the rest of the story." But then, when you least expect it, it just sortof hits you and you think, "Um...EW!!!" ;)
DeleteYes, I too have flash back moments and Jamie and Laoghaire is definitely up there. But it is immediately followed by the disbelief at how truly stupid the wee cow(Laoghaire, in case of confusion)is!!! If you had a chance of some Jamie Fraser would you go about moping and crying all day??? I would be doing back flips and cartwheels all the way to the bedroom where that man would not know what hit him. Oh my goodness..... I may have to pour myself a big glass of wine and let my imagination take over.
DeleteTo my favourite ladies on the net, keep up the wonderful work.
Mary,
Vancouver, BC
LOL Mary! I was hysterical when I read this. Backflips and cartwheels indeed. I am in total agreement!! :)
DeleteI know, what was he thinking? Or was he? I'm sure he could have found someone other than her to keep him warm.
ReplyDeleteGood question, Melody. He definitely SHOULD have...that is for sure. Clearly Jenny's matchmaking is not foolproof! :)
DeleteActually, it makes perfect sense. Remember:
ReplyDelete1. Jamie is seen -- in book one -- having one hell of a snogging session with Laoghaire. So he may not have been in love with her but he was certainly attracted to her already. And he knew her well enough to know her history as a bit immature but still a comely lass.
2. Anything negative we know about Laoghaire, we know through Claire and Geilie. *No one else in Castle Leoch knows that Laoghaire put the ill wish on Claire's pillow or was responsible for her being there in the thieve's hole.* As far as anyone else in the MacKenzie clan is concerned, she's just a wee lass.
So, adding all things together, it makes perfect sense. Jenny sees her brother home from his imprisonment, broken emotionally and alone. I think we can conjecture here that Laoghaire knew Jenny and will have, at some point, mentioned her fond memories about Jamie at Castle Leoch, especially his taking a beating for her. That's more than enough for Jenny to do what she did in matchmaking the two of them together, seeing in Laoghaire the perfect recovery for her brother. Not everyone married for love, friends -- not even today. Many wed for companionship (and still do), if the arranged marriages weren't for political reasons. Jamie was incredibly lonely for Claire and knew she was not coming back. He needed something to make him human again and Laoghaire was a link to his humanity. No, he didn't love her, but he cared for her as a companion. And I daresay he loved those girls. And with Jenny's matchmaking, it makes a lot of sense.
Very logical and it doesn't bother me at all -- although, I'm very glad that he had sense enough to go back to Claire, his true love.
Jesse - I hear what you're saying and TOTALLY respect your opinion. (You've gotta love hearing Outlander opinons...from all angles.) The question was basically asking if you've ever remembered it and freaked out all over again in your mind...not so much if you agreed with it once you put some serious though into it. Sooo...here's my question just for you: Did you not freak out at all - even just a little - when you stumbled upon that scene? Inquiring minds want to know. :)
DeleteThank you Jesse, for presenting a more balanced view of the Laoghaire/Jamie question. I believe too many (of us women) are too blinded by our infatuation with Jamie and admiration for Claire too see Laoghaire as human being, albeit flawed.
ReplyDeleteCertainly she pulled a very cruel, but silly, teenage trick on Claire (with a huge assist from Dougal), but that does not make her totally in-human.
Kris - As I mentioned to Jesse above, my question wasn't about what you thought of the situation once it had time to sink in...and once you dissected Laoghaire and all her faults (or non faults). The question was if it ever hits you all over again like a ton of bricks - like it did that very first time you stumbled upon the truth in Voyager.
DeleteSooooo...I'm going to ask you the same question I just asked Jesse: Didn't you freak out at all - even just a little - when you got to that point in Voyager? :)
Oooh I love all this Laoghaire discussion!
LOL, Carol!
ReplyDeleteI still feel that DG was just trying to eff with us! She probably couldn't wait for our reactions.:)
LOL Hildy! "I know what will REALLY freak them out." ;)
DeleteHow in gawd's great earth did I miss this question of the day? Carol, U of all peeps should know how I love a good question of the day. Ok, here goes.................
ReplyDeleteAre you effing kidding me? I nearly DIED when we found out Leghair was married to JAMMF. (like seriously Cari, get out your Lysol wipes) YUCK. The hag was responsible for the witch hunt on Claire. (sorry DG. I dinna buy the, "she was so young......" No sir. The bag knew what she was doing. Can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing to get me some JAMMF, lol.
It truly was a kick-in-the-gut moment. I vividly remember saying, "WHAT!!! NOOOOOOOO WAAAAAAAAAy!!" It was a total shock. Did NOT expect anything like that.
But that's why we keep reading, rt? DG is an evil genius and continually does things like pull Leghair out of thin air and inserts her where it was MOST PAINFUL indeed. Ouch.
Babe. It hurt. Still does. That's the beauty of fiction you can fall into. You feel it like RL.
Lysol wipes! ROFLMAO! I have to be honest - I LOVE the drama! I loved the kick in the gut! I LOVE everything that has to do with Leghair because she's such a great quasi-villain. She's the girl you love to hate! We all know someone like this...and DG knows it...and purposely inserts her "where it's most painful" (great line, JJ!)
DeleteAnd then she appears again in Echo in the Bone, augh!!
ReplyDeleteThe first time I read Jamie married "The Skank" it took my breath away. I read Voyager 5 years ago and I still have not recovered from it. I have a coworker that I have lured into the Outlander world. We have been talking about the books as she reads them. When she was reading Voyager I got mad all over again. So to answer the question, yes sometimes it crosses my mind and it is like it just happened.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think I should seek help but I just reread one of The Seven at random instead. It works for me...
PS. I love you blog. As I read your posts about the books I felt like you had read my mind. It was so fun to read someone's thoughts that were so close to my own. Example: Don't get me started about Jamie and those Indian girls..
ooooh Anonymous!!! Thank you!! And we could go on for days, could we not?!? I got such flak for that, too! Only a few people understood why I was so upset! Down with the squaws!!! ;)
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