"I gave my burnt artilleryman water, then helped him to his feet. As he stood up, I saw behind his legs the epitagh carved into Gilbert Tennent's headstone:
O READER HAD YOU HEARD HIS LAST TESTIMONY YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN CONVINCED OF THE EXTREME MADNESS OF DELAYING REPENTANCE."
~Diana Gabaldon in "Written in My Own Heart's Blood"
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| Gilbert Tennent's Grave - Old Tennent Church and Graveyard I took this on my first visit to the Old Tennent church back in the 1990s. :) |
I do so envy you living so near to the historical events that shaped this nation. I used to live in York, PA and I truly miss that feeling of being surrounded by shadows of the past.
ReplyDeleteValGal
"Shadows of the past" is SUCH a great way to put it, ValGal. Seriously. Think of it this way... dinosaurs walked in North America...so you have plenty of history where you live, too! :)
DeleteI found MOP while in the middle of Echo in the Bone, and have been racing to catch up in MOBY. I've always been a fan of historical fiction, but it has never hit quite so close to home geographically. The other weekend I drove past Valley Forge and it felt eerie. I'm considering visiting Monmouth Battlefield this weekend to experience that strange feeling of incorporeal imagination transposing itself over material reality.
ReplyDeleteHeather - I am at 54%. How about you? I find myself reading sooo slowly. I just can't imagine finishing this book and having nothing to blog about.
DeleteValley Forge is awesome. I can't believe I used to see cannons and cabins on a regular basis when I lived there. I miss them. If you go to the Monmouth battlefield, DEFINITELY go to the Old Tennent church and cemetery. And Moses Laird's house still stands in Englishtown. And one of my favorite "lunch joints" is The Cabin in Freehold on Route 33. It's really down home but has an awesome "comfort food" menu. :)
Jealous!!!!
ReplyDeleteCarol, have you finished yet? I just read it last week (I can't put DG's books down). There is something super cool at the very end. Have you seen it?
ReplyDelete-Lisa
What a whirlwind! I've went through all 8 books (audio that is) from July through September. A constant companion in my car and I've missed the books (actually the voice) already and so another re-listen for now. Funny, how you can miss things the first time around. I love how Diana writes...truly amazing and I love all the characters and her development of them. I've felt the need to share a few written words (well, may be more than a few) per main character that comes to mind when I first think of them.
ReplyDeleteClaire - does the woman ever eat!! (I told my husband I would put this in the blog for him. He is not a reader or listener of audio books but loves the tv show....calls Claire "Sassensnatch"! Pffft, MEN!)
Jaime - every time he speaks makes the soles of my shoes melt. Oh and he's warm, warm and did I mention warm!! Brava DG!
Frank - Too traditional for Claire. I think he would have eventually cheated on Claire even if she didn't go through the stones.
Murtagh - under appreciated especially by Claire (I'm not including Exile here)!
Colum - big snake
Dougal - little snake
Black Jack - narcisstic psychopath sadistic A__hole!
Jenny - I could say more here but it would take more than a few words and so I say simply I understand her.
Laoghaire - The story wouldn't be complete without a female nemesis but mostly it was "Whuuuuuuuuut! What do you mean....married!!" She definitely did not know how it communicate.....was she a true Scot or no (being sarcastic here)?
Geillis - bigger snake
Daddy Ian - Love to hear him speak....he is so sensible!
Fergus - Ah, petit homme amoureux!
Baby Ian - a sweetheart and love the rugged part of him too.
Lord John Grey - he's too kind....look, I understand the reason(s) but I think he does what he does for the Frasers because he is lonely and they know and accept the true John.
William - This baby is still "cookin'" but he's getting there.
Brianna - modern woman but waiting for her Je ne sais quoi to happen.
Roger - modern man but with an old soul.
One more thing and this bugged me through all books until MOBY when it concerned Laoghaire. If Jaime knew from Outlander and Exile that he wanted Claire and loved her when she cried in his arms (first time) then why didn't he explain that to Laoghaire in the beginning or at least say that he has feelings for her? Instead he said it was Dougal that made them get married to protect Claire. Jaime became Claire's husband and reveled in it from day one! If he did tell her she probably would have left Claire alone but then again we wouldn't have the drama of the witch trial, rescue, etc. I get it but it still bugged me. Just sayin'
Have just finished the series, sigh canna wait for the next book!!! There is far too much in this book series to even start listing but wow, what a story. I do have to say however that never, ever have I read such joy as there was in the final chapter of MOBY. It is not a word I use often but joy it was. I won't give it away but instead of a cliffhanger, we were given a chapter that was so beautiful, so perfect that I had to re-read it a number of times to breathe it all in. So now it is Droughtlander in books and TV, sigh.
ReplyDeleteNow starting my re-read of the series and surprised how much I seem to have 'brushed over' in the first read. Taking in more and loving it even more - if that is possible. Thanks for your blog ladies, love going back over it again
Jane