Monday, July 2, 2012

"Dangerous thing, infatuation." Outlander: Week Three

Outlander Read-a-long
Week Three: Chapters 15-21

Not sure what this is all about? Here’s the deal…

The read-a-long is going to go from June 11th to July 23rd on Mondays and more information can be found here.


I am still really enjoying this book though I don't think it will be one of my favorites I can still appreciate it as a romantic distraction. I was beginning to like Claire a bit more and after this chapter when she saves herself (you go girl!) I had convinced myself she was high on my kick ass female character list. HOWEVER, as the chapters went on I started to seriously dislike her AGAIN and I really don't know if there is any going back. The part in which the men teach her to fight was one of my favorite parts of the story thus far and as always Jamie still makes me swoon all over the place.

1) We FINALLY get to the scene we've all been waiting for. You know what I'm talking about--yay sexytimes! What were your impressions? Was it what you were expecting? Or did you want more? 

Ohh this chapter was all that I had wanted and more! I just LOVE how sweet Jamie is and when he tells Claire, "I said I was a virgin, not a monk, if I find I need guidance, I'll ask." I just about died. I think it was just the right amount of descriptions and so forth. I read a lot of adult books that go into DETAIL and even though sometimes I appreciate it, it's nice to have a bit of  a balance.

2) I know that some readers thus far have been bothered by the fact of Claire being married to Frank but still being involved with Jamie, despite the different time periods. Does their time as newlyweds change anyone's opinion of that? If not, now what are you thinking of the situation?  

Frank is totally out of my head at this point. I absolutely adore the way this romance is blossoming between the two and it seems very realistic to me. Claire and Jamie didn't fall head over heels at once and decide to get married. They got married out of necessity and Claire talks in length about infatuation and this was one of my favorite parts from the chapters this week. I can appreciate their romance and really enjoy that they are growing to trust one another and I have no doubt that this infatuation will inevitably turn into love.

3) What did you think about the "waterhorse" that Claire saw? Why do you think Peter was so spooked? And what do you think this means for Claire? 

I LOVED the story of the waterhorse but when Claire was going up to the water I kind of saw it coming and rolled my eyes a bit. I think that being that it is a legend even in this time Peter probably thought Claire was  somehow connected to the waterhorse or perhaps the lovely wife. Regardless, he seems afraid of her which I believe shows that in his mind she has some connection with either the legendary beast or some form of witchcraft. Methinks I see some foreshadowing happening...

4) If you were Claire and you were knowingly in the vicinity of the stones, would you have done the same thing she did?  

I really don't think that I would. First of all, I think she is happier here than she ever was with Frank so why even try to leave? Second, the woman CONTINUOUSLY comes this close to being raped because she is a woman (weak in their eyes) and can't control herself. Okay so you have a dirk that you now know how to use, can you use that against an army? I don't think so, Claire. Finally, I have no doubt that Jamie would take her to this place, she doesn't even need to explain the situation just ask to go there and I bet he would bring her because it is clear that he just wants to make her happy! He is in this for the long haul and he is honorable and therefore will live up to his vows. This part of the story really made me dislike Claire right after I was starting to like her again! I am a very outspoken woman as well but seriously, learn from your mistakes.

5) What do you think about Captain Randall? How do you think the family resemblance between him and Frank affects Claire and particularly her relationship with Jamie? 

I HATE CAPTAIN RANDALL!! I like Claire's bravery at first but then it just seemed rather foolish to me considering how much power he holds over her. I believe I would be unnerved if this man, who could be my husband's twin, was acting the way Randall did but I like to think I'd keep my head in the game and just handle the situation as it presented itself. I don't really see how Randall's likeness to Frank affects Claire and Jamie's relationship and besides a few thoughts it seems Claire knows that Randall and Frank are two separate people. This whole episode annoyed me in a few ways, you were in the room by yourself so explain why you took the time to ruin the Captain's things instead of, oh I don't know, GETTING THE DIRK OUT OF YOUR SKIRT?! It's really juvenile how she acts here and THANK GOD Jamie rode in at the right moment to save the day! I totally see this ending in a showdown where Jamie kills Randall and therefore, Frank in the future. YAH!

It’s not too late to sign up for the Outlander read-along! Check out my post to find out what its all about and to learn more about the upcoming schedule!

8 comments:

  1. Dude... The sexytime chapters were totally unexpected. I was listening to it on audio and I just didn't realize there would be so much sexytimes. And I get that she runs away, but it bothers me how close she comes to being raped all the time. And I hate Capt. Randall. And I hate the way Jaime deals with it... seriously, I don't care if it's time period appropriate, I will never support her being with Jaime. And... I had quite a few issues with this part of the book. Honestly, I haven't listened to it in days and i really don't want to start again.

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  2. I thought C15 had a great balance of detail too. Claire says he is joyous, but kind of lacks true experience. So probably wouldn't have been the best detailed sexytime scene. But considering the time/era, I thought it appropriate to give is a peek but not give us the bawdy version.

    I never thought about having Jamie take her there. She doesn't want to hurt him, but I'm thinking disappearing might really hurt.

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  3. Jamie's timing definitely was PERFECT!! Thank God for that :)

    And I have to agree - by this point Frank is totally out of my head at this point. I only remember him when Claire brings him up.

    -Jac @ For Love and Books

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  4. Friend, I am SO with you on Claire. Why does she keep making so many stupid decisions? I really want to like her, and did at first, but as time goes on she's just earning my disdain.

    I loved the waterhorse story too! And also had basically the same thoughts/reactions to it actually showing up in the book. Seemed a bit cheesy, but we shall see where it goes.

    And you're right! I said the same thing, Jamie would SO just freaking TAKE HER THERE IF SHE WOULD ASK. (Yes, I am mentally shaking Claire even more violently than Jamie did after she got herself caught).

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  5. I LOVED all the talk about infatuation. There is so much good there and to come.

    I had to read ahead, ya know, because of the questions. And I'm done with my contemporary month which means I'm back on the twitters since I am not up to the eyeballs in too many books. So I CANNOT WAIT to see your reaction to some of the stuff in Chapters 22-28. Seriously.

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  6. You make a really good point about Jamie being willing to take her to the stones. I think you are right! Even if she didn't want to say her reasons, they just spent all this time saying secrets were okay, so why can't she just ask? I hadn't thought of that before.

    Hang in there with Claire. She doesn't always do the most likeable things, but she also does some pretty awesome things.

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  7. Sometimes she does some things that, at the time, seem kind of stupid, but they are always in the spur of the moment, and end up being a lot stupid and hurt more than just herself. So, having said that, hopefully Jamie's "punishment" of her will make her more of a thinker than a doer...keep the faith! :) ~dixie

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  8. I didn't even think about the fact that Claire should just ask Jamie to take her to the stones. But you are totally right - he would do it if she asked him. Claire was definitely a bit annoying in this part of the book. Hopefully she wakes up and starts taking things seriously!

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