DRUMS OF AUTUMN: Week of 6/29; Reading Chps 42-51, Discuss Chps 30-41 here

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

We'll be reading Part 10 this week, Chapters 42-51. 

This weeks reading brought about a change in how I thought of Roger.  As I thought it through, I realized that DG really didn't take time to develop Roger and Bree's characters or their feelings for each other.  Roger's reaction to Bree going through the stones and then following her, brought out his feelings for me. 

Just wanted to say that. 

Part Eight-- Drums of Autumn
"Beaucoup"
Chapter 30-39

1.  What was your first thought when Roger received the boxes from Brianna?

2.  Were you surprised that Joe Abernathy knew everything about Jamie and Claire?

3.  Obviously, Brianna thought the boxes would arrive in Oxford while he was in Scotland when it would be too late to stop her.  Why do you think she didn’t include a letter telling him what she planned to do?

4.  What did you think of Gellie’s Grimoire?

5.  Brianna arrives at Lallybroch claiming to be Jamie’s daughter.  Even though she looks so much like him, why do you think they were wary of accepting her story until she showed them the pearls?

6.  What things about Lallybroch begin to make Brianna feel more like part of the family?

7.  What did you think of Brianna purchasing a bondswoman?  What do you think of the whole system of indenture?

8.  Were you surprised that Roger ended up on Stephen Bonnet’s ship?

9.  What was your first thought when the Captain rubbed the gold ring over the child’s eyes?

10.  What did you feel when you realized that people suspected of having the pox were thrown overboard?  What better way was there to handle such a situation?

11.  Do you think Roger endangered the rest of the crew and passengers by helping Morag hide her baby?

12.  Why do you think Bonnet wanted to throw Roger overboard? 

13.  Do you think the incident when Bonnet was nearly sacrificed to the house he was helping to build had a part in shaping his later character?


Part Nine-- Drums of Autumn
"Passionnément"
Chapter 40-41

1.  Why do you think Bree changed her mind about marrying Roger?

2.  What was the significance of Bree’s dream about the crocodile?

3.  What did you think of Bree and Roger’s wedding night?

4.  Where do you think Roger is going to get the gemstone?

5.  Do you think Bree overreacted when she realized Roger hadn’t told her about the newspaper article?

6.  Did Jamie and Bree’s first meeting live up to your expectations?

[danfan]

We'll be reading Part 10 this week, Chapters 42-51. 

This weeks reading brought about a change in how I thought of Roger.  As I thought it through, I realized that DG really didn't take time to develop Roger and Bree's characters or their feelings for each other.  Roger's reaction to Bree going through the stones and then following her, brought out his feelings for me. 

Just wanted to say that. 

Me too.  I actually really like Roger & Bree as a couple, and Roger as a person. They'll never be a Jamie & Claire - they couldn't be. But they are more "average" and I just really like them, especially from the time he visited her in Boston.



1.  What was your first thought when Roger received the boxes from Brianna?
Assumed she'd decided to move in with him. Then when he got the note about her going away for the summer, I thought HUH??? What's she doing? Why?

2.  Were you surprised that Joe Abernathy knew everything about Jamie and Claire?
Completely. I knew he knew there was an ex-love Jamie, but not the rest.

3.  Obviously, Brianna thought the boxes would arrive in Oxford while he was in Scotland when it would be too late to stop her.  Why do you think she didn’t include a letter telling him what she planned to do?
She probably thought he might follow & if she fobbed him off, he'd foolishly believe her story. or maybe she felt foolish? But then I often find myself yelling at characters: "Just tell them!"

4.  What did you think of Gellie’s Grimoire?
Creepy. But she obviously knew far more than I ever guessed she did.

5.  Brianna arrives at Lallybroch claiming to be Jamie’s daughter.  Even though she looks so much like him, why do you think they were wary of accepting her story until she showed them the pearls?
I don't know. Laheer would dispute anything to do with Claire I think, just for the fight of it & to get back at Claire. I can't imagine why Jenny might not have accepted it, other than perhaps to deny to herself the bad things she'd done.

6.  What things about Lallybroch begin to make Brianna feel more like part of the family?
I think Ian went a long way to making her feel part of the family; seeing the cave where Jamie lived for years & relating that to what she knew about him made it seem more real.


7.  What did you think of Brianna purchasing a bondswoman?  What do you think of the whole system of indenture?
I think she hated the idea as much as Claire hated seeing slaves. But she knew she couldn't really get away with saying no to it all, hence choosing someone like Lizzie.

8.  Were you surprised that Roger ended up on Stephen Bonnet’s ship?
LOL not really with the way co-incidences occur.

9.  What was your first thought when the Captain rubbed the gold ring over the child’s eyes?
Another superstition - although I know gold has healing properties.

10.  What did you feel when you realized that people suspected of having the pox were thrown overboard?  What better way was there to handle such a situation?
How horrifying! I'm sure good quarantining would have been better but after what happened when Claire was "kidnapped" on the other ship, and the major disease outbreaks, I'm not surprised - especially from someone like Bonnet. The man doesn't have a shred of decency.

11.  Do you think Roger endangered the rest of the crew and passengers by helping Morag hide her baby?
He may have, but I think he genuinely thought the risk was worth it. They have to live for him to exist, don't they? So he wasn't really interfering with destiny.

12.  Why do you think Bonnet wanted to throw Roger overboard?
Need to re-read that.

13.  Do you think the incident when Bonnet was nearly sacrificed to the house he was helping to build had a part in shaping his later character?
Not sure. I think he's just truly sociopathic and uses stories like that to justify his own behaviour.

Will come back to the others..... got to cook dinner.

[Anju No. 469]

1.  What was your first thought when Roger received the boxes from Brianna?
Maybe she was going to return to Scotland to be with him.

2.  Were you surprised that Joe Abernathy knew everything about Jamie and Claire?
He was after all her best friend and when she ecided to go back he needed to know EVERYTHING

3.  Obviously, Brianna thought the boxes would arrive in Oxford while he was in Scotland when it would be too late to stop her.  Why do you think she didn’t include a letter telling him what she planned to do?
Simply because she didn't want him to follow her, like he did, because she did not want him to stop her - after all she did find the news article of their death.

4.  What did you think of Gellie’s Grimoire?
Didn't think about it at all

5.  Brianna arrives at Lallybroch claiming to be Jamie’s daughter.  Even though she looks so much like him, why do you think they were wary of accepting her story until she showed them the pearls?
They were wary of Claires return, so why not Brianna showing up out of the blue.

6.  What things about Lallybroch begin to make Brianna feel more like part of the family?
Ian seemed to accept her and so did Jenny, particularly in front of ol' whatername.

7.  What did you think of Brianna purchasing a bondswoman?  What do you think of the whole system of indenture?
Feeling sorry for her.  It was a necessary evil then.

8.  Were you surprised that Roger ended up on Stephen Bonnet’s ship?
Nope he had to be involved more in the story even tho he was a bad buy

9.  What was your first thought when the Captain rubbed the gold ring over the child’s eyes?
superstition

10.  What did you feel when you realized that people suspected of having the pox were thrown overboard?  What better way was there to handle such a situation?
They really had no way to handle this situation and pox was very frightening to those of that time frame

11.  Do you think Roger endangered the rest of the crew and passengers by helping Morag hide her baby?
actually no because he knew the baby did not have the pox even if it might appear it could have been to the uninitiated

12.  Why do you think Bonnet wanted to throw Roger overboard?
Because he could tell Roger was a "better" person, more edcuated, intelligent, etc.

13.  Do you think the incident when Bonnet was nearly sacrificed to the house he was helping to build had a part in shaping his later character?
Definitely- don't trust anyone for any reason, only yourself and take what you can when you can


Part Nine-- Drums of Autumn
"Passionnément"
Chapter 40-41

1.  Why do you think Bree changed her mind about marrying Roger?

She didn't change her mind she just put it off for awhile

2.  What was the significance of Bree’s dream about the crocodile?

part of the time travel stuff

3.  What did you think of Bree and Roger’s wedding night?
pretty cool

4.  Where do you think Roger is going to get the gemstone?
Bonnet but didn't know if he would be able to steal it


5.  Do you think Bree overreacted when she realized Roger hadn’t told her about the newspaper article?
she reacted just as she could / should have - he should have told her about it regardless of her potential reaction

6.  Did Jamie and Bree’s first meeting live up to your expectations?
pretty much so

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

5.  Brianna arrives at Lallybroch claiming to be Jamie’s daughter.  Even though she looks so much like him, why do you think they were wary of accepting her story until she showed them the pearls?
They were wary of Claires return, so why not Brianna showing up out of the blue.

They didn't know right away who her mother was.  Until she showed the pearls, they didn't know her mother was Claire.  Once they knew that, they accepted her. 

9.  What was your first thought when the Captain rubbed the gold ring over the child’s eyes?
superstition

My first thought was that it was Claire's ring. 

3.  What did you think of Bree and Roger’s wedding night?
pretty cool

I thought it was pretty "cold" actually.  I don't know why, but I just wasn't feeling the love.

[tlshaw *Padded Cell 511*]

1.  What was your first thought when Roger received the boxes from Brianna?
She is going off to find Claire and Jamie

2.  Were you surprised that Joe Abernathy knew everything about Jamie and Claire?
No. Claire talked to Joe before she left Boston and told him what was going on, so that he could take care of Bree.

3.  Obviously, Brianna thought the boxes would arrive in Oxford while he was in Scotland when it would be too late to stop her.  Why do you think she didn’t include a letter telling him what she planned to do?
She wanted him to stay in the present and knew he would follow her if she told him.

4.  What did you think of Gellie’s Grimoire?
Scary

5.  Brianna arrives at Lallybroch claiming to be Jamie’s daughter.  Even though she looks so much like him, why do you think they were wary of accepting her story until she showed them the pearls?
They knew Claire had been away, but no one had said anything about Claire being pregnant when she left and they were sure that Jamie had not fathered a child from someone else.

6.  What things about Lallybroch begin to make Brianna feel more like part of the family?
I think seeing the portraits and seeing how much she looks like Jamie and Ellen. Also, Ian showed her around and talked to her about Jamie and even showed her the cave.

7.  What did you think of Brianna purchasing a bondswoman?  What do you think of the whole system of indenture?
This was a common practice during the time. Bree was actually saving Lizzie from a horrible future. Many immigrants came to this country that would have died otherwise. It was maybe not the best system, but there was a definite end point to the indenture.

8.  Were you surprised that Roger ended up on Stephen Bonnet’s ship?
No, Stephen Bonnet had to show up again.

9.  What was your first thought when the Captain rubbed the gold ring over the child’s eyes?
Claire’s ring.

10.  What did you feel when you realized that people suspected of having the pox were thrown overboard?  What better way was there to handle such a situation?
That was horrifying, especially throwing children overboard. Quarantine would have been a much better solution, but then most people had not idea about such things.

11.  Do you think Roger endangered the rest of the crew and passengers by helping Morag hide her baby?
Not really, because by keeping her away from everyone else, the baby was quarantined.

12.  Why do you think Bonnet wanted to throw Roger overboard? 
Roger did not kowtow to Bonnet the way the rest of the crew did, and Bonnet expected everyone to fear him. He saw Roger as a possible rival?

13.  Do you think the incident when Bonnet was nearly sacrificed to the house he was helping to build had a part in shaping his later character?
Maybe it strengthened a part that was already there, but below the surface.


Part Nine-- Drums of Autumn
"Passionnément"
Chapter 40-41

1.  Why do you think Bree changed her mind about marrying Roger?
When Roger came after her, she finally realized that Roger loved her, and was not just fulfilling a promise to Claire to take care of her.

2.  What was the significance of Bree’s dream about the crocodile?
That was when the young woman spoke to Jamie with Bree’s voice and told him to go with Claire. It was not just a dream, but a real event in Jamie and Claire’s life.

3.  What did you think of Bree and Roger’s wedding night?
Very unusual. Roger wanted to make sure Bree knew he was serious.

4.  Where do you think Roger is going to get the gemstone?
He was going to steal it from Bonnet.

5.  Do you think Bree overreacted when she realized Roger hadn’t told her about the newspaper article?
No. It made her feel like Roger did not trust her and was treating her like a child. He should have discussed it with her up front.

6.  Did Jamie and Bree’s first meeting live up to your expectations?
Yes. It was an overwhelming moment for both of them.

[Anju No. 469]

One thing I really like about this book klub - we are reading the books in sequence and not having to wait YEARS for the next one.  It makes it much easier to keep things in memory, well for us geezers anyway.

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

One thing I really like about this book klub - we are reading the books in sequence and not having to wait YEARS for the next one.  It makes it much easier to keep things in memory, well for us geezers anyway.

I started reading them when Outlander first came out.  It's been a long wait between books.  But it's nice to read them with you guys one after the other. 

I wonder how long it's going to take before the last one comes out?  I hope it doesn't take DG more than two years to write it.  Us geezers might not make it.   

[Anju No. 469]

I have read them all more than twice, and still forget what's going on.  I have "remembered", actually due to the questions here, more and it has made the series even more enjoyable.  I have a friend who refuses to get into the series no matter what I have tried, even to buying the DTB for her 

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

I have read them all more than twice, and still forget what's going on.  I have "remembered", actually due to the questions here, more and it has made the series even more enjoyable.  I have a friend who refuses to get into the series no matter what I have tried, even to buying the DTB for her 

Remember when we first proposed the Klub how many people didn't want to read Outlander because they thought it was "romance."  Now many of them know it is far from a standard bodice ripper.  That's probably what your friend thinks.  Boy, is she missing out.   

[imallbs]

Who doesn't read a good romance book?  I thought they were for everybody (looking away and whistling nonchalantly)

[imallbs]

Off topic - Gertie, how does clicking on the tags at Amazon help others find your book?

[imallbs]

This weeks reading brought about a change in how I thought of Roger.  As I thought it through, I realized that DG really didn't take time to develop Roger and Bree's characters or their feelings for each other.  Roger's reaction to Bree going through the stones and then following her, brought out his feelings for me. 

Just wanted to say that.

I agree.  I thought of Bree and Roger as kind of hanging out there developing their relationship when we were not around.


1.  What was your first thought when Roger received the boxes from Brianna?
She went through the stones

2.  Were you surprised that Joe Abernathy knew everything about Jamie and Claire?
Yes and no.  I hadn’t expected it but it made sense.

3.  Obviously, Brianna thought the boxes would arrive in Oxford while he was in Scotland when it would be too late to stop her.  Why do you think she didn’t include a letter telling him what she planned to do?
She didn’t want him to go with her.  Why?  I don’t know.  Possible reasons:
She didn’t want to endanger him
She doesn’t love him
She isn’t coming back
She needs him to be where he is so she can get back (thinking about him so she has an anchor when she is ready to come back)

4.  What did you think of Gellie’s Grimoire?
Geilie knew herself (she was mad but she did know what she wanted and went after it)

5.  Brianna arrives at Lallybroch claiming to be Jamie’s daughter.  Even though she looks so much like him, why do you think they were wary of accepting her story until she showed them the pearls?
Bree is a foreigner and they are wary of foreigners.  She isn’t English like Claire, they don’t know about any other children Jamie might have had so while they may have been curious or even hopeful, they were also cautious.

6.  What things about Lallybroch begin to make Brianna feel more like part of the family?
She has people that look like her, learning about her grandmother’s talent and most of all, Jamie’s letters.  Those letters brought him alive for her.  Seeing Lallybroch and meeting the people she had heard about brought them alive for her too.

I just have to say that I loved the part with Brianna at Lallybroch.  I never really cared if Jamie and Claire were there but I wanted more of Brianna there.  I wish that more time could have been devoted to her getting to know her family and learn about her father.

7.  What did you think of Brianna purchasing a bondswoman? 
Aside from what I think of the indenture system, Brianna didn’t have any other way of obtaining a traveling companion and she did need someone with whom she could travel.  At least she helped the girl out. 
What do you think of the whole system of indenture?
I'm torn.  On one hand it was horrible; one step up from slavery.  It tore families apart, took away the freedom of choice.  On the other hand it was a way to make a new start and many people took advantage of that.  All in all, I'm glad indentured service is gone but I can see why it existed.

off to read some more...

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Off topic - Gertie, how does clicking on the tags at Amazon help others find your book?

If you do a search for historical romance, it brings up thousands of books.  Jane Austen, Anya Seton and Diana Gabaldon to name a few, always come up on the front pages. 

The more tags I have in those categories, the closer I will be to the front pages.  Since I'm not a well-known author, I have to rely on genre searches to bring my book to the readers' attention. 

[Anju No. 469]

Still OT so if we go and just click it will help bring you up?

OnT Fiery Cross is next?  When will we start that?  I have Distant Cousin 3 to get into, but it's not quite as long so should be no problem.

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Still OT so if we go and just click it will help bring you up?

Yes, that's the way it works.  Please click on all my tags.  Thanks. 

OnT Fiery Cross is next?  When will we start that?  I have Distant Cousin 3 to get into, but it's not quite as long so should be no problem.

We read the last of Drums this coming week.  That's about 180 pages.  Then we'll go straight into Fiery Cross.  That gives us 10 weeks, if I counted right, to read about 200 pages a week.  Hopefully, we'll be on schedule to read Echo when it comes out on 9/22.  There won't be any discussion questions for Echo.  I suggest that we bookmark what we want to talk about and have at it. 

[Anju No. 469]

Thanks Gertie - on my way to tag 

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Thanks Gertie - on my way to tag 

Thanks, Dona.