Oh Jamie, My Jamie! {Outlander ReadAlong Week 2}

Posted June 25, 2012 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 25 Comments

Welcome to Week Two of the Outlander Read-Along everybody! Carrie from Stalking the Bookshelves has written some excellent questions! 


These come from Chapters 8-14.

The Questions for Week Three will come from Jess at Tangled Up In Blue and can be found on her blog today. 

The Twitter hashtag for this event is #OutlanderRA, so tweet while you read. That’s half the fun, people!

Week Two: Alrighty! 

1. Claire has been given the task of healer at the castle. She must adapt her nursing skills for the time and learn what herbs and etc will cure each particular ailment that is presented to her. Do you have any home remedies that were passed down to you (cure for a cold, bee sting or what have you)? 

Y’all this is gonna be embarrassing for me, because I’m the nurse in the group. So I feel like I should have the wonderful answer like OF COURSE, LET ME LIST ALL OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW THAT ARE AS AWESOME AS CLAIRE! But NO! I don’t. 

Asheley, RN: FAIL. Don’t you guys go and try to make me feel better about this either. I should know more. Claire can fix up people in different centuries. What if I get transported back to the 1800’s??? Those soldiers can kiss it goodbye, cause Asheley only knows 1) labor & delivery, which will profit them nothing and 2) no home remedies EXCEPT FOR…

Liquor and honey for a bad cough. It totally works, y’all. Drink some if you have one of those hacky coughs that won’t go away, and OH YES your cough will go away. Then you’ll fall face forward onto whatever surface is in front of you. (My father-in-law feeds me peach brandy now and it has just about the same effect, but I don’t consider that a home remedy.) 

I love y’all, but I’m thoroughly embarrassed at my answer to this question. But it is an excellent question, Carrie. And I still love being able to connect to Claire through her nursing skills!  

2. What do you think would be the biggest challenge of living in the past? (Clothing, hygiene, food, etiquette, or etc)

Oh my gracious! Well, first of all, I like to be clean. C-L-E-A-N. So I’m not sure how I’d feel about not being able to wash my hair thoroughly – with good shampoo. I can’t stand a dirty scalp. Also, I can’t stand feeling like I stink. I may be overly obsessive about this, so in order not to embarrass myself, I’ll just leave it at that. Hygiene is a good one, Carrie! 

Also, I’m gonna be flat-out honest and say that I am quite in love with my internet access. I can do without it for a time. But you guys, I would totally miss you all if I couldn’t get on here and talk about books with you. And speaking about that, WHERE ARE THE BOOKS? *gasps* I certainly don’t see Claire and Jamie reading books like Julie Kagawa’s awesome stuff or anything by Patrick Ness!!! I’m gonna venture out on a limb and guess these people in the 1700’s hardly can fathom the definition of dystopian literature or paranormal/urban fantasy (or am I wrong about that?). I don’t even think I need to elaborate on the book thing. 

In order not to take up too much space on the interwebs, I think I should just say that I would miss everything. That’s the plain, gosh-honest truth. But first and foremost, I wouldn’t like stinking. Claire has mentioned more than once about “musky” men. Um…no way. I like my men clean. Ick. And I have to shave my legs every single day. EVERY. (Y’all are gonna think I’m a freak.) 

3. Do you have a favorite character, scene, or quote so far? If so, share it with us.

 WELL, since we technically haven’t gotten to Chapter 15 yet…*cough*ahem*cough*… 

I am super partial to the part when Jamie told Claire his real name. All five parts of it! Why? I. Do. Not. Know. But I found that to be profoundly sexy. Like a prelude to the GOOD STUFF. I read it over and over silently and then out loud! Oh my gosh, I’m such a dork! Oh my goodness! (Y’all know what I did then? I went to facebook to my IRL friend ANNA and messaged her about it! *blushes* It’s true. OVER A NAME. – This is not the first time in a book I’ve fallen apart over a character revealing his true name.)

So I guess to answer the question correctly, it was in Chapter 14, and the answer is when Jamie says, “James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.” All it took was that  name and I melted. For serious.  

4. What do you think about the addition of the blood bond in the wedding ceremony? Is this something you would do with the one you love? 

OOOH. Good question, Carrie!  

This came sort of out-of-the-blue for me, because I’m not aware of the customs of this time and this area. They mention that it is a pagan custom, which would certainly make it something that I wouldn’t necessarily know. However, I can GUESS that there is some symbolism in it, although I could be wrong…

Claire is married to Frank, but the marriage (as we know) is a bit wonky since they were separated and then brought back together…but Frank is preoccupied all the time. We’ve all expressed our concerns about Frank and Claire being able to connect, and we’ve all mentioned that we basically connected immediately with Jamie (at least I think I remember that we all felt that way). This blood bond seems for real, you guys. Frank and Claire have no mention of having a blood bond binding them together. So IF Claire travels back to her regular time, to Frank, she will still be married to Jamie also and also bound to him by blood, which is a bond that is certainly (at least symbolically) stronger than the bond she has with Frank. 

Did I love the blood bond? It was a little unusual because it isn’t MY custom and I haven’t heard of it before. However, I can certainly see its significance in the story, and I LOVE the fact that Jamie and Claire are bonded beyond just a legal agreement. 

I’m very interested in seeing what everyone else thinks about this. 

Would I do this? In this day and age, and given the customs and beliefs that I follow, a blood bond isn’t necessary because a marriage is a covenant that already isn’t to be taken lightly, which is basically what I think the blood bond would be establishing. I think to do it this day and age, and in this part of the world, would be symbolic or taking part in an older or cultural ritual. I did not do that when I was married. I merely spoke words, and by golly they were enough! 

5. Are you reading along closely with the scheduled chapters or are you ahead or behind? 

Another excellent question by Carrie, and at the most perfect place in the book to ask.  

Y’all, I have been hearing that Chapter 15 was the GOOD STUFF I was waiting for. Now, I’ve not been keeping it a secret that I wanted to read the GOOD STUFF. So did you all honestly think I was going to stop at Chapter 14? NO WAY. I am not reading ahead because I don’t have time to read ahead with the other blog event that I have going on at the moment. But cutting us off at this point – I just HAD to find out about Chapter 15. And GOOD GRACIOUS ALMIGHTY HOLY BATMAN, I’m glad I did. 

Answer, I am not reading ahead. But I read Chapter 15. When I pick the book back up this week, I will start back with Chapter 15. Meaning I will read Chapter 15 more than once. Yessirree. GOOD STUFF in that there chapter. 

Y’all can laugh if you want. I’m a big, adult girl and I’ve been waiting for it. Like I told Jess @gonewiththeword – I can put the book down now that I’ve finished Chapter 15. The story may as well be complete.  Stick a fork in me, I’m done. GOOD STUFF, yesssss.  

 At this point, I am head over heels for Jamie Fraser. 

**************************************************

Here’s the remainder of the schedule: 

July 2nd
Questions for chapters 15-21 answered & questions announced for chapters 22-28 on Into the Hall of Books

July 9th
Questions for chapters 22-28 answered & questions announced for chapters 29-35 on Logan E. Turner

July 16th
Questions for chapters 29-35 answered & questions announced for chapters 36-41 on The Reading Housewives

July 23rd
Questions for chapters 36-41 answered on Gone with the Words.

The end.  

Don’t forget to visit Lauren’s questions here on my blog today!
She’s just joined the ReadAlong! Let’s welcome her!


Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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25 responses to “Oh Jamie, My Jamie! {Outlander ReadAlong Week 2}

  1. I WOULD NEED TO BE CLEAN TOO!! Also when Jamie told Claire his name I re-read it a few times as well so don't feel bad! The blood bond really reiterated for me that Jamie and Claire are just MEANT TO BE! Frank who? 😀 Also if we were to travel back in time you would do much better than me even though you think you wouldn't. I AM A LIBRARIAN, what good will that do me?!

    Finally, I totally read ahead. I needed to find out what was under that kilt and by golly I am glad that I did. I will also be re-reading before chapter 16 just to…you know…keep it fresh in my mind ;]

    • Cleanliness is necessary. So necessary. Can't have the stink, ya know?

      AAAH the name.

      My IRL friend Anna pointed out to me about the under-the-kilt deal. I had no idea. I think I turned about fifty shades of red. But wowza. More Jamie, please.

  2. I do think Chapter 15 needs a reread-refresher. Love some tender and excitable Jamie.

    I so think your labor and delivery experiences would be highly sought after…just maybe not on the battlefield.

    The name does say a lot. It says history and standing and just something special to the day.

    I'd miss my YA and Guilty pleasure reads for sure.

  3. I think they had Dystopians in the 1730's (I did a course on utopian and dystopian lit my freshman year – they had dystopians back in the ANCIENT days lol) but they certainly wouldn't have been nearly as interesting as the ones we read now. Trust me – some of the excerpts we read I had to drag myself through, and I found myself wondering if I might actually enjoy the story if the language weren't so damn confusticating! lol

  4. This whole post cracked me up:)

    Whiskey, honey (and a little lemon juice in my experience,) yes maam, I too can attest to that working on a bad cough. Also a bit of red wine seems to work as well:)

    Hygiene, yes! Musky smelling men, nooooo…..

    And yes, revealing his full name to Claire was awfully romantic! I love that he trusted her enough to reveal that information:)

    And yes! No way could I stop at Chapter 14, I HAD to get THERE Asheley, and you know what I mean by THERE, because the anticipation was KILLING me. Had to get there. And then I still read a couple chapters more:)

    And yep, I'll definitely be re-reading, for recapping purposes of course:)

    • You know, I think I may remember something about lemon juice too, but I think my face was buried on the table or the floor or something. It seriously works. I didn't realize red wine worked for a cough. I'll have to keep that in mind because I don't keep whiskey around. I think I was so horrified by the whiskey-n-honey as a child that I'll probably never keep it around. It wasn't just a little bit – they made me drink a mason jar! That's probably why I was facedown on whatever surface. And I was probably entertainment for about a good five or ten minutes before I landed. Anyway…

      Stinky men = no. No no no. Stinky me is not good either.

      OH THAT NAME. I think I need to use my mirror crayons and write that down on my bathroom mirror just to bask in its glory for awhile. I read another series where a full name was revealed and I went a little nutty over that one too. WHY IS THIS? I don't care about real-life full names, Heather. Only fictional ones. There must be something wrong with me.

      Recapping is essential. I will be doing this also. Speaking of, I need to hurry and get on that because it is my week to read ahead and make questions!!

  5. Jae

    Great answers! I forgot to mention books as things I would miss and the internet for sure! And the whole being clean thing is super important to me too. I have to shower every day and having dirty hair is just ick! I guess back then people sometimes bathed but didn't always wash their hair. I've heard in Victorian times people even had rats in their hair. So gross! I wouldn't time travel back to that time for anything, not even a hot Scot! 🙂

  6. Why didn't I think about books? I'm a reading failure. Of COURSE I'd miss them. Great answers! And totally with you on the clean thing. I kept thinking that Claire has not mentioned bathing once!

    And I agree with Amy, you'd be super helpful in that time period. Delivering babies can be really hazardous (of course you know this), and I'm sure your knowledge would be invaluable. My husband was actually a biology major in college and he is a nurse too so I rely on him for medical advice. Too bad only women can do the time traveling, because he'd be great there!

    • I think I'm overly conscious about the clean thing, which can be a bit odd at times. Like when I see people on movies and stuff I think to myself "Eww they look like they need a bath" if it is like a period movie, a historical or something like that. So naturally for me, I have been thinking about the bathing thing even before this question. It just SO grosses me out. And then when I started getting to the GOOD STUFF, I was like OH GOSH GET CLEAN PEOPLE. PLEASE!

      But of course, there was not even brushing of teeth. Naturally, as there were no toothbrushes? Ugh.

      Yes, the baby knowledge would valuable, and it is a little odd that it hasn't been written into the book about a baby being born yet. I'm sure SOMEWHERE around the grounds there has to be a pregnant lady. Anyway, it would be horrifying to me to have to do that without technology although I think if I were at WalMart or something I'd be totally fine!

    • Well Jamie did talk about Claire's birthing hips, so maybe there's something to that… Even though I've had 2 children myself, I think I'd have a freak out if I ended up stranded somewhere with someone giving birth.

      Thankfully we can't smell through books – because I'm pretty sure that 18th century Scotland doesn't smell so good. Especially when all those men got together! Yikes!

  7. Pretty much rolling about your nursing 'ineptitudes' (I in no way think this makes you inept). Hilarious. You shouldn't feel bad, really, remember, Claire was also into botany! I think that that's done her a lot of good where her nursing training let up.

    I LOVE that you love when Jamie gives his name so much, and you know what? It's a damn good scene! I also love your thoughts about the meaning and depth of the blood bond. I've been really interested in the fact that because of circumstances, they had to marry before really knowing each other or having the love that we normally associate with marriage. I didn't expect this, and I actually kind of appreciate it because it makes the story seem more real to me. I like that they obviously care for each other, and that there's a good foundation for love, but that it still needs to grow.

    • Heidi, even as you mention the name, my heart leaps. WHY AM I SO SMITTEN OVER JAMIE? I know I cannot have him. He isn't real. Also, as I mentioned earlier with Heather, I don't even care about the names of real people. (I totally dug Prince Ash's name, but I know how you feel about that series.) But GAH I nearly passed out and that was BEFORE the good stuff. I could've quit there. And then the wedding was incredible. Once again, I could have quit. And then with Chapter 15, I could've quit. But that name.

      I think I need it tattooed on me. All five words. Yes. Marvelous idea.

  8. Ooh, I love when he states his name too, and when he refuses to get married in any kilt other than his family's. And poor Jamie, with his horribly hungover bride!

    Isn't Chapter 15 awesome? I had to cheat too because I knew what was coming (this is a reread for me), and when Jamie grabs Claire's hand and asks him to tell her about Frank to settle her, I swoon!

    • OH THE NAME.

      I love the way the roles are a reversed in this one with Jamie being the inexperienced one and Claire being the opposite. It's so different and makes it the good stuff!

      I swooned for a full three chapters, Sarah. I won't lie. Chapters 13-15. Because I knew what was coming up. Or I had an idea. It was delicious.

  9. You could always be a midwife 😉

    I'm addicted to the internet and my phone and Google…I'm not sure what I would do without them all. And yes, books!

    reading Chapter 15 more than once…I approve Asheley.

    and you are not a dork.

    • Jacinda, I was actually in midwifery school for a short time but decided against it for a couple of reasons.

      Approved!! I cannot even imagine anything more in the book being as good as Chapter 15.

      The dork thing is still as to be determined…ha!

  10. I keep reading these ongoings about chapter 15 but still haven't broken down and read it (secretly patting myself on the back for that one . . . but not so secretly anymore). I feel the pain with the nursing, I'm not a nurse but I work in a hospital and couldn't come up with anything good!

    • Marianne, your strength at holding out makes you the awesome one of the group, because I couldn't do it. Before I started the book, I was asking around at where all the good stuff was. I won't lie. If I were close to you, I'd pat you on the back too.

      Seriously, though, I hope you enjoy it when you get there! I'm re-reading it! WOOHOO!!

  11. YESSS! I love that part with his name! Well, technically I love the whole dang chapter, lol. But when he's like, Oh..James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, I so swooned too! We're such softies!! haha

    And I'm glad you got to the GOOD STUFF and liked it!! hehe 😀

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