Welcome to Week Five of the Outlander Read-Along everybody!
The Questions for Week Five are by Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives!
In all honesty, I’ll be the negative one and say that I’m bored senseless by Lollybroch so far. It has been like pulling teeth to get me to read this part. I don’t know why. I’m even a bit bored with Ian and Jenny. I almost feel like they’re so far removed from the story and the characters that I’m used to – the really exciting ones that keep me holding my breath and biting my nails – that they just bore me to tears. SO FAR. I know a lot of you probably really liked them, and I feel awful for saying these mean things about Jamie’s family! (I’m sorry Jamie. I still love YOU though. We still good? GOOD.) I can feel the love between the brother and sister, but I also feel as out of place as Claire seems while reading Lollybroch, if that makes any sense at all.
I was shocked at the exchange between Jenny and Randall! I had what I thought was the situation pretty rooted in my head. I already KNOW that I can’t stand Randall – he is basically unredeemable to me at this point and makes me terribly uncomfortable. I’ve already told you guys this. But hearing Jenny’s story just was something that I wasn’t expecting!
Would I have been that bold? NO. I lack boldness and I know this about myself! I can add bold to type in a blog post, but that is as far as my experience with boldness goes. I’d probably have been a goner, which is a very morbid thought but also truth. Do I understand Randall better? Maybe, but then again, I just honestly don’t care to understand him better. I am unnerved by him in such ways that I can’t quite explain. (Mind you, I hear there may be things going down with him later in the reading. I’m answering as I go along. I’m more than a little afraid of what may be coming up.) *EDIT: I’m horrified. Shaking, even. I cannot stand what I just read. I should’ve skipped Chapter 35 entirely.*
I don’t know if it is wise or not – I’ve seen the movie The Butterfly Effect, I think it is, where one tiny action changes the future in big ways. However, I like this family and I want their lives to be spared as well as their lands and their people. So in this case, as hypocritical as it may sound, I’m okay with what Claire did. It kind of goes along with time-travel, the being able to influence the time, no? So, yeah, I’m okay with it, although I’m not exactly sure on the wise-ness of it. Does it mess up the history/order of things? Most likely. And hopefully for the good of the family!
I think Claire is foolish in most of the things we’ve seen her do. She’s bold, driven, and brave. But she’s definitely foolish. There are men in the area that would’ve banded together, I think, and gone to rescue Jamie. He’s well-liked among his people and I’m not sure how necessary her rescue is. But it IS Claire and her actions such as this have made the story what it has been so far.I don’t know if I could go into enemy territory and save the man I love. He’d have to be a pretty awesome man. (WITH A GREAT VOICE. Yeah, I just said that. So what?) I’m not very brave, I’m very clumsy, and I’m pretty sure I’d cause more problems than I’d solve. So more out of having-smarts than not-having-courage, I’d probably defer to the men of the area to rescue him and I’d probably be at home worrying myself to pieces.
I actually don’t think this is Claire’s fault. I think Randall had his mind set on Jamie and would have found a way to do this awful thing whether or not Claire was there – it was just a perfect way for Jamie to bargain for her life and a perfect way for Randall to get what he wanted without having to use extra force.I believe wholeheartedly in Jamie. I believe in justice for the bad guy. And I can’t wait until he gets it.
I had an unbelievably hard time with the reading
this time. This rarely happens with me.
I feel really down on the story right now.
July 23rd
Questions for chapters 36-41 answered on Gone with the Words.
I think the consensus is brave and foolish for Claire. Lol. I think he would have hung, if she hadn't went in. But Randall was going to do unspeakable evil regardless. Being successful the first time was the only thing that might have saved him.
I totally want to go find that drunken child abuser that alerted the English and do something horrible.
I'm sorry that this section hit you so hard. Sometimes having a really quiet/happy period of a book can make me even more nervous, because it means that something dreadful is coming! It seems like you just couldn't settle at Lallybroch, because you could tell it wouldn't last. Also, clearly you love all the drama :).
I agree that Randall had his mind set on Jamie. You can see it building throughout the entire book. He really is one of the worst villains I've ever read. I have a really difficult time reading about sexual violence, so this section also left me pretty shaken. I can't spoil anything for you. But just know that I'm around when you start reading again!
This section didn't hit me as hard as the others and I'm not sure why. I think maybe you are taking it so hard because of your literary husband being in such a bad form!! It's scary! I am ready to move ahead and finish this book for many reasons. Don't fret too much, Jamie will pull through (I hope!)
I'm so so sorry that you had such a hard time with the end of the reading this week, Asheley. I think it didn't bother me nearly so much since I've already distanced myself so far from this book and the characters, but imagining these sorts of things happening to characters I do actually care about absolutely makes my stomach turn. I really hope that you're able to get through the reading this week (I know you started!), I'm SURE it has to end in a happier place–it couldn't get much worse, right?
I kind of love that you were bored senseless by Lallybroch. It makes me giggle.
This is a tough section to get through – the eye before the storm and all. Lallybroch is boring, then BOOM – we get more Randall than we want. Ugh.