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Ask the Outlanders: Questions for the Bookreaders


Athena

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  Quote
Hi Book readers! I'm up to date on the show and want to read the books now, but I'm not so sure I want to get ahead of the show. Which book(s) correspond(s) to what we've seen so far? Thanks!

 

 

The first book, Outlander.  It follows that book fairly close so we're just a bit further than the halfway point.  

Edited by bluebonnet
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  On 4/19/2015 at 7:10 AM, placate said:

Can anyone give me a better descriptions of the genre of this series?  I've been considering picking it up but it's listed as both historical fiction and romance.  I hate romance novels. I love historical fiction.  I guess I'm just wondering if the books are full or purple prose and long winded sex scenes where no one can talk about their genitalia without strange euphemisms?

 

I remember reading something by Diana Gabaldon early on (sometime before books 4-plus) that the publisher classified Outlander as romance because it's easier to sell books, especially first books by unknown authors, when they are classified as a genre. It's not really romance, though, because it doesn't follow the (word I can't think of right now) of the romance genre. I would call it more fantasy (because of  the time travel)/historical fiction, with more historical fiction than fantasy. If it weren't for the time travel, there would be no fantasy.

 

There are sex scenes, but no euphemisms for genitalia. The only time I recall a scene like that in any of the books is when someone is reading a romance novel that was lying around.

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  On 4/19/2015 at 1:22 PM, auntlada said:

I remember reading something by Diana Gabaldon early on (sometime before books 4-plus) that the publisher classified Outlander as romance because it's easier to sell books, especially first books by unknown authors, when they are classified as a genre. It's not really romance, though, because it doesn't follow the (word I can't think of right now) of the romance genre. I would call it more fantasy (because of  the time travel)/historical fiction, with more historical fiction than fantasy. If it weren't for the time travel, there would be no fantasy.

 

There are sex scenes, but no euphemisms for genitalia. The only time I recall a scene like that in any of the books is when someone is reading a romance novel that was lying around.

 

Conventions? I see a certain amount of disappointment with the series as it goes on from fans who got into Outlander because of the Jamie/Claire love story, but then they get frustrated when the story doesn't "go" like they were expecting, as a typical romance novel would (that's not the only reason people might be dissatisfied with the series as it goes on, of course).

 

The series doesn't go the "throbbing member" route but there are a number of sex scenes throughout and they're not of the fade-to-black variety. It can be a bit much if love scenes aren't your thing.

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The series doesn't go the "throbbing member" route but there are a number of sex scenes throughout and they're not of the fade-to-black variety. It can be a bit much if love scenes aren't your thing.

 

 

Wow. You have no concept of romance novels. They are not about the sex. They are primarily about the central focus on the romance, on the relationship between a couple, their struggles, and the happily ever after.

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  On 4/19/2015 at 11:51 PM, Nidratime said:

Wow. You have no concept of romance novels. They are not about the sex. They are primarily about the central focus on the romance, on the relationship between a couple, their struggles, and the happily ever after.

 

All I was saying that the amount and nature of the love scenes in the books might not be to everyone's taste, especially for the original poster who mentioned not being a fan of the romance genre in general. I never said that romance novels are only about sex. 

Edited by Dejana
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I think the fact that people here think that romance is all about "throbbing members" and "purple prose" evidence that they haven't been reading romance currently, if at all since the 1980's. It's a huge, huge genre and things are not what you think. The only must haves in a romance is that the central story should be about the relationship between a couple or couples and that there should be a happily ever after (HEA) of some sort -- not always what you might think, i.e., the HEA can be "suggested". The other stuff you all mention is purely up to the author's discretion -- if they so choose to go that route -- and actually laughable by romance enthusiasts.

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I think "conventions" is the word I wanted.

 

And, yeah, I haven't really read a romance novel since the 1980s, when I was in college. (And then, I did tend to prefer ones with good sex scenes.) I don't read them now. I don't think they're bad necessarily (although some are, as some books in all genres are bad); they're just not what I enjoy reading.

 

One of the things I recall Diana Gabaldon saying about how Outlander didn't really fit in the romance genre was that Jamie and Claire got married (and were happy about it) early on, whereas in most romance novels (at least at the time -- it was published in 1991, so not far of the 1980s), the couple did not get happily together until the end of the book -- and then readers imagined them living happily ever after.

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  Quote
One of the things I recall Diana Gabaldon saying about how Outlander didn't really fit in the romance genre was that Jamie and Claire got married (and were happy about it) early on, whereas in most romance novels (at least at the time -- it was published in 1991, so not far of the 1980s), the couple did not get happily together until the end of the book -- and then readers imagined them living happily ever after.

 

 

And that is not even true, which suggests that Diana, herself, is not an expert on the genre. I've read a number of romances focused on a marriage from the word go -- on a couple already married going through trials and tribulations -- marital problems, potential divorce -- or a couple who had separated, reuniting. The problem is we have people defining romance who have no idea what they're talking about. That includes the general public, critics and authors.

 

Diana's problem was that, at the time she was publishing Outlander, the romance genre, prodominately written and read by women was ghettoized by the publishing  industry, by critics and by bookstores -- not taken seriously because it was about and by women. In the meantime, books based on Star Wars and Star Trek, i.e., fantasy, science fiction, and even comics "loved by many" -- unlike romance, which apparently "nobody read or loved" and had no bookshelves devoted to them -- were actually saving the butts of the publishing industry. Romance was propping up the whole shebang, so that they could sell their "legitimate" fiction. Women and romance were doing it. You can thank us later, New York Times book critics!

 

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  On 4/20/2015 at 2:42 AM, Nidratime said:

I can't recall myself.

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  On 4/20/2015 at 2:19 AM, Nidratime said:
Diana's problem was that, at the time she was publishing Outlander, the romance genre, prodominately written and read by women was ghettoized by the publishing  industry, by critics and by bookstores -- not taken seriously because it was about and by women. In the meantime, books based on Star Wars and Star Trek, i.e., fantasy, science fiction, and even comics "loved by many" -- unlike romance, which apparently "nobody read or loved" and had no bookshelves devoted to them -- were actually saving the butts of the publishing industry. Romance was propping up the whole shebang, so that they could sell their "legitimate" fiction. Women and romance were doing it. You can thank us later, New York Times book critics!

 

Ya, I haven't read many romance novel since 2009 but I don't think I like them.  I prefer Babylon 5 novels as opposed to Star Trek or Star Wars.  I feel like I'm lacking in the experience and might read the first novel.  I have a bit of a back log but Raising Steam > Brave New World > Outlander is how I'm going to base my queue.  Just happy that throbbing manhood isn't a thing.

  On 4/19/2015 at 8:42 AM, loki310 said:

Hi Book readers! I'm up to date on the show and want to read the books now, but I'm not so sure I want to get ahead of the show. Which book(s) correspond(s) to what we've seen so far? Thanks!

We're not quite 2/3 through the first book. I believe season 1 will correspond directly with book 1.

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  On 4/20/2015 at 2:19 AM, Nidratime said:

And that is not even true, which suggests that Diana, herself, is not an expert on the genre. I've read a number of romances focused on a marriage from the word go -- on a couple already married going through trials and tribulations -- marital problems, potential divorce -- or a couple who had separated, reuniting. The problem is we have people defining romance who have no idea what they're talking about. That includes the general public, critics and authors.

 

Diana's problem was that, at the time she was publishing Outlander, the romance genre, prodominately written and read by women was ghettoized by the publishing  industry, by critics and by bookstores -- not taken seriously because it was about and by women. In the meantime, books based on Star Wars and Star Trek, i.e., fantasy, science fiction, and even comics "loved by many" -- unlike romance, which apparently "nobody read or loved" and had no bookshelves devoted to them -- were actually saving the butts of the publishing industry. Romance was propping up the whole shebang, so that they could sell their "legitimate" fiction. Women and romance were doing it. You can thank us later, New York Times book critics!

The not getting married or being happy together was certainly true for all the romance books I read in the 80s, particularly Harlequins, and there were tons of shelves in bookstores and grocery stores devoted to them. It was hard to find anything besides romance or crime thriller (or boring nonfiction) in the stores I went to. If romance was saving the publishing industry, the books must have been on shelves somewhere because we weren't buying online then.

  On 4/20/2015 at 4:46 PM, auntlada said:

The not getting married or being happy together was certainly true for all the romance books I read in the 80s, particularly Harlequins, and there were tons of shelves in bookstores and grocery stores devoted to them. It was hard to find anything besides romance or crime thriller (or boring nonfiction) in the stores I went to. If romance was saving the publishing industry, the books must have been on shelves somewhere because we weren't buying online then.

 

I was being sarcastic -- although today, with the death of major bricks and mortar booksellers -- it is harder to find romance on the shelves. Many of your "hip" independent bookstores won't carry romance because they look down upon it and the same is true of used bookstores, which consider themselves "hip" and deep. I'm *not* talking about used bookstores in small towns or library sales/library bookstores. (Living in a big city, though, I have had a harder time finding romance in independent sellers' stores.) This may be changing, however. There's been an attempt lately by newspaper critics to cover the books, book festivals to include the genre, and independent bookstores to take up the slack left after places like Borders, Waldenbooks, etc. went belly up. Plus, a big push back by readers and authors, demanding products they couldn't get formerly through these sources.

Big spoilers for the end of book 1, slight book 2 spoilers, slight show spoilers

 

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  On 5/8/2015 at 10:48 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I saw this in one of the book threads,  MOBY? What is MOBY? Eh?

 

 

  On 5/8/2015 at 11:17 PM, CatMack said:

It's a short version of the 8th book title, Written in My Own Heart's Blood.  I don't really remember why that's the abbreviation, since it's not a straight acronym. 

 

According to this blog, it's a play on the pronunciation of the actual abbreviation MOHB -> MOBY.

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(edited)
  On 5/8/2015 at 11:22 PM, Athena said:

According to this blog, it's a play on the pronunciation of the actual abbreviation MOHB -> MOBY.

 

 

Ah, thanks.

 

Okay, i have another question---

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I don't mind knowing. Just something to look forward to for me. Thanks!

Edited by Athena
Spoiler tags as this is not in the TV show.
(edited)
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Edited by CatMack
(edited)

Meep! Sorry for not spoiler tagging! I hope I didn't ruin it for anyone.

 

And thanks CatMack for answering.  I suppose Gabaldon didn't bring up the fact that

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  I mean why provide more

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, ye ken?

Edited by GHScorpiosRule
  On 5/12/2015 at 12:36 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Meep! Sorry for not spoiler tagging! I hope I didn't ruin it for anyone.

 

And thanks CatMack for answering.  I suppose Gabaldon didn't bring up the fact that

  Reveal spoiler

  I mean why provide more

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, ye ken?

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I don't really get the hosebeast thing.  Laoghaire is just sort of pitiful and her situation is sad.  

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  On 5/12/2015 at 12:36 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Meep! Sorry for not spoiler tagging! I hope I didn't ruin it for anyone.

 

And thanks CatMack for answering.  I suppose Gabaldon didn't bring up the fact that

  Reveal spoiler

  I mean why provide more

  Reveal spoiler

, ye ken?

 

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  On 5/12/2015 at 1:36 AM, auntlada said:
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D'OH! Right, that's right. I should have remembered that, considering I'd just finished Outlander last week. Jeebus.

I just re-watched Episode 101, Sassenach, and have a question.  Claire narrates that she intends to keep using her maiden name, Beauchamp, because if she's to be ransomed, she doesn't want to be returned to Frank.  Did she really mean Jack?  Was it in the book?  Because otherwise, to me it doesn't make sense that she wouldn't want, at that point in the plot, to return to Frank in 1945.  Thanks!

(edited)

Long time lurker, first time poster, non book reader here.  I have a question about the end of Dragonfly in Amber and don't mind being spoiled. 

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LOVE the insight of the book readers!

 

Thanks!! 

Edited by Athena
Spoiler tags.

I read Dragonfly in Amber a long time ago so I'm sure there's more others can add to this answer, but I can give you part of it.

 

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Summer:

 

What Nidratime said. I recently re-read Dragonfly In Amber, and

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 At least, that's how I read it. Gabaldon is the Queen of Ambiguity in some things.

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I'm curious if folks who have read The Exile believe the TV show did a good job of representing Jamie's POV in The Reckoning and the final two episodes.

The Exile is Diana's graphic novel that re-tells the Outlander story from other points of view -- not just Jamie's.  It basically has a 3rd-person omniscient narrator (to the extent that you can do that in a graphic novel).  It covers Jamie's return to Scotland (Murtagh meets him at the coast) through Claire's choice at the stones.  So no Wentworth episode in The Exile.

 

As for "The Reckoning" the confrontation between Jamie & Claire on the way back from Ft. William is skipped over in The Exile.  They go straight to the tavern and, it being a graphic novel, that conversation is shortened as well.  So I don't really have a good answer for you  I don't think the The Exile actually adds anything to your understanding of Jamie's motivation except for one point.  In The Exile, after Claire goes up to bed, Dougal tells Jamie to bring her back down so that he (Dougal) can punish her.  Jamie refuses, saying if she's to be punished it's his job as husband.  I'm glad they left that out of the TV show.  I prefer the idea that Jamie punishes Claire because he thinks that's the correct, honorable thing to do.  He's trying to do his duty as husband and see justice done AND ensure that the men will continue to help him protect Claire.  I prefer that motivation to his doing it because if he doesn't, Dougal will.

 

I'm glad I read The Exile but I can't recommend it.  The artist's renditions of the characters are off-putting much of the time and the story is really too complex to be effectively conveyed in comic book form with voice and thought bubbles.  There is also a side-plot that is revealed because you see Murtagh's point of view and I hate that plot so I'm happy it doesn't exist in the show or the big book.

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  On 6/9/2015 at 11:26 PM, WatchrTina said:
In The Exile, after Claire goes up to bed, Dougal tells Jamie to bring her back down so that he (Dougal) can punish her.  Jamie refuses, saying if she's to be punished it's his job as husband.  I'm glad they left that out of the TV show.  I prefer the idea that Jamie punishes Claire because he thinks that's the correct, honorable thing to do.  He's trying to do his duty as husband and see justice done AND ensure that the men will continue to help him protect Claire.  I prefer that motivation to his doing it because if he doesn't, Dougal will.

Thanks! I see your point -- it's almost more despicable if Jamie beats Claire only so that Dougal won't. If that had been his only motivation, he should just have told Dougal to get stuffed.

(edited)

(Since I'm a bit paranoid about spoilers myself, apologies in advance if I overuse the tags a bit!)

 

I've just rewatched e11 The Devil's Mark

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Edited by rhiamon
  On 6/20/2015 at 3:47 PM, rhiamon said:

(Since I'm a bit paranoid about spoilers myself, apologies in advance if I overuse the tags a bit!)

 

I've just rewatched e11 The Devil's Mark

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Basically, in the show we don't know how long Jamie & Claire were at Leoch.  She says to Father Anselm in Ransom that 8 months ago she fell through the stones, which was just after Halloween.  But from what we've seen, based on Jamie's Yuletide comment, she's been there a lot less than that.  So it could be that the amount of time that passed between Jamie's banishment with Dougal and the witch trial was a month or more - that's the only way the timeline could work.  

 

In the books, 

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.  

 

Basically, the timeline in the show was really compressed - making her "8 months" comment kind of a WTF moment.

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Ok, I just found out about the show (really loving it) and watched the entire season 1 in about 2 weeks and I am spoilered for season 2 already, so, I am dying to know the following: will Claire ever go back to Frank via the stones? Why or why not? I also wondered if Frank ever searched for her name in the historical records and "found" her listed and somehow figured out that is what happened? Also, why is it that the media for season 2 stated

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. Personally, I am not looking forward to that. 

(edited)

Okay I'm going to answer your question but these are MAJOR spoilers.  

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Edited by WatchrTina
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Also, about Frank

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Type in what you want to say, highlight what you want to be hidden and then click the

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that's the last button in the reply box. It's like the one for crossing something out, a red circle with a line through it. When you click on it you should get a pop up box and you can just hit okay.

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