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Ask the Outlanders: Questions for the Bookreaders

Athena

By Athena
in Outlander

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CalamityBoPeep

CalamityBoPeep

1 hour ago, riverheightsnancy said:

I was wondering about Leary (can't spell the actual and can't figure how the pronunciation relates to that spelling, but anyway), is it true that she is not that involved in the witch trail as noted in Season 1? If not, who was?

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Why does Jamie marry her and how does that come about? What happens to her other husbands and what happens to her in the end? Does Jamie divorce her? 

Re: your hidden questions:

Spoiler

He marries her mainly out of loneliness and pity. She's been widowed and has two daughters, and Jenny throws them together. He goes along with it because, basically... he's depressed. He's just come back from his probationary period at Helwater, and doesn't feel like he fits in with life at Lallybroch, or anywhere else. He's been through so much, and lost so much, that it's sort of a "yeah, whatever" situation. He isn't enthusiastic, but he's seeking a place to belong and a purpose. And he tries to do right by her, but he doesn't understand her, and she flinches away from him when he tries to get intimate. He divorces her, I guess you could say, (spoiler is on the reason, since you didn't specifically ask that)...

Spoiler

when Claire comes back, though technically, Claire coming back made him a bigamist.

It's messy. In the end, she's a grandma. Still alive, still kind of resented, but taken with a sense of "it is what it is" and Jamie does eventually try to reach a detente with her.

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cypfan
cypfan

Okay, thank you Petunia and GHScorpio.  I should have thought of that since the show has used that technique in other events.   As an aside, I stumbled on  the Outlander marathon  while searching fo

WatchrTina
WatchrTina

It's not really much of a spoiler.  

WatchrTina
WatchrTina

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

DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

1 hour ago, riverheightsnancy said:

I was wondering about Leary (can't spell the actual and can't figure how the pronunciation relates to that spelling, but anyway), is it true that she is not that involved in the witch trail as noted in Season 1? If not, who was?

  Hide contents

Why does Jamie marry her and how does that come about? What happens to her other husbands and what happens to her in the end? Does Jamie divorce her? 

Sorry, I didn't see your hidden questions, what CalamityBoPeep said. I'll only add,

Spoiler

Laohaire's previous marriages sound like they were not good. Jamie suspects someone hurt her and Marsali mentions that her second husband was abusive. Jamie does try, but he just doesn't understand her. There's a lot of misunderstanding between them that leads to a lot of resentment on Laohaire's part and Jamie just doesn't know how make it work with her.

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Dejana

Dejana

(edited)
3 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

I was wondering about Leary (can't spell the actual and can't figure how the pronunciation relates to that spelling, but anyway), is it true that she is not that involved in the witch trail as noted in Season 1? If not, who was?

  Reveal hidden contents

Why does Jamie marry her and how does that come about? What happens to her other husbands and what happens to her in the end? Does Jamie divorce her? 

Spoiler

After Claire returns to her time, Jamie endures a lot of loneliness and suffering but is eventually able to come back home and live openly in Scotland. Jenny thinks it will make Jamie a bit more content, to be married again and pushes for the match.  Laoghaire is widowed with two daughters—the first husband died in The Rising, the second was arrested after the Rising and died in prison—when Jamie marries her. Before Claire comes back to the 18th century, Jamie and Laoghaire were already living separate lives, but she's...not happy to see her old rival. The marriage is declared invalid due to Claire still being alive, but Laoghaire does not go quietly.

Edited by Dejana
Nidratime

Nidratime

(edited)

Don't know where to put this.

I saw someone in the non-bookreaders thread wondering about the Gaelic Jamie was speaking to the baby in The Fox's Lair. On another message board, someone got a translation of the scripted words, and here is what they reported it was. (Sam may have added something here or there during the performance.)

Quote

…we have a role to play. Yer role, wee lass, is to grow strong and happy. Ne’er forget…

…yer family is all around ye, all the time, even when ye canna see us. Yer grandsire and grandmother, Uncle Willie, me, Aunt Claire. We’re in the wood and the stone, and the sounds and smells of this place…

Edited by Nidratime
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RulerofallIsurvey

RulerofallIsurvey

2 hours ago, Nidratime said:

Don't know where to put this.

I saw someone in the non-bookreaders thread wondering about the Gaelic Jamie was speaking to the baby in The Fox's Lair. On another message board, someone got a translation of the scripted words, and here is what they reported it was. (Sam may have added something here or there during the performance.)

I think that was me!  (At least I was one.)  Thank you!  I was afraid it was something much more depressing, given what was coming up (the war) and what Jenny said.  

ulkis

ulkis

(edited)

For those of you who have read the Outlandish Companion, what the heck is that illustration of a

 

horn I guess it is that says "a whiter horn ye do not ken IAMES INOS is my master name"

supposed to mean/be? Thanks. it's in the weapons/"arma virumque cano" section. 

ETA: okay, apparently it is just some random powder horn from 1723

https://books.google.com/books?id=6Z_G1jHe2aAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=norman+c+milne&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvtKPahpzNAhVNAx4KHbl2C68Q6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=148&f=false

Edited by ulkis
theschnauzers

theschnauzers

On 5/27/2016 at 8:09 PM, toolazy said:

The last I heard, it was at least one more (book 9) but probably two.  She won't know until she's done with book 9.  If she keeps taking years and years to write them, I won't live long enough to read them all if she doesn't stop soon.

My understanding via Diana's hashtags on FB when she posts a "daily lines/excerpt" from Book 9 is that it is not the last book, so she's going for at least 10.
 

Quote

 

Do the books ever explain how Jamie came to be outside of Claire's window in Inverness during the pilot episode?  

According to DG, that will be explained at the very end of the book series so no, we don't know that yet, though I'm suspect it's something sad.


 

Diana has said on multiple occasions in interviews and Q&As that explanation will come at the end of the final book, whenever that is, and that she has shared the info with only two people -- Ron D. Moore and Sam Heughan.

morgan

morgan

(edited)
Spoiler

Yes, but many books later

Quote

 

 

1 hour ago, PusheenTheCat said:

I just recently discovered the show ... did a massive binge watch and now down in the rabbit hole with you guys! I just love the characters so much!

I have to know though, so I can prepare myself ... does Claire get raped, too, eventually?

Edited by morgan
Summer

Summer

Both S1 and S2 had sad/tragic episodes towards the end of the season(S1 Wentworth/Ransom and S2 Claire going back) that it was almost hard to enjoy earlier episodes knowing what was to come.    I only read 1/2 of Voyager, does that book have a similar sad/tragic ending or is it not too bad?  

Feel free to be specific, I love to know whats coming :)

DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

3 minutes ago, Summer said:

Both S1 and S2 had sad/tragic episodes towards the end of the season(S1 Wentworth/Ransom and S2 Claire going back) that it was almost hard to enjoy earlier episodes knowing what was to come.    I only read 1/2 of Voyager, does that book have a similar sad/tragic ending or is it not too bad?  

Feel free to be specific, I love to know whats coming :)

Voyager ends

Spoiler

fairly happy, as I recall. I mean, Claire and Jamie have lost everything and are shipwrecked, but they are together and there is a sense of hope at the end of it all. And, they have wee Ian... ;)

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DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

(edited)
3 minutes ago, Summer said:

Thanks, Triple D!  I thought that was the case but wanted to be sure.  I may go ahead and finish reading Voyager.... 

Voyager is a weird one, I almost stopped reading about halfway through. Just too much whack-a-doo was going on. But, now that I've finished the whole series, I kinda think Voyager might be my favorite book. There is a lot of good character development despite the whack-a-doo. A lot of the side characters aren't as vibrant as they were in Outlander, so it's hard for me to say there's a sure favorite here, but I do look back on Voyager rather fondly...don't know if that helps at all?

Edited by DittyDotDot
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Summer

Summer

23 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

Voyager is a weird one, I almost stopped reading about halfway through. Just too much whack-a-doo was going on. But, now that I've finished the whole series, I kinda think Voyager might be my favorite book. There is a lot of good character development despite the whack-a-doo. A lot of the side characters aren't as vibrant as they were in Outlander, so it's hard for me to say there's a sure favorite here, but I do look back on Voyager rather fondly...don't know if that helps at all?

Yes, it does help to know about the whacky adventures in Voyager because if I do decide to finish it I will be more relaxed knowing what to expect and go with it, you know? 

toolazy

toolazy

49 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

Voyager is a weird one, I almost stopped reading about halfway through. Just too much whack-a-doo was going on. But, now that I've finished the whole series, I kinda think Voyager might be my favorite book. There is a lot of good character development despite the whack-a-doo. A lot of the side characters aren't as vibrant as they were in Outlander, so it's hard for me to say there's a sure favorite here, but I do look back on Voyager rather fondly...don't know if that helps at all?

That is exactly what happened to me.  I've re-read Voyager many more times than the other books.  (In fact, I re-reading now.) 

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DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

(edited)
11 hours ago, auntlada said:

I like the wacky stuff, especially

  Hide contents

Dr. Stern and Father Fogden.

I also like

  Hide contents

the connection between the bones at the beginning and the cave near the end.

See, none of that is what I consider whacky. Those are the things that kept me reading. For me, the whacky, is:

Spoiler

the Laoghaire melodrama which didn't seem to need so much drama; Claire jumping ship and later Jamie jumping ship--during a hurricane, no less; Captain Alessandro; the whole pirate attack with Claire practically swinging from the halyards; etc.

I forgive them now because, even though I found them exasperating to read, they lead to some very poignant character beats later. 

Edited by DittyDotDot
mjforty

mjforty

(edited)

Plus, Voyager has one of my favorite quotes:.

 

"Ye know, I seldom wanted to go home to Laoghaire," he said comtemplatively. "And yet, at least when I did, I'd find her where I'd left her."[/spoiler].

I don't know why but that quote always cracks me up.  I will be very disappointed if it doesn't appear in Season 3.

Edited by mjforty
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satrunrose

satrunrose

It's kind of neat how we all have our own definition of "wacky".

On July 13, 2016 at 9:11 AM, DittyDotDot said:

See, none of that is what I consider whacky. Those are the things that kept me reading. For me, the whacky, is:

  Hide contents

the Laoghaire melodrama which didn't seem to need so much drama; Claire jumping ship and later Jamie jumping ship--during a hurricane, no less; Captain Alessandro; the whole pirate attack with Claire practically swinging from the halyards; etc.

I forgive them now because, even though I found them exasperating to read, they lead to some very poignant character beats later. 

I definitely agree with the

Spoiler

Captain Alessandro ship jumping fiasco. I've re-read voyager a couple of times and I still can't keep track of which boats got jumped off, boarded, capsized etc. 

But my list of the way too wacky also includes

Spoiler

All the smuggling stuff right after the printshop. It's just one dramatic thing right after the other and except for Ian's guilt we don't get a good feeling about how this mess affects the characters, which is the big reason I forgive DG all the violence and bad stuff. It does set up the traitor and murderer sub-plot, but by the time we get to the end there are such an insane number of side plots that I really don't care about much besides Jamie, Claire, Fergus, Marsali and Ian. (And Gellis because that one has actual stakes). 

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morgan

morgan

Huge spoiler question for those who have read the whole series

 

Spoiler

I have read all the books but I cannot remember if Jenny ever believes Claire is from the future.  I know they told her (and others at Lallubroch, right?) but when Ian was dying she still believed Claire was some kind of witch/fairie who could heal him.  Or am I remembering it wrong?  Does she ever believe Claire?  Is there a passage/book where they talk about it?  

GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

Just now, morgan said:

Huge spoiler question for those who have read the whole series

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I have read all the books but I cannot remember if Jenny ever believes Claire is from the future.  I know they told her (and others at Lallubroch, right?) but when Ian was dying she still believed Claire was some kind of witch/fairie who could heal him.  Or am I remembering it wrong?  Does she ever believe Claire?  Is there a passage/book where they talk about it?  

@morgan: yes.

When Jenny comes to the Americas after Ian's death, she believes she's from the future. At the time of his death, I believe, she didn't quite grasp it, and thought she was a witch who could cure Ian; or that if Claire really was from the future, she should have been able to cure Ian.

Ruthie

Ruthie

Hi - I have read every one of the Outlander books to date, starting with the English version Cross Stitch, many years ago.  I have now started to watch the box set of the series and thoroughly enjoying it, however I have a couple of questions:

1)  In Series 1, Claire is held in Castle Leoch where she starts to practice healing.  I do not remember her going to Castle Leoch prior to marrying Jamie in the book.  I though the wedding took place before they even got to know each other properly - please can you remind me of the early events in the book?

2)  I do not recall Frank observing the 'ghost' watching Claire brush her hair through the hotel window - did this happen in the book?  And, also, who is the ghost supposed to be?

Thanks

Ruthie

DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

7 minutes ago, Ruthie said:

1)  In Series 1, Claire is held in Castle Leoch where she starts to practice healing.  I do not remember her going to Castle Leoch prior to marrying Jamie in the book.  I though the wedding took place before they even got to know each other properly - please can you remind me of the early events in the book?

Claire does indeed go to Leoch before she and Jamie are married. That pretty much happens the same in the book:

Spoiler

Claire falls through the stones and is saved from Black Jack by Murtagh and then taken to the cottage where she meets all the highlanders, sets Jamie's shoulder and Dougal, worried she might be a spy, decides to take her with them to Leoch. They do the overnight ride back to Leoch together and are even ambushed pretty much as told in the book. The main differences in the first couple episodes, as I recall, are: there's more time with Frank and Claire on the show than there is in the book; there's some characters shifted around a bit; and I think in the book Claire spends more time at Leoch settling in and finding her place in the past before they head off on the rent trip that accumulates in her returning to Leoch married to Jamie. But, your impression that Jamie and Claire didn't really know each other in the book compared to the show is probably accurate. I mean, they don't really know each other until they get married either way, but Jamie was more of a mystery in the book, as I recall.

 

45 minutes ago, Ruthie said:

2)  I do not recall Frank observing the 'ghost' watching Claire brush her hair through the hotel window - did this happen in the book?  And, also, who is the ghost supposed to be?

This happens pretty much the same in the book as it was on the show. There's a lot of speculation who the ghost is--I assume it's Jamie--but Diana has said she'll reveal that in the final book.

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