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Drums of Autumn
message 151:
by
Leea, Escape Artist
(new)
Nov 06, 2013 01:30PM
It makes me want to keep my reread going... Wendy? Ha! Jamie just steals my heart time and time again.
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Jamie says the most poignant, achingly romantic things. Reading the Outlander books is very emotionally taxing for me. Beautiful yet with echoes of such aching sadness too.
Leea wrote: "This was posted today on DG's Facebook page. It brought me to my knees. This love that Jamie and Claire share is palpable and so very beautiful. I'm spoiler tagging it just in case... Enjoy. I st..."
I love that passage so much!!!
That is why no one tops Diana Gabaldon for me when it comes to writers. She brings me to tears so often and I love it! Jamie is the most phenomenally written male character I have ever come across!!! I love him! I love his relationship with Claire. Actually, each character is extremely well developed. A testament of a truly gifted writer.
Drums of Autumn is my favorite book in the series besides Outlander! I'll randomly read parts of it over and over b/c I love the emotions it brings out of me every time without fail.
Help! Just started listening to DoA and it's an uphill slog to get through Brianna and Roger's bit. This is where I got waylaid in the series when I first read it in the 90s. I LOVE the first 3 books, but couldn't find the same depth of feeling for Bree and definitely not for Roger. Still love to listen to J&C's exploits though. Somebody please tell me it's worth the time to listen to 50 hours of DoA. Even Davina Porter's fantastic narration isn't reeling me in yet.
I didn't love Bree and Roger like I love Jamie and Claire, but I enjoyed the interaction it brought. And it means some pretty big things for Jamie and Claire. I say it is absolutely well worth it. (Though Bree and Roger don't go away.)
Thank for the push, Wendy. I had a long drive today so listened some more and it's getting better. Especially now that Jamie has been offered the land in North Carolina. Can see the plot taking off. Of course, next time the story returns to 1969, I might need more encouragement!
Hoping I will get to like them more. When I read this 18 or so years ago, I really just wanted more Jamie and Claire. Roger and Bree were interlopers in my quest, and I totally skimmed their sections for the bare essentials. I couldn't fathom the concept of a hunky, sexy Oxford history professor. It was just beyond comprehension. Now that I am a worldly 40-something (**cough, cough**), I am seeing more possibilities. As for Bree, she turned me off in Voyager in two separate instances when she was yelling at Roger and calling him an "idiot", as he was driving them toward Craigh na Dun. I remember being taken aback while listening. It didn't sound like the makings of an epic love like J&C's. :(
Roger I liked easily but Bree seemed like an immature spoiled brat for quite some time. I am not sure when I started liking her but eventually it happened. I guess she grew up a bit with the story. Maybe that is the old lady in me speaking but all is good now. Can't wait for MOBY!
I couldn't fathom the concept of a hunky, sexy Oxford history professor. It was just beyond comprehension. Now that I am a worldly 40-something (**cough, cough**), I am seeing more possibilities. Lol! So true!
gertt wrote: "Burbanista wrote: "Hoping I will get to like them more. When I read this 18 or so years ago, I really just wanted more Jamie and Claire. Roger and Bree were interlopers in my quest, and I totally..."I absolutely wouldn't want them to be like J&C. For whatever reason though, Roger and Bree seem more forced. That said, I hope to rethink my original position on them as I get further into DoA. Already, I'm liking Roger's musical prowess.
I also don't think that they had the ease of J&C. Though it is nice to see the opposite side of the coin.
As I listen further to DoA, I fall more for Jamie & Claire. (Although I was sold in Outlander!) They have such ease together. I love their "small" moments, when a gentle touch, exchanged glance and tongue-in-cheek humor can ignite an inferno between them. To me, this reflects a great real-life relationship. I'm up to the part where he gives her the medicine box for their 24th anniversary. The quiet way in which he presents her with the it is intense, yet humble and breathtaking in its depth.
Do they ever return to Lallybrock (spelling?) after Voyager?
Vanessa wrote: "Do they ever return to Lallybrock (spelling?) after Voyager?"Errr..... Ummmm.... without being too spoilerish.... yes
Just listened to the part where Roger and Brianna are cleaning up the rectory for the last time, readying it for Fiona and her fiance. Roger is lusting after Brianna when she steps out of the bathroom into the hallway in just a towel. I can't help it. I'm sorry. These two lack spark and are downright dull. Jamie and Claire's sections of the book are so incendiary and larger than life, that the switch over to R&B is like being downgraded from a Ferrari to a Kia!
Oh. Just wait, things get quite spicy with them. It's fantastic.
Really, Jen? I vaguely recall some happenings with a despicable scoundrel that revs up the R&B storyline. Alright, I will keep plowing through.
Yes. We all know they'll never be Jamie and Claire, but their story is still wonderful. It does get better as the books progress. After all, she is their daughter. Keep on!
Just had a breakthrough moment! For the first time was happy for a switch from J&C's storyline to Roger and Bree's! This is right after Jamie is in the Tuscarora village that has been decimated by the measles. It was so sad and devastating that I was glad to get out of "there" and swing back to the 20th century. Then surprise, surprise R&B's story seems like it's taking an interesting twist. Yay! I took a long break from the listening over the holiday, but glad to be back with Davina and the gang.
This book keeps getting better and better! Roger and Bree's storyline has suddenly exploded, after three books of ho-humming along. Part of my problem with them before was that they didn't seem to have any chemistry. She showed up with her mother at his doorstep and boom, he's in love? Neither character seemed to have any fire to them. Now, they're positively incendiary, and with all the strife they're going through, there will be lots to build theirs into a great passion.
Granny lust....hahaha. Loved (and laughed at) Lord John's explanation to Brianna about this degenerate-sounding concept. Was expecting some sordid meaning, but it's actually a sweet thing. My eldest is 15, but already, I've warned all my kids that I expect grands.
I'm so glad you are loving DoA, Burbanista! It's my favorite after Outlander! So many great, emotional moments!
Thanks Jen! After my belly-aching several posts back, I am loving this book, and Roger & Bree. Don't know why I ever doubt DG. She is amazing. Even Stephen Bonnet is intriguing. There hasn't been a villain in the series since Jack Randall. A baddie always makes things more interesting!
Lol, that's why I kept telling you to read on! It's really such a fantastic novel. Diana really has a gift! She makes you FEEL! Oh, man, Stephen Bonnet. Even though he makes my skin crawl he has layers that make him intriguing. Diana has a way of creating characters that pull a visceral reaction out of you.I really, really love the (view spoiler)
So true about Bonnet. He and Leroi were cringe worthy and despicable in one scene! He's alternately described as handsome, in a rough hewn way, but in another passage, he's described as having decaying teeth. (Gross.) He's a pirate and not above stealing from those who have helped him. Yet, at one point, he's described as a tough, but fair captain. Definitely a lot of facets to the man. Davina Porter does a great voice for him on the audio. And I agree with what you said in your spoilers! In addition to Young Ian, I have a soft spot for Fergus. I wish he played a larger role in the story.
Yes, Bonnet is quite despicable. Multi-faceted is a good way of describing him. Some of my friends say they picture Colin Farrell as him. LOL I will have to listen to the audio since I have them all. I love Davina's narrations!
I actually love all of the members of Jamie and Claire's extended family: Fergus, Marsali, Young Ian...
I have really struggled with DoA but you all have made me want to start reading it again.
Do it, Vanessa! Give it a go! It really has some fantastic scenes!
Vanessa wrote: "I have really struggled with DoA but you all have made me want to start reading it again."V, I don't think I could ever have stuck with the reading of DoA because of the very slow beginning. Actually, I know I couldn't because I tried reading it years ago but had to put it down. I picked it up a couple months ago in the audio book version, and now I'm entranced! Not sure how the reading and the listening could have made such a difference, but it really did. Try listening to it while driving, exercising or working. That way you are a captive audience and can't skim. It made all the difference for me, and I am SO happy I gave DoA a second try. This book is fantastic.
OMG!! What to make of this Stephen Bonnet?!! I'm up to his and Brianna's second meeting under the warehouse. He's good. He's bad. He's good again. Feel like I'm watching a tennis match with this guy and his facets. And damn, if he ain't kinda sexy. **Mentally slapping self across face for even thinking this.**
I LOVE LJ. He is charming, honorable, wickedly funny in his very dry way and very good looking by all accounts. Too bad he plays for the other team. Feel like this is my one-woman soapbox. Isn't anyone else out there currently reading/listening to this fabulous book?
Hahaha, Burbanista! You cracked me up with the "mental slapping". I don't find Bonnet appealing at all. I just want to gut him with a fishing knife. Whoops, that may have been too violent. LOLLord John is fantastic! I love his dry wit. You can see why Jamie admires him and also why Claire begrudgingly does the same. He's a truly good man. Loyal, principled, gallant. A true gentleman.
See, me, I never had any trouble reading DoA. I devoured it. I go back and read it several times because it's truly my favorite besides Outlander.
Yay Jen! Thanks from saving this string fom morphing into a soliloquy. If you love DoA on paper, you will plotz when you hear Davina read it. ("Read" is so inadequate to describe what she does with these books.) In any case, her Bonnet is totally hot. (How does she capture his accent and rakish don't-give-a-damness so perfectly?) And her Lord John is one to behold. I can totally see him delivering some of his quote worthy lines with irony and an arched brow. I haven't read any of his stories yet, but I just want an HEA for the guy. He is shouty caps AWESOME.
I know you said you have the audiobooks, so I urge you to give a listen. Would be very interested in knowing if you experience DoA differently, especially since you love it so.
Hahaha! Soliloquy, indeed. I really should listen to it on audio as I've truly enjoyed Davina's performance in Outlander. She's fantastic! I hope she lives long enough to finish off the series!
Bonnet is a character you love to hate. He's not *all* bad, but man is he brutish.
I want a HEA for Lord John, as well. I admire his character so much.
My friend just finished reading DoA for the first time, yesterday. I love experiencing Diana's books for the first time vicariously through my friends. I love their reactions and I love it when they react the same way I did/do when I read them/re-read them.
...Which is why I want you to listen...and which is why you love seeing the 180 I've done about Roger and Bree and DoA, in general. Well put, "the living vicariously" bit. Did your friend love DoA?
It just came to me that Bonnet is somewhat similar to a couple guys I dated in college. Thankfully, I snapped out of that craziness and married a Jamie type. "Brutish" is the perfect adjective for Bonnet.
Actually, scratch that...I married an LJ type. Not the gay part (haha), the honorable, charming, wryly and dryly hilarious part.
Don't stop your musings Burbanista! Even though I have not chimed in, I'm completely enjoying your very eloquent comments. Jens as well! I certainly could have not summarized these "multi-faceted" characters better than you and Jen have been! And Honestly DoA is not my favorite book. Oh I enjoyed it, but it took effort to finish it.
Thanks LH! Be careful with that encouragement though! I could go on and on about DoA. I am loving it and rueing that i'm on chapter 60-something and almost done.
Burbanista wrote: "Actually, scratch that...I married an LJ type. Not the gay part (haha), the honorable, charming, wryly and dryly hilarious part."My husband is too... he is kind of a mix of LJ, JAMMF, and Mr. Darcy LOL and I am mighty pleased with him... especially when I can get him to lounge around in a kilt!! ;-)
Lordy! If I could get a kilt on my hubby, he'd have a home-cooked meal every night and a docile wife. Haha. You just made me realize, Christine, that LJ and Jamie have a lot of personality traits in common.
Christine wrote: "My husband is too... he is kind of a mix of LJ, JAMMF, and Mr. Darcy LOL and I am mighty pleased with him... especially when I can get him to lounge around in a kilt!! ;-) "Wow Christine, you may be my new hero! Lol!
Burbanista, I couldn't possibly regret it!
Burbanista wrote: " LJ and Jamie have a lot of personality trait..."True. Thus the profound mutual respect between the two.
I am trying to get through DoA but I want to reread Outlander again soooo bad!
Burbanista! What a lucky lass you are! :) I get teased all the time that the reason I'm still single is because I read Outlander at the very impressionable age of 18 and no man will ever measure up to the likes of Jamie! Perhaps it's true. I won't settle til I find my own JAMMF. Christine, I like that combo! You hit the jackpot!
Yes, my friend LOVED DoA! I'm so glad I was brave enough to share Outlander with her! She and I have had the same reactions reading Diana's masterpieces.
I will let you know, Burbanista, as soon as I do the audiobook! ;)
I kinda had a small crush on Davina Porter's version of Stephen Bonnet. And yeah, I wanted to smack myself, too, because you know he's just a jerk, but he has his moments.
Jen, good for you! It's good to have high standards. You will find a man willing to step up to the challenge! Perhaps the Outlander series will inspire men to behave more like Jamie once they see how women react to it. Charm and humor go a loooong way!
Heck, we may have a male behavior renaissance as a result of the series!!! It just occurred to me.
Burbanista wrote: "Yay Jen! Thanks from saving this string fom morphing into a soliloquy. If you love DoA on paper, you will plotz when you hear Davina read it. ("Read" is so inadequate to describe what she does..."
WoW! I may have to run out and find the audio!
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