Post by DarcyLongfellow on Jul 10, 2014 14:25:35 GMT -5
Spoilers below
If you haven't read all of MOBY (the author's abbreviation for the book. Somehow an abbreviation of "my own heart's blood"), don't read any further!
I just finished it, and I'm hoping some of you have because I want to talk about it!! I think I'll just throw some disjointed thoughts below -- hopefully someone else will share too :-)
First of all, I loved this book. I feel like ALL of her other books have started out so slowly (even Outlander -- I knew the book was supposed to be about the Highlands in the 1700's, so that whole first part with Frank I was bored). None of them were as bad as whatever book it was that started out with 200+ pages of descriptions of a SINGLE DAMN DAY at that clan gathering, but all started out somewhat slow. Not this one, though. Maybe she should end more books with cliffhangers.
Also, after reading this 1200 Nook page book that covered, what, 6 months or so? I definitely don't think she's ever going to finish this series. I think she just loves the characters and will keep writing about them until she dies. I could easily see the next book being 1000 pages of Jamie farming and Claire doctoring people on the Ridge.
Speaking of Fraser's Ridge, was anyone else kind of disappointed that they went back there? I feel like the parts set there are kind of boring. I'm glad Jamie and Claire are happy and at home again, but I was sort of surprised their welcome was as good as it was. Didn't everyone there blame her for Malva Christie's death and/or think she was a witch?
Also, I adore Lord John. I think he's my favorite character in the whole series, and we won't see as much of him if the story moves back to Fraser's Ridge. Or William.
I was SO happy that Jamie got a chance to help William (even if it didn't really end well). I loved that last conversation between them where Jamie touches William's face and tells him that he doesn't regret sleeping with his mother (implying because if he hadn't, he wouldn't have William). I'm pretty excited for William to gradually get to know the Frasers -- and hopefully spend some time with Brianna. I thought William's point of view chapters were annoying in Echo, but by MOBY I liked him.
How do you guys feel about Brianna and Roger being back in the 1700's? I'm pretty pleased by it. In Echo, I felt like their parts of the story (in the 1980's) were disjointed and unconnected to the rest of the story. But this time I was interested in them again, and I'm happy to see them back with their family. I feel like it's got to be more complicated, though -- I kind of doubt they'll just happily spend the rest of their lives in the past. I did love the letter from Frank to Brianna where he said he knew he could send Brianna back to the past and Jamie would take care of her. (And on that point, how many things are they going to find hidden in that desk??)
Speaking of letters, those letters that Jamie and Claire wrote to Brianna and Roger are kind of a problematic plot device now, aren't they? Brianna read all of them before she went back through the stones. Presumably she'd know everything about Claire and Jamie's lives (until their deaths) -- but she can't, or she'd know that she and Roger and the kids were there too. So does Claire start writing fake letters to the future to put in with the real ones that she'd already written?
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts, but the baby just woke up so I'll stop my rambling now!!
Post by whiteyswifey on Jul 31, 2014 20:05:29 GMT -5
I really enjoyed it, and was so glad that Brianna and Roger went back. I'm curious to know more about the healer who touched Roger's throat, whether he's a bit more healed now or not.
And yea, I second all of the things that you're looking forward to in the future books. I think William is going to turn out the better for knowing about Jamie, feeling like he really does belong somewhere and has a family.
Post by secretlyevil on Aug 8, 2014 19:59:05 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of William. He slightly redeemed himself with the way he took care of Jane and Franny, then mourned Jane and took Franny to Jamie and Claire. But for the most part I think he is an entitled twit. I bawled like a baby when Henri-Christian died, hard core bawled. So excited for the next one.