Original Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ★★★★☆
July 1992
Genre: Historical/SFF/Romance
Synopsis:
For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones … about a love that transcends the boundaries of time … and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his….
Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart … in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising … and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves….
Well, of course with season 2 currently filming, a re-read was in order. Not to mention all the books were starting to blend together. I was a little fuzzy on what happened and when.
For this go ’round, I thought I’d read with an eye for scenes that I really, really want to see realized on screen. And some that I can live without (please don’t make Sam Heughan cut his hair for the duel). With only 13 episodes, I’m sure there’ll be lots of condensing anyway. I’m okay with that. The French court just didn’t do it for me, which is probably why I gave this book only 4 stars. Still would.
**SPOILERS, obviously**
Can’t wait to see:
1. I want non-book readers to flip out like we did when DIA opened in 1968. They deserve that WTF moment, so I hope season 2 episode 1, very first scene is Claire and Brianna showing up at the Manse in 1968 to find a grown up Roger.
2. I know we have confirmation of Lord John, but I want more of him! And more Jenny and Ian too.
3. Oh God, the goodbye at the stones. Please make it hurt so good. I want to be sobbing. If ever there was a moment to be as faithful as possible to the source material, that would be it.
4. Best season-ending cliffhanger ever would be Roger’s revelation about Jamie. Then season 3 should open with Jamie bleeding to death in a ditch.
5. Morbid as it seems, the scene with Hugh Munro’s death at the Duke of Sandrigham’s. And the Duke’s also.
6. Dougal getting shanked. Yup, totally looking forward to that.
Can do without:
1. Voice-overs.
2. Tone down the Brianna brattyness. I get that learning about her true parentage is tough, but she didn’t leave the most favorable impression. I guess it’s true that the universe gives your kids your worst qualities to balance things out.
3. I’d be total on board with alluding to Claire’s dealings with King Louis. I don’t need to see it. ::shudders::
4. Can we not kill Rupert, Angus, and Murtagh? No? Okay, then. At least I tried…
