[robin.goodfellow]

Here's a thought. My vaccination was done on my leg and not my arm. If Claire or Gellie were looking, they wouldn't see it. My youngest daughter was never vaccinated because by the time she was born, smallpox had been virtually wiped out. She might go undetected as a time traveler as well.

I wasn't vaccinated for small pox, although my grandmother was adamant that I should be. She kept telling my mother that if my mother went to the health department and demaded that they give me a small pox vaccine (in 1974) that they would. Forthwith. Posthaste. Immediately.

I wasn't vaccinated for smallpox. On the other hand, I have never time-traveled. So maybe I should ask about it now.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

I wasn't vaccinated for small pox, although my grandmother was adamant that I should be. She kept telling my mother that if my mother went to the health department and demaded that they give me a small pox vaccine (in 1974) that they would. Forthwith. Posthaste. Immediately.

My youngest was born in 1974. The doctor refused to do it. He said there was more danger that she would contract smallpox from the vaccine. Made me nervous, so I understand how your grandmother felt.

I wasn't vaccinated for smallpox. On the other hand, I have never time-traveled. So maybe I should ask about it now.

Which? Smallpox vaccine or time-travel? If you're going to time-travel, you'd better get vaccinated as if you were going to a fourth-world country.

 

[robin.goodfellow]

Which? Smallpox vaccine or time-travel?

Whichever presents the more entertaining possibilities. I mean, since Jamie is already taken and all.

 

[tlshaw]

Whichever presents the more entertaining possibilities. I mean, since Jamie is already taken and all.

Time it right and maybe you will meet Young Jamie, his nephew.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

Time it right and maybe you will meet Young Jamie, his nephew.

Better yet, young Ian.

 

[robin.goodfellow]

Better yet, young Ian.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[BambiB]

Here is an interesting fact about small pox:  If there were ever a case of small pox in the US, it would automatically be assumed that it was due to terrorist action, since there is no surviving strain of small pox (outside a lab) of small pox in any first and second world country. It is thought to be extinct in all countries, but of course, we cannot know for sure.

 

[tlshaw]

Based on where we are now in DIA - who is Ian? 

 

[Suzanne]

1. What do you think was happening to Claire?

I thought it was some strange dream. Heavens knows the woman had been through a lot.

"Through a Looking Glass, Darkly"
Chapter One:

1. When last we left Jamie and Claire, they had decided to go to Rome and Claire was pregnant. What did you think as you read the first chapter of Dragonfly in Amber?

I thought, 'Huh?' and went to check my list that I got it right that DIA was 2nd in the series.

2. First impressions of Roger Wakefield?

He seems a likeable sort.

3. First impressions of Brianna Randall?

I like her. She's young but weren't we all. She comes from good stock so I suspect she has a lot of spirit.

4. How does beginning the search affect Claire?

I would imagine it would be very painful. Dredging up things like that can be like pulling the scab off.

"And speaking their names as though to summon them, I began the first steps back, crossing the empty dark to where they waited." - Claire

Chapter Two:

"... finally a doubtful speculation from an aged farmer that the old parish records might have gone to the museum in Fort William, or maybe up to Inverness; there was a mnister up that way who collected such rubbish."

1. How did you feel about the description of Broch Tuarach in ruins?

I was saddened. I hope Jamie's sister and her family did well through the bad times Claire warned them about. I hope it's just a case of at some later time, the family members did not want to keep it up and wanted to move to the big city and the place just fell into disrepair.

2. What did you think of Fiona Graham (compared to her grandmother)?

I want to smack Fiona upside the head. Lord, have some pride, woman! She's pitiful the way she behaves with Roger.

3. Why do you think we are getting most of this info so far through Roger's eyes and not Claire's?

I suspect that Claire will be going through the stones again. And no, I have not read ahead; I am right on schedule. But I suspect Roger will find something out that will make Claire go back through the stones. Lord, I still don't know how she's back in the 20th century!!! She should get frequent flier miles for all this time traveling.

4. Why do you think Claire went pale when Briana said, "Oh, aye?" said Brianna sweetly, in a perfect imitation of his own slight scots burr. "Well, we'll hope it's no a capital offense like murrderr, shall we?"

Like hearing a ghost I would imagine.

Chapter Three:

1. Why couldn't Claire take her daughter to see Culloden?

Just too painful. That's where Jamie died.

"I dropped peacefully into sleep, to dream of kilted Highland men, and the sound of soft-spoken
Scots, burring round a fire like the sound of bees in the heather." - Claire

Chapter Four:

1. We know Roger is attracted to Bree, but do you think she is attracted to him at this point?

I think she's flattered and attracted in that way. But I don't think it's one of those love-at-first-sight attractions where they are in each other's blood.

2. At the end of the chapter, what did you think Claire's nightmare was about? ("...Not that I
remembered much about it, but I had a vague impression of hands that gripped me, rough and
urgent, not wooing but compelling. And a voice, nearly shouting, that echoed in the chambers of
my inner ear, along with the sound of my fading heartbeat." - Claire)

3. Whose voice does she hear? ("You are mine...Mine! And I will not let you go.")

Well, duh, Jamie. Even if he's dead he's still not letting her go.

Chapter Five:

1. What did you think of Roger and Bree's first kiss?

Sweet.

2. What did you think Claire meant when she saw Randall's gravestone and said, "Jonathan Wolverton Randall," she said softly, "1705-1746. I told you, didn't I? You bastard, I told you!" How did you feel?

Well, hadn't she foretold when he would die? But now I'm thinking he didn't get stampeded. I think we will need to drive a stake through that one's heart.

3. How did you feel when Claire found Jamie's gravestone at St. Kilda's?

Knock her over with a feather. I don't think she was expecting to find it there.

4. First impressions of Claire's confession?

As good as she could possibly do. Heavens, how can you tell your daughter that she was fathered by someone in the 18th century?

"Jamie was my heart and the breath of my body."

5. Does Brianna seem like she believes Claire about the time-travel?

99% No. 1% Yes.

Part Two--Dragonfly in Amber
"The Pretender"

Chapter Six:

1. What are your impressions of Claire and Jamie in this chapter?

The Claire & Jamie I know & love.

"Oh, Claire, ye do break my heart wi' loving you." - Jamie

2. Was it difficult to imagine Jamie as an attendant to royalty (Charles Stuart)?

For me, yes. Jamie is a sophisticated man, but that seems such a fancy, dancy place and just not where he's in his element.

3. What did you think of the scene where Jamie returns to the inn completely drunk?

Sweet. He's such a cutie.

4. First impressions of Jared Munro Fraser?

I liked him. A savvy businessman.

5. What did you think when Claire decided to examine the sick sailor from The Patagonia?

What a dingbat! She just cannot resist getting into trouble! And she's with child for heaven's sake! Does she know for a certainty this will not affect her child?? This is so Claire. React first and then think later.

6. First impressions of Monsieur le Comte (St. Germain)?

I wouldn't want to mess with him.

7. Do you think Claire is more aware of the danger posed by St. Germain than she has been of other dangers?

After Jamie explained to her, she saw how Jared was protecting her.

Chapter Seven:

1.. Do you think Jamie and Claire seem natural in Paris Society?

Not really. Claire mingles with the parlormaids and gets gossip from them. This isn't her element. I think Jamie is more natural than Claire.

2. Impressions of the King's lever?

3. What did you think of Charles Stuart?

4. Forgetting what you know about history, do you think Jamie and Claire have any chance of at least altering history, if not changing it completely?

Forgetting what I know, sure, they have a shot. Heavens, with Claire involved, they have more than a shot.

"It leaves me selling wine to bankers, Sassenach," he said, yawning." And you talking to parlormaids. And if we blow enough smoke, perhaps we'll stun the bees."

 

[Gertie Kindle]

Based on where we are now in DIA - who is Ian?

Jenny and Ian's youngest son. I think he is born in DiA. Any more would spoil.

 

[Toby]

***I'm still here Just ordered my K2 last night/early morning. Will get tomorrow, so have been too jumpy to write here all week, but am reading.
***My vacination was on my leg or tussie as well. My mother told the Dr. not to put it in my arm as it leaves a big ugly crater mark. Where the heck is it?
***I think that Claire is made to be more reckless, is to show her personality/character. She gets, the heroine gets into trouble & Jamie, the hero, or other men now have to protect her. Also, she's a nurse who later becomes a Dr. She is used to helping the sick & dam the topedos. I kept yelling at her...NOOOOO, you're pregnant!!! Stay away!!! She thought that she was helping, not knowing why she shouldn't help.
***I too want to know how Jamie's family is fairing.
***Now, if Bree goes back with Claire, will she fall in love with someone in the past - 200 years. Bree would seem a bit younger than say Claire, as she is the product of her upbringing as well as the times. All I know is, I was alot more independent than my nephews when I was still a wee one. I was doing a lot more for myself than they were doing. Now, they are both brains in college. Hmmm, a good age for Bree. I hadn't thought of that before. 
*** Jamie & Claire are just biding their time in France. Otherwise, Jamie & Claire were both happy at home with family.
***The Lever, sheesh, I'd need privacy, not a party of people gawking at me!!!! LOL! I'd die of embarrassment.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

***I'm still here Just ordered my K2 last night/early morning. Will get tomorrow, so have been too jumpy to write here all week, but am reading.

Wow, once you decide to take the plunge, you go for it all. Overnight delivery? We won't expect to see you today because you'll be running around flagging down every FedEx truck in sight. May you not have long to wait.

***My vacination was on my leg or tussie as well. My mother told the Dr. not to put it in my arm as it leaves a big ugly crater mark. Where the heck is it?

That was my Mom's reason, too.

***I think that Claire is made to be more reckless, is to show her personality/character. She gets, the heroine gets into trouble & Jamie, the hero, or other men now have to protect her. Also, she's a nurse who later becomes a Dr. She is used to helping the sick & dam the topedos. I kept yelling at her...NOOOOO, you're pregnant!!! Stay away!!! She thought that she was helping, not knowing why she shouldn't help.

Claire's reckless personality is exaggerated in order to advance the story? Yes, I can see that, especially having read the whole series.

 

[Anju]

ok gonna try to be good and start actively participating!

Part One--Dragonfly in Amber

Prologue

1. What do you think was happening to Claire?
She was in both times and missing Jamie but belonging elsewhere

"Through a Looking Glass, Darkly"
Chapter One:

1. When last we left Jamie and Claire, they had decided to go to Rome and Claire was pregnant. What did you think as you read the first chapter of Dragonfly in Amber?

As I did when I first read this book that I missed something, another book was in between, had to verify that DIA was next

2. First impressions of Roger Wakefield?
Good Guy

3. First impressions of Brianna Randall?
definitely Jamies daughter

4. How does beginning the search affect Claire?
since we know there are other books, we know Jamie is not dead, but at this point she believes he died at Culloden

"And speaking their names as though to summon them, I began the first steps back, crossing the empty dark to where they waited." - Claire

Chapter Two:

"... finally a doubtful speculation from an aged farmer that the old parish records might have gone to the museum in Fort William, or maybe up to Inverness; there was a mnister up that way who collected such rubbish."

1. How did you feel about the description of Broch Tuarach in ruins?
sad even though that is not realistic to expect it to be standing after 200 years

2. What did you think of Fiona Graham (compared to her grandmother)?
welllll she wants to get married before she becomes an old maid, and who else better than Roger?

3. Why do you think we are getting most of this info so far through Roger's eyes and not Claire's?
showing what the typical reaction would be

4. Why do you think Claire went pale when Briana said, "Oh, aye?" said Brianna sweetly, in a perfect imitation of his own slight scots burr. "Well, we'll hope it's no a capital offense like murrderr, shall we?"
she sounded just like Jamie

Chapter Three:

1. Why couldn't Claire take her daughter to see Culloden?
she thought Jamie died there and could not herself handle the sadness

"I dropped peacefully into sleep, to dream of kilted Highland men, and the sound of soft-spoken
Scots, burring round a fire like the sound of bees in the heather." - Claire

Chapter Four:

1. We know Roger is attracted to Bree, but do you think she is attracted to him at this point?
she is not unattracted to him - young cute unattached bachelor, most females in Bree's age group would look at least twice

2. At the end of the chapter, what did you think Claire's nightmare was about? ("...Not that I
remembered much about it, but I had a vague impression of hands that gripped me, rough and
urgent, not wooing but compelling. And a voice, nearly shouting, that echoed in the chambers of
my inner ear, along with the sound of my fading heartbeat." - Claire)
Jamie and her "connection" to him throughout the years and his absence in the here and now - and by being in Scotland

3. Whose voice does she hear? ("You are mine...Mine! And I will not let you go.")
Jamie

Chapter Five:

1. What did you think of Roger and Bree's first kiss?
perfect

2. What did you think Claire meant when she saw Randall's gravestone and said, "Jonathan Wolverton Randall," she said softly, "1705-1746. I told you, didn't I? You bastard, I told you!" How did you feel?
she had told him at sometime when he was going to die, don't remember just when it was, and she was glad to find the verification

3. How did you feel when Claire found Jamie's gravestone at St. Kilda's?
she thought he had died in the battle - not later and would not have left him - but there were no dates

4. First impressions of Claire's confession?
she should have just sucked it up and done it

"Jamie was my heart and the breath of my body."

5. Does Brianna seem like she believes Claire about the time-travel?
she thinks her mother has a definite mental problem, but interesting enough Roger seems to half believe her

I'll have to do the other questions later, I didn't check how far to read, thought it was just Book 1. YEA something fun to read tonight, as if I didn't have Distant Cousin and In Her Name to answer (Jan's questions are tough)

 

[Gertie Kindle]

Welcome back, Anju.  Catch up when you can. 

 

[Toby]

***Hi Gertie! Yes, this past week waiting was making me unhinged. I kept telling people that I had something on my mind, but didn't say that I waiting to order the Kindle. I got Amazon Prime as Luv had mentioned. I had expected to get it on Monday, but I thought for about $3 more, I'd get it the next day, & hope it came before I went out for dinner. I actually ordered on Fri at 12:30AM or late Thurs night.(Also, during the week, the parents are parked in front to pick up the kiddies in the afternoon & their driving is wild. Plus, I have to go to work.) So, yesterday, I got up at 7:30AM, looked out. Not there. Put bathrobe on in preparation to race to the door when I heard my dog bark or truck sound & went back to bed. About 10:17AM, in a deep sleep, my dog barked. I thought it must be the mailman, but my dog barked a bit longer than usual. Got up, ran to window. Saw the end of the USP truck parked in front. Looked at my front door. It's here!!! I also thought that Amazon was sending FEDEX, but I remember someone said, that for overnight packages, UPS also works on Sat.
***Anyway, I've read the K1 guide that came with the software update on the K1. Finished that & Friday read about 2/3rds of the K2 guide. I wished I had the K2 for the Outlander book, just for the heavy dictionary usage, in that book. I had trouble whispersyncing the DIA Book in my K1 tonight. It didn't work. Not sure why as yet.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

How great, Toby.  Good luck Whispersyncing.  How are you going to decide which K to read on? 

 

[louisev]

Hi everybody.  I happened to start reading "Outlander" last week and finished it night before last before plunging into Dragonfly in Amber.  It looks like a ton of people have already answered most of the questions as I would have, but I did want to put in my two cents on what I thought on picking up the sequel.

I was very frustrated, frankly.  Clearly from the circumstances we are given, we know that Claire has returned to the present.  What we don't know is why, and what happened to Jamie considering we last saw them at Ste Anne de Beaupre on their way to Paris.  I found it difficult to concentrate or even care about what a frantic and compulsive housekeeper Fiona is, or how much garbage was piled up in Rev. Wakefield's study because of it.  I don't generally skip through books to find out how they end, but I was sorely tempted here, and I think that it was a logistical mistake with the structure by the author.

Maybe I should be asking this question in the first book club thread, but did anyone here feel like there is something extremely confusing about the whole Wentworth Prison thing?  What was the purpose of bringing half of Dougal's men with them to Wentworth if only Murtagh went with Claire - and why were they never mentioned again?  I was really left wondering on that score.  As well as the strange confusion about Randall's death and the fact that Randall still seems to have died on time.  And another loose end that really bothered me was that nothing was ever mentioned about sending word back to Jenny and Ian.  Just some questions as I start out with the new story.

 

[bosslady402]

It would be hard to answer your questions without giving you spoilers, the best I can say is just to keep reading.

There are many parts of the story throughout the whole series that take quite a while to wrap up, and the wrap-up occurs sometimes one or two books later. I just read some excerpts from book 7 that DG posted on her website, and one of them brings up a loose end that was from book 2!

I guess it comes down to what style of writing you prefer - personally, I liked the way she did it, because it was unpredictable and made for a more complex storyline.

what a frantic and compulsive housekeeper Fiona is, or how much garbage was piled up in Rev. Wakefield's study because of it.

The disarray in the study wasn't Fiona's fault - and the fact that The Reverend was such a pack-rat has bearing on later parts of the story. Fiona might seem like a ditz right now, but don't write her off, she'll have her 15 minutes of fame in later books.

Maybe I should be asking this question in the first book club thread, but did anyone here feel like there is something extremely confusing about the whole Wentworth Prison thing? What was the purpose of bringing half of Dougal's men with them to Wentworth if only Murtagh went with Claire - and why were they never mentioned again?

hmm, good question, I don't remember specifically, unless they realized when they got there that the solution was by trickery (pretending someone stole the cows) rather than strength of arms?

As well as the strange confusion about Randall's death and the fact that Randall still seems to have died on time.

You'll see!!!

And another loose end that really bothered me was that nothing was ever mentioned about sending word back to Jenny and Ian.

I guess some things are just assumed to have happened; after all, MacRannoch knows that Jamie is at the abbey, because he sends the wolf-pelt there; so it makes sense that Jenny & Ian have been kept up to date as well, even if you don't actually see it written.

Hang in there!

 

[Anju]

nice answers Bosslady - no spoilers!  Just have to keep reading and reading and reading and      it will all come about soon enough.

 

[louisev]

I guess some things are just assumed to have happened; after all, MacRannoch knows that Jamie is at the abbey, because he sends the wolf-pelt there; so it makes sense that Jenny & Ian have been kept up to date as well, even if you don't actually see it written.

Hang in there!

hoo boy so of most of this stuff was planned this way, then it's pretty Byzantine! I'm not quite in the middle of "DiA" so I guess... I"ll find out.