Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 7 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

Claire and Jamie are now in Jared’s home. It’s going to become their home for some time, as Jamie runs Jared’s business while Jared is in Germany. That means Claire has to get used to having the staff do things. We also find out that Murtagh isn’t too happy about staying in a fancy house, probably because he’s not used to it.

It’s clear that Claire won’t struggle too much with directing the staff. She notes how it’s similar to directing the junior nurses and the orderlies when she was a senior nurse during World War II. This is a difference to the show, which I’ll get onto.

During dinner, Claire comments on some of the things she’s learned from the staff. She doesn’t talk about Comte St. Germain, who she learns is known for practicing the dark arts, but she does share what she has learned about Bonnie Prince Charlie. It turns out that he is meeting with a woman, Louise, three doors down while Louise’s husband isn’t there.

The staff between houses certainly talk. That shouldn’t be that surprising. We also know the highborn women also talk between themselves. One thing Jared points out is that the lady of the house doesn’t gossip with the staff, making it clear that Claire is still completely out of her time and depth. Will this stop her gossiping when she needs information?

Jamie meets with two important people during the chapter. The first is Bonnie Prince Charlie, who apparently has a toothache and that makes the first meeting a little stiff. Claire is disappointed to find out this famous person (or, at least, someone who will become a famous person) is “normal.”

I’m reminded of the saying “don’t meet your heroes.” While BCP isn’t a hero of Claire’s, he is famous, and she was excited to meet him. Now she’s not too sure as there’s nothing otherworldly about him. Just like many people, Claire puts high expectations on a person.

Then there’s the meeting with King Louis, which is during the morning while Louis is using the toilet. The poor guy gets no privacy at all, and this is when people ask for things. Jamie stands out by just being there to greet King Louis. He doesn’t want to gain anything from the meeting.

I do find this chapter a little disappointing when it comes to Jamie’s retelling of the events that happened. We’re told instead of shown, and it’s a huge downside of seeing everything from only Claire’s point of view. I didn’t feel as invested in Jamie’s experiences because they were what Claire was being told. There would have been a lot missed out to keep the conversation short and to the point.

Something that I keep forgetting to bring up is Claire’s descriptions of people. She’s a very negative person when it comes to descriptions. She focuses on the bad points of their appearances, and while she tries to balance it out when it comes to the kitchenmaid’s eagerness to work hard, the damage has already been done for me.

She’s a superficial person. I’d love not to constantly hear about all the negatives she thinks of the people she makes. It’s rarely balanced out with any good points, whether of those people or even other people she meets. When it comes to good looking people, it’s either just not mentioned or it’s due to jealousy.