Adapting the Dragonfly in Amber to the Outlander TV series
This chapter was certainly used for the TV show, but there were some substantial changes. We didn’t get to see Jared for as long, so he didn’t have time to reprimand Claire for gossiping with the staff (but Jamie knew she’d do something like that with the smirk he has). In fact, she doesn’t really gossip with the staff at all.
We see her uncertain in her life as the lady of the house. She doesn’t want the staff to do jobs for her because she’s just so used to doing them herself, which isn’t mentioned in the book as much. I get as a senior nurse she would have been used to giving some orders, but I do prefer the TV show. I could relate to Claire more when she did most of the things herself, just not used to having the staff around.
Another change is the surprise to Louise and Bonnie Prince Charlie meeting in secret. This isn’t something the staff gossip to Claire about. In fact, it’s much later that Claire and Jamie realize that Bonnie Prince Charlie and Louise are having an affair. I’m not 100% sure why the show changed this part, but I guess it was to fit a little relationship drama in one of the episodes since TV shows have to work differently to books.
The big change was how we saw Jamie meeting with BCP and King Louis. I felt more connected to the stories by seeing the events play out in real-time.
I’ll be honest and say that I don’t read many first-person POV books out of choice. I don’t enjoy them because of this. It requires a lot of telling instead of showing. The TV show has always helped to make me feel more connected to the scenes where the “telling” happens in the books. The writers continued that with the second season.
I don’t really care if Jamie wouldn’t have mentioned parritch to King Louis. I loved that scene, and that it came up at a later point as King Louis admitted that it helped. It showed a trust forming between the two, which I do think would have helped Claire get Jamie out of the Bastille. While she did have to sleep with the king, I think the previous relationship between Jamie and Louis helped make it much easier to arrange the release.
But that’s for a later chapter! It’s just something that feels missing for me in the books, so I’m glad the TV show managed to work in Jamie’s scenes.
What did you get from reading Outlander Book 2, Chapter 7? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest Outlander Book Club posts and more.