Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 8 breakdown

Adapting the Dragonfly in Amber chapter for the Outlander TV series

Master Raymond’s introduction was much the same during Outlander Season 2. It was clear that there was more to this man and that he would play an important part in Claire’s life.

I will admit that I immediately wanted to know more about Master Raymond as soon as I met him. There was instantly something intriguing, without even knowing the type of role he would play in the future. I’d love to see a miniseries exploring him more.

However, this is the only thing that is directly the same.

Claire doesn’t meet Mr. Hawkins in the show. Instead, she meets Mary Hawkins, and it does bring up thoughts of Black Jack Randall and Frank. She doesn’t mention these to Jamie, though. Instead, we don’t really touch on this.

It’s an annoying part of the show, personally. If someone were so important that she’d refused to take the wedding ring of, surely Frank would play on her mind a little. Why didn’t she think about how the ring is still there? Why didn’t she think about what Black Jack Randall’s death meant for the line that leads to Frank?

Just some thoughts of Frank would have made the request of one year make a whole lot more sense. After all, without Frank, Claire wouldn’t have been in Scotland. Would she have even headed through the stones? It’s something that I think about a lot, and something I thought Claire should have considered on the show—and mentioned to Jamie at least once.

I don’t mind not meeting Mr. Hawkins and jumping straight to Mary, although it’s at the same time as meeting Louise. We get to see Claire living the life expected of her as the lady of a rich house in Paris. We see the boredom, while also cutting down on the storylines for the sake of time. We don’t need Mary’s uncle in the story, just a mention of him. Mary is the more important character out of the two.

Overall, Outlander Season 2 managed to introduce the important characters early on. We also got the earlier introduction of Louise, who had only been mentioned in the books up to this point. I did enjoy seeing Claire interact with the women and take Mary under her wing, but at the same time, we got that sense that she was bored and wanted to do more. It really isn’t surprising she turns to the charitable hospital in Paris.

What did you notice while reading Outlander Book 2, Chapter 8? Let me know in the comments below.

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