Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 28 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

This chapter doesn’t have too much in the way of foreshadowing. What it does is clear the air a little between John and Claire. They’re not going to be the best of friends, but they do have a mutual understanding of each other and some of the tension is lifted.

It does offer a little foreshadowing of things to come in a later book. When they both believe something has happened to Jamie, they turn to each other for comfort, and that wouldn’t have happened without this chapter.

Adapting the Drums of Autumn chapter

There was a lot going on in Outlander Book 4, Chapter 28. Most of it did happen in the series, but not quite in the same order.

Instead of combining John getting measles with the Mueller storyline, the series opted to keep the two events in different episodes. In a way, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see John help Claire with the German and he wasn’t there when she learned about Mueller’s actions. However, I did prefer the conversation between Claire and John when he recovered from measles.

The show opted to put the Mueller story first, taking place straight after the birth of his grandchild. This gave us a chance to see Mueller instead of just hearing about his personality, which I always prefer. We also saw the Cherokee people bless the water, showing what could look like a hex to some but a blessing to others.

It was the next episode that Lord John Grey showed up and Claire treated him for measles. The show didn’t have Young Ian catch the measles in this episode. Instead, he was away with the Cherokee. It was a perfect way to make sure there was the focus on Claire and John bonding, and I do believe they gained a deeper understanding of each other in the show than in the book.

I do understand why the changes happened. The storylines worked for the TV show so that it worked for those who would watch the show first or those who would never read the books. There was also enough from the books to appreciate.

I just wish someone could have been with Claire when she learned about Mueller’s actions, but I did love that reunion with Jamie at the doorstep.

What did you spot while reading Drums of Autumn Chapter 28? Let us know in the comments below.

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