Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 36 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

While this chapter is mostly to push the plot forward for Roger, there is some foreshadowing in there. It all comes down to Roger witnessing this family willing to be separated for a hope of a better future.

Roger and Brianna are going to be separated. Not under the same circumstances, but as they get back together, they end up miles apart again. At one point, there’s a wonder if they will manage to get back to each other.

Of course, there’s also the focus on Bonnet. Roger knows he’s looking out for weaknesses, and that’s exactly what Bonnet does. It was clear we needed to expect him to be a lot more trouble.

Adapting the Drums of Autumn chapter

Not all of this chapter was needed for the TV series. For Roger’s part of the story at this point, we just needed to see him get across to the colonies. And of course, that meant he had to come face-to-face with Bonnet.

There was no way around that part of the story. And there was no need to change any of that story. All that was changed was some of the unnecessary elements for TV. They’re elements that make a book deeper and richer, but in a TV show, we don’t necessarily need it. And it’s not easy to show a person’s thoughts on the screen all the time.

I liked the adaptation of this chapter. It was quick, showing Roger’s willingness to do what it took to get to Brianna but also that “culture shock” of the time period.

What did you spot while reading Drums of Autumn Chapter 36? Let us know in the comments below.

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