Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 70 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

The foreshadowing is within the letter to Claire and Jamie. Young Ian is optimistic about the birth of his child. However, we know now that it doesn’t end with a healthy baby being born.

There is a lot of heartache for Young Ian to come. You just don’t see it at first within the chapter, but it’s important to remember how long it can take for letters to be delivered.

We also get the foreshadowing of what Claire will mostly do while at the Gathering. She continues to make herself known as a skilled healer (and even witch to some of them). But it’s not just her. I think this chapter offers us a bit of foreshadowing that Brianna will also find her place in a world where women are considered lesser than men. We just have to remember how Claire found her footing and know Bree will too.

Adapting the Drums of Autumn chapter

The TV series opted to skip over the Gathering. I definitely don’t blame the writers for doing that. If you look at reviews for The Fiery Cross, you’ll see there are a lot of people who just don’t like the start of the book. It takes about 200 pages just to cover one day and finally get to Brianna and Roger’s wedding.

The show didn’t have the liberty of time for that. Plus, it could have turned viewers off if more than one episode was taken up with this storyline, especially when there was just one major thing that it all led to: Brianna and Roger’s wedding.

Instead, the show opted to end Outlander Season 4 with Brianna and Roger’s reunion and the British Army calling for Murtagh’s head. The Outlander Season 5 premiere was simply all about Brianna and Roger’s wedding, something that works perfectly for a TV show, especially for one where not everyone watching has bothered with the books.

We don’t get the letter from Young Ian, which makes sense to me. We don’t necessarily need it, leaving Ian’s return and his struggles a surprise. After all, we didn’t see him choose to stay with the Mohawks for Emily and more to become a man of worth.

Likewise, John Quincy Myers’s character is adapted a lot from the books in the show. I love how the series made JQM more of an integral part of Fraser’s Ridge. He is loyal to Jamie and Claire, and him standing with Fergus and Young Ian to avenge Claire at the very end still gives me chills.

What did you spot while reading Drums of Autumn Chapter 70? Let us know in the comments below.

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