Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 30 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

The foreshadowing in this chapter is mostly about Mrs. Bug. Sure, there is a little foreshadowing that Bonnet will remain a problem, and he’s going to do something dark and terrible to Brianna. However, I think we all knew that was going to happen; or at least, something was going to happen.

Mrs. Bug’s story is the one that surprises a lot of people. However, Brianna thinks about how each of the women will handle themselves, and while Mrs. Bug is small and older, Bree knows that there’s a deviousness to her. Bree is sure Mrs. Bug has a way to protect herself, and it’s all a hint at the big storyline with the gold that comes up eventually.

Adapting The Fiery Cross chapter

The chapter wasn’t used in Outlander Season 5. Not quite in this way, anyway. We did get to see the attack that Lord John Grey describes, but it was shown on the screen. This was a chance to really see what Stephen Bonnet is capable of, and I think that’s important on the show. It’s one thing to be told something, but another to see it.

When the show went to see how Brianna was doing at Fraser’s Ridge alone, the focus was on her fear. In the series, she thought Bonnet had died in the explosion, but that didn’t happen in the books. Bree knew Bonnet had escaped.

In the series, finding out that Bonnet was still around made her worried for her own safety and the safety of Jemmy. She’d told Bonnet that Jemmy was his son, and she knows the rules of the time.

I love that we got to see this fearful side of Brianna. It felt natural. Most importantly, it was a chance for Bree and Marsali to bond. This was something I felt missing in Outlander Season 4, so getting to see the two sisters-in-law bonding even without Bree sharing the full details.

I’ll admit that this is one of the cases where I prefer the show’s adaptation instead of the chapter in the book.

What did you spot while reading The Fiery Cross Chapter 30? Let us know in the comments below.

Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.