Outlander Book Club: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 5 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

There is a little bit of foreshadowing in the chapter. There’s also a lot of plot development.

The plot is all about the burning of the houses. This is going to be a much bigger thing, and it’s easy to think that this could be the connection to the Big House burning down. What it does is remind us that the fire is still to come.

The foreshadowing is in the growing of the Ridge. Jamie isn’t all that certain about wanting to just let anyone on the Ridge. After all, he’s never really opened it up to everyone and it’s more of being open to those he was at Ardsmuir with and then others on a case-by-case basis. While they are all happy to pitch in and help where necessary, it’s clear that this could be trouble for Jamie.

This foreshadowing isn’t specific of one thing, I don’t think. It’s just more an element of foreshadowing that life on the Ridge isn’t going to be that easy. For the time being, Jamie has to do what the Governor wants.

Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter

This chapter hasn’t been used on Outlander Season 5. We did have the storyline involving the burning of the cabins, but it wasn’t a major storyline. I don’t think that part of the chapter is ever going to be used on the series now that Hodgepile and his group have been dealt with. That’s if I’m remembering the book right and that the ones involved in the burning were Hodgepile’s men.

The bit that could be used is expanding the Ridge. We know that’s got to happen, but the main part of Outlander Season 6 is going to be focused on the Christies. There might just be a mention on how to build the tenants at the Ridge and use up the land, but that it doesn’t become a major part of the story.

There are a lot of big stories in A Breath of Snow and Ashes to cover. There’s no way that the series can do it all, and this is such a small part that it could just get away with a quick mention and leave everything else out about the burning of cottages.

What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 5? Let us know in the comments below.

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