Jenny is excited to gain some independence in France in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 92
We head back to the past in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 92. We’re in France with Jenny and Jamie, and there’s a chance to know what Jenny is feeling.
This chapter is from Jamie’s point of view, but we get to see so much of Jenny’s personality shine through. I love her excitement as she uses her French and gains some independence. For me, this speaks a lot of what life for women was like in small areas in the past.
While Jenny was well-taught and raised speaking different languages, she was still a woman of her time. She was stuck in a village, and now she has the chance to branch out. It’s no wonder that she’s somewhat excited about traveling to the Colonies.
Their trip is cut short, though. What we don’t realize at the time is that missing the ship was a good thing for both of them. I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
I do expect this chapter to be used in the TV series. I’ll get to my thoughts on why and why it will be important in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 92.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Jenny excited as she orders from a vendor in France. She’s speaking French, and she loves the independence that she’s gained. Jamie is a little disappointed that she’s gaining this independence. We’ve seen before that Jamie wants to feel needed, and he’s seeing that his sister doesn’t need him as much as he thought she would.
Jenny is excited about getting on another ship. I think it’s the excitement of a new life and to get to the Colonies. She’s traveled a little but nothing like her brother. This is a woman who has grown up in a small town and has been the landlady of sorts. She’s looked after others, and now she gets a chance to explore and be free.
I think this was the feeling for a lot of people when they embarked on these journeys. I remember getting ready for an intentional move and I was excited about the fresh start.
Jamie didn’t suffer from seasickness on the way to France, it seems. He was so worried about Jenny’s silence, which he put down to mourning. It turns out that Jenny is a little worried about what she’ll meet with Claire in America. This is understandable. Jenny is hard-headed, but it’s clear that she was grieving when she blamed Claire for Ian’s death.
That’s not the main worry, though. It’s the Laoghaire situation. Jenny is sure that Claire blames her for this. She also notes that she never apologized for the way she acted when Jamie and Claire arrived at Lallybroch. Jamie makes it clear that there isn’t anything to apologize for. He should have told Claire about Laoghaire before getting there but was too much of a coward to do it.
Jenny and Jamie are now square in their apologies. There’s just Claire when they finally get to her. They’re delayed, though. They missed the ship to New York. Now they need to wait for the next one, which goes to Charleston. That means longer away from Claire, and Jamie isn’t happy about that.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
Jamie should be happy about the delay. What he didn’t know at the time—nor did we on the first read—is that the ship they were supposed to get on sank. This is what leads to Claire having to marry Lord John Grey.
Missing the ship saved Jamie and Jenny’s lives. A small delay in seeing Claire is better than never seeing her again. The downside is that he didn’t get a letter to Claire to explain things. That could have prevented some trouble for Jamie and Lord John.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I expect to see this chapter used in Outlander Season 7. For one, we need to see Jamie and Jenny miss the boat. This is huge. Without missing the boat, Claire has no reason to think Jamie is dead, so she has no reason to marry Lord John Grey. Based on some of the photos from filming that fans have shared online, I expect to see John and Claire marry.
Something that I want to see is Jenny’s excitement. I want to see her experience some freedom, and I want to see her apologize to Jamie. All of this is important to make Jenny more of a main character in the story. I want to see Claire and Jenny get some sort of friendship back, and there is a chance with the right apologies.
Plus, fans need to connect to Jenny, and the best way to do that is to see her share that she was wrong and she is worried about Claire hating her. With a new actress taking over the role, this is even more important.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 92? Let us know in the comments below.
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