Katherine, great insight about the Papingo shoot. Another good reason to get The Dorothy Dunnett Companion asap!
Zorro, I am really looking forward to your comments about the brothers! (here are my two cents, just to get the ball rolling). Richard always eluded me in my first read, but now that I am savoring the details I can see more dimensions in his character, beginning with the scene in Part two, Chapter 1
(view spoiler)[ in which he says to Janet:
"the brutal fact is that there is no protection. I tell you, Lymond has taken three months to kill all the years of my childhood...".
I do think he is a fully developed character but in such small telling points as this one. Another scene I think sums up his relationship with Lymond is when he asks his mother about the whereabouts of Mariotta, those are some serious and deep childhood pains resurfacing. All in all, I do think he is a more romantic character than his brother, he dwells in absolutes so much more. (hide spoiler)] Also what I do remember from before and felt it was done infuriatingly on purpose by DD, is Eloise
(view spoiler)[ and the BLANK we know about her. Even at the end, Richard almost quotes her but Lymond stops him so we don't even have a clue of her personality, her thoughts, her relationship with her brothers, nothing, not even from Sybilla! I am on the line between thinking what a master DD is in keeping this major presence in the whole book entirely subjective (we know nothing so we can imagine anything) or feeling a little let down that this relationship is not pursued. It is entirely possible that these answers exist and I just missed them, if you do find them, please have mercy and share :) (hide spoiler)]
I just finished it!! (warning, spoilers of the whole book) I remember going through it the first time and be really absorbed with the following books that this one got a little blurry and some scenes I didn't remember at all. And Christian,
(view spoiler)[ I forgot how much I liked her. I think she makes it clear she always knew it was Lymond at some point of the book, or at least I think she figured it out pretty soon, by knowing she had heard the voice in her childhood and spending so much time around the Culters and the Lymond Intrigue. I love it when she refers to him as Francis in front of Sybilla and she is all like Whoo!!!?. I've always been left with the doubt about her feelings for him, was it platonic? was it the reason she didn't want to marry Tom in the first place? was it because of him that she started hating her blindness when she was already at peace with it? (hide spoiler)]About the Papingo shoot,
(view spoiler)[ in my mind I am pretty convinced that Dandy hit Richard and the first two arrows were Lymond, aside by being told by Sybila, I think I remember a pause between the first two arrows, and the third. It does seem cruel to free the bird and then kill it and I wonder why that fact didn't stand out the first time I read it. I think I was distracted by the meaning of it (if the competition was of who had more skill, then hitting the rope and then the free bird would drive the point further), and unfortunately I do not think Lymond would have any remorse in doing so. And I need to reread the bit about the one-eyed man! (hide spoiler)]Mariotta
(view spoiler)[ did need to get the situation straight right away by Lymond, but then again, he definitely could have handled it and her better, and why wouldn't he tell her he never sent the jewels in the first place? and how old is she?, I think I have been judging her too hard because I have the impression in this last read that she was as young as 15? I think I got the idea somewhere in the book but am not sure... (hide spoiler)]I'm still digesting all the bits I had forgotten about the end! Looking forward to your comments!
In response to Katherine, Part One: Chapter III "More Blindfold Play: The Queen Moves Too Far"
(view spoiler)[ I am so glad Katherine brought this chapter up, as this is the scene that I started to actually like Lymond (cemented later by Don Luis!), I remember not being sure if Christian's prisoner was actually him, as it wasn't established yet (but somewhat obvious by his banter) and just assumed it and was pleasantly surprised when he just took a breath and prepared to place himself at her will (not at all like the drunk or scheming Lymond we had met before).
"He appeared to be in a difficulty. 'Yes... I have been postponing... Lady Christian, when we last met you were unthinkably kind and generous-for no kind of thanks that I remember making. I swore to myself not to involve you further. Then when I got your message I was irresponsible enough to come here after all. But at least you shan't be in the dark. You shall hear-now- who I am, and if you want to call the guard, I shan't try to escape this time.' "
This was for me one of the first insights into the many layers that make Lymond Lymond. And I agree completely with Katherine that we don't know what to think of him (and many other things). We are left to make assumptions with what is written, because everyone trash talks about Lymond openly and is up to us to rescue these little hidden gems of him and make up our own minds about him. By making us do so, deciding for ourselves that we like him, instead of being told, I think we make him that much ours (and defend him and try to shove him through everyone's throat to read and adore him!).
And talking about the assumptions we make while reading DD, (view spoiler)[ sometimes they pay off and sometimes we are horribly wrong, and that is exactly what I like so much about her writing, you are engaged in the way you have to be deciding always how to perceive the book and then this bombs of insight happen, specially in the later books, that leave you pretty much floored and rereading and trying to decipher word by word if you got it right (and I still don't know in some parts). (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]I can't imagine a better choice of books for a readalong, so bear with me and expect many questions and doubts and weird interpretations, having finally found someone to talk them with !! Anyway, I am up to Part One: Chapter VI, but plan on doing some more reading tonight...
I am so in! Been meaning to do this and it would be awesome as a group read (my first). I also vote for one each month, I don't think I could wait that long for another dose of Lymond! But I will definitely try, cheers!!
Sayri’s
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(group member since Dec 21, 2013)
