Goodreads Ireland discussion

Come join us to discuss all things Outlander - especially the miniseries that is on Starz at the moment.

I'll make a folder for Outlander, Donna, so you all can open separate trends for books and the tv shows, if you'd like.

Oh, thank you so much, Declan, that would be wonderful!

I found this by doing a search. Am I in the right place?

You are indeed!

I haven't read the book though I recently picked up the audiobook on a daily special from Audible. I will confess for me it is definitely more to my liking to have the visuals - the scenery, the costumes, and all the surroundings. And of course Jamie is gorgeous.

I am anxiously awaiting tonight's episode, although I just found out that there are only eight episodes total. I shall have to rewatch the Outlander series until Season Two debuts!

It's on in a minute:) Only 8 episodes! Really!!!

Tonight's episode was great. I do think it had more impact in the book though. Jamie's shame and degradation about being displayed at those meetings was really played out. I just love this series.

Me too Susan! I loved how Claire got into setting the wool colour and then was going to pee just like the other ladies. And then when Jamie slept outside her door and was scandalized at the thought of sleeping inside her room. He grows more gorgeous by the episode. And then when the men fought to defend Claire's honour...

So, so good.

I was surprised to find an Outlander thread here. Yeah!!!!!! I have been reading these books since 1995. I am glad to join you all.

those of you who have not read the books, run and buy them. They are the best and most interesting trashy books I have ever read. It took me years to actually confess I was reading them. If you think the series is great,wait till you read the books. Her style is very visual, so much so that I almost don't need the series, Except that is so well done I am enjoying every minute of it. Many of my friends have actually reread them, while waiting for the next one… I have not done that, too many good books out there waiting for me to finish them.

Hello Mae and welcome. All Outlander fans are welcome here!

thank you Donna!!! I am, I am….
And just to make you Irish gals laugh. Before I lived in Ireland… Logahaire, I read it "Logahare" not "leary". In fact when I just moed to Ireland I could not find Dunleary, anywhere….

I keep seeing Outlander and all I can see is Jim Caviesel running around with vikings.

I just now started to listen to the audio of the first book. As it's 33 hours, I am listening to it a 1.25 speed. It seems to be OK at this speed.

Paul - I like Jim Caviezel - at least I do in the show Person of Interest. I'd love to see him running around with Vikings - where does he do that?

Emma wrote: "Mae that sounds like a pretty good summation. I've only read the first one but I'd sum it up as well written enjoyable nonsense.

Haha your not the first one to have problems with the pronunciatio..."

Emma - in my Joyce group where we read Joyce aloud, the word quay comes up often. Most people pronounce it "qway". But in our group, we don't correct pronunciation. Some people just figure it out when they hear others read it as "key". No big deal. But you could make it difficult getting around Dublin.

In the first TV episode of Outlander, I was completely thrown off by the pronunciation of the surname Beauchamp.

Barbara wrote: "I just now started to listen to the audio of the first book. As it's 33 hours, I am listening to it a 1.25 speed. It seems to be OK at this speed.

Paul - I like Jim Caviezel - at least I do in the..."

LOL. Brilliant. I saw that particular Outlander on DVD last week. My partner loves all the Gabaldon books so I thought I'd treat her (had vaguely heard a tv series had been made). Needless to say, having expected a bunch of highlanders, she wasn't too impressed by Jim Caviesel fighting an alien with his Viking mates.
I quite enjoyed it, though.

Barbara, it would never have occurred to me to pronounce quay as key. Thanks for the heads up.

Mae, I am a big Outlander fan and have read all of them but the latest which is sitting on my Kindle calling my name. I have also read some Lord John books. It's so interesting how she addresses homosexuality in those days. I also have her graphic novel which might appeal to Paul. I have been in and out of the Ladies of Lallybrooch site. Gabaldon tells some funny stories about them when she talks. I've heard her three times and she is quite entertaining. I thought this was because she is an university professor (probably not now). Maybe that's why Barbara and Cathleen are so entertaining. :)

Barbara . The film is called Outlander by coincidence

Paul wrote: "Barbara . The film is called Outlander by coincidence"

Paul, I was so excited to see you here! Imagine my disappointment when it was just to talk about some silly sci fi movie that was loosely based on Beowulf. Although I do like Jim C. and think he's very cute.

Mae wrote: "thank you Donna!!! I am, I am….
And just to make you Irish gals laugh. Before I lived in Ireland… Logahaire, I read it "Logahare" not "leary". In fact when I just moed to Ireland I could not fi..."

Mae, do you still live in Ireland and if so, what part?

Paul wrote: "Barbara . The film is called Outlander by coincidence"

Oh that explains it!

I loved the scene where the women were waulking the woven cloth.
http://www.waulk.org/index.asp?pageid...
I learned about this tradition through Scottish traditional (folk) music. Years ago when I was on vacation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the Gaelic Mod was going on. This is a gathering of music, dance and other Highland culture. While I was there, they had a waulking reenactment, including singing by women gathered around a table. My favorite story about waulking involves the American musicologist Alan Lomax and the BBC. Lomax knew no Gaelic, and he may been unaware that often these songs are quite 'raunchy'. So Lomax arranged to have a live broadcast on the BBC of women from the Outer Hebrides singing waulking songs. Well their verses got very raunchy and people who knew Gaelic, started calling into the BBC, alarmed, saying "do you know what those women are singing???". This story makes me laugh because I love it when people play tricks on people who don't know their language. I am convinced these women did this very intentionally.

I also loved the plot twist when Claire discovers what Dougal MacKenzie is really up to.

I haven't been able to get into Outlander at all. The book that is. I started Cross Stitch over a year ago. I know how popular it is so maybe will have to give it another go.

@Barbara, what a wonderful story! I'm sure that those women did that deliberately.

I just found out that they will show eight episodes, take a winter break and then show an additional eight episodes and that will be Season One. The miniseries (I suppose it's really just a show now that there is more than one season?) has already been renewed for Season Two, which will be Dragonfly in Amber.

I read somewhere where Starz has increased the number of people buying the channel. It helped to have the $7 special.

Honestly I had no idea that so many people were fans. It's like a cult!

Donna, it is kind of cult. There are specific Outlander tours to Scotland. I did my own version while I was there and was actually there at Culloden Battlefield's reenactment. I got 40 books from a publisher to pass out for free and it was such a joy. People were so delighted to get a copy. Nobody even complained about the length.

Susan wrote: "I read somewhere where Starz has increased the number of people buying the channel. It helped to have the $7 special."

Susan - that helped me make the jump because I never ever subscribe to Premium channels. and there's the series with James Nesbitt, The MIssing, coming up.

Donna - I have found many Scots to have a mischieveous streak. Many can be somewhat reticent (remind me of New Englanders). Shetlanders are a bit more outgoing - who knows why? They have a lot of Viking in them. They live on islands far from anywhere so are outgoing with visitors who bring some of the outside world. Who knows?

Sara (also here on GRI) and I were talking about Outlander last night. Though some here say it isn't a romance novel, we both would definitely categorize it as such. I started listening to the audiobook and I think it makes a difference to have the tv series to add the visuals. I don't know if I would have enjoyed just listening. So far it is pretty faithful though abbreviated. Also I am listening at 1.25 speed as 33 hours is a long, long listen.

Oh gosh, what sucked me in was the romance! For me, it jumped right off the page. And to add to the sizzling hot chemistry between Claire and Jamie is Claire's dilemma of having Frank back in the twentieth century. I also love the fact that she is a few years older than Jamie as I am also a few years older than my husband. He says that Claire reminds him of me, which is the ultimate compliment in my book. Now if I could just get him in a kilt...

Fiona wrote: "I haven't decided whether to read this book or not, but I've read some reviews and the fact that the 'heroine' is already married and then conducts a relationship / affair with someone else is putt..."

Understandable...this is not my usual cup of tea. I was actually drawn in by the setting.

Susan wrote: "Barbara, it would never have occurred to me to pronounce quay as key. Thanks for the heads up.

Mae, I am a big Outlander fan and have read all of them but the latest which is sitting on my Kindle ..."
I also have the last book on kindle, I have heard is not as good as the rest. Also read some of the John Grey books totally agree with you.

Donna wrote: "Mae wrote: "thank you Donna!!! I am, I am….
And just to make you Irish gals laugh. Before I lived in Ireland… Logahaire, I read it "Logahare" not "leary". In fact when I just moed to Ireland I ..."
Donna unfortunately not… moved out last summer. That has been one of the most difficult moves of my many moves. I fell in love with Ireland, and as I was leaving we find out I am 35% Irish! I knew it all along. And I have no problems with pronunciation "Dunleary" was clear… I pronounced it correctly, never recognized it in writing. ha ha You should have seen me lost looking for the signs. I lived on Rathgar Road Dublin 6 Malakoff House, but very close to the Swan Centre… my daughter attended and graduated from the Highschool. She is now doing Science at UCD. She chose to stay in Ireland, with her mare. The best four years of my life. My daughter now lives in Stoneybatter, Arbour Hill to be exact on Cidric Road. Declan lives a stone throw away. She went from a Southsider to a Northsider accent and all. Now I live in France, but my heart is always looking north. Figured out quay/ key… fast. Because I am a good listener. Because the Irish, unlike my american friends never corrected my english. (My first language is spanish). I now live in France, I am back to having my french being corrected. Oh how I miss, my little green isle.

BTW, no one has mentioned the timing of this show and the Scottish independence vote… find it fascinating. After reading this book, I became a Scottish nationalist!

Fiona, I LOVE your new picture. Where were you? The countryside is gorgeous and the two people are amazing.

Are we ready for the latest episode of Outlander? I'm not sure how well I'm going to do watching Jamie get flogged by Black Jack Randall.

I'm looking away for much of it...

I had to look away. It was that gruesome. My son had to tell me when it was over. I'll tell you whoever is doing the make-up for the show is doing a wonderful job. I don't know how Claire has an ounce of love left for Frank after dealing with Capt. Randall. I spit in his eye.

Even though I know they are acting and it's not real, I cannot stand to see anyone get whipped/flogged. This was so realistic, and the makeup so well done, that I just felt sick to my stomach.

I'm with you on Captain Randall, Susan. That man is a sociopath, not a shred of human decency or conscience in him. The actor is fantastic.

It really turned my stomach when he was describing the flogging with Claire and called it a masterpiece of beauty (paraphrased). It was one thing to read about the flogging but quite another thing to see it (or should I say peeking at it).

I have to say I am losing my patience with the audiobook Claire and her rebellious stupidity. I recognize the ploy used often in romance fiction of having a headstrong heroine who is "tamed" by her romantic interest. But, at least in the audiobook version, she comes across as single-minded and oblivious to the danger she is putting others in. And selfish. I haven't had that reaction to the tv series yet, but I am further along in the audiobook.

I don't think Claire is ever "tamed".

I agree Claire is never tamed, but I guess you have to read all the books to see this.
I found the scene between Captain Randall and Claire even better than in the book. It almost made me forget what I already knew what was going to happen. Absolutely brilliant. For a minute there I fell for him too. The actor is amazing.
And another thing, the whole Bewchamp thing was that in the book? Because if she spoke fluent French why would she introduce herself as such. I read the first book almost 20 years ago, and although there are scenes I remember clearly the whole last name thing escapes my memory and I am in France and have no access my books to confirm this.

Mae wrote: "I agree Claire is never tamed, but I guess you have to read all the books to see this.
I found the scene between Captain Randall and Claire even better than in the book. It almost made me forget wh..."

I agree that Jack Randall was so good in that scene. He had me convinced he was actually decent til he turned.

The actor who plays Frank/Black Jack Randall is amazing. I also started to feel sympathy for him and then when he started to talk about flogging Jamie and how they created a masterpiece together? My skin crawled. Literally. And then when he punched Claire? Oh, nothing is bad enough to do to that man.

Not only did he punch Claire, he called the other soldier in to kick her. Awful. I have to agree that the scene was more impressive on the show. The guy who plays Black Jack is wonderful.

I am embarrassed to admit how excited I am about the Wedding Episode tonight. I just got an official wedding invitation in my email today. I can't wait!

I am going to a friends house and we are having a little wedding watch together.

That sounds fun!

What a great episode to watch with girlfriends. The wedding night with a 19 year old virgin with a cute butt. What could be better. :)