I am a long time lurker, and fan of the books. This topic is dear to my heart, so has brought me "out" so to speak. I think that this is the one part of the books that have left me feeling distraught. It is the fact that although Jamie was seen to have close friendships and bonds with men throughout the series, Claire always seemed to only have Jamie. Even in the 20th Century. I think that is what I hold against Jenny. The one woman who you would think would understand Claire, turns on her when Claire reappears in Voyager. I hope this discussion will reveal some moments when Claire bonded with women. But, my feeling is that they will be fleeting, and not the "brotherhood" kind of bond we are speaking of here. -- Broch Talk

[ VoyUser Login optional ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, [8] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 07:31:21 01/21/08 Mon
Author: Lady Alice
Subject: I am a long time lurker, and fan of the books. This topic is dear to my heart, so has brought me "out" so to speak. I think that this is the one part of the books that have left me feeling distraught. It is the fact that although Jamie was seen to have close friendships and bonds with men throughout the series, Claire always seemed to only have Jamie. Even in the 20th Century. I think that is what I hold against Jenny. The one woman who you would think would understand Claire, turns on her when Claire reappears in Voyager. I hope this discussion will reveal some moments when Claire bonded with women. But, my feeling is that they will be fleeting, and not the "brotherhood" kind of bond we are speaking of here.
In reply to: JessieR and CatherineM 's message, " Mini Reread Topic for January 2008: The Bonds (or lack thereof) of Sisterhood " on 22:40:12 01/15/08 Tue

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> The intro to this topic was a joy to read - Thank you Jessie and Catherine! Your readings caused me to see Jenny in a dift perspective. Like Lady Alice I was very let down by Jenny in V. This time I noticed the mention Jenny makes of being afraid of Claire. The combination of the cozy group of women in the Lallybroch kitchen, also whispering about Claire, and Jenny's admitting her suspicions (we never knew who your people were, etc), highlighted for me that Claire is very 'other' in this time and place. Maybe Jenny couldn't sustain a true friendship with her because she sensed the huge differences between them? I'm trying to give Jenny a break! Seen in the light of the rereads, it is a little problematic that Geillis (who was very kind to Claire in the witches hole) and Jenny and Malva (lets not even go there!) betray Claire. Dramatic and good for the plot yes...Inside>>>> -- HollyC, 08:14:58 01/21/08 Mon

but couldn't someone besides Jenny have served as the betrayer just as effectively? Is it only that women sense her 'otherness' and shy away, or is Claire not given a chance to sustain female friendship?

[ Edit | View ]

[> [> [> Holly, I try to give Jenny a break, too. I think that if she "betrayed" anyone, it was Jamie. Claire had been gone twenty years with many holes, as you say, in her story. Jamie, OTOH, has been there all along, hurting, working for the good of his family, living in a shell of himself, all of which Jenny is quite aware. She owed it to him to speak to him first about his "situation" and if he stalled or dismissed her concerns, she could have threatened to take action immediately. No doubt, he would have believed her capable. :-) -- KathleenM, 08:39:20 01/21/08 Mon

[ Edit | View ]

[> [> [> Holly, I think that Jenny felt some betrayal from Claire when she "left" after Culloden. I think Jenny is not very free with her friendships with women, but she opened herself to Claire when Jamie and Claire live at Lallybroch. Unfortunately Jamie couldn't tell Jenny where Claire had gone, so Jenny concluded that Claire left him behind. And then Jenny had Jamie back with her at home, which she hadn't had in a long time. -- LisaW, 08:54:54 01/21/08 Mon

[ Edit | View ]

[> [> [> You both bring up neat facets of this betrayal - no wonder that whisper from Jenny's daughter is a shocker! Here I was trying to rehab. my image of Jenny, and Kathleen now you've got me mad again *bg* Jenny DID betray Jamie bigtime! LadyAlice, I meant to say before I also wonder why the friendships are fleeting for Claire? After all, Jamie gets to have sustained ones. If only Geillis hadn't gone off the deep end. Sigh. -- HollyC, 11:27:02 01/21/08 Mon

[ Edit | View ]

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 2.94, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums^(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2012 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.