luzula

regshoe is going to reread Flight of the Heron, and I figure that I'm going to do that as well, partly just because I want to, and partly to get the details down better for writing fic. So here is basically some liveblogging of the prologue and the first three chapters of the book.

- This is probably my favorite thing that Ewen says to Alison: "You shall always wear the Grant [tartan] if it pleases you better." Aww. (Alhough clan tartans at that time did not actually exist, but let's go with book canon...) Also ties into something I recently read about women in the 18th century Highlands, that they had a fairly good position and also didn't always take their husbands' names. Ewen's aunt being the factor of his estate was also not an uncommon thing.
- I love this description of Keith: "Captain Windham's own dark and rather harsh features were not unpleasing, save when he frowned, which he was somewhat given to doing." ♥ Whereas the description of Ewen is more: he is really hot, reader, you know this because Keith thinks so multiple times on first meeting him (well, not in those words, but…).
- I think the contrast between the prologue (Ewen's POV) and the first chapter (Keith's POV) is really well done—those are two very different views of the Highlands.
- On the scene where Ewen makes Keith surrender his sword: Nnnngh, why don't we see Ewen swordfighting more in the book?? Someone write fic where he does.
- Hee, I love the bit where Keith thinks that he should stop teasing Ewen, and then comes: "But he was not to keep this resolution."
- "He was wearing the kilt today, and for the first time Keith Windham thought that there was something to be said for that article of attire—at least on a man of his proportions." Ha ha, oh Keith.
- I really get so much more out of the book after my research reading. Like, now I know what non-juring Episcopalians are and why it's significant that the Camerons belong to that church. Also, from what I've read of the culture among military officers at the time, Keith would probably not be very religious, which agrees with the book in that he basically doesn't think about it. In fact, officers who were seriously religious were often made fun of for it.
- I also didn't look at any maps the first time through, so that's another thing I've got a better handle on now.

Today was book club discussion, but I had failed to read the book because I still don't have the emotional bandwidth for other fiction. Oh well. But I'm not sure I could have taken the book seriously anyway, because one of the main characters was called Lord Frith and he was not the sun god of the rabbits…