Flight of the Heron read-along: Part I chapters 3-4

[regshoe]

I have just finished reading a Mary Renault novel and feel, predictably, absolutely awful about it. Time to distract myself with some Jacobites!

Next week we'll finish Part I with chapters 5 and 6.

Comments

[regshoe]

Well, this is a nicely dramatic couple of chapters!

I continue to love Keith's reactions to Highland things: pulling the blankets over his ears while Neil plays the bagpipes, but then admiring the kilt when he sees Ewen wearing it :D And, aww, even he thinks Loch na h-Iolaire 'not an ill piece of water'.

Keith, and Keith's interactions with Ewen, in chapter 3 are so interesting! I love Keith's insolent bravery during the encounter with Lachlan—talking back and making sarcastic jokes, even being deadpan in his own head while he's in grave danger. And after Ewen arrives and saves him, he feels 'angry and humiliated', and his manner towards Ewen is at first dry and still sarcastic. There's no question of actual fear in any of it. Meanwhile, Ewen, very honourable as always, is put in such an embarrassing position by the ardent Lachlan!

I think Keith's attitude of irritated sarcasm suits Broster's style of narration very well, actually—the little notes of dry humour in the omniscient narration, of a sort that's been there since the prologue, go perfectly with his attitude here. Both Keith and Ewen are so very much her characters, in different ways. I do like the way she writes, on the sentence level and in constructing and handling characters, a great deal.

The scene where Keith and Ewen walk down towards the loch together after the Lachlan disaster is just lovely. Again, Keith can turn in a short time from bitterness and sarcasm to good humour and generosity; and again, it's Ewen who brings out his better side. Aww, the bit where they smile at each other... ('His smile went up a little at the corner. A sparkle came into Ewen Cameron’s eyes.) :)

I rather like Alison's description of Prince Charles as 'the fairy prince' (now there's an AU—Charles as John Uskglass conquering Scotland and England with his fairy army...!). Actually, I like the little bit of Alison's reflections in general—after three chapters of Keith's POV, we return to the Jacobite perspective and get a reminder of the personal side of what all this means. Although, as Maggie Craig has detailed in her book Damn' Rebel Bitches: The Women of the '45, Jacobite women did often do rather more for their cause than hope and pray...

Speaking of humour, I also love Aunt Margaret's appearance in chapter 4, and her combination of perceptiveness and a sharp, knowing sense of fun. She and Keith really do have a great deal in common, and, perhaps not surprisingly, it's she who recognises how 'deep' Keith's character is, compared to Ewen's (Ewen himself 'cannot quite make him out').

So, now, we get to hear a bit more about the significance of that heron...! It strikes me that Ewen must have strong sceptical instincts, to have lived alongside Angus all his life and been witness to multiple predictions which have 'fulfilled themselves in an extraordinary way' and still not believe in the second sight. But the entire section about the prophecy is very interesting indeed—and, of course, will only get more so as we continue through the book and those significant 'threads' work out their pattern. Actually, I've never been able to decide what exactly this: 'And as the threads are twisted at your first meeting, foster-son, so will they always shape themselves at all the rest—a thread of one colour, a thread of another.' means, though it's probably not the sort of thing that has a simple literal interpretation—something to keep in mind for the rest of the read-along, perhaps.

And some spoilery thoughts: Sbe nyy gur ybiryl sberfunqbjvat jr trg urer, gurer ner zhygvcyr guvatf va guvf puncgre juvpu V guvax jbhyq unir jbexrq ernyyl jryy vs gurl unq orra sberfunqbjvat, ohg juvpu nera'g. Nyvfba'f sberobqvatf ng gur ortvaavat; gur fvtavsvpnag cbvagvat bhg bs gur snpg gung Nathf arire 'fnj' ure nf n jvsr ng Neqebl... gur pbzzrag nobhg ivfvbaf bsgra vaibyivat n zna'f shgher jvsr, cerfragrq nyzbfg rkcyvpvgyl nf na nygreangvir gb gur vagrecergngvba gung Nathf'f ivfvba bs Xrvgu naq Rjra gbtrgure zrnaf gung bar bs gurz jvyy fbba qvr... V qvq trfgher ng guvf va n svp bapr, ohg V guvax gurer'f zber gb or qbar gurer jvgu fvtavsvpnag sberfunqbjvat. Uzz.

[luzula]

His smile went up a little at the corner. A sparkle came into Ewen Cameron’s eyes.

Awww, yes, that bit is lovely. <3

I rather like Alison's description of Prince Charles as 'the fairy prince' (now there's an AU—Charles as John Uskglass conquering Scotland and England with his fairy army...!

Oh, hmm, that is an interesting AU possibility...

[hyarrowen]

I too love the bit where Keith and Ewen smile at each other. I think Keith challenges Ewen in a way that he's not used to; his foster-brothers and tenants are utterly devoted to him, Aunt Margaret and the rest of the family love him dearly and look after him and he's close to the centre of their world. Keith is an annoyance and unpredictable and he's all prickles - and he's an equal in a way that the others are not.

I like the adroit way that DKB changes POVs - not something you see much of in fanfic but it happens very naturally here. Also her long, long sentences. Radio was just getting going when FotH was published and there were far fewer sources of entertainment than even ten years later.

The threads have always confused me too. Prisoner and captor, perhaps, turn and turn about? Or in the sense of spun threads that you twist together to get a stronger, single yarn? Baffled.

[regshoe]

All good points about Keith and Ewen! And yes, I love Broster's omniscient POV that moves between the characters.

I think the two threads are probably either Keith and Ewen themselves, with the different colours being their different allegiances, or the conflicting feelings they both have for each other (admiration and friendship vs enmity—bs pbhefr gur snpg gung Xrvgu obgu nqzverf Rjra naq frrf uvz hanibvqnoyl nf na rarzl vf irel vzcbegnag ng obgu gurve svefg zrrgvat naq gurve ynfg!—but Ewen's feelings in particular do change considerably over time, so I'm not sure)—probably both? I like the 'spun threads that you twist together to get a stronger, single yarn' interpretation, though!

[hyarrowen]

It's such a pity we can't ask her! Everyone seems both confused and intrigued by it. Maybe she left it quite deliberately ambiguous, a la Balrog wings.

[luzula]

I think Keith challenges Ewen in a way that he's not used to; his foster-brothers and tenants are utterly devoted to him, Aunt Margaret and the rest of the family love him dearly and look after him and he's close to the centre of their world. Keith is an annoyance and unpredictable and he's all prickles - and he's an equal in a way that the others are not.

Yes! How insightful--I do think you're right.

[cahn]

- and he's an equal in a way that the others are not.

Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense! I can see how that would be really attractive to Ewen :D

[impala_chick]

to have lived alongside Angus all his life and been witness to multiple predictions which have 'fulfilled themselves in an extraordinary way' and still not believe in the second sight.
Yes, I kept thinking Angus must have said something that never came true.

The scene where Keith and Ewen walk down towards the loch together after the Lachlan disaster is just lovely.
I agree!!