Flight of the Heron read-along: Part IV chapters 5-6

[regshoe]

I'm afraid real life is being stressful at the moment and I'm feeling a bit frazzled, so no comment from me today—but here's the post, so others can start on the discussion. :)

Next week we'll read chapter 7, the final chapter of Part IV.

Comments

[friendofthejabberwock]

I thought Lord Loudon's behavior was interesting - the way that he seems to take Ewen's word quite easily over Greening's about how the information about Lochiel was obtained surprised me a little, but then he has no problem with trying to pull Ewen into a scheme is not very honorable, either. The information being actually obtained while Ewen was asleep is bad, but pretending it was is not? Okay...

(And ugh, re Greening: there are so many adjective choices to quickly describe the stereotypically nasty character, and yet we get stuck with womanish repeatedly anyway. I realize that's been said a lot already, I just really needed that out of my system, lol. Other than that I really like the writing!)

I love how Keith decides that he will be more prudent with his actions, and then promptly nearly ruins his career all over again (he was more polite the second time around, at least!) It would be out of character for him to do anything else about the issue of his testimony, of course, but I am still very amused.

And I hope you get an IRL break very soon! <3<3

[osprey_archer]

I think he takes Ewen's word over Greening's because he shares Ewen's Highland heritage - yes, they're from clans that hate each other, but they have the same "no Highlander would ever betray his chief EXCEPT UNDER DURESS." So he probably already had some Doubts when Greening insisted the confession was totally voluntary.

Ofc he immediately burns up his honorable Highlander bona fides by trying to interest Ewen in that "How about you... fall asleep again?" scheme. I guess the desire to find Lochiel has overwhelmed everything else for him.

And yes, Keith's near-instantaneous switcheroo from "I'm going to be prudent about my career from now on!" to "guess I'm going to burn my career to ashes for Ewen" is beautiful. He is MORE prudent that time, but still.

[sanguinity]

Well, he's offering the chance for Ewen to retain his good standing with Lochiel and Clan Cameron versus having his name smeared beyond repair to the same. We of course know that Keith and Ewen are both the kind of honour-bound characters who value the true honour held in their hearts above the mere semblance of honour among their fellows -- of course Ewen would turn it down! But if Loudoun's certainty that no Highlander would ever betray his chief comes from external factors -- from the inevitability of the irreparable ruin that would befall said Highlander if it came to be known that he had betrayed his chief... Well, I can see Loudoun thinking that he was offering Ewen a tempting deal.

Vs V pna whzc gb gur guveq abiry naq gur zna jub frpergyl orgenlrq Nepuvr Pnzreba... Gur gbezrag Znvgynaq tbrf guebhtu vagreanyyl, rira nf ur ergnvarq uvf tbbq anzr nzbat Wnpbovgrf, vf rffragvnyyl gur irel qrny gung Ybhqbha vf bssrevat gb Rjra urer: xabj lbhefrys n genvgbe, juvyr ergnvavat lbhe tbbq anzr. Naq bs pbhefr jura Rjra pbzrf gb haqrefgnaq jung Znvgynaq unf qbar -- naq rira gung ur qvq vg sbe cevapvcyrq ernfbaf, juvpu fubhyq unir orra va uvf snibhe! -- Rjra pna oneryl pbzceruraq ubj Znvgynaq pbhyq unir oebhtug uvzfrys gb qb vg...

[regshoe]

That is a very good point about internal vs external honour! Yes, Loudoun's behaviour makes a good deal of sense viewed that way—and, yes, true personal honour is the centrally important thing for Ewen just as it is for Keith.

[regshoe]

Yes—was Loudoun believing Ewen that easily just an act to try to get Ewen to trust him, or does he really respect him even though he clearly doesn't share Ewen's real sense of honour? In any case, I do like Broster's little apology in the front of the book for having Loudoun behave in a way she apparently didn't consider historically plausible. (No apologies for the weaknesses of the English Hanoverian high command in chapter 6...!).

Keith just knows what he has to do whenever Ewen is involved, it seems—perhaps Ewen just always brings out the best in him. :)