OUTLANDER vs. CROSS STITCH, part 3

Here are the rest of the differences I found between OUTLANDER and CROSS STITCH.

Please note, all quotes from OUTLANDER and CROSS STITCH listed below are copyright© 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.

All page references below come from either the CROSS STITCH mass-market paperback edition, or the OUTLANDER hardcover edition.

CHAPTER 31

From the scene where Murtagh and Claire are talking over breakfast at Lallybroch:

"Did she think I might be a witch?" I asked curiously.
(OUTLANDER p. 475)
----------------------

I took a deep breath, almost fearing to ask what must come next. I had tried as hard as I could to forget those few moments near the loch, but the memory of Geillis Duncan was impossible to escape. A murderous woman, and plainly mad, but courageous nonetheless, and linked to me in a way that could not be denied, no matter what I felt for Geillis herself.
'And...Mrs. Duncan?' I asked softly. Murtagh paused for a moment, long enough to scratch one stubbled cheek, then bent his attention to mopping up the last dribble of honey on his plate with a blunt forefinger.
'Imprisoned,' he said briefly. 'Till the babe's born.'
'Imprisoned? You don't mean...not the thieves' hole?' The thought of anyone spending weeks and months in frigid darkness, let alone a pregnant woman, was appalling. The ivory bracelets clicked softly together as I clasped my hands in my lap.
Murtagh shook his head, still not looking at me.
'Nay. In the castle. Callum will keep her under ward, until the time to deliver her to the examiners.' He glanced at me then, with what might be a flicker of compassion.
'Dinna fret yourself; Mrs. Fitz will care for her--and the wean, when it's born. She'll find it a good home.'
This thought was a comfort, if a small one. I would trust Mrs. Fitz with my own wean, if I had one.
"Did she believe I was a witch--Mrs. Fitz, I mean?" I asked curiously.
(CROSS STITCH pp. 655-56)

Almost a whole page, that doesn't appear at all in OUTLANDER. Verrry interesting! <g> But note that this version of events is contradicted by what we learn in VOYAGER, from Geillie herself, about how and where she spent the last part of her pregnancy.

Ronald MacNab arrives at Lallybroch riding a "garron" (CS p. 657), not a mule as in OUTLANDER.

This next quote makes me laugh, because I can't see the phrase "Lady of Lallybroch" without thinking of the Ladies of Lallybroch fan site.

"To be lady of a manor, or to sleep in the fields like a gypsy?" (OUTLANDER p. 480)
"To be Lady of Lallybroch, or to sleep in the fields like a gypsy?" (CS p. 661)

CHAPTER 34

Several references to Beauly have been removed or altered:

"And the winter would set in shortly, making travel to Beauly impossible"
"No, most likely northeast, toward Beauly." (OUTLANDER p. 499)

"And the winter would set in shortly, making travel impossible."
"No, most likely northeast, towards Leoch." (CS p. 687)

This next bit seems to be a follow-up to the scene I mentioned earlier, telling the story of what happened to Geillis Duncan:

"Sent to the devil in a pllar of flame, under the branches of a rowan tree."

'I thought she wasn't to...die until after the baby was born.' He glanced at me, still smiling, but I noticed the trickle of sweat making its way down the side of his neck. 'It's come. The wean was birthed afore time. Small, but a bonny boy nonetheless, strong and kicking, and yelling for the breast at once. He's his mother's eyes, the wee devil.' I thought at first this merciless recitation of detail was meant to impress me, but I was wrong. (CS p. 699)

The part in red is missing from my OUTLANDER hardcover. (But say hello to Roger's ancestor, William Buccleigh MacKenzie <g>)

CHAPTER 35

BJR's aide, Marley, is described as an "orderly" in OUTLANDER, but the word isn't used in CROSS STITCH as far as I can tell. For example:

Jamie whirled away and feinted with the stool, forcing the orderly back toward the door. (OUTLANDER p. 530)
Jamie whirled away and feinted with the stool, forcing the man back towards the door. (CS p. 730)

CHAPTER 36

Spelling purists might disagree about this next one <g>:

"two large whiskys" (CS p. 754)
"two large whiskies" (OUTLANDER p. 547)

This one, I only noticed because the word "glowing" caught my eye, and I was surprised, when I went to check, that there was indeed a difference in the text, though it wasn't what I'd thought:

"the lovely glowing Sheraton desk in the corner" (OUTLANDER p. 551)
"the lovely glowing walnut desk in the corner" (CS p. 759)

This might be British usage, but apparently a thumb doesn't count as a finger? As an American, this seems odd to me.

"All five fingers eventually lay straight as new pins" (OUTLANDER p. 554)
"All five digits eventually lay straight as new pins" (CS p. 764)

CHAPTER 37

Note the changed geographical reference:

"insure our passage across the Channel." (OUTLANDER p. 564)
"insure our passage across the North Sea." (CS p. 777)

This last one is just strange, and misses the whole point of Claire's question, IMHO:

"if he knows he's going to be seasick, why in God's name did he insist on a boat?" (OUTLANDER p. 568)
"if he knows he's going to be seasick, why in God's name did he insist on travelling to France?" (CS p. 783)

CHAPTER 38

A few very minor things in the Abbey section of the book:
"Matins" in OUTLANDER (p. 573) becomes "Prime" in CROSS STITCH (p. 790)
"broth" (OUTLANDER) becomes "soup" (CS) in at least half a dozen places that I noticed (p. 795, for example)

CHAPTER 40

"Alex" (OUTLANDER) becomes "Alick" (CS) - this becomes very obvious toward the end of the book, because Jamie's uncle Alex the abbot, and BJR's brother Alex, and Alex MacGregor, are all called "Alick" in CROSS STITCH. ("Tell me that you love me, Alick", CS p. 845, for example.)

Here's one more changed geographical reference:

"on this side of the sea" (CS p. 846)
"on this side of the channel" (OUTLANDER p. 614)

Conclusion

And so I've come to the end of the book at last. This has been a very interesting experience, reading CROSS STITCH, but I still say I like OUTLANDER better.

I hope you've found these posts helpful. If you want to see the changes I found in earlier parts of the book, look here:

OUTLANDER vs. CROSS STITCH, part 1
OUTLANDER vs. CROSS STITCH, part 2