Immediate reflections on Kidnapped.

[thrillingdetectivetales]

I finished Kidnapped! Huzzah huzzah!

[Minor spoilers for the book below.]

There were some bits I knew would be coming and thus could properly prepare myself for (five days sleeping together under Alan's greatcoat!) and others that were hinted at but not detailed or else not warned for entirely (the fight after Cluny's! a month together[ish] in a house with Alan doting on Davie every night! Alan plays ravishing pipes! [yeah I'll bet he does Davie]). It was delightful from start to finish despite and also because of the phonetic Scots dialogue and vocabulary I'd never encountered before. I'll definitely be reading it again to pin all the details in place in my mind but what a joy!

Side note: I can't believe how many of the book beats they managed to hit in the play. Like I knew it was a lot but damn. Though now I know we were robbed of Torrance so I'm a bit miffed about that, but in all seriousness how cool to see two pieces of media that tell the same story in kindred ways while both feeling like the best and truest version of the tale.

Anyway I'm going to bed now, where I'm going to be lying awake for hours salivating over how many delicious fic opportunities have opened up now that I have both canons at my disposal. Will do a more proper review tomorrow or possibly later this week depending on what kind of free time I can finagle.

Comments

[muccamukk]

Oh great! There's so much dialogue in the play that's just word for word! I love it!

And yeah, the whole month of tenderly being nursed back to health (Regshoe has some great fic about that), which I'm largely going to steal for my sequel fic.

Between Nan Shepherd, DK Broster and RLS, I'm picking up a lot of Scots.

Will scream at you tomorrow, hopefully.

[thrillingdetectivetales]

Yes! I have a whole new appreciation for the playwrights (of whom I was already a little in awe). They picked such great, resonant lines to pepper through and it really does make the stories feel like they're linking arms and grinning at each other even though their paths aren't quite 1-for-1 the same.

I don't think I know Nan Shepherd! What all did she(?) do? Nor did I know DK Broster before all this Kidnapped business, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the hell out of myself.

[muccamukk]

Writes nature books, see this week's book review.

[regshoe]

:D :D

Balquhidder is just the BEST. I love the bit with Alan's piping too—Davie admits that Rob is the technically better player, but only Alan gets the 'ravishing' :D

how cool to see two pieces of media that tell the same story in kindred ways while both feeling like the best and truest version of the tale.

I know, right! I really, really love how faithful the play is–'kindred' is the way to put it—while being so non-literally faithful, if that makes sense, and how much love and joy it has for the story. And all the little references to bits of the book that didn't make it in properly are great (I love the 'be-Davied' line especially).

I look forward to the proper review and whatever fic may follow :D

[thrillingdetectivetales]

BALQUHIDDER IS SO GOOD. I was like, "I'm sorry, they're together with Alan doting on Davie for how long?" Also the fact that Alan deliberately chooses to stay and see Davie through instead of carrying on to try and make it to France! Be still my heart!!

The play gives such wonderful cheeky nods to the book that fit so well within its own canon that you would never know unless you'd read the original. (As I didn't when I first watched the play but now am clutching my pearls about lol.)

Hopefully there will be some soon! I'm trying to get through this deleted scene fic but unfortunately real life keeps rudely demanding my time and attention.

[regshoe]

I knowwww! It's amazing, and such good material for fic. Ah, I think my favourite line of that bit is Davie's lovely understated I need not say if I was pleased to see him. :D

Commiserations!—I am also dealing with RL stuff that is very inconveniently taking my attention and energy away from terribly important fic-writing.

[thrillingdetectivetales]

I really enjoyed how quickly it went from "we don't really know each other but this guy seems interesting so I guess I might as well tag along and see where this goes" to "obviously we're each others' favorites, how could it be otherwise?" with these two, for sure.

Isn't that just so disrespectful of real life? I'm hoping it'll cut me some slack this weekend so I can finish up the night at the inn fic, but we'll see. I hope yours lets up soon too!

[regshoe]

Thank you—and wishing you enough slack to write the rest of that fic! (she said, entirely selfishly, happily looking forward to reading the fic :D )

[thrillingdetectivetales]

<3