Brienne chapters....snoozefest

[CerseiLannister04]

haha interesting. I actually really enjoyed the iron islands chapters, although most of what I've been through is up to the kingsmoot so I don't know if it stays good.

I don't know folks, most of you seem to disagree with me save for my good pal ckal. I guess I'll approach the next few chapters with a more open mind perhaps?

I love the Iron Islands, I only found one or two people so far boring.

[silentwanderer]

The only problem I see with her POVs is chapter skipping.

Otherwise it should be fairly obvious she has met Sam's father, summarily executed several cells of Bloody Mummers, found The Hound, follow Arya's footsteps and connect the dots to Gendry's lineage, all before she kills Rorge, without a second reading.

Brienne is the shizzle. I love her and all she stands for. Her POVs may be slow at times but wouldn't it be silly to have her fighting the whole time? Isn't travelling "are we there yet?" boring too? It's fine as it is in my opinion.

A good fight scene its like a good love story: it needs serious build-up to be compelling.

And Brienne has the most compelling fight scenes and love stories of the book, if not the whole saga.

[StCecil]

I haven't finished Feast but, I've enjoyed Brianne throughout the series and fully agree her travels are an intersting way to see the common folk which is as interesting than the big players to me ( which we also get from Ayra for a while which is why I like her chapters too)

[Katerine459]

I like the character of Brienne, and I do like the perspective her chapters give, but I also agree with the OP: nothing happens!

She looks in one place for Sansa. Doesn't find her. She looks in another place for Sansa. Doesn't find her. Then there's an action-packed chapter where she goes on a wild goose chase.

During this, she meets some interesting people (Sam's father, and such), but while that is interesting from a, "oh, here's a different perspective on Sam's father!" standpoint, the fact is, nothing comes of these meetings.

Granted, I'm currently only up to chapter 26, and I've seen the interactive map and the spoilers, so I know she'll meet up with somebody interesting down the line, but still... yeah. Interesting character, but really boring chapters.

[silentwanderer]

I guess I just don't find Sansa that interesting in Feast for Crows, it was one thing back when she could steal Casterly Rock from under the Lannisters's noses, but her political import truly diminishes once she angles for the Vale.

Brienne, on the other hand, was the better half of one of the greatest pairings a Lannister ever had, she linked every character on the Riverlands that Jaime could not and moved the story forward for several players more important than the Lords of the Vale at this point.

To me, that was more interesting than spending a book escorting Sansa in a mule (with all due respect to Mya Stone).

[Katerine459]

I guess I just don't find Sansa that interesting in Feast for Crows, it was one thing back when she could steal Casterly Rock from under the Lannisters's noses, but her political import truly diminishes once she angles for the Vale.

I have a different perspective, but admittedly that's because I'm absolutely convinced that all of the remaining Starks (and maybe even some that have died) have some sort of significant role to play in Dany's storyline and/or the war with the Others. I think that most, if not all, of them will end up as Dany's allies. :D So the stuff that Sansa is learning at Petyr's feet is kind of relevant, I think.

Brienne, on the other hand, was the better half of one of the greatest pairings a Lannister ever had, she linked every character on the Riverlands that Jaime could not and moved the story forward for several players more important than the Lords of the Vale.

To me, that was more interesting than spending a book escorting Sansa in a mule (with all due respect to Mya Stone).

Alayne Stone?

True, if Brienne actually found Sansa, that would be boring too... but for a different reason.

As it is... name one thing that Brienne does in AFFC (again, please keep in mind that I'm only up to chapter 26 :) ) that actually matters to Westeros, or the world.

[silentwanderer]

I guess I just don't find Sansa that interesting in Feast for Crows, it was one thing back when she could steal Casterly Rock from under the Lannisters's noses, but her political import truly diminishes once she angles for the Vale.

Brienne, on the other hand, was the better half of one of the greatest pairings a Lannister ever had, she linked every character on the Riverlands that Jaime could not and moved the story forward for several players more important than the Lords of the Vale at this point.

To me, that was more interesting than spending a book escorting Sansa in a mule (with all due respect to Mya Stone).

I have a different perspective, but admittedly that's because I'm absolutely convinced that all of the remaining Starks (and maybe even some that have died) have some sort of significant role to play in Dany's storyline and/or the war with the Others.

Which, no doubt, Sansa would've been a part of should she had left with her husband but, as it is, Tyrion is closer to become Dany's ally than Sansa ever will stuck at the Vale.

In any case, Sansa would've dragged Brienne to the small corner of the world she's in and Feast for Crows needed to expand the consequences of the War after the Red Wedding and Joffrey's death for us to truly understand what kind of world Brienne and Jaime and, by extention, the people of Westeros are in.

More so because this is the reality in which Westeros is going to face the winter (and the dangers that come with it).

[Katerine459]

Which, no doubt, Sansa would've been a part of should she had left with her husband but, as it is, Tyrion is closer to become Dany's ally than Sansa ever will stuck at the Vale.

At the beginning of ASOS, Bran was in Winterfell, with a Maester and a full retinue, and believed Luwin that the Children of the Forest weren't real anymore. At the end of ASOS, Winterfell was gone, everybody believed that Bran was dead, and Bran was travelling north of the Wall to learn from the Children of the Forest.

There are two books left, after ADWD. According to Wikipedia, they will be big books, ~1500 manuscript pages each. Never say never. :D

In any case, Sansa would've dragged Brienne to the small corner of the world she's in and Feast for Crows needed to expand the consequences of the War after the Red Wedding and Joffrey's death for us to truly understand what kind of world Brienne and Jaime and, by extention, the people of Westeros are in.

More so because this is the reality in which Westeros is going to face the winter (and the dangers that come with it).

All true. The frustration isn't so much that Brienne didn't find Sansa, but rather that, while her... I won't call them "adventures"... her journey is good to see from a reader perspective, the fact is, it's still really... it's hard to see, or anticipate, how Brienne's story matters. Granted, this can also be true of Sansa and Arya, both of whom are just spending their time learning right now, but we've seen them from the beginning and there's a sense of importance attached to the Starks. They're wargs. They're all separated through an intricate series of events. The story, from the beginning, has been focusing on them, a lot. They have visions. And Dany's had at least one vision about them. And the dragon has 3 heads. So there's the definite sense that, even though they're just learning right now, that learning is leading to something. Something important. They have roles to play.

Brienne... not so much. She may in fact have a very important role to play, but there just isn't a sense of that right now. So her... meandering... feels kind of pointless.

[Vaelya of Asshai]

Ugh god YES! Her chapters bored me, however I enjoyed some, e.g. at the The Quiet Isle.

[MegaTechPC]

I can totally understand why the Breinne chapters would bore you as there really is nothing accomplished by her aimless wanderings yet I somehow found the chapters engaging and entertaining. It just gives a wider perspective on what is going on in the land and we learn some important history and back story through her. I am really just engrossed with the entire universe GRRM has created and anything that fills in the details of said universe is welcome to me even if it ultimately does nothing to move the main story forward. Maybe I'm just weird though?

[Prince_Snow]

I can totally understand why the Breinne chapters would bore you as there really is nothing accomplished by her aimless wanderings yet I somehow found the chapters engaging and entertaining. It just gives a wider perspective on what is going on in the land and we learn some important history and back story through her. I am really just engrossed with the entire universe GRRM has created and anything that fills in the details of said universe is welcome to me even if it ultimately does nothing to move the main story forward. Maybe I'm just weird though?

You are not weird at all, i totally follow you on this, it's great to travel with Brienne in Westeros and in her though! To me it happens a lot in her chapters, it's not fair to say "it's boring because nothing happened, it does not help the story to move forward"...etc the genius of GRRM is to portray the moments in life were you have doubts, you talk to yourself, you get suspicious, you get friends, you loose friends, you just walk and look at the sky, you hate, you love, ou forgive...etc which is a lot.

If you guys have amazing crazy adventurous days everyday good for you (don't you get bored by it?), but i think as a modern society whe are scared of silence, of waiting, of boring, of non-action thing...we think it's nothing but it is not nothing, it is something it's part of us and in a way it's fine. It's like Arya's chapters in AFFC, absolutely amazing, just my opinion of course.

[The Killer Snark]

I think we should afford all good writers the respectful indulgence we can afford for their idiosyncracies. Think of the shambolic mess that baffled readers would have made of Frank Herbert's Dune books if they'd cut his centralist libertarian musings out, which in fact turn out to be the entire purpose of the books. I happened to enjoy the Brienne chapters. If you want to criticise true padding, then refer to the largely baffling Tom Bombadil chapters in LotR.

[Aldark]

Her chapters are better then Dany's. Thats my opinion though.

you sir won the internet for me even though this was posted 2 years ago!

Her chapters are better than Sansa's (when she was in King's Landing) and the pre-last chapters of Catelyn (before the wedding) too for me.

They are not bad , sometimes i'm bored , nothing happens , they just walk, wake up , eat , sleep , wake up , walk again but then they meet some interesting guys like Sam's father or the Elder Brother...We also learn interesting things about what happens in the land of Westeros these days! We learn bout Berick , Lady Stoneheart or the remaining of the Brave Companions too!