# Small Scenes in books that really stand out for you.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-scenes-in-books-that-really-stand-out-for-you/426190>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 12, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-scenes-in-books-that-really-stand-out-for-you/426190 "2007-11-12T23:04:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-scenes-in-books-that-really-stand-out-for-you/426190/41 "2007-11-21T13:41:56Z")

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I know someone else has already mentioned **Outlander** , by Gabaldon, but that’s what I thought of immediately on seeing the thread title. It’s the scene a day or two after Claire and Jamie are married, and they sneak out of the inn/tavern, and creep up into the woods a bit. He is showing off with his weapons for her, almost as a dance. It’s one of those scenes I can picture very clearly when I’m reading it, and I don’t normally do that. It’s just such a wonderfully written piece of the book.

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**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-scenes-in-books-that-really-stand-out-for-you/426190/42 "2007-11-21T16:27:26Z")

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It was one of the **Fletch** books by Gregory McDonald. In it, Fletch is driving over a bridge and happens to catch sight of something flapping in the breeze under the bridge. It was an article of clothing worn by a woman who was about to kill herself by jumping off the bridge. In short, Fletch talked her out of it.

What he said helped me when I was in a similar frame of mind.

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**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-scenes-in-books-that-really-stand-out-for-you/426190/43 "2007-11-21T16:48:35Z")

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In Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Mr. Wednesday and Shadow are having coffee in a diner. Wednesday stiffs the waitress for the bill and Shadow complains, telling Wednesday that she did nothing to deserve that treatment.

Wednesday recalls a moment from her childhood, where she buried her kitten in box because she “wanted to bury something.” She listened as its cries got weaker and weaker and then stopped.

_Shudder_

When I reread that book, I skip that passage now. The first time I read it, it upset me so much I had to find my kitty and cuddle her for a good long while.

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