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My Dark-haired Love  by Avon 5 Review(s)
PeredhelReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/29/2005
A beautiful story. I've read it on about six different sites, and thought I'd finally leave a review. It's wonderful to read about Éowyn's feelings . . . in a way, she's very much an enigma, we don't see very much through her eyes. I think you did an excellent job of relating her many and varied feelings for her husband, particularly her fascination with his (to her) "foreign" qualities. I've often wondered how she would feel, married to a man whose lineage and written history goes back thousands of years -- while hers is a five-hundred year oral tradition -- and who is so much "one of the Kings of Men, born into a later time."

Minor nitpicking: according to Unfinished Tales, the Rohirrim in general were shorter and darker-skinned than the Dúnedain, Gondorian or otherwise. The ancestors of the Rohirrim had intermarried with a shorter, stockier, and swarthier people at some point in their past. Éomer and Théoden inherited their considerable height from Théoden's Gondorian mother, Morwen of Lossarnach. Faramir in particular was very tall and very fair, even for a Gondorian, which indicates a height between six foot eight and seven feet.

Nienna ElanesseReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/19/2004
Yes, well, any F & E story, minus angst, is very welcome in this small quarter of Gondor! The title works; Eowyn uses the grammar of the Riddermark when she's overcome with emotion. The poem Faramir wrote is simple and yet truthful. I thought you'd cadged or adapted a poem by Shakespeare or Donne! Well done.

A nit, but, there is one extra word; I would say that Eowyn is "a woman of Rohan." She was, briefly, one of the Rohirrim, but gave that up to marry her true love. :)

As someone who struggles to keep the words and syntax of two living languages (English and French) and bits of several "dead" ones (Greek, Latin and Norse) from maiming the "poetry" of her speech, I would be very envious of -- and sympa to Eowyn's wonder at -- Faramir's gift of moving from one language and syntax into another. Lore master of Gondor, he is! (Lucky woman!)

Author Reply: Thank you for the feedback, Nienna Elanesse. Sorry to be so long in replying but RL gets in the way. Thank you very much for the kind words about the poem - I'm always very nervous about putting any of my poetry in public view because I know my limitation as a poet!

A nit, but, there is one extra word; I would say that Eowyn is "a woman of Rohan." She was, briefly, one of the Rohirrim, but gave that up to marry her true love. :)


I can't actually find the place this comes from - could you be kind enough to let me know where it is so I can try to fix it?

ValtoReviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/10/2004
I read this story for the first time over at HA and was struck by the beauty of it....wonderful job, very poetic style, stunning descriptions :) great job!

Author Reply: Gee, thank you very much. It's not - in all honesty - a story I am entirely satisfied with but on the other hand for me to write a romance was really out there ;-)

Cheers,

Avon

NilmandraReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/19/2003
I am no judge of poetry except to say when I like something - and I did like the poem. As a matter of fact, I felt strangely jealous of Eowyn . . .

I prefer 'love' over 'lover', as it seems more encompassing of all that he is to her.

I rather like the way the differences between them are highlighted - they are like opposites attracting, and how both see value in people and things different from themselves. She is wild and free, yet full of sorrow and tenderness too. Faramir is cultured and intelligent, yet it is his loyalty to people and duty that made him a soldier. She respects strength, and for her to see what lies beneath that strength touches the tender side of her.

Her words to him are beautiful in their simplicity. She may not have his skill with words, but that is not why Faramir married her. He wants her love, and her simple phrase expresses that quite nicely.

And again, one just wants to write an epic tale of their lives and love around your vignette.......*smile*



Author Reply: *waves* One day I'll get my thank yous up-to-date - like when I'm 65 and retired ;-) Thank you for you kind comments (both here and elsewhere). The poem certainly has its weaknesses but most people thankfully do seem to have been able to overlook its technical problems and just appreciate what Faramir is saying. I wish I could make it perfect for him - but I think some of the images and feelings worked at least. *phew*


[i]I rather like the way the differences between them are highlighted - they are like opposites attracting, and how both see value in people and things different from themselves. She is wild and free, yet full of sorrow and tenderness too. Faramir is cultured and intelligent, yet it is his loyalty to people and duty that made him a soldier. She respects strength, and for her to see what lies beneath that strength touches the tender side of her.[/i]

hmmm... I don't think I'm ever going to be an true Eowyn fan - but I did come to see a lot more of her heart in writng this. It's a huge leap she's taken, based really just on her faith in Faramir.

[i]And again, one just wants to write an epic tale of their lives and love around your vignette.......*smile*[/i]

Perhaps I could sell them as story starters? ;-) For some reason in LOTR writing epic tales just doesn't appeal to me... and it's not just the thought of all that typing ;-)

Thank you for the lovely feedback,

Avon

ShirelingReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/18/2003
Avon

I think this is a lovely wedding day gift for a friend.

I like the title- I think 'love' is much more personal and intimate than 'lover'. I'm not an expert on poetry but the sentiments were well expressed and it worked for me.

Well done.

Helen

Author Reply: Thank you, Helen. This was a scary story to write for me because not only does it contain poetry (which I can't write) it's sort of a romance - and I've never written that before! I may never do so again either - if the rest of my friends refrain from getting married ;-)

Avon

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