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| Under My Wing by Edoraslass | 69 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 5/28/2006 |
| Oh dear, no one's paying attention to little Boromir, after living his entire life as the center of attention, there's another baby grabbing a share of the spotlight. Poor little tyke. Good thing he's got such an understanding Nanny. Very well done. I like it that little Boromir was not immediately overcome with love for the new nestling. Loved his jealousy over his favorite lullaby. Author Reply: Thanks! As I'm sure you've heard me say before, I have trouble buying that they'd get along perfectly all the time -- they're brothers, after all. And you're so right; I'm sure it was an affront to Boromir's young pride to have to share the attention. :) | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 5/28/2006 |
| Oh, lovely - Boromir finally taking an interest in his inconvenient baby brother. His showing him the book and explaining all the pictures was charming - "say Oliphaunt, Faramir"....The baby is obviously responding to his brother's voice rather than the pictures, and, being Faramir, loves having his older brother guide him. Faramir is the sweetest baby in Middle-earth, but very credibly written. Author Reply: Thank you! I love when older kids read (or "read") books to younger ones - it's just so adorable to watch, and listen to what little flourishes are added to the story. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 5/28/2006 |
| Oh, this is funny, as well as sweet! Boromir's heart is bigger than his artistic talent, but it's a lovely gesture. Thankfully, Nanny guessed what the critter was, or the poor child would have been devastated after all his hard work. I can just see Finduilas helping him with it, and explaining that he couldn't use real feathers. Author Reply: Thanks! It's always a tense moment, trying to figure out exactly what a kid's art project is supposed to be. :) And oh, you may have just given me an idea....:) | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 39 on 5/28/2006 |
| A portrait of two people under severe stress - the Nanny and Faramir. Nanny is over-worked and desperately needs a break from round-the-clock care of the now motherless and still terribly unhappy chlidren. Faramir is too young to understand stress, or needing a break, but he is in terrible pain, Boromir can't really help him (being a bereaved child himself), Denethor has (typically) isolated himself in his grief; and Faramir is obviously terrified of losing another of the few constants in his life, his nanny, who has been more of a mother to him than poor Finduilas was able to be. It's really horribly sad. The description of Faramir at the end, with the circles under his eyes, is almost - he's only five years old, too young to be so haunted, especially several weeks after his mother's death. Knowing Faramir, he's picked up the sorrowful vibes of the Steward's household (and the Steward) and he's just too young to handle all that emotion as well as his own pain. Nanny at least can put grief and sorrow in some kind of context, and unlike Faramir, her world hasn't fallen apart. I do hope she will get to take a rest soon. Author Reply: Thank you! Yes, it's hard to explain things like death to children, - they're just too young to actually understand never being able to see mother/father/whoever again. It's no wonder the boys are just lost and unable to grasp such a sorrowful concept. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 5/28/2006 |
| "Thank you, my little one," I murmured, stroking his delicate skin, marveling, as always, at the perfection of it. "One day you will know the joy of sons, and of the peace they can bring a troubled heart." I found this part, and the end, where Denethor is watching the infant Faramir sleep, very poignant. It's an ironic and tragic counterpart to the end of Denethor's life, when he watches Faramir sleep under far different, and terrible, circumstances, and it drives him finally over the edge. Brrrr! I kind of hope that one day Nanny will tell the adult Faramir that his father did indeed love him once, and watched over him. Author Reply: Thank you! Honestly, Ann helped me a lot with this chapter, getting Denethor right. I have the inclination to make him overly harsh. But it was certainly interesting for me to purposely set out to find the kinder side of Denethor. | |
| Tigger | Reviewed Chapter: 50 on 5/28/2006 |
| It's taken me two days to catch up on reading all of these little vignettes of the Sons of the Steward and their Nanny. Oh my...Even though her duty was done once Faramir no longer required a Nanny, I feel certain she must have kept in contact w/"her" boys. In a Noble/Royal Household, it is the Nanny/Governess who mostly does the raising of the children. Even though they would have loved their parents, it would be Nanny who was the one who raised them and who tucked them in at night. This would come as a cruel shock to Nanny. Something she must have prepared herself for considering who her little ones were, but still a shock. I hope she has a chance somehow to somehow learn of/meet Eowyn and Aragorn/Elessar and I don't mean through gossip. She is wondering who comforting Faramir after all and since she would be considered someone important in Faramir's life, I can see him staying in contact w/her somehow. You are doing such an amazing job w/this little series. Looking forward to the next installment. :o) Author Reply: Thank you so much! Yes, I'm oddly intrigued by the fact that nobility basically handed the raising of their children over to someone else (often of much lower rank), and have been known to get irritated(privately) at people who assume that Finduilas was taking care of her boys 24/7. I'm sure she was "prepared" in that "they're soliders of Gondor, and are in danger defending the land" sort of way, but not in a conscious way every day, if that makes any sense. If one could ever be prepared for such news. And I certainly didn't expect to write this much on Nanny when I first started, but there's lots more to tell, I feel sure. They like to talk. :) | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 5/27/2006 |
| A delightful account of little Boromir's foray into his City under Nanny's watchful eye. The market and vendors were particularly well-described, and I could almost see and hear the bustle. Best of all was Boromir's happiness; as the Steward's grandson, he would be sheltered at this age; and his excited reaction to all the different stimuli was wonderful to read. Loved the bit about the puppet show with Captain Thorongil defeating the Corsairs. Author Reply: Thanks! Honestly, I got a bit worn out writing that -- it's always so tiring to keep up with energetic little kids in public places! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 5/27/2006 |
| I imagine that Faramir will continue to teach Boromir patience for many years... Very cute story; little Faramir is developing at his own speed and no one is going to push him to advance until he is ready. I liked the way he patted Boromir's head; he loves his brother; and Boromir's initiating their playing Cirion and Eorl and slaying a dragon together... Author Reply: Thanks! I figured someone had to help teach Boromir patience; heaven knows he'd not likely have learned it on his own! And little non-talking Faramir is always fun (if challenging) to write. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 45 on 5/27/2006 |
| I love this vision of Faramir as a tough little boy, happily defeating his big brother in a tussle. And of course, the refrain of scrappy little boys everywhere, We Were Just Playing... Author Reply: Thanks! Who says Faramir's not able to stand up to his brother? I figure he had to give as good as he got, else Boromir would have run all over him. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 50 on 5/27/2006 |
| Awwwww. This is the most heartbreaking chapter of all. Nanny and Faramir both need hugs; but at least Nanny has her daughter; I don't think Denethor would be capable at this time of giving or getting hugs. And Faramir would be too busy protecting Gondor in his brother's place to allow himself much mourning time, what with the end of their world coming... Nanny's grief is almost a physical entity, and very well described. It's particularly real that, in remembering him, she lingers over the memories of the child she cared for rather than the young man and the Captain-General he became. At least Nanny isn't a lonely old lady sitting in the servants' quarters of Minas Tirith; she's got a family and home of her own. Author Reply: Thank you! To me it makes sense that she'd remember him as a boy; she doesn't really have a lot of other context for him, having not actually seen him in his position as High Big Shot Warrior of All Gondor. She'd have been scolding him for having wet feet and not eating right til the moment he left for Rivendell, had she still been in Minas Tirith at the time. | |