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| For Love of a City by meckinock | 26 Review(s) |
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| perelleth | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/24/2006 |
| Superb Faramir the reflective! I like his mood. Of course he would be analyzing all threads of this present happiness and value it tenfold because he never expected to feel it.!So it makes full sense that out of duty, but also out of deep sympathy, he is ready to cut short this moment to share in the grief of a soldier. His transition from joy to compassion is very smooth, since all his reflections on happiness were framed by his deep understanding of pain and suffering, so it is a natural succession, and that, I believe is the nature of Faramir's compassionate temper as Tolkien potrayed it. Hurin sketching for his Mum was a lovely detail! And you do have such way with words! The first paragraph, above all, is amazing! Author Reply: Thanks, Perelleth. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the changes in Aragorn's life after the Ring War, and it occurred to me that Faramir's surprise and joy might be even greater than his. Aragorn waited a long time for his dream to come true, and might have doubted along the way that it ever would, but I'm not sure Faramir ever allowed himself dreams. He was just a second son of a difficult father, non-heir to a non-throne in a fading kingdom, and I don't think he ever saw a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for him. Especially near the end. And you do have such way with words! Thank you. It's always deeply puzzling to me to hear something like that. I don't think of myself that way at all! I certainly wish it would show itself one of the times I'm in need of a snappy comeback. | |
| Susan W | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Wow! I usually don't review on this site, however, I do so love a beautifully written story! By the end of this one I needed a tissue! Thank you for allowing Faramir to be happy and free as so many fanfics do not. And you wonderfully showed his giving nature when he could not pass up the lone Northern Ranger alone in his grief. Your portrayal of the camaraderie that appears amoungst soldiers was well written. Hurin will return to the city that his father so loved! He will have ready friends there waiting for his return. Hopefully you will give us more tales based in Gondor! Author Reply: Hi, Susan, Thanks so much for the review. I do think that Hurin will return to Minas Tirith, and that he and Faramir will be long and close friends when that happens. I think the moment when Faramir broke out of his bubble of joyful euphoria to comfort a grieving soldier says everything about him. I would like to come back to Gondor and visit him again. | |
| RS | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Wow! Faramir's happiness and exhileration is so contagious. You just can't help but feel so happy for this guy! After what he's been through. So much bliss and he deserves it! But oh how suddenly my joy turned into sadness. My heart aches for Hurin and Aragorn, and of course Halbarad. Hurin because he lost a father, Aragorn because he lost a devoted kinsman who was also a brother to him, and Halbarad because he "waited his whole life to see this city" but "died watching it burn". "It comforts me that King Elessar ordered that he lie here, beside his comrades, under the warmth of the sun and within sight of the king's banners"...so symbolic. And Halbarad's wife...... I have faithfully followed your two stories, IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY and A MATTER OF HONOR, and love the beautiful and close relationship and comraderie Aragorn shared with Halbarad. Not only that, Halbarad's family is mentioned too and I have grown to love them. So this story is profound to me! It touched me so. It just tore me up! So painful. Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!!! PS - Now that I've dried my tears, any more installments for A Matter of Honor? RS Author Reply: Hi, RS, Thanks and glad you enjoyed this little vignette (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to call it a story) and found it touching. Everyone suffers in Tolkien, but somehow everyone finds renewal, too, and I hope that's what came across. Sorry for the delay in getting Honor updated. I appreciate your faithfulness and I'm trying really hard to get something up this weekend. | |
| Dot | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Holy heck. This is amazing, meckinock! The detail, the emotion, the language. How I wish I could use language like that! I love the use of the present tense. It really helps us experience this right along with Faramir. And you do first-person so well too – you’ve really captured his voice. I love the opening. There’s such a sense of joy. There’s almost a giddiness to it as Faramir feels this joy and freedom and can’t quite believe it – his wonder really comes across - but gives in to it, decides to accept that there can be times like this. There can be moments when things are just perfect. I thought this was a very poignant glimpse into his childhood, and into his character: Early grief leached out the rest of my hope and chased my joy deep within, where it remained, small and fragile and not easily kindled. In compensation I granted myself small pleasures when I could – a book of poetry, the sight of a newborn fawn resting in a glade, a favorite table at a comfortable inn. What made it especially touching was the idea of such little things making him happy. No wonder a day without worry, spent with someone he loves, is the source of such exhilaration for him. And Eowyn too, it would seem, is full of joy. They’ll be good for each other, these two! I love how she understands when they come across the grieving Ranger. She understands warriors, and she understands Faramir. What a heartbreaking image, of him kneeling at the mound, a reminder not just of the cost of victory but of the people who helped give others a reason for joy, and a chance to feel it. I love that Faramir goes to him, even though he knows that he’s giving up the perfect day he was having. But even more than that, I love that you let us see a very human side to him – he’s reluctant to be near such grief, he doesn’t want to hear things that remind him of all that has happened, he feels a certain bitterness that even in their pain, others have not suffered as he has done. He’s selfless, but he’s human. You did that very well. I felt so much for this strange man, barely keeping his self-control, but you had me in tears when I discovered who he was. And meckinock! I was so teary at the part about Aragorn. This is the son of the man, whose name, it is said, Elessar still finds it difficult to utter, whose loss brings him at times to stare with melancholy over these fields where we stand. That was beautifully understated but the depth of friendship and loyalty between them comes through, as does the extent of the personal loss Aragorn feels. And we catch a glimpse of the man Halbarad was too – steadfast, loyal, self-sacrificing. A man who lost an elder son to the Nazgul in Eriador […] :-( I thought it was perfect that Aragorn had them buried outside, not within walls of stone. And within sight of all they had worked towards, believed in and accomplished. I was glad to see Hurin drawing. He’s a fine warrior but he hasn’t let it crush his gentle, artistic soul. They’re one of a kind, Hurin and Faramir. It’s so moving that Hurin’s drawing is for his mother – it will mean so much to those at home to see this proof that what they have long believed in and lived for has come true. Despite the cost. I hope it brings her some comfort in her great loss. The ending is just perfect. In trying to provide comfort for this man, Faramir has been able to remember a good time, a time of love between father and son. It might not be much, but it’s the beginning of healing – and he has the faith to know that there will be more happy memories to come. In the meantime, for all that he has lost, he has much to rejoice in now and he has the wisdom to accept any happiness that comes his way. I haven’t done this justice at all, I’m afraid, but I really loved it. It’s so powerful in so many ways and written with such sensitivity and understanding. Just, wow! Author Reply: It was only as I began to write this that I realized how alike Faramir and Hurin are. I was tossing around all sorts of ideas for a story, and after realizing I just couldn't do Elrond justice I found myself hovering around Halbarad's death scene. But since that wouldn't do at ALL for a birthday I removed it in time just a bit, and up rode Faramir. The coronation of Elessar was so soon after the end of the Ring War, I think it must have seemed to these people that not just an age but the whole world and ended and begun again. The juxtaposition of the fresh joy and the fresh graves tugged at me for some reason. The sweet with the bitter, I guess. I've played around with first person before but always ended up in third because for a multi-chaptered, plot-driven story I think it's best for me. But first definitely gives a jolt of raw emotion. Also it goes onto the page faster. You sell yourself so short, Dot! Far from not doing it justice, you've just eloquently explained to me what it was I was clumsily trying to say. How do you do that? | |
| viggomaniac | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Meckinock, this is easily one of the most beautiful and memorable stories I've read. I was crying my eyes out by the ending. How you managed to convey -- no -- imprint -- so many emotions and ideas in such a short piece is nothing short of genius. You had each detail down perfectly -- from the burial spot Aragorn chose for his beloved friend and comrade to the beautiful memory Farmair is granted at the end. I am in awe. Thank you SO much for this incredibly lovely story. It was an absolute joy to read. Author Reply: Thanks, Viggomaniac. I'm glad the story touched you. I had not really focused too much on Faramir before, but he Tolkien created him as such a strong, good, and complex character that he was very easy to slide into, and I enjoyed getting into his skin. | |
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Wow, first off, nice job with the first person. There was something very fitting about it being Faramir who came across Hurin on the field - someone well acquainted with grief and loss, and even an extra measure of it, for he has not a mother to go home too and his father died taken with madness. I hope Hurin the poet does return to the city and all it has to offer - I can see Halbarad having wanted that for this son - a son whose temperment is much like Faramir's, perhaps. Warriors by need only. There is also something about the bond between those who serve in war together - it is often stronger than many a family tie. Faramir and Hurin and others like them will always have a place among those they fought and died with. Last, the image of Aragorn this leaves, mourning his standard-bearer - one as close as a brother - and while we think of all he gained at this time, he too lost much. Thank you - this is a wonderful gift. Author Reply: Nilmandra, I agonized over what kind of story to write for your birthday. Hmmm... I'm no good at fluff and I figured you'd done everything | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Minas Tirith is a nice place to visit, but the Dúnedain wouldn't want to live there? The joy of the opening paragraphs sets off the solemnity of the rest of the story nicely. East and West may never meet, but the Rangers of the North and South seem to have formed, if not exactly a friendship yet, at least a very strong bond. It seems to do both of them good, or at least give them a little peace, to realize that, in some ways, they were not alone in what they lost in the War. Húrin can think about how it could have been worse, and Faramir seems to take some comfort in examining his memories of Denethor and Boromir in this setting. He'll need to live with those memories forever, so he might as well start on this beautiful day, on hallowed ground, with someone who really understands about things like that. Author Reply: Well, I think this particular Dunadan might eventually want to live in Minas Tirith, but first he needs home and some of the TLC that only a mother can give. And he knows that she'll need it from him, too. I think Faramir will be slow welcoming back old memories, but this is a start. | |
| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Oh my gosh, I am crying my eyes out! There are so many things in this that moved me--the drawing made from where his father fell of the recovered city he loved so much I think was the most touching. For his mother, no less! And poor Faramir's thoughts of his own mother and father, accompanied by that memory of younger times. Oh memories like that are so bittersweet. This was really powerful...I really loved it (I can't stop crying). Author Reply: This might be something pathologically bent in me, but it's such a thrill to hear this touched you on such an emotional level, Elliska. I enjoyed taking myself on a roller coaster of emotions, so I'm glad you enjoyed the ride, too. So to speak, anyway *Hands Elliska a tissue* I've pictured Halbarad's death and gravesite many times, and I imagined that his son fought in the Grey Company and survived, but it was when I imagined his son saying farewell before leaving to return north that this vignette took shape. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| This was lovely, meckinock, and a surprise in several ways. The first person Faramir POV and the identity of Hurin. The personalities of both men shine through. I loved Faramir's unexpected joy, and poor Hurin's desire to go home. As always, your writing is gorgeous. Just beautiful. Author Reply: Thanks, Daw. I've decided first-person is easier (and faster) to write, but it's so intensely personal that I don't think I could sustain it for a novel-length work. I'd feel claustrophobic, I think. Faramir was a surprise, as I'm sure you know. | |
| Gandalfs apprentice | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 6/23/2006 |
| Good morning--what a surprise to find a new tale by you! ...albeit painful for us Halbarad lovers. Your description of his grave is just what it should be; Aragorn would absolutely have chosen it to be that way. I hope Hurin finds some comfort in the prospect of seeing such a city renewed in the North. G.A. Author Reply: Hi, G.A. I've had a vignette in my mind for a long time of Aragorn beside Halbarad's body, ordering that he be buried on the spot, but Halbarad's death has kind of been done to death and I didn't think I had anything new to contribute. This gave me the chance to cheat and sneak it in. I truly think you're right - Hurin might just as easily take it as his mission to rebuild Annuminas as a city for the Northern Dunedain. | |