News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Home for Now by daw the minstrel | 18 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| elliska | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/21/2007 |
| I have said it before and I'll say it again now: you are so good at making up little traditions for your worlds. I love the doll idea! Details like that make all the difference for me in enjoying an author's world. The first part of this was so sad. Poor Ithilden. But the conversation with Loriel had me laughing out loud. Such conversations are always filled with humor, but the last line as she was walking away was great! So glad I never had to have that conversation with children! This was great daw! I loved it! Author Reply: I just wish I'd thought of the doll thing sooner, so it was in earlier stories too. Oh well. Better late than never, I guess. When I first drafted this, I started with Ithilden in the garden but then I decided to back up and show Calith, and Anolad, and the giving of the doll and I was glad I did. In some ways, it was the most interesting part of the chapter to work out. You like Loriel's last line? That one comes straight from my own experience as a mother! | |
| mistry89 | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/21/2007 |
| How very difficult to face the happiness of others when your grief is still so raw. That everyday life, with it's joys and irritations doesn't just stop, always seem odd to those who mourn, I think. I did not suspect Alfirin longed for another child, and I thought Ithilden and Alfirin handled it beautifully. Thank you - as always, a Keeper. Author Reply: I can't imagine losing a child, and for elves such a loss must be doubly bewildering. I suppose though that Thranduil's people were practiced in seeking hope despite their grief. Poor things. Thanks for the review, Mistry. | |
| Jay of Lasgalen | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/21/2007 |
| I love the symbolism of the twig figures here - fertility, fruitfulness and life. It's very revealing from the way Ithilden and Alfirin react to Loriel's prattle about the baby that they are beginning to heal at last - her remarks bring smiles, not tears. Ithilden's not my favourite character - that's Eilian! - but I really like him here. His response to his wife, "Eilian and Loriel were both born during times of relative peace, and what good has it done them?" shows he's thinking with his heart, not just his head. I've used this chapter as my latest update for the NaNoReMo reading challenge :>) Jay Author Reply: Thank you for listing in the NaNoReMo, Jay. At first I had the doll made out of yarn, but then I thought no, these are wood elves, so I switched to a twig figure. It's sort of the Mirkwood equivalent of giving out cigars. :-) | |
| sofia | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/21/2007 |
| Oh! I'm so excited. They're going to have another baby! Thats wonderful news. And I think it will be a big help in their healing process to let in another being to love, because it would have been so sad and horrible if having another child was painful to them and then all they would be left with was a great sense of lost. Can't wait to read more from you! Author Reply: They're going to have another baby! Yes they are, dismayed as I am at the idea of another OC to deal with. They needed that. And Loriel wants a baby around. :-) | |
| Alice | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/21/2007 |
| Oh Daw! That was wonderful and touching. I was sure this was going to be a crying story for me and then you had that ending. (sigh) I'm so happy that they're going to have another baby. Sad about Sinnarn though. Poor Alfirin and Ithilden. I love Loriel by the way. She's so funny! "How long does it take to grow a baby?" Hee. It must have been so exciting for her to see a baby. I can't imagine not having seen one before. Or being the only kid in her village. That must have sucked. My brother and I are only only one year apart so I can't imagine not having another kid to play with. Well this made my day. Have a happy thanksgiving! Author Reply: Thank you, Alice. I really vacillated about whether they'd have another child. I thought it might even seem like a betrayal of Sinnarn, somehow. But life is long for Elves. They must know how to pick themselves up and start over from truly awful things. Loriel is fun for me. It's tricky to write a little kid without sentimentalizing them though. You have to control the cute factor :-) | |
| Elena Tiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/21/2007 |
| Hi Daw! It's great to see this new chapter... but what a surprise! I would never in a million years have guessed that that is what Alfirin was keeping from Ithildin! As usual, the little details of how your characters think and deal with each other are what makes this story so rich... like Ithildin's observations about Anolad acting half-starved, and his guess as to why Legolas appointed him Calith's stand-in.... Legolas is really a true Thranduilion, isn't he? And Flower-face is a joy. I don't know whether I've ever told you this, but I go back and re-read your stories whenever I'm feeling down and need something to cheer me up... I just love how the family you created for Thranduil and Legolas love, quarrel, complain, tease, and act just like real family members (only much nicer, most of the time...). I'm just getting over an illness, but still too tired to do much other than read, so I'm going through your stories again.... and enjoying every single one. Just finished Visitors, and laughed myself silly over and over.... Thank you for giving such gifts to your readers, Daw. - Barbara Author Reply: Legolas is off stage here, but it was fun to suggest his presence and how he manages as Home Guard captain after Sinnarn's death. I can just see him telling Ithilden with a straight face that Anolad will be useful in his office. Thank you for telling me how you reread the stories, Barbara. That's comforting to me. I'm struggling with original fic a bit, and it's good to know that a reader is enjoying my writing. | |
| Socket | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/20/2007 |
| "His head jerked toward the sound, and for a foolish moment, he thought his wishes had made time rewind, thought some merciful power had decided he shouldn't have to bear this pain after all." Oh, this is one of the most touching moments from your canon, Daw. Simply stunning. I love how you intertwine the parents' deep, still raw grief over the loss of the son with the sweet humor of the innocent child's questions about "where do babies come from." And wouldn't it be fantastic if the Royal Family of Mirkwood would to have a new addition! No matter how many years past since the LotR films, I still love reading your stories, Daw. Thank you for returning time and again to this wonderful canon! Have a great Thanksgiving! Author Reply: I can't imagine the pain of losing a child like that. Poor Ithilden. I'm so grateful to Bodkin for writing a story about Sinnarn in Valinor. It made me feel much better. But at least Ithilden knows he could ease Alfirin's pain a little. Maybe. What do you think? A little girl? | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/20/2007 |
| I just love Flower Face. You do a great job with kids. Interesting though how in this story the person who jumped out at me the most - you're going to laugh -is Legolas. He's young in so many of your stories, but here, even off-screen, it was such a contrast to imagine him as a veteran looking after the young troops. I loved this line: It had crossed Ithilden's mind that Legolas too might be reacting to Anolad's youth and be trying to store him in a place even safer than the usual Home Guard patrol Oh, and I laughed at this: round cheeks and the half-starved way he fell upon his food. What an image, and so crustily appropriate coming from Ithilden! The heart of the story was so warm and poignant. Knowing how hard it can be even for people with infertility issues to be around babies, I can't imagine how painful it must be for Ithilden and Alfirin at this time. It was such a heart-breaking moment when Ithilden heard the child's footsteps coming along the path and for an instant thought he might have won a reprieve from Fate. Grief is so hard. I thought he was going to break down right then and there. I was so glad that he realized what Alfirin had been so guarded around him and that he opened his heart to her. They need each other, and they need the hope that a new life can bring. Lovely story, daw. Author Reply: Legolas was a late addition to the story, but it seemed to me that he too must be worried by the death of Sinnarn. So he sends his youngest warrior to serve as Ithilden's aide, a task the kid is just not up to, at least not in the way Calith is. Maybe he got to play with the oliphant paper weights. I really hesitated to do this because I need more OCs like I need a hole in the head, but what the heck. A little girl maybe? | |