Ah, I'm back. Now that my computer-ignorant brother is through messing around, I have been able to read your . . . well . . . lovely chapter. It WAS lovely in that it was well-written and interesting, but the subject matter and *Paladin* were far from lovely. But I suppose we can still call it a lovely chapter. :)
I don't like Uncle Paladin. (To misquote Jon in a Garfield strip. You may have noticed that I like misquotes. ;) But then, perhaps the actual quote would do just as well.) "We don't like Mr. Grumpy." "And Mr. Grumpy doesn't like you." :D
You have captured the different personalities well.
Paladin: big, mean, over-bearing, rude, loves his wife.
Eglantine: weak, sickly, nervous, flighty, slightly out of the loop, loves everyone.
Frodo: strong-willed when he has to be, loves his family (except his uncle).
Violet: just as proud of herself as any other hobbit, but not overly so, loves her work, cares for her patients, loyal, quick witted.
I think that just about sums up the situation, don't you? When you get those four people together in a room, with some of them trying to keep certain things under the rug, and other's lifting the carpet just a little to their advantage, you could get some fireworks lit off. Thankfully, the match never quite reached the fuse.
I guess that review is long enough. Keep up the good work, and give Frodo a pat on the back for me. I love it when one family member stands up for another in their absence. Gives me the go-get-'ems. :)
Author's reply
I am glad that you don't like my Paladin. I would worry if you were fond of him. Would change my entire impression of you. LOL
I am so glad that Eglantine came off as I intended her to. I didn't want her to seem cruel, just very self-involved and not very strong. She was easier to write than Paladin, but I was still worried.
As to Frodo, I prefer him to be strong-willed. I like him to be the type of hobbit that can take charge of things and stand up for himself. I like to believe that before the quest, he was very secure and could handle most situations. I always like to show the bond between the family with the cousins as that is part of why I am such a hobbit fan. They are so close to those that they care about and so open about their feelings.
As to Violet, I think that it helps to show strong females in these stories. A great deal of the time, they are just background characters or love interests. I like for the ladies to have a will of their own and then if there is a love story, I think the reader is much more interested because the character is more interesting to begin with. As Violet is my own invention, I have alot invested in her. Might want to use her in another one of these in the future.
Thank you so much for the character-by-character review. It was a big help to me. Thanks again for all of the time that you take on my stories, especially since I know that your heart lies with the world of the humans.
I shall give Frodo your message when next I see him.