Reviews (8)

Le Rouret · 30 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

WOW. That was really good. The pacing of the story worked, don't worry. It fit with a farm wife's busy day in a quiet of the early autumn. Every one of her tasks, from milking cows to sweeping floors, is important, and you conveyed her pleasure in the neatness and tidiness of her domain superbly. The reader can tell she is a quiet, steady, proud and generous lady, and that Maggot is a lucky man. The sudden appearance of the Black Rider gave me a serious chill, dropping as he did in the middle of this bucolic scene. Again, you showed us her fear and courage all at once, and the solid Hobbit-sense that makes her such a treasure. My favorite part: "Suddenly a smile appeared on her face. She picked up a small wicker basket, filled it with mushrooms, and covered it with a cloth." That made me smile, too. Thank you for writing this and sharing it with us. It was a marvelous little story!

Tink · 29 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

Whew! I really enjoyed the pacing in this. I felt like I had stepped into their life, and the description of the food was making me hungry! However, at the point the bluebottle hit the window, the fly made me think of Beelzebub (!) and it was a great lead-in for the Black Rider. That was spooky enough, but then when he came back again.....it scared me nearly as much as Mrs. Maggot. Great story!

perelleth · 27 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

What a nice gapfiller, Virtuella! It was relly an eventful day for Maggot and his family, and it was anice take of what happened back home while Maggot was away. Wonderful, And the style did work. !

Larner · 26 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

I am so proud of Mrs. Maggot! Quite the queen among farmers' wives!

Antane · 26 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

That took guts! You go, Mrs. Maggot! Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

Andrea · 26 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

“He had to go back into the fields, because he had left something behind. Something important. He wanted to go back and get it. If you hurry, you will catch him.” Brave Mrs Maggot! I think it was the word "important" that made the Black Rider believe her lie. For that what he had lost in the fields might have been The Ring they all were searching for! I liked it that this story at first was "slow pacing" until the Black Rider arrived and destroyed the peace of the Maggots. It let you feel the drastic change as if you were there.

meckinock · 26 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

Go Mrs Maggot! I love how you've highlighted the human stakes of the Ring War by bringing the battle home to this very lovely and ordinary family of hobbits, and shown the bravery and honor that's latent in every person. The fleeting intrusion of terror into the happiness and peace of this family seems like not just a foreshadowing of the darker events of LOTR, but a reminder of the cost of failure. Beautiful.

Pearl Took · 26 July 2008 · Chapter 1: Mrs Maggot Gives Directions

This is a marvelous tale, Virtuella and a point of view that I think is a new one. You move smoothly from a nice normal day in the Shire to a new darkness the like of which the hobbits have never seen before. "She ran up to her husband and grasped his arm. “Thank goodness you’re back, Maggot!” she cried. “I’ve had the most awful fright....” " A wonderfully powerful ending! Most Excellently Well Done!