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Reflections from the Paradise of Elves by Bodkin	7 Review(s)
Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/29/2004
What wonderful ponderings on naneths and poor Legolas! I'm glad he is liking having his mother around. I really like the way you bring out the contemplative side fot eh twins nad Legolas in these little fics. You give such wonderful insight into the characters. Well done. Ellie Author Reply: Since the pieces are so short, they give a perfect opportunity for setting up thoughts, but without having to come to any resolution. Which is like life, I suppose. Thank you for your comments - I'm blushing.

lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/27/2004
Such a neat twist here - the child sees the parents' POV when he becomes the parent. I used to tell my daughter "just you wait until you have your own...then you'll understand" and boy, does she ever!!!! LOL (Yes, there is justice in the world of parenting if you are patient enough to wait for it!) This was a serious look though at the thought of Thranduil having to raise Legolas without his mother. Usually eyes are centered on poor Legolas without his naneth. I thought is was quite telling, too, when Legolas said he had his naneth now, but not necessarily his nana. I'm hoping as time goes on, he'll draw closer to her. Still she's missed so much...can she ever really be his mom, and not just Mother? Sad, sad questions. The twins are, as usual, hilarious where their elflets are concerned. I loved the place where they kept teasing each other about those deeply hidden facets of their personality that they don't want anyone to know about! LOL These little vignettes are priceless...deep, too. They are just short enough that those telling conversations don't get lost. Wonderful, Bodkin! linda (Ah, Elrohir...such a sweet, romantic elf! sigh) Author Reply: My husband keeps telling the offspring that when they get their own homes, he will come round and put his feet on the furniture! I'm sure Legolas will develop a close relationship with his naneth, but she never will be his nana - those early years cannot be recovered. It has probably made him closer to his adar, though, than he would have been otherwise, so they might all take consolation in that. And the grandchildren will be something that will draw them all closer together. The joy about these being so short, is that there is no need to try to answer any of the points that are made! (Which is good, for some of them are unanswerable.) Elrohir - a romantic elf, yes. . . .and yet, Elladan's more boisterous personality conceals a core of pure marshmallow. Just ask Miriwen.

Nilmandra	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/26/2004
This is one of those things that maybe we humans can never understand, for can you imagine a parent coming back to life, a parent who died when you were a child? How do you establish the relationship anew? This person gave you birth, but known little of your life. Yet, she is wife to your father and is your mother. But perhaps not nana. I think that role might be forever gone, or was filled by someone else. I actually thought about that when I had Legolas arrive in Valinor, and he was met by Tathiel and his naneth. Nice chapter. Poor Elrohir, too. The best inlaws, but in their family HE is the bad influence!! Author Reply: Yes - Tathiel was Legolas's Nana, whether he called her that or not - being a Nana is more than a biological relationship. It's a bit like when adopted children meet their birth mother - it works for some, but not for others and it's never really a parent / child relationship, because it is the feeding and changing and day to day care that makes a Nana. Yet elves have time to develop relationships and could learn, perhaps, an adult naneth / son relationship. Quite funny really, to have Elrohir as the bad influence! But his side of the family does have the powerful (and scary) female role models! Just think of them all: Luthien (run away from home and fight to get what you want, regardless of paternal advice), Elwing (refuse to give up that *** Silmaril, dive into the sea, become a bird and never see your sons again), Galadriel (stomp off across the ice, refuse to give in to overwhelming odds and prove that you can be the equal of any) - to name but three of them. Elrohir is probably lucky that Nimloth and Aewlin are as co-operative as they are.

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/26/2004
Oh while I love it when you have other stories going, I am always so happy to see this updated. I love the scenes from Valinor. Legolas getting to know his nana again must be a bittersweet experience indeed. I find I enjoy having a naneth--how sad is that casual comment! Poor Legolas. The twins are right; he lost so much. But as usual you got some barbs in there: ‘There is far more Thranduil than you would think under that blond amiability. Just as there is more of Galadriel in you than you ever let anyone see.’ ‘Do not tell,’ his brother grinned, ‘or I will see that everyone is made aware of the calm and reasoned lore-master hidden beneath the surface of your impulsiveness.’ Too true. Loved that. Author Reply: Plenty more of these to come. I've already got five more written! Though I'm not sure I like the next one much. Have to see. It must be very difficult to acquire a naneth as an adult - so much of being a mother is bound up in early experience; being there, soothing disputes, looking after hurt kids, feeding, clothing, loving, worrying, helping with schoolwork and so on. Legolas doesn't need that now - that care was provided by others. They have to learn their relationship as adults. It might even be hard to learn to be a grandmother under those circumstances. (Of course, it might be fun for Legolas to become a much older brother!) It is tempting at time to look on Legolas and the twins as kids - but they are thousands of years old and the descendants of very powerful ancestors. They would have the qualities of their kin, honed by their position in life. (It doesn't show much in these, because they are always off-duty and out with their mates, but sometimes there are hints of maturity and power.)

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/26/2004
One of the nice things about these little glimpses is how they allow your characters to muse on interesting questions, such as what it must be like to acquire a naneth as an adult. The conversation in this one was thought provoking. The twins are appreciating their wives and analyzing Legolas's character and their own. Galadriel in Elrohir? That's an interesting thought! Author Reply: I like doing these because their brevity means that I don't have to answer the points they raise! They can just talk and come up with ideas and move on to joking - just like people do. Elrohir seems quieter and more romantic than Elladan, but he has a core of steel and a well-developed sense of responsibility, I think.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/26/2004
I'm glad to see the return of this tale - I enjoyed the story of Mithrellas, but for me this is more satisfying. For all the light-hearted banter, there is a depth to the characters that I love. I particularly liked the way Elrohir's perspective has changed over the years - from pitying Legolas for not having a mother, he now sympathises with Thranduil for raising a child alone. ‘As long as I have Sirithiel by my side to laugh with me,’ Elrohir added softly. ' A lovely ending, Bodkin. Elrohir is still besotted with his wife - and I don't think he'll ever change. Author Reply: Elrohir is a gentle romantic at heart! It is interesting how your viewpoint changes depending on where you are at the time. You don't really think much about parents when you are a child - they are just there. It's not until you have your own children that you see their perspective. (I've already got five more of these stacked up, so there's no likelihood of them ending in the immediate future!)

Rose Sared	Reviewed Chapter: 44 on 11/26/2004
I baack! And so are you, what a nice wee chapter. I felt all goey at the end, just what I needed on a friday night. Thank you. I do agree with you, much more depth under that blond head than he usually shows. Thanks for the update Rose Author Reply: Hooray! You're back . . I was thinking about you! I've been playing with another story, but that's finished now, so I'm back with these. The twins and Legolas all have a lot more depth and power than often comes across, I think. Although adaptability must have been a useful quality for Thranduil's son! Friday night? It's the crack of dawn here and daylight is still an hour away.

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