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| Miss Dora Baggins' Book of Manners by Dreamflower | 17 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Kaylee Arafinwiel | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/20/2016 |
| My dear Miss Dora, I have reacquainted myself on this chapter about Tweenagers with much interest. It seems to me, due to my Condition, that I am frozen in a near-Tweenaged state, at least to the Mind, though my Body does indeed continue to grow older. (I am Thirty-One now, quite of age by Man-years, though I feel more as a Hobbit of that age might!) I attend regular sessions with a Healer, of Sorts. She is not there to tend to any Physical Hurt. Rather we merely speak of my Feelings, of Personal Matters and other things that Weigh on my Mind. I am not sure if the Shire has any equivalent. She does not Belittle or Criticize me for my Childlike Ways, but has helped me to Understand them. As she says, there is nothing Wrong with me, I am just Different. I am Frequently, I admit with a fair amount of Shame, Guilty of Failure to Fulfill the Tasks my Mother has set me. I Also (you will Shudder to Hear, and I Beg your Pardon) Still Fail to Eat Properly. The Reason for This is that my Mind so Focuses on the Task at Hand, I Shut Out nearly Everything Else. Punishment fails to make an Impression, as this is not Wilful Disobedience, but a Real Difficulty. I am making Slow Progress, with my Healer's Advice, but I wonder if you Might have Any Suggestions. Your Reader and Friend, Kaylee | |
| Kaylee Arafinwiel | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 11/3/2009 |
| Miss Dora, I myself am Twenty-Four, so this information on Tweenagers is most interesting! I trust that when my Elfling reaches his own adolescence, he will be reined in so as not to cause any Problems. He will be Prince by then, and Because of his Station many Expectations will be His. I hope he will Survive! Your devoted reader, Kaylee Arafinwiel (P.S. Dreamflower, I'm 24 in human years of course *wink* I forget what that is in Elven so I didn't translate it...it's 24 x 2.33...Math hates me this morning. ~Kaylee) Author Reply: Miss Kaylee, My Scribe informs me that at Twenty-four years in the reckoning of Men, you would be about the same as a Hobbit of Thirty-six! Most certainly an adult and of age, but still young and new to your responsibilities! I do not know about Elves-- I have been given to understand through a Disreputable Cousin of mine that they mature at an even Slower Rate than Hobbits! Still, Adolescence is Adolescence in any Race or Time, and I am sure that the Turmoil of Leaving Childhood Behind is the same as well. Sincerely, Miss Dora I can't figure Elf ages, either, Kaylee! *grin* Dreamflower | |
| Inkling | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 6/3/2007 |
| Miss Dora has quite a flair for euphemisms like “Goings On” and “Putting the Dessert Before the Main Course”! Wonder what she’d have to say about “Crossbow Weddings”? ;) After writing “Purloined Mushrooms” I feel like I’ve bonded with Miss Dora, so reading this is great fun! I’d like to nominate it for the MEFAs, if that’s OK with you…? Author Reply: *snicker* Among hobbits, I don't think it would come to crossbows, LOL! The prospective Groom would simply find himself surrounded by irate fathers, brothers, cousins and uncles--his own as well as the prospective Bride's! Oh my, yes! I'd love to see what some people would think of Miss Dora! Thank you so much! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2006 |
| It is obvious Miss Dora watched her neighbors well, too offer such sound advice after remaining unmarried and without progeny of her own. Don't know that I'd care for having a Hobbit teenager, although it might have been easier than raising my two. Author Reply: Yes, I think she was very much into watching everyone and everything around her--er, perhaps nosy and busybody would describe it--but she is sharp and she has a good heart, so her observations are pretty accurate. *snerk* I know what you mean--though I only had one to deal with. In some ways, I think Hobbit children *would* have been easier. Look at Pippin's behavior with his cousins: he's constantly being bossed around, and though he's a bit cheeky, he cheerfully does as he's told. Imagine how a human adolescent would react on being ordered to fetch water, or firewood, or mop the floor--a sullen "You're not the boss of me!" would be the least of it. And, again, in spite of his cheeky manner, Pippin is always beautifully well-mannered. I think of his conversations in Minas Tirith with Beregond, for example. And JRRT tells us that though Hobbits were indulgent parents, hobbit children were rarely spoiled by it. | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/24/2006 |
| Lasses generally come sooner to the Realization that lads are not such Loathsome Creatures as they once had proclaimed. *giggle* Wonderful put! Well, Dora is a wise hobbitess, even if I suppose her advice wasn't always welcome, and she understands how difficult this age can be. You know, so much of this reminds me of this or that in your stories, what makes the reading even more enjoyable, e.g. Celandine, The Dare ... I mostly end up reminiscencing and wanting to re-read older stories, though I'm more than busy with the new ones. Author Reply: Dora is very observant, and I think that sometimes her advice *was* welcome and sought out--and sometimes it wasn't. (I can't see Bilbo being very tolerant, for example, if she had tried to meddle with his raising of Frodo.) but Daisy and Griffo asked her advice about little Folco. I do have my previous fics in mind, trying to reconcile some of the things I've already committed to--so it's no wonder that the hints are there! | |
| Nienor Niniel | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/16/2006 |
| Oh, very good! I like the Jane-Austenish tone of the passages that deal with the "Facts of Life"! Off for the next chapter, Nienor Author Reply: I'm glad you caught that. In my version of the Shire, there is a certain "Regency" tone about the gentry, or at least I strive for it. And of course, Miss Dora, being a very Proper Spinster, would be as discrete as possible when discussing those particular issues, LOL! | |
| AspenJules | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/3/2006 |
| Oh, delightful as always! I giggled madly during the chapter beginning "Lasses generally come sooner to the Realization that lads are not such Loathsome Creatures as they once had proclaimed." Loathsome Creatures! *snickers* I love the capitalization! "Offering Temptations!" hee hee hee! You know, though, Miss Dora shows a very remarkable understanding of all this... could she once perhaps have *been* a lass like that? One wonders why she ended up single, she really is quite level-headed. There's a story you might have to write someday, Dreamflower... unless of course you already have! Author Reply: *grin* Yes, an elderly spinster giving advice about S-E-X, without ever saying the word, LOL! Someday, I may give a bit more consideration to it. I do know *one* reason: first her father's health was poor, and then her brother Dudo. But there also may have been other reasons as well... | |
| lbilover | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/2/2006 |
| Oh, these are quite wonderful! So exactly the sort of thing I'd have imagined Bilbo's Aunt Dora to write. Now that I'm caught up, I can't wait for the next installment!! Author Reply: I've often thought of those "reams of advice"--so it just seemed she would be the right person to write such a book! I've been hard at work on "Mealtimes and Manners". | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/2/2006 |
| Lasses generally come sooner to the Realization that lads are not such Loathsome Creatures as they once had proclaimed. In Later Years, of course, they Frequently Revert to their Former Point of View. I love Miss Dora's Random Capitalisation. And At this age, the best Punishment is Work. How true. Not to mention avoiding Idle Hands. I can't wait to hear what she has to say next. Author Reply: *snerk* Yes, they frequently do, LOL! Miss Dora does want to make sure that her Point is Made! I figure, hobbits being the practical creatures they are, that work figured prominently in child-rearing! | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/1/2006 |
| Oh, those tweenaged years! They're enough to drive even the most seasoned parent mad! I think Miss Dora is a wellspring of good advice. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: They certainly can be! Miss Dora thanks you! ;) | |