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| Moments in Time by Larner | 14 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/27/2006 |
| Finally got to this! Yes, our dear is a most responsible gentlehobbit, taking or trying to take in all the poison of the Ring into himself so others would not be touched. It's a tragedy that even after the despicable thing was destroyed, he still thought he had to keep everything inside - as though he could fool those who loved him most. Never thought of his collapse as relief, but that's certainly better than fainting from utter exhaustion. Thanks for another reverent tale. Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: Oh, you have it there, Antane--one of the most responsible of all Hobbits glad to meet at least near his like among Men, and finding it in him to relax his guard, for at least a short time. And thank you for the evaluation of it as reverent. Thanks so much! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/21/2006 |
| Faramir and Frodo would get on well, I think. They have a lot in common, even without Faramir's rejection of the Ring and consequent boost to Frodo's courage. And Sam would probably see and appreciate those Frodo-like qualities in the man. But Sam is just such a star. Selfless. And brave. And, doubtless, frequently a considerable surprise to those who pigeonholed him and dismissed him from their consideration. Author Reply: Oh, I'm certain that during the time spent in Minas Tirith Frodo and Faramir came to appreciate one another even more deeply. It was indeed just at the right time that Frodo and Sam met him in Ithilien. Certainly Sam would appreciate the nobility he sees in the Man, just as he admires the nobility he sees in his beloved Master. And I think that everyone would tend to underestimate Samwise Gamgee until this quest was finished, and that his gradual revelation of his true nature and competency and wonderful nature would be a delight for all. Thanks so much for the feedback. | |
| Grey Wonderer | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/20/2006 |
| This was lovely. I so enjoyed Sam in this and his conversation with Faramir. Everything rang so very true to character as it always does in your stories. Author Reply: Oh, I'm so honored, Grey Wonderer. Am always honored when folks feel I've truly caught the characters we love so much. Thank you so much. | |
| Elemmírë | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/20/2006 |
| I LOVE this one, Larner! I really enjoyed how you analyzed why it was that Frodo passed out when he did and not before ... or after. The conclusion that Sam came to--that it was relief--is utterly perfect and quite plausible. While it's true that the food and water Faramir gave the hobbits went towards their physical relief, it was the mental relief that Frodo truly required as well. I'm glad that Sam was able to soothe Faramir's troubled heart. You really delved into that scene in the book and brought new meaning to it. Very well done! ~Elemmírë~ Author Reply: Frodo needed that moment of respite, just as he needed the dreams of ease he knew on the stairs of Cirith Ungol. And Faramir needed to know he hadn't added to Frodo's burdens, but had helped ease them. So glad so many appear to appreciate this assessment of the why of that collapse. And thanks so much for letting me know you feel it adds to the original story. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/20/2006 |
| I've always thought that the interlude in Henneth Annun gave Frodo and Sam new strength not only through the provisions, but through the courtesy with which they were treated and the friendship Faramir gave them. This vignette is a lovely reminder of that, and brings home the significance of Faramir's quality, as both a friend unlooked-for in the wild, and a worthy son of Gondor and Numenor. Author Reply: Thanks so much for letting me know how you feel this reinforces your own assessment of that moment from the books. Yes, Faramir walked out of the woods of Ithilien into Professor Tolkien's story and into the hearts of so many, and you are certainly right that he is indeed a most worthy son of Gondor and Numenor. Thanks so much for the feedback. | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/20/2006 |
| Wow. I've wondered about that scene a lot, since being introduced to LOTR through the BBC radio drama, but I'd always thought it was just exhaustion. It makes sense, though, that it was relief, when the tension was so suddenly lifted and Frodo suddenly realised it was okay just to let go for a little while; I've seen/experienced similar reactions. I love the way you have Sam tell a tale, any tale. He's an excellent narrator, and the simplicity of his speech only adds to it, at least for me; the most inexpressible things are usually better expressed in simple words. There are so many wonderful passages that I can't pick them all out. Even the little mannerisms are so in-character. Love it! God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: So, you, too, have known that feeling, the knowing that it's okay for the moment to let go and let the feelings you've been keeping under such tight control have their way so they can be let go. And am so glad you like how I have Sam narrate stories. I try to keep true to my understanding of his preference for "simple" speech, simple speech that still is full of understanding of concepts most in his station don't usually appear to give a lot of thought to. But he was at least partially educated by Bilbo and was a companion to Frodo from Sam's childhood--I think his horizons would have been much broadened by such an unlikely and uncommon education. And so glad you feel even the nervous mannerisms are in character. Thanks for letting me know! | |
| Armariel | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/20/2006 |
| Ahhh, Faramir *big sloppy grin* I like the description of the screen. Was rather puzzled for a while all through Sam's narrative, thinking, Now what is he getting at? Then the revelation and the lightbulb came on in my head *bling* Quite a nice little epiphany. “It was more’n just food and water and the little wine as you sent with us and the walkin’ sticks as you gave us he took with him when we began again the next day, you see—you gave him hope that there was folk in Gondor as was true-hearted as Strider was, as was worth honorin’ and seekin’ to protect. His own hope was bein’ stripped away from him, bit by bit, by the Ring. The hope you give him helped give him heart to go that much further. And I thank you for it.” Lovely! ~~~{~@ Author Reply: Yes, Faramir is such a worthy one, and needs his own reassurance he's done the right thing from time to time. So, you're the second to indicate this at first had the feeling of a shaggy dog story, until Sam finally came to the point. I hadn't intended that, of course, but it's how, I suppose, it came out. Thanks so much for the review, Armariel. | |
| demeter d | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/20/2006 |
| Sam and Faramir are my two favorites of hobbit, and human, respectively. This is a lovely shared moment. Other reviewers who are more gifted writers than i have picked out many fine moments to comment on here. I will just note this one which no one else seems to have mentioned. Gandalf said that the Gamgees may have had a strain of Fallohide in them after all. If Bilbo got his sense of adventure from his Took half, then that little bit of Fallohide must be what gave Sam the extra spirit he needed to do what he did. And why did the ring not understand why he would never just leave Frodo? I remember a line from Disney's cartoon "Sleeping Beauty". The three good fairies are trying to decide how to protect the baby princess from the wicked Malificent. The gentlest of the three said, 'Malificent would never understand love and kindness." And, of course, neither did the Ring. Author Reply: The Fallohides were reported by Tolkien to have lived in the northern regions of the Anduin valley, and were the most closely associated with Elves. I'd think that in the end the ability to do so well with plants must have indicated a stronger Fallohide strain than one might think; and the sheer loyalty Sam exhibited as well as the moments of insight into the thought processes of others must have been favorably influenced by such ancestry as well. Oh, I so love the parallel you draw between Merriwether's comment in "Sleeping Beauty" and the Ring's nature in LOTR. So very apropos! Thank you! | |
| Althea | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/19/2006 |
| What a lovely story this is. It was wonderful to listen to Faramir and Sam as they became better acquainted. Sam knows his Frodo so well. Sam's explanation for Frodo's fainting perfectly reflected his understanding of as well as his love for Frodo. It's wonderful to see Sam portrayed so well. I especially loved this, "Faramir examined the face of the Hobbit gardener more closely. There was definitely more to this Hobbit than was easily visible, he realized. It appeared Lord Samwise Gamgee was already more educated than any within Gondor appreciated." It makes my day when Sam is recognized for the exceptional hobbit that he is. Author Reply: Yes, I believe that Faramir and Aragorn both truly appreciated just how special Sam was, and sought ever to honor it in him. And I'm so glad you liked this encounter between these two. | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 12/19/2006 |
| I enjoyed this very much.It is interesting to read Sam's reactions to the ring and how Faramir gave Frodo added strength. Author Reply: I've often wondered how Sam might have responded to the Ring and what other strategies It might have used on him besides the image of him as a war hero and the Gardener of Mordor, so this gave me a chance to explore that idea. And I'm certain Faramir's treatment of Frodo and Sam eased Frodo's heart greatly, and helped restore his hope that not all Men could be easily taken by such things as the Ring's promises and evil. | |