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| Distractions by GamgeeFest | 5 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| cookiefleck | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 10/17/2009 |
| This is an interesting chapter but a difficult one for me to read. You know I despair of "faith" and "belief" and "superstition" and meaningless rituals that delude people and preclude rational thought/action. So all the talk here of defiling and punishment, etc., was almost too "real" in a sense, mirroring things that happen in our real world that depress me! Ah, but thankfully leave it to good old Sam (despite his rustic table manners!) to cut through it all with true insight: “I’m afraid you’ve lost me, sir,” Sam said. “Luck is what you make of it, as my dad always says. I was just thinking that if being in the dance makes them believe as they’ll be lucky, maybe that’s all it takes.” Author Reply: Oh, the rituals are hardly meaningless to those who perform them and believe in them. Supersition and mythology (as well as rational thought and action) have been at the root of nearly every culture in history. Such rituals may not be able to effect things such as the weather, crop growth or fortune, but as Sam says, if you believe them enough, they can subconsciously effect your behavior and how you interpret the things that do happen. I think that rational thought and belief are two sides of the same coin. They only get dangerous when you ignore one for the other. The life in Harad is certainly harsher and more ritualistic than in Gondor or Rohan. It's an entirely different way of life, but Soroush proves that the transition from living in one culture to the other is possible, which is good news for Jamila. :) She certainly won't have to worry about 'defilement' anymore, not that she will be able to shed a lifetime's worth of training overnight. | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 9/29/2009 |
| “Come, sword-brother. Despair not, for you never know what is around the next corner,” he said and turned Osric away. Great! Osric is in for a surprise. I think I know what (or who) exactly the citrine is ;-) And Merry and Pippin teaching the gentry of Minas Tirith the Springle Ring is just a wonderful image. Those two WILL be remembered, that's for sure! But there are still some pranks to be played, aren't there? Author Reply: Osric will not believe his good luck! Not that it will be easy for Jamila, being torn away from everything she ever knew, but I'm crossing my fingers they will work it out. :) They will all be remembered, though I'm sure everyone will forget that Frodo started that whole dance lesson! heh! Oh yes, Frodo's prank is coming soon. :D | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 9/28/2009 |
| No, Osric does NOT yet understand just what lies around the corner! Heh! The guests of the Hobbits must have enjoyed their night of hobnobbing very well, and even Aragorn enjoyed it. Now, to see the arrival of the party from the north.... Author Reply: Osric is in for quite the surprise! :D Those bar wenches will be talking about this night for a year and a day, I'm sure! Aragorn did enjoy it, though he will perhaps leave out a few details when telling Arwen about it! ;) | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 9/28/2009 |
| *grin* Well, Osric is most certainly in for a surprise. Interesting to see Frodo working at gentrifying Sam-- poor Sam, he has no idea what his future holds! The ball was marvelous, and it was sweet to see the hobbits teaching their "dates" the springle-ring! (I'd still love to hear a little about what those "dates" thought of their evening!) And the leave-taking was dignified and diplomatic. But now that the Haradrim have left, I'm beginning to fear the story's drawing to a close. *waaah!* I don't want it to be over! Author Reply: :D He will be shocked, to say the least, when he discovers just where Jamila is! Frodo knows better than to explain *why* he's wanting Sam to be more gentrified. He's learned from years of tutoring Sam when to explain things and when not to! Sam would have quite a lot to say on this matter if he knew just what Frodo had in mind for him! ;) The bar wenches certainly had an enjoyable evening! They'll be up all night talking about - and all day and the next day and the next... :D Well, all things must come to an end. There are about 6 more chapters to go. Lots of things to tie up, and there's still Frodo's prank. :) | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 28 on 9/28/2009 |
| “I don’t know about luck, but it is important to the queen, and therefore to King Elessar and King Éomer. It has sealed our alliance. If I must shave every hair on my body and avoid women for a moon in order to ensure the future of our three kingdoms, I will proudly do so.” Now *that* is a man of quality. I hope he gets the girl! :) Author Reply: He certainly *deserves* the girl and would gladly marry her, but there are a lot of cultural differences between the two. I hope they can make it work out. :) | |