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A White Shell  by Celeritas 4 Review(s)
VirtuellaReviewed Chapter: 5 on 1/29/2010
Lovely. What could be more delightful than having tea (and cake) in a genteel little bakery shop with an aunt. I quite fancy that myself, actually...

Author Reply: I quite agree. When I was growing up we had a British friend in town from our church, and every so often she'd invite us over for a real proper tea with homemade scones and Devonshire cream. I rather miss that experience, to say nothing of the woman herself, who was positively charming!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/11/2009
*grin* Oh, this was a lovely chapter-- and filled with all sorts of interesting things.

First of all: Perry-the-Winkle and the Winkle Shop and cramson bread!!!! Loved it, loved it, loved it! (The closest I've ever come to making use of that, besides quoting some of it as an old song of Bilbo's, is to indicate that Lily Cotton had an uncle named Perry who was a baker in Michel Delving...)

I think my new name for Tom is Pharoah. (I'm sure you get the reference! ;-)

I have to say, I have several guesses on the mysterious benefactor, and yet I really don't have a clue. There's nothing I can think of that would point more to one of their acquaintances than to another.

And I have to say, I am more confused than ever by Foxglove's explanation about her brother's death, because I can't understand why Kira's mother would blame all that on the Proudfoots. She has clearly got hold of the wrong end of the stick somewhere, and I'm blessed if I can think what it is.



Author Reply: I thought you would enjoy the Winkle Shop. As soon as I heard that song again I realized... "Wait, this is Delving, isn't it?" And lo, a plotbunny was born. Most interesting about that poem actually is the fact that they mention the Lockholes in it--which is most certainly a late 3rd Age insertion! I have to wonder what was there before!

And cramson bread!!! (Much better than putting in the rather Scottish scones in my mind.)

Hmm, that nickname wouldn't have anything to do with a certain river, now would it? *snicker*

Re: the Proudfoot situation--oh, dear, we can't have confusion, now, can we?

Maybe I wasn't clear enough; maybe I don't understand it enough myself (as usual, Foxglove's tale rather surprised me as I was writing it). But I think that the real situation behind Lagro's death has been so obscured by emotion and time that it's hard to say what exactly was right. Just as Rosemary has been approaching it from one angle, Foxglove has been doing so from a different one. The way I see it, objectively, Lagro basically requested some way that he could manage to get out from under his family's eye, but still wanted the family's financial backing. Blanco, rather irritated by this, finally threw up his hands and said, "Fine, have it your own way," gave them the most convenient holding possible--one that would take work to cultivate, partially to get him to reconsider the whole thing and partially to teach him a lesson if he did go along with it (and if he did well, then good for him!). As Foxglove mentioned, her brother at least didn't think that Lagro would accept the deal when he could get something much easier if he just stayed with the family. But even if he was expecting help, he didn't want to ask for it--he was too stubborn. So as usual a problem resulted from too much pride, too stiff a set of necks, and a bit of misunderstanding. If Lagro had expected things to be different in his foolhardy youth--and let's face it, the young tend to feel entitled to a lot--he might have communicated that to his betrothed. And then all it takes is the emotional sundering of an early widowhood to do the rest of the damage. Someone had to be blamed and it could not be Lagro; besides, Rosemary was worried if she accepted anyone's help that she would be asked to give up her new home and share the burden of raising a daughter with others.

But I don't know if/how Kira would ever be able to find this out, since both members of the fateful conversation that at least made the whole mess a lot messier are deceased. And she might have the historical maturity to just let it lie. For now she's too taken with the idea that her father might have also chafed under his weakened condition to try to investigate things more, and I don't know if she could ever get a rational answer about the matter from her mother.

Hope this helps!

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/11/2009
Things seem to be looking up for Kira; thankfully! I love the accounts of how she and her mother make their livelihood from gardening; it all seems very authentic.

I could empathize with Kira's difficulty in sorting out all those Elves with Fin-names; it took me years and I still get confused a bit.

Looking forward to more!

Author Reply: Thank you; I'm hoping that my research is paying off!

I couldn't help but get a little jab at the Silm in there. Oddly enough it was fan fiction that helped me start sorting out the differences in my post-Silm shock (after the first time I'd read it). Unfortunately Kira has no such luxury!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/10/2009
Ah, a most interesting situation, and I note the sender of her letter and what she ate at Perry-the-Winkle's. Interesting development. As to the identity of the secret benefactor, I wonder if it might be someone who lives in the Green Hills, and is related to Hal?

Interesting to read her father's story at last, and to know he and Foxglove tended to discount the Traveller's Tales, no matter how close Sancho Proudfoot, old Odo's grandson, might have been to Frodo Baggins.

As for her and Tom--back to the old games of name calling and mutual insult once more, eh?

Anyway, it's been interesting to see this after much of the reading I've done this past week. Thanks for updating. Now--for ME to get some updating done!

Author Reply: This Sancho (the one that's currently head of the Proudfoot clan) is the Sancho in LotR's grandson, and I don't recall there being any stronger connection between him and F.B. than the one time he ended up excavating part of Bag End. Anyway it seems that part of the discounting was simply the bravado of youth and that the surviving Proudfoots, at least, know somewhat better.

It's going to be a long time before we learn who the secret benefactor is. So speculate away!

Yes, Kira and Tom are back to the old games, but of course things can't ever be what they were between them. Time will only tell how long this will last!

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