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| From Wilderness to Cities White by Larner | 10 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| D.Finnis-Robb | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 8/8/2023 |
| What a lovely little story! The appearance of the little bird telling him to "cheer up!" was particularly well handled. | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/2/2015 |
| The true clouds of the west swept eastward, dropping their burden of moisture upon the land, and Robin stood there in awe, watching them roil overhead in rolls of white, purple, indigo, silver and darkest grey, lit here and there with rosy pink and even crimson. A silver curtain of rain arced toward him, and he let it come, rejoiced to feel the honest touch of it upon his face, saw it scouring away the darkness. I really liked this description a lot. Very vivid description! And i liked this glimpse into the dark days of the Shire during the Troublesome Times and i liked how this change in weather was indicated on March 25th. We all know what happened that day. :) Author Reply: Oh, I'm so glad this description worked so well! And, yes, we all know what happened that day. I imagine that there were strange and wonderful portents to be seen throughout much of Middle Earth on that day. Thanks so! | |
| Tari | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/8/2010 |
| Spring is coming, and so is the liberation of Hobbiton. Lotho's days are numbered. Robin is right to be filled with cheer. Author Reply: Yes, the Shire will be freed of the tyranny of the Big Men. Too bad Lotho didn't get to taste the blessings of repentance and redemption in this life, but--well, I hate to say it but in large part he brought it on himself. Thanks so, Tari. | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/7/2010 |
| The crows rose from where they’d huddled in the tallest of the trees, crying aloud to herald the end of the darkness, seeming just as glad as Robin himself to see the end of the shadow that had hung for so long over the whole world, or so it had seemed to the Hobbit! Wonderfully done! The end of the Shadow as it was seen and felt by Robin Smallburrow in the Shire. He does not know yet that there will be even harder times for the hobbits, but he *knows* that these times will end soon. Then, he will meet his old friend Sam again who has a lot to say about Shiriffs ;-) Author Reply: If any Hobbit of the Shire should represent Everyman, I suppose Robin Smallburrow fits the bill! I've considered how Esmeralda might have experienced March 25th; why not Robin? Thanks so very much, Andrea. | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/6/2010 |
| A great glimpse of what life in the Shire must have been like in those dark days. Author Reply: There must have been so much bafflement as to how things had come to this pass, and as to why the spring that year seemed reluctant to start. That day must have lifted the hearts of more than just Rosie Cotton, or so I'd think. Thank you so, Linda. | |
| Antane | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/4/2010 |
| This is a neat story, showing how the defeat of Sauron was felt even so far away as the Shire. Rose did say she had been awaiting Sam since the spring. Somehow she knew he was all right and would be coming home and she felt somehow that victory and now Robin has also. Good! Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: Oh, I agree that more than just Rosie probably felt the balance of the world shift that day! So glad you enjoyed it, Antane! | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/3/2010 |
| Absolutely love this one Larner. You paint such vivid word pictures and I like the way that you put words to the bird calls. Robin's clash between duty and caring for his mother is especially poignant Author Reply: I'm so glad you do, Harrowcat. How this time must have weighed on the souls of the usually cheerful Hobbits, and the strange feelings of that day must have affected many of the more sensitive. We do tend to put words to bird calls, and the realization that somewhere something had changed for the better would have led someone like Robin to hear just those words. And your birthday present is up on the LOTR Community site--sorry it took so long to get posted, but the last few months have been very stressful, and for some reason this particular story took two months to get written. | |
| Shemyaza | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/3/2010 |
| I love this one. We so rarely see any stories about how the Shire-folk felt when the skies finally lifted, even though their own troubles weren't really going to end until Frodo and the gang returned to the Shire. For simple, family loving homebodies like the Hobbits, a people who took such delight in growing things and watching them grow, Lotho's betrayal must have hit them so very deeply. I am not a huge hobbit aficionado, but every now and again a story like yours really strikes a chord. Author Reply: I'm truly honored, Shemyaza. Thank you so very much! I love the Hobbits of the Shire, and Robin Smallburrow was demanding his own story.... He appears to have been a decent individual, so how he felt about remaining with the Shiriffs considering how Lotho was perverting their actions must have been very oppressive to him, and I so suspect that the strangeness of that spring must have been most notable. True, things didn't turn around properly until the Travellers returned; but in the meantime, at least Hope returned to some hearts. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/3/2010 |
| You draw lovely pictures with your words! Wonderful job of showing the web Robin was caught in, unable to extricate himself, and yet how he was still a decent hobbit, taking care of his mum. And his mother's confidence that Frodo would return, so that she could give him a piece of her mind! LOL! When I realised the date, I held my breath with the rest of nature, waiting to see what would happen... and I was not disappointed. The geese were a perfect touch. (We always pause to watch the geese fly over...) Author Reply: Oh, thank you so, Lin! All of the Hobbits of the Shire experienced the negative changes instilled by Lotho, but for those who'd been Shiriffs before Lotho rose to become tyrant it must have seemed quite the betrayal. There were two great flocks sharing a bay along the Straits the other day--one great flock of Canadian geese and a second of grebes, preparing for the continuation of their migrations. And hearing the geese passing over, going south in the autumn and returning north as spring comes again, always makes my heart thrill! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/2/2010 |
| Beautiful, Larner! Absolutely spot-on beautiful! From gloom and fear to light and release. Yes, harder times are still ahead of the Shire hobbits, but there is an end in sight. Author Reply: I'm so glad you think so. It's been a time since I wrote Robin, so wanted to look at the Time of Troubles from his perspective. How would he have reacted to many of the changes, as we know he was a Shiriff before Lotho declared himself Chief? And how would his family have reacted to the change in his status and duties, once he was under Lotho's oversight? And it was interesting to imagine that day from the POV of someone who wasn't particularly close to Frodo for a change. Thanks so very much, Dreamflower! | |