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| The Rebel by Lindelea | 1 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/29/2003 |
| Was this a story you had written previously and kept back for some reason? Do you have stories hidden on another site? I don't think it's on your list at ff.n, and you are posting it so fast here that I'm sure it must be all done and ready to go. So fast, as a matter of fact, that I hadn't gotten around to reviewing any of it! How long is it? Fatty had always been a curious character for me. You don't know much about him, except that he is fat, and that he is one of Frodo's friends but not courageous enough to come with him. That was always in his disfavour, until you get to the end of the book and you see that he really did have courage in a pinch. He's a bit more typical of a hobbit than our heroes in his attitudes not to mention his girth. The other ordinary hobbity you meet, like the gaffer or Ted Sandyman, are not gentlehobbits, and so Fatty is different again. I never knew quite what to make of him. It is quite interesting to read the flashbacks of happier times interspersed with stories of the troubles. Fatty seems defined by his relationship with food, in both timelines (I suppose that's not too surprising). It's very interesting that he seems to lose his appetite when he finds his courage. He's got a bit of arrogance to him: not meanspirited, but he enjoys his money and what it can do for him. A little different from Bilbo, who was undoubtedly as rich, but who was said to quietly spread his wealth to the poorer members of his circle and received appreciation in return (but not always respect). Freddy's little joke with the apples is at Farmer Cotton's and Rosie's and Merry's expense, although he pays for his fun with gold coin. Rosie at least has not held a grudge, it's good to see. Fredegar actually must have been quite an amazing hobbit. Few of the rest were able to shake off their fear and bewilderment to fight the ruffians. (In that, I think hobbits are no different from us Big Folk. We have as many gatherers and sharers among our own governments these days, and most of us do no more than grumble.) For Fredegar, he had a lot to lose in terms of material posessions, status, and comfort. Yet, he rose above the status quo and probably his own inclinations to lead a band of rebels. I wonder how much he thought about what Frodo and Merry and Pippin were trying to do, when the ruffians started arriving in the Shire. Was their heroism rubbing off on him, and so that he saw the need to do his part to fight off the darkness? Was he hopefull at all for their success and return, or was that hope long gone? His bit of arrogance has been transformed into leadership. Certainly he is wonderfully supportive and protective of his band, especially the younger members. In return, they managed to save him from hanging. It must have galled the hobbits of Bywater to have to cut down the last tree; at least they could feel that they were doing something. I'll be looking forward to seeing the rest of this. Author Reply: Have finally got to this chapter on ff.net, and so am belatedly answering your review! I certainly appreciate the time you take to type out your insightful reviews on SoA. I have oodles of stories you haven’t seen yet... they exist on yellow pads and scraps of paper and knocking about in my head. I keep working at it, a chapter a day... | |