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| A Small and Passing Thing by Lindelea | 3 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 4/23/2023 |
| The wedding of the incoming New Age, this. Too bad the King and his Lady weren't there in person. | |
| Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 10/26/2003 | |
| Oooh, so much has happened in my absence! I beg your pardon ahead of time, since I intend to cram comments on several chapters into one review. Prepare for a choppy, bouncy string of thoughts! I just found 'Jewels'and skimmed over the beginning chapters before coming here (they tug at the heart, they do!). So it was timely and fascinating to witness Merry's dark anniversary "firsthand", then be able to see it from the perspective of the Cotton family, several minutes and a few clicks later. Like Pippin, I never thought I'd say this, but--I was sad to see Lobelia leave us. What a colorful character! I think part of her charm towards the end, was that she tried to maintain her old gruff, stern appearance even though there was an obvious change of heart. Sam and Rosie are Mr. and Mrs. Gamgee...finally!! It was so sweet, the vows especially, done nicely. I whole-heartedly tackle Yuletide traditions and such, but I'm still daunted by hobbit weddings! By the by, I couldn't imagine it being held anywhere BUT the mallorn tree! Oh and leave it to Merry to keep the party lively *shakes head fondly*...there's a certain madness that runs in Fallohide veins, what can I say? *grins mischieviously* Malva Brandybuck Author Reply: I enjoyed reading your "choppy, bouncy string of thoughts" immensely. Glad you found Jewels. That was my first long story, it just kept growing and growing! I must give credit for the mallorn tree to Jodancingtree. She had Sam and Rosie married under the tree in "Sam's Rose". Reading that lovely story, I struck myself on the forehead and said, 'OF COURSE!' and quickly incorporated it into my thinking. I'm not sure if "Jewels" has been revised to reflect that or not. I do love the Fallohides. Am writing about their early days (before there was a Shire) in another piece called "Shire", although that one is simmering on the back burner at the moment while I work on this story. Thanks for reviewing! Author Reply: p.s. About hobbit wedding traditions... I did a lot of thinking about this before writing the handfasting scene in "Jewels". It seemed to me that hobbits would really enjoy celebrating and make it an all-day affair, starting with breakfast and going into the night with dancing and singing and feasting. I had a little joke in that story, one character asking another in astonishment, "White for a wedding?" So the bride doesn't necessarily wear white. Someone asked me what traditional wedding clothes look like, but I haven't a clue. I suspect they are like the frontier families I've researched, and just wear their best clothes. However, I did work out a tradition of the bride wearing a crown woven from wildflowers, a symbol of the beauty and brevity of life, perhaps, if you want to be deep, or just because hobbits love flowers! I did not include a church or altar as Tolkien left out overt religious references. I did read somewhere that he said hobbits marry for life, and when writing a later wedding story (probably Regi's story, "Striking Sparks"), I incorporated that into the wedding vows. It seemed logical to have a "best hobbit", who would transfer the bride from her parents to her husband (both in hand-holding during the ceremony and during the following dancing). I think I developed this idea in "Flames" and had it all fairly well worked out by the end of that piece. So you see, you don't have to be afraid to tackle weddings! Just think of one or two little details that seem logical and right and make you smile. With each wedding you write you can add a little more. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 10/25/2003 |
| A wedding is a bittersweet thing. There's an element of loss amidst the joy of future hopes, even in the most anticipated wedding. Everyone knows Sam and Rose are perfect for each other, but thoughts of the difficult road to this day still intrude. And mothers always cry when their babies leave for the last time. This wedding is bittersweet especially for Frodo, it seems. He's let himself dream about the future, but he's beginning to realize he'll never stand under the mallorn next to a lass of his own, and the only time he'll say the traditional vows is for Sam and Rosie to repeat after him. With Freddy, I wonder what's on Frodo's mind. Is he already thinking about leaving, or does he still hold the hope of a quiet life at Bag End? Merry's been very ill, and he's still too weak to walk a mile to the wedding, but he does sing in the waggon, and by the end of the evening he's dancing on the table. It's a minor quibble, but it seems a bit abrupt. I would have to go back to the relevant chapter in Jewels, but is there any mention there of lingering illness? I had got the feeling there that he was completely normal by May 1. The last paragraph is all sweet. Hobbits and food again - lovely to start their life together with a picnic. Author Reply: you got me, I wrote this chapter without looking at the timeline and Merry should have been well enough--will change to say that he and Frodo rode in the waggon to keep Freddy company or something of the sort, which is what I meant when I first outlined the chapter. He still had a sling on April 6 but by May 1 he was recovered. Thanks for the catch, and for catching the duplicate chapter numbers! Author Reply: There, changed the beginning to reflect that it was Freddy who needed to ride in the waggon, and Merry was just along for the ride. Did this in haste, hope that was the only mention in the chapter of disability on Merry's part. Am going to try to change chapter numbers before this break ends. | |