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| Fear by Ariel | 48 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 12/8/2005 |
| Aww! I don't want it to be over! LOL! Wow, Ariel! This is incredible! I love the way you portray Frodo, and your original characters are quite amazing! I was *glad* to see that wretched, disgusting Clearwater (Bottoms?) fellow go to the dust! Ha! He deserved no less, and perhaps more than he got. His own mother...ugh! At the beginning I didn't think I could ever like Dody, but now I find myself wishing you'd told more about him. And how perfectly you portray a parent's feelings when a child is near death: the desperate hope, the sickening fear, being unable to realise it's over when it is. And the ending is so very beautiful! I'm so happy for all the characters...and I think I'd like to meet Daisy Burrows! Excellently done! Namarie, and God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: Oh, it was SO good to hear this! Really, it is such a delight to me to hear that I gave someone some pleasure with one of my stories! Especially one I put this much work into. Really! It's like the best Christmas present ever! Low calorie, matches everything and looks really good on both giver and receiver! LOL! I do have plans for my little guy. He's got a fellow orphan to comfort and a love affair to have. Don't worry. You may be just starting to read fanfic but I haven't finished with Dody. Thanks again! You made my evening! | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 1/11/2005 |
| I love this story...so very love it. Your prose is wonderful for advancing the story and your introspections into especially the feelings of Primula and Dody are wonderful. Dody is a great OC that you've described and written about throughout and i'm so glad for how he becomes in the end. The dialogue and the instance of "losing" Frodo in the woods in the last section of the story was a great close. Forgiveness and learning to have trust again--being one of your major themes of the story are written about in a way that is very integral to the story and seamlessly placed in to have significance, and i like the fact that the story goes full ciricle in telling how every character grew in his/her own way. I remember reading the first... 15 chapters? in one great flourish because i was so concerned and worried about Frodo.. the story got better after the healing of Frodo and i'm amazed about the bredth and suspense of the story that keeps me wanting more and more. Great close to a wonderful story and as i mentioned in a previous review, this remains my favorite of all time. :) ::hugs:: Great job, Ariel~ I look forward to reading more of "Turnabout". ;) Author Reply: And I love getting your reviews... I worked a long time on this fic and it took on a life of its own, demanding I give each chapter the attention it deserved. I am quite delighted that the work seems to have paid off in this case and you call it your favorite of all time. That is one of the best compliments I have ever received. Thank you! | |
| Inkling | Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 12/31/2004 |
| What a lovely ending, so full of hope and redemption! The perfect note on which to end the old year and welcome the new… Reading it, I was able to suspend my knowledge of the sadness to come and, like Primula, revel in the joy of that moment in time you created for them. While I would enjoy an epilogue in which Dody comforts Frodo after his parents’ death, as some of your readers have suggested, I almost think it’s nicer to end on this happy note. Poor Frodo doesn’t get that too often! ;) Thank you so much, Ariel, for writing this wonderful, original story and sharing it with us. Author Reply: *claps hands with delight* Now that all the hard work of writing this puppy is a little ways behind me, I can sit back and take enjoy the pleasure others are finding in it. It's like watching your kids on Christmas day and the warm glow you feel when they really love the present you spent AGES searching for! That's what reviews are like to me. I just get such a kick out of them! As to your question about an epilogue - if it runs the usual course, it will be quite a while before I manage to write one, but they are usually worth it. If you have ever read my 'Thicker than Blood' http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=500, the last chapter (Sacrifice) was an epilogue that I wrote about 6 months after the main part of the story was posted. It's actually my favorite part of the story (and has gotten the most response) and I think the time gives me a chance to reflect and think back on the story as a whole before writing. And as to your comment about ending on happy notes, most of my fics do. Though I am the Angst Maven™ ( :D ) I can't seem to write a fic that ends in total doom and gloom. I'm just not 'dark' enough to do it. So rest, assured. Any a fic of mine, even from that time period, would not be as depressing as it could be. Angsty, yes, but I always find the silver lining. Ariel | |
| Inkling | Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 12/22/2004 |
| Well my dear, somehow in between shopping, wrapping, baking, and all the other demands of the season I found a bit of time to get back to your story…and oddly enough it, too, seems appropriate the season since, I as said, it seems VERY Dickensian to me, and just gets more so—chapter 20 especially, with the dramatic arrival of Drogo and Bilbo to the rescue and the Doc finally getting his comeuppance. “Clearwater stilled like a deer that had just scented the hunter.” Oh, I enjoyed that! So many great lines in these last three chapters…“Frodo could not do this thing, and yet he would…” ah, that pretty much sums up our dear hobbit, doesn’t it? And this: “…but knowing what you could have done with the time you were given and didn't, well, that could eat you up inside." A nice twist on Gandalf’s classic words to Frodo… As always, you’ve conveyed wonderful heart-felt emotions and a wealth of background material, like the Mid-Year’s Day celebration…the things that bring a story to life! I’m looking forward to the conclusion…after I do some more shopping/baking/wrapping! Author Reply: *you’ve conveyed wonderful heart-felt emotions and a wealth of background material, like the Mid-Year’s Day celebration…the things that bring a story to life!* LOL! You know, I could have written the very same thing about your fic! I think, together, we could describe a place that was very nice to live in and very much like Tolkien's own image - or at least as close as modern day folks could make it. Thank you so much for your vote of confidence and I hope you continue to enjoy the story's last few chapters. Ariel | |
| Inkling | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 12/15/2004 |
| What?! The fandom is winding down…? Say it ain’t so! I came rather late to this party, so I don’t want it to end yet! Given the number of stories I have in the works, and the abysmally slow speed at which I write, I’ll be at this for a LONG time to come! :D I’ve been writing for a few days but the muse finally seems appeased for the moment and is letting me get back to your story… Chapter 16 is lovely. Primula’s foreshadowing visions adding yet another layer of complications to her feelings about Frodo’s recovery (most haunting to me was the one in which I assume Frodo is throwing flowers over the Brandywine in memory of his parents)…Frodo’s strength of character starting to reveal itself in so many little ways: his perception that Dody’s neglect presents an opportunity, his determination to “fix” his problems with his mother, and above all his refusal to wallow in self-pity, in which perhaps we see the greatest difference between him and Dody… I had to laugh when I saw the title of Chapter 17: Angst!? Like Chapter 16 wasn’t angsty enough?? Dr. Evil just gets creepier every time he appears…don’t tell me he’s a child molester…? YUCK!!! But I can’t still can’t quite tell what’s going on with him…which is half the fun! Frodo and Primula really have to stop it now with the premonitions, or they’re never going to get their relationship back on track. I keep finding myself wanting Drogo to return and set everything, and everyone, to rights. Just one of the qualities of the story that makes it seem so Dickensian to me… Author Reply: If it's any consolation, it might become less frantic, but I doubt it will disappear entirely. Most fandoms begin to slow down once their film/show is off the air, but Tolks has been around in some fashion for 50 years. The movie fever might fade, but the books are eternal (thankfully!). Dickensian? LOL! Why thank you very kindly for that, my friend! A nicer compliment I couldn't imagine. There is a bit of resolution to come and perhaps Drogo will save the day (maybe he'll even have some help?) ;), you'll have to be patient to find out. As for the dear Doctor, you may interpret him as you wish. Taking a lesson from the professor himself, it is more important that you interpret the story to your liking rather than learn what I intended, if I intended anything at all. Clearwater is what he is presented to be - someone who makes your skin crawl. If you see him that way, I have succeeded. *grin* I am glad the story is pleasing you. That is what I wrote it for. | |
| Inkling | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 12/9/2004 |
| You’re abroad (or were)? Lucky you! Hope it is(was?) a fun trip! As usual I’m reading this in the wee hours of the morning, when it’s hard to write a coherent review, but I’ll give it a shot… So did I understand that correctly? Is Drogo a solicitor? What an interesting idea! And what a lovely bond you’ve portrayed between Drogo and Frodo…something I haven’t seen much in fanfics. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…it’s wonderful how you reveal a character’s many facets…for example, managing to make Menegilda likeable, even though she and Drogo loathe each other. She’s right about the nursemaid job being good for Dody, even if she’s being manipulated by the doctor. And about Drogo being a good role model for him…at last, Dody has “someone to cling to.” Your description of Brandy Hall is marvelous; I could picture it perfectly. And you’ve captured very well the nuances of the hobbits’ social class system…healers are not working class, but neither are they gentry. I liked the parallel exchanges that bought this out: “Primula…retained a distance that Daisy found strangely reassuring” and “If Menegilda didn't notice the way Clearwater stiffened at the term 'servant', Dody did.” One is happy in her “place,” and the other chafes at his… Author Reply: Yes, abroad and coming back today. *sigh* I am eager to see my kids again, but this has been such a lovely visit. I will miss these incredible folks. Haven't had such a good time at a harem meet since the very first one. *sniff* It is sad to meet people I could have had long and dear friendships with only as the fandom seems to be winding down (though I believe I could say the same of you! ;)). Yes, I made Drogo a solicitor - and not fabulously rich himself, though from a wealthy family. I envisioned Belladonna and Bungo to be the real wealth in the family. And I am glad you notice the differences in class. It is such an unconscious part of LOTR and with PJ basically ignoring it, I often find fanfic authors (especially american ones) ignoring this dynamic. Perhaps I was one of the gentry in a previous life, but without it, it doesn't seem LOTR to me. Keep your eye on that class difference. I will handle it differently than many (especially americans) will expect. I do so hate to be predictable, or stereotyped. LOL! Thank you so much for reviewing and letting me know you continue to enjoy this story. That warms my heart. Thank you! Ariel | |
| Lily the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 12/6/2004 |
| All right. I have spent almost eleven hours in front of the computer (with many short and longer pauses) to read this jewel among fanfiction and, though I am not good in leaving proper reviews I will try anyhow. Did I recently mention that I love Drogo? And him and Bilbo together, my, that was a scene! I wouldn't have want to be the target of their anger. But now at the story as a whole. The character of Dody was so well formed! I really felt for him. There were times I pitied him, times I hated him and times I loved him. It's marvellous to see how this character grew throughout the story. As was Primula's character. First her fears and how she finally realised them and let them go. This really was less a story of telling something (though it told a good deal as well) than it was of growing with the characters. I also liked the foreshadowing you used in several points. Though I am a bit dizzy now myself, I don't feel sorry about reading this - but well, this was less a matter of reading than it was of devouring. I'm glad I've come to know you on LJ or probably I would never have ended here. Author Reply: ((((((HUGS))))))) Awwww! You have made my day, my dear! That is the kind of feedback every author dreams of. Thank you so much for presenting me with it. I haven't had many readers for this fic, but those I have had have been very kind and welcome. Thank you for being one of those precious few. | |
| Lily the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 12/6/2004 |
| Awww... what a sweet ending for a chapter! Did I mention that I love Drogo? I can surely understand why Primula fell for him. | |
| Lily the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 12/6/2004 |
| You know, Frodo's last comment made me shudder. What is it he feels? And who is looking out for him? Poor Primula must be so desperate! "It's an ache of the heart and there is no medicine for it. You know you must go on, live for the sake of those who love you, but the hurt stays with you forever. Time only teaches you how to function through it, but nothing eases the heartache." This is so sad! In my German story Frodo is learning the meaning of those words rather painfully. ~*~ Could somebody please strangle that Clearwater before he ruins everything, if he hasn't already done so. Author Reply: *Reconsiders learning German* Oh, Clearwater will get his comeupance! I only hope it will seem enough justice to you. :* Ariel | |
| Lily the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 12/6/2004 |
| Drogo, the best father in the world, eh? You're so right! :) First a note on the formate. You should check this chapter again. It is written in rather small letters. Now to the chapter itself. Poor Frodo. I so hope he is not going to hurt himself with his stubborn determination. And... concerning Primula's visions. Believe it or not, I had thoughts about similar things happening in Dear Diary or a new story. :) Author Reply: Oh, dear! I will have to fix that formatting once I get home. I thought I had them all fixed! Grrr. Awww... Well, I hope you don't mind the way I handle Frodo. He's no fool, even at 8, and I won't make him do anything stupid. I can't seem to do anything like that to my dearest hobbit. LOL! Primula and visions. ;) Frodo had to get that tendency from somewhere, eh? Ariel | |