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An Honest Crust  by Canafinwe 4 Review(s)
someoneReviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/22/2016
I really like the structure in this. First you show Aragorn, who is hopeful and almost happy to have found a private well, and the next moment he is back outside the village, hoping that no one sees him going back. It made the reader look forward to the story even more than a chronological approach would have.

Young Aragorn is lovely to read about. The conversation with Dírhael felt real, when Aragorn, burning with shame, didn't even recognize a simple wish to hear the story and could only think of telling what went wrong! Poor boy, his feelings were really hurt.

Considering how popular the Robin Hood stories are, Dírhael is wise to remind Aragorn to keep his head down and not let the people know. The story would travel far, and Sauron would get suspicious if he heard of people protecting the land of Arnor and being led by a young, Numenorean-looking man...

It is interesting to follow Aragorn through your stories. First there is the intelligent young boy with a vivid imagination, then this boy who is not quite a man yet, with a positive outlook on life and easily hurt feelings, then the young man in Rohan and Gondor who has learnt to protect himself by not taking everything personally and in the end the patient, grown man who finally gets everything he has worked for. And even in this story, the young Aragorn takes lead in the end without even realizing it.

SnehaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/9/2015
I love your young Aragorn! With what pride he received his heritage and then to be called worthless must have beeb so galling! It is amazing he never grew unkind instead of grim. I love Dirhael too, wise and comforting. The wool merchant's wife was cruel, people hardly ever think how small words can be so hurtful.

Author Reply: Thank you so much! Poor boy: he's still *so* young in this one! I wish people would stop and think how hurtful words can be. I am glad Aragorn has such wise grandparents...

obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/7/2015
Oh, I love this. Young Aragorn is one of my favorite subjects. You paint a vivid picture of Aragorn's trials and tribulations in Bree-lands. I can so understand his wounded pride. He did all this work and then the woman denies him his justly earned meal.

Author Reply: Thank you so much! It's fascinating to write Aragorn so young and so green. Poor lad!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/26/2015
At least he did not err by being as small-hearted as the wool merchant's wife.

Love the details.

Note--your spellchecker I believe saw "summer" as preferable to "supper," and a few similar errors. Sometimes I have to beat my spellchecker with a stick to get it to not make similar "corrections" to my writing.

Oh, I do love young Aragorn stories!

Author Reply: Thank you! I hope I've weeded out some of the issues. Eesh. I was evidently too busy trying to stop Grammar Correct from changing things like "he had done good work" to "he had done well work". NOT an easy feature to work with.

I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Young Aragorn is very interesting to write: I had never really given him such attention before. He comes with a fresh set of challenges, certainly.

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