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| Book Learning by Branwyn | 42 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/7/2006 |
| I love Freydis! She certainly picked up on Eowyn's naivety and her desire to learn! And who better than a practical woman of Rohan, with two husbands to her name and a selection of very strong-minded, larger than life, half-Rohirric, half-Gondorian, half-troll children to her name to educate Eowyn on the pleasures of the bedchamber! Faramir will be very surprised. Eowyn has certainly learned things he won't have picked up from his book! Author Reply: Freydis just barged her way into this story, and who was I to stop her? Especially since she is a good six inches taller than I am. :-D I was very nervous about writing an OFC (and a housewife and mother, to boot), so it is reassuring to hear that you like her and her unruly children. Yes, Faramir is going to be very surprised (hee, hee). Thanks so much for your kind comments! | |
| Julia | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/4/2006 |
| Heeheehee, cucumbers indeed! I like Freydis, and I'm glad she was able to give Eowyn good advice. My only question is, shouldn't she have said her boys were 1/3 Eorling, 1/3 Gondorian, and 1/3 troll, rather than half of each as 3 halfs equals 1.5 boys? Or do we just put it down to the fact that she is not as good at arithmetic as she is at giving sexual advice? Author Reply: ...3 halfs equals 1.5 boys? Freydis is quite good at doing sums in her head (how else can she tell if the merchants are cheating her?). However, in this case, she is joking that her children are so impossibly wild that they must have some troll blood, and since the children are clearly half Rohirric and half Gondorian, the impossible arithmetic is part of the joke. (I think I might be inflicting my (US) Midwestern sense of humor on unsuspecting readers; Raksha, who lives on the other side of the country, didn't get it either.) Thanks so much for reviewing! | |
| Radbooks | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/4/2006 |
| This was a fun chapter! Eowyn has so much to learn and it is wonderful that she has someone to turn to there in Minas Tirith. I could just picture the two women sitting there at the table using vegetables to *cough* describe various activities. I also enjoyed the image of the two boys and Eowyn thinking how her children might look much the same. Nicely done all the way around. Author Reply: This chapter was fun to write, though I wasn't sure about the reception it would receive, what with the indecent acts with vegetables and all. :-D For Eowyn, seeing those children would also be a reminder of years which were wasted as she stood beside Theoden's chair. Her people are not as long lived as the Gondorians, so I think that most Rohirric women of her age would already have married and borne children. Thank so much for your encouraging review! | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/4/2006 |
| TBC.....yes, yes, soon....soon....!! Eowyn isn't the only one who isn't going to look at vegetables in the same way again. An experienced friend is much better than a book. Author Reply: An experienced friend is much better than a book LOL! That pretty much sums up this chapter. I am glad to hear that you continue to enjoy the story and were not offended by this rather earthy chapter with its scenes of vegetable abuse. An update (actually, the final part) should be posted around the end of July or beginning of August. Thanks so much for reviewing! | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/4/2006 |
| I may never look at cucumbers the same way again - heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Seriously, a wonderful chapter. Eowyn's innocence is touchingly and humorously exposed even more, by way of her surprise at even the idea that the male sexual partner doesn't have to be on top. And I giggled at the notion of pole-axed newlywed Faramir, besotted by his bride, but Freydis is right. And her and Freydis' conversation is just what Eowyn needs, and it makes Eowyn's lack of mother or sisters even more obvious. Of course, I like Freydis, who is far more relaxed than Eowyn, though not, I think, much older, and has a kind heart as well as a sense of humor. I almost feel sorry for Faramir, what with all the surprises Eowyn is gleefully planning. But then, maybe he has a few of his own for her! Can't wait for the next chapter! Author Reply: This chapter is rated R for indecent acts with vegetables. :-D Poor Eowyn doesn't have Dr. Ruth Westheimer or R-rated movies to enlighten her about sexual matters! Yes, Freydis is not much older than Eowyn, just much more experienced. Eowyn would be 25 years old at the time of this story, and Freydis is around thirty. I am relieved that you liked my earthy Rohirric housewife. I was a little nervous about including an OFC since I had never before tried to write one. Thanks again for your skillful beta assistance, and I am glad that you are still enjoying your birthday present! | |
| Stefania | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 7/4/2006 |
| Ah, Eowyn's problems seem to echo the problems of women (men, too) over the centuries. It's fun to see how you have cast Tolkien's heroic archetypes with the sexual problems that have plagued people since Adam, Eve, and maybe even Lucy, our proto-humanoid ancester in Africa 5 million years ago. Your story is delightful, even if this review sounds like it comes from one up past her bedtime. Can't wait to see more. - Stefania Author Reply: I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the story. I have no idea why I didn't answer this review back in July (unless maybe I was up past my bedtime when it arrived), but thanks so much for sending it. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/23/2006 |
| It's not much a life, being a farmer with a basket of turnips. I'm glad Eowyn thought of someone who could help her, though. She is much more likely to find relevant information from an outspoken daughter of Rohan than some refined Gondorian who would only hint at the answers. And books aren't really going to do it for her. (I love Master Eradan. He did his best.) Thinking of rather innocent Faramir and Eowyn bumbling through their wedding night is sweet - they would be two who have not really grasped the subtleties of l'amour. They are both a little reserved behind their competent, Nazgul-slaying exteriors. I look forward to finding out more of their journey toward knowledge! Author Reply: "It's not much of a life, being a farmer with a basket of turnips." And not much of a role in the story, little better than a walk-on. :-D Yes, books aren't going to do it for her. As a king's daughter she would have been taught to read (and didn't her grandmother come from Gondor?), but she does come from a society which is not highly literate. Her learning style would probably be more verbal and hands-on rather than based on processing the written word. And it doesn't help that she doesn't know the strange medical terms used by the author of the book! Thanks so much for your kind comments! | |
| Julia | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/19/2006 |
| Lovely description of F/E's wedding night, passionate but not icky! So Eowyn couldn't find any help at the library, but she wisely chooses to seek counsel from one of her own countrywomen who lives in MT. I hope she gets the answers she is after! Author Reply: I am glad to hear that the wedding night scene was not offensively graphic; I am new to writing romance/erotica (action/adventure is my usual genre) so I am still feeling my way, so to speak. :-D Thanks for your kind comments! Brawnyn | |
| annmarwalk | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/19/2006 |
| What a poignant chapter. You've gotten Eowyn's voice down perfectly: shy maid, proud daughter of Eorl, confuzzled bride. The cermonial rituals are very well envisioned and described, as well as the marital act itself - poor girl! All her knowledge of animal husbandry was of little use in this instance. (Though the country girl does emerge again, when she's studying the textbook: "The men bore huge members, worthy of a studhorse, and the smiling women had breasts like great, round cheeses." LOL!) You've really made us feel for her confusion and isolation, a common experience for new brides through all Ages. I'm glad she's thought of someone who will hopefully be able to give her the understanding and guidance she seeks. Author Reply: "Confuzzled" is a great word, and it describes her state of mind exactly! She is a plain-spoken woman who usually has no trouble speaking her mind, but she has no experience discussing these matters, and it does not help that she is married to a rather reserved and modest man. No, Eowyn's knowledge of animal husbandry would help her only on a most basic level (basic meaning "insert Part A into Part B"). Like humans, horses do have mating rituals, but they also have a different physiology which includes four legs and an estrus cycle. Eowyn might react violently if Faramir started nipping and biting at her flanks. :-D I am glad that you are enjoying this story, and thanks so much for for your kind comments! Branwyn | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/19/2006 |
| I am glad that she has finally found someone to talk to without damaging either hers or Faramir's reputations. This should prove interesting. And that poor farmer! *g* Author Reply: Even calm, sensible Faramir would scarcely be pleased at the thought that his wife was discussing their sex life with his friends and acquaintances. Especially since he is not very well-versed in the secrets of the bedchamber. But, luckily, Faramir is a quick study, so he is learning. :-D Thanks for reviewing! Branwyn | |