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Runaway  by Lindelea 79 Review(s)
FantasyFanReviewed Chapter: 31 on 2/2/2004
This is a most satisfying conversation. Diamond is strong, and she's smart too. Even with these few words spoken by Pippin, she understands immediately the truth of what he's saying and its implications. And Pippin is trying his best to keep his promises to Farry, both those spoken and unspoken. He's going to let the lad grow up, and include him in the adult conversation. It's good to see. I wonder though - Diamond says she feels stronger than ever. Is that from the worry being released, or is it a sign that her own babe is soon to be born?

There's one word in here that makes me a little...uncomfortable. There's a lot of talk of dying in this chapter, as well there should be. But Pip says a couple of times that he's buried himself in his work, and that they have left Farry to muddle along while they buried themselves. Really, what they've buried is a baby, but they have not allowed the feelings associated with the loss to be laid to rest. And so talk of buring themselves doesn't ring quite true, though I understand the turn of phrase well enough. Pip has distracted himself with work, and each in his own grief has not attended to the pain of the others. Perhaps what I'm thinking is more to the sense of, they've buried a child, and with it buried some of the family closeness that was in short enough supply before, leaving grief and unspoken blame (or remorse) to linger like a shade. Does that make any sense?

Author Reply: Diamond will not deliver until the Spring (and "Runaway" is set in late November-early December). This is the birth described in the early chapters of "At the End of His Rope".

As to your other comment, I think you are making sense but I'm not sure how to reword the conversation. Have yet another cold and the meds are messing with my mind. Perhaps later when I have a brain again, I can do more than type rough handwritten copy into the computer and put it up for my editor to tweak (and Jo to embroider on).

Hurrah, spring is near and soon I will be past the cold season. That will be a relief.

LydiaReviewed Chapter: 31 on 2/2/2004
Aaaahh, sad and sweet. But I love the last line. When my sister had her baby, my brother in law said when I answered the phone "You're a niece" or some odd thing like that and I about died laughing.

Author Reply: Yes, I must admit I stole that last line from a very old joke. ha.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 31 on 2/1/2004
Just lovely as always. I love your Diamond! She has such strength. Thanks for a beautiful chapter.

Author Reply: You're welcome! Thanks for reviewing. Keep thinking good thoughts and maybe thie beastie will come to an end one of these days.

ConnieReviewed Chapter: 31 on 2/1/2004
Ah, that is such a sweet chapter. I love it when they're so loving toward each other. I also really admire anyone, especially a male, who can admit when they're wrong and ask forgiveness.

I could say a whole lot more, but I'll leave it at that for now.

Connie.

Author Reply: Thanks for reviewing, Connie! Glad you liked the chapter. Pippin is in an unusually reflective mood at the moment, eating quantities of humble pie and making quite a brave job of it. I'm sure it'll be a relief to him to put this business behind and get on with life. Perhaps he's learned a bit about curbing his impulsiveness in the bargain. That's all to the good.

FantasyFanReviewed Chapter: 30 on 1/11/2004
I wonder if the appelation 'devious' ought to be applied to Ferdi instead of Pippin? Clearly he didn't drink the sleeping draught, but poured out almost all of it while Nell's back was turned, leaving just enough for show, or perhaps just enough to dull the pain. His plan was to get rid of the healer and then have time to explain what happened to Nell?

Plans don't always work out - he ought to know that very well right about now. That is one of the fastest births I've ever heard of. I know that she had been staving off labor for a while, and even on bed rest she probably had been progressing a bit. I've heard of many women walking around for a couple of weeks dilated to a few centimeters. And Nell has had a number of children (I really don't have a good idea how many, but at least four?) so she's not going to linger in the early stages, but this sounds like the entire labor is about ten minutes long. You labeled this a draft - if you're planning to revise it more, perhaps you could throw a contraction to two in the earlier part that Nell can ignore, or even at the end of the previous chapter, to make the labor ongoing? It would give Ferdi a very good reason to dispose of the sleeping draught too. Or was that the thought all along, he saw what was happening and didn't want to miss another birth? He is very observant, though not as much so when his head is splitting.

Author Reply: Well, we had a birth locally during the big ice storm, and the normal 8 minute time for paramedics to arrive at a certain address was doubled. From the time the mom went into the bathroom and realised she was in labour until the baby was born was about 10 minutes. The grandmother did the actual delivery while a 9-1-1 operator talked her through it. They used a shoelace from the grandfather's running shoe to tie the umbilitcal cord! All in all an amazing story.

Nell has been in labour for days, and is probably getting pretty good at ignoring the contractions until she cannot ignore them...

Anyhow, have inserted a warning cramp right after Nell soothes Ferdi to sleep (at least, temporary sleep). Does that help the credibility?

Lyta PadfootReviewed Chapter: 30 on 1/11/2004
Pippin was VERY lucky Pimpernel gave birth before she really got started into him! Glad Ferdi didn't miss this one.

Author Reply: I'm glad, too.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 30 on 1/11/2004
Very nice chapter. Pippin is in trouble now, but he got very lucky that the baby decided to show up when it did. A very big distraction I'd say! LOL

Author Reply: Yes, talk about saved by the belle!

FantasyFanReviewed Chapter: 29 on 1/7/2004
I wonder how many of the Tooks in the courtyard will be satisfied by Pippin's explanation of false accusation, restitution and reparation? He gave no details to them at all, I am sure for the sake of getting Ferdi to bed, yet the story will have to come out. My own curiosity would be bursting, and I've not got a drop of Tookish blood (that I know of)- probably more rumors of 'what really happened' will be swirling through the Talk, now that all are back, than there were before. Perhaps the first trial of the loyalty of Pippin to his escort is that he must trust them to tell the story fairly.

Of course we will see Nell and Ferdi's baby born soon. There will be a tender reunion, once Ferdi's head allows it. But I am more interested in the reunion of the other family - Farry and Pip and Diamond. All Pip's good intentions towards his son will be for naught if Diamond isn't brought into the bargain. There is such a tremendous opportunity for growth for this family in the crisis Farry has brought them to -- I don't want them to miss it.

Author Reply: Good comments, and quite thought-provoking. Have not yet tackled the Talk of the Tooks or the "talk" between Diamond and Pippin, though Diamond is sending off storm signals in the next chapter, the draft of which is going up this evening if all goes well.

Author Reply: I was just reading through this one again while working on WIPs, and I came across this review. Almost prescient, it is. As you already know quite well, another story spun off from this idea that the Tooks would not be satisfied by Pippin's explanation in the courtyard. For all I know, your comment might even have percolated in the back of my brain for over a decade before breaking out. In any event, thank you again for your listening ear and insightful comments, both here and in the process of hammering out that recent story.

I hope this finds you and yours well.

((hugs)),
Lin

Lyta PadfootReviewed Chapter: 29 on 1/6/2004
Yeah! A new chapter! The two storylines finally merge.

Author Reply: Yes, whew, we finally have everyone on the same page once more.

Lyta PadfootReviewed Chapter: 28 on 12/31/2003
The menfolk are going to be in for it....

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