Grey Wonderer
· 20 January 2013
· Chapter 1
This was so very moving. I was on line reading older stories and found yours. This was lovely. You should write more. I'm glad Faramir received the news from Merry and that he knew, in the end that his father did love him.
Author's reply
Thank you, GW, for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you liked it. Faramir is one of my favorite characters and I noticed one day that suddenly he just seemed to know about his father, but Gandalf had instructed the healers specifically NOT to tell him. It just made me wonder.
Unfortunately, my muse has been playing hooky for a very long while. I am not good at the "work" of writing, if it doesn't come to me almost intact, I have a hard time working through the plotting and character issues. I actually had another story in the works, but it wasn't cooperating, and I gave up on it.
There's a little chapter (stand-alone story) in my other story that makes me think of you whenever I re-read it. If you haven't read it, you should (and see if you can tell which of the two it is, LOL!!)
galathil
· 2 October 2012
· Chapter 1
Dear AspenJules,I have only come across your story.I have just read and enjoyed your first chapter.I am wondering,when are you going to finish the story.I would love to see how this story develops.LOL Galathil
Author's reply
Galathil - thank you for such a kind review. Unfortunately, this story is complete. It was meant only as a little gap-filler, an explanation of how Faramir came to know about his father's fate when Gandalf had instructed the Healers not to tell him.
Unfortunately I haven't had time to do any writing for the last several years. I hope to be able to get back to it at some point in the future. However, I DO have a couple of other short stories you might enjoy reading. They are each a chapter under the title "Meanderings of the Mind" but are actually each a stand-alone story.
elanor winterflowers
· 14 February 2007
· Chapter 1
I smiled and smiled through the first parts of this--we must have had the same dream! We even wrote some of the same dialogue! :)
This is a lovely treatment of this gap in Tolkien story! As I explained in one of my replies to you, I had seen this matter of what Faramir knew somewhat differently, but I think you have handled it very movingly here. (I would hate to be Merry when it came time to face Gandalf, but I think Faramir would have stood beside him--and Pippin behind Faramir!)
The ending is deeply touching: very, very nicely done!
shirebound
· 19 May 2006
· Chapter 1
Merry leaned against Faramir’s side and buried his face in his hands for a few moments, overcome with weakness and grief at the telling of such a difficult tale.
What a heartbreaking, and yet dear moment. I'm so glad that you're posting here! This is a marvelous story, and I'm happy to see the great reception you've received. Welcome to SOA!
Author's reply
I can't believe I haven't replied to this yet, and I apologize!
Yes, even as Faramir would be glad to know that his father wasn't avoiding him, and had shown at the last that he did indeed care for him, he would also be grieving the loss of his father, and almost his last family member (barring Imrahil and his children). The finality of it also, that he would never have a chance to connect with his father, to improve the relationship, would also have been a blow, especially to one like Faramir, who is sensitive and thoughtful as well as being a capable warrior and leader.
Thank you for your kindness to me, and for inviting me to begin posting here. I have been overwhelmed by my reception here. Thank you thank you!
Marigold
· 19 May 2006
· Chapter 1
This is a wonderful story! I can't believe that it is the first you have completed. I really liked your scenario, and your descriptions and characterisations were very well done. The story made me compare these two for the first time, and I found several recognisable similarities between them that I hadn't considered before. Those will stay with me in all of my future readings of the Book, and add yet another layer to my enjoyment. Thank you!
I am going to put this on my Recommendations Page this week if you don't mind. It is here if you'd like to take a look, and will be updated later today: http://www.geocities.com/marigoldsrecommendations/
Write more, and soon!
Author's reply
Thank you so much for your review! I would love to hear what you came up with in your comparisons of Faramir and Merry. I have loved Faramir as a character since the first time I read the book as a young teenager. I am so honored to think that I have added to your appreciation of the Professor's work and those two wonderful characters.
I am thrilled that you would think it good enough to put on your Recommendations Page. I just hope that anything I manage to write in the future doesn't disappoint. I'm struggling with the other story I've been working on and am somewhat stuck, so I hope that I can untangle the snarl I've gotten myself (and the characters) into satisfactorily, and in the not too distant future.
Thank you again for your kind review and encouragement. It means more to me than I can say.
Julie
Dreamflower
· 18 May 2006
· Chapter 1
What a wonderful first story! I most certainly hope that we have many more from you in time to come!
You did a marvelous job in this, conveying the angst and emotion of such a revelation without falling into the trap of going Over The Top. Merry's reactions as he is telling the story ring very true--when you are having someone recount something, it is the little things, the pauses and the emotional responses, that lift it up from being merely "news".
I liked the very hobbity way that Merry made himself at ease with Faramir (offering up his nickname, for example), not hesitating to show affection for this new friend, who was brother to Boromir, and the physical comfort both offered one another--leaning against Faramir, the arm around the shoulder--was just enough to convey Merry's trust and concern, and Faramir's acceptance of comfort.
There really should be more stories depicting Faramir and Merry together as they wait for word of the end. This is a fine one.
Author's reply
Thank you! I'm overwhelmed by your review! I'm glad that Merry's storytelling, recounting the events as he heard it from Pippin, came across well. Because it was such an emotional thing to tell, it was easy to see that he would need to pause to think, to look for an escape or rescue of some kind, or just to gather his courage. But you're right - it's the pauses and interactions that make a story a story.
I see the hobbits as being very simple, not just in their lifestyle but in their mannerisms. I think being physically affectionate, and preferring the informal nicknames would come naturally to them, and even more so in such a grand place as Minas Tirith.
I may tackle one more story about the two of them during this period of time, based on a couple of sentences in the book, if I can find the right way to approach the story. Thanks for the encouragement, it means the world to me! Julie
Lady Bluejay
· 18 May 2006
· Chapter 1
If this is your first fanfic then I congratulate you.Your writing is excellant and I always love it when a story is woven around the book cannon. I hope you are inspired to write more.LBJ
Author's reply
Thank you! I'm getting more and more inspiration, now if I only had the time! Julie
Misty
· 17 May 2006
· Chapter 1
Oh, I felt so sorry for the both of them in this fic. Faramir for having to hear how his father died, and Merry for having to tell it. It took a great deal of courage for Merry to be able to tell that horrible tale.
I think it was good that they had each other to rely on in the Houses of Healing while they waited for word to arrive from the battlefield. They both would have given anything to ride out with the others had their injuries not prevented it.
Very well done, especially for your first fic.
Misty
Author's reply
Thank you, Misty! Yes, I also think it was nice for them to have each other. Actually, in canon, there was a reference to the two of them spending an afternoon together. I noticed it in some research for another story I've been slowly working on, and that was the beginning of the idea for this story. I am contemplating writing the story of the other get-together, which will actually take place later in the timeline, but it would have a lot of dialogue which I find intimidating. We'll see if an idea of a good way to handle it hits me over the head. Julie
Larner
· 17 May 2006
· Chapter 1
One of the most grievous of moments that Faramir must know, worse, I think, even than learning of the deaths of he mother and brother. And he handles it admirably. Alas he must know such grief at the knowledge of his father's final madness.
Author's reply
Yes, there must have been sorrow for the madness and for the lost opportunity to set things right between them. But I think also there might have been some joy at the realization that his father really had loved him, that it was grief and despair at his apparent impending death that pushed him over the edge. It's not much to be happy about, but compared to the thought that your father wishes you were dead it's a lot. Also, there had to have been some relief in knowing that his father wasn't just ignoring him there in the Houses, that there was a reason for his absence. Thank you for your review! Julie
Fire
· 17 May 2006
· Chapter 1
I have to say that I think you did a fine job on your first fiction. I can just picture the two of them sitting there. Keep writing!
Author's reply
Thank you! I'm trying to keep writing, if life will leave me alone a little bit! Yes, I can just picture them sitting there also, looking at them from behind, the tall man and the little hobbit, his legs swinging a little. That's the view I had in my head as I was writing it. Thanks for the review!
harrowcat
· 17 May 2006
· Chapter 1
Welcome as an Author on SOA AspenJules! This is lovely and I feel so sorry that Merry gets landed with this difficult task. But he does so well and, perhaps, the only one better would have been Pippin which would have been even harder for him. I imagine Merry is glad to spare him. The final picture of Faramir is so touching. I do hope this is just the first of many.
Author's reply
Thank you for the welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story, and I agree, Merry did do a wonderful job, and it just made sense to me that Pippin would have told him all about it. It's almost in a way like Pippin is telling it, just second-hand, so to speak. And Pippin's affection for Faramir would have affected Merry's view of him, as well as the connection to Boromir.
If life slows down a bit, I think I have at least a couple more stories left in me. Thanks for your kindness!
Julie
Budgielover
· 16 May 2006
· Chapter 1
I'm so glad to hear you posted this story here at SoA. As I said earlier, this is an intelligent, well-reasoned story, and your use of 'Tolkien voice' is exceptional. Merry's character reads true to me, and I especially liked his reluctance to cause Faramir distress. Very hobbity, and very kind, as Merry is. This is an excellent story.
Author's reply
The welcome I've received here has been overwhelming. Thank you so much. I hope (and I think) that I will be able to post again fairly soon, if life will just slow down a bit! The bunnies are already circling, besides the story I've already been working on. LOL
Julie
Mum's the Word
· 16 May 2006
· Chapter 1
Very nicely done! I agree with French Pony, but she put it so much better than I could.
That last view of Faramir broke my heart. Beautifully done.
Thanks for posting here! I hope to see more of your work!
Blessings,
Mum's the Word
Author's reply
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Yes, that last view of Faramir about broke my heart as well, and I was the one writing it!
Julie
French Pony
· 16 May 2006
· Chapter 1
This is a remarkably well-done little scene. There are a couple of potential pitfalls here -- retelling a known story, telling action rather than showing it -- but you work around them very nicely. Your characterizations, particularly of Merry, really shine here. I could very much hear, not just "Merry's voice," but Merry at this particular time in his life, after being exposed to the great movers and shakers of the world and recovering from a nearly-lethal battle. That wonderful characterization really tied the story together and helped it avoid falling into the traps that could have doomed it. Well done.
Author's reply
Thank you so much for your kind words! I can't tell you how much they help. I was very concerned since it was my first completed story, and my beta reader is as inexperienced as I am at this. I'm especially glad you liked my representation of Merry, as I am intimidated by so many truly talented hobbit-writers. I tried hard to make him right. Thank you again!