Reviews for How to Keep Well in Wartime

Reviews For: How to Keep Well in Wartime - Reviews: Page 1 of 2

secretcastle 2008-06-19 ch 1,	abuseVery touching fic from a different POV. I really like your little analyses about the Pevensies. They are always spot on. I've always figured Susan and Peter always served as surrogate parents to Edmund and Lucy. In a way they seemed to share everything but a bed and that's just what makes the older Pevensies' relationship so perfect. I like to think all four of them never got married in Narnia because their relationship was perfect as it is. They didn't need spouses, they had each other for support.
purple kimono 2008-06-11 ch 1,	abuseThat's so sweet and sad. Beautiful.
magdilen 2008-03-02 ch 1,	abuseinteresting.
angry penguin 2008-02-10 ch 1,	abuseAaw. Very nice.
pet. pev. 2007-10-20 ch 1, anon.	abuseI don't usually like to read fics on because it's all the same and everyone is so off character, but this story is just so...real. I loved how Mrs. Pevensie was portrayed. It's how I thought she would be. Also, I love the descriptions of our four Pevensie siblings. It all suits their characters each and you don't sound like you're leaving someone out or showing more preference over one. Brilliant job.
Roses of Sharon 2007-09-08 ch 1,	abuseAn interesting alternative to Children Do Grow Up, though I must say that I liked the other better. Perhaps I simply enjoy happy ending far too much. In any case, this one was also very well written, and shows how divided the Pevensies were before the adventures they had together. Great job!
Riana1 2007-08-28 ch 1,	abuseYour Helen feels more realized to me-- her edges are better defined and i can see her better.
Lorianna Kim 2007-08-28 ch 1,	abusei love this. somehow it makes me wanna cry. It's beautiful
Capegio 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseI read this summary and thought, "oh, this ought to be interesting," then looked at the author and thought "never mind - this WILL be interesting." And of course you delivered, like you always do. One of my very favorite things to read is pieces that expound on the personalities of the four kids and this was just brilliant, as always. I love that Helen herself is a character, not just a vessel; we can sense that she is steadfast in her marriage but that it is not faultless, that she is incredibly attuned to the needs of her children, that they are the most important things her life, and that she struggles with questions a mother shouldn't have to answer. I have a few favorite lines, though I just loved the piece as a whole... Regarding Peter as a baby: "such serious eyes and such a sunny smile." That seems so like Peter. It seems to me he was a prince (like Helen says) or a king long before he had the title, because he seems to have no distinction between joy and duty...he finds joy in his responsibilities rather than seeking it elsewhere, and in this story, we get it when he seems to be satisfied by helping Lucy to feel better. I love that. Peter is in his element when he is acting the protector. On Edmund: "Sometimes I think that even though he is surrounded by people all the time, Edmund is lonely. He wants to be loved, but he doesn’t know how to ask." So absolutely true. I think a lot of teenagers are like that, actually, especially boys; they want people to love them and to treat them like little kids so far, but they're afraid that if they ask to be hugged and cuddled like children, they'll lose their chance to grow up, and they feel like that's what they ought to be doing. I think Edmund is just so confused because he wants to be tough like Peter, and he wants to say he is independent and strong like Peter, but he isn't yet at the age where he can do so and he needs this reassurance that he can't ask for. Poor, poor Ed. On Lucy and Ed: "The more Edmund pushes Lucy away, the more she wants him to notice her. He’s the only one who can resist her, and I think that brings out her stubborn streak." I love that image. Lucy does seem to be friendly even to the people she's most annoyed with. And she always seems to forget or purposely ignore when people are mean to her, like in the movie, when despite Edmund's earlier mean comment about the football field, she finds him in Narnia and is totally delighted to see him there. She's such a sweetie. The reality of their lives is really, really well portrayed here, and the finishing comments were spot on. Peter and Susan are the ones to look after the others (in my personal opinion, I think Ed actually joins that group after they are crowned, because he does a LOT of growing up). This is a really lovely, centered piece with some delicious insights to the children's personalities, my favorite. Thanks a bunch. :)
Animus Wyrmis 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseI really liked this. I don't see a lot of pre-LWW Pevensie stuff...this one was excellent. So true to the characters (Lucy especially-there's a tendency to write her as older than she is; she seems very young in this), and the setting...::happy sigh::
Caroline Grace 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseIt's beautiful...are you a mother? Because this sounds right from the heart of someone who knows. (sorry if that's too rude a question)
acacia59601 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseWow, great little story! I like how you have it just from the Mom's perspective. Well done!
Miniver 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseWhat a marvelous portrait of the Four, and of Helen. We learn so much from the details you present, yet nothing is ever forced or obvious. The personality of each child is so vivid. You've set it up so that all the traits that glow so brightly in Narnia can be seen to be in each sibling innately from the start. Aside from the splendid descriptions, both inner and outer, of the kids, I think my favorite part is the description of Mrs. Pevensie's threadbare hat, with the hole from the pin; and the contrast to the other woman's new (so probably black market) hat. The little remark about new face, old hat versus old face, new hat is charming. This is sensational just as it is. Thanks so much for writing something this beautiful and letting us all see it.
coymelody 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseWoW! this was a very sweet and emotional chapter! I can't wait for more!
Love and Rock Music 2007-08-27 ch 1,	abuseFrancie, you're incredible. You come out with these perfect little oneshots out of nowhere - and so quickly. Of course this one is amazing. I love how Helen is so real; a subdued woman presently without a husband, struggling to make life better for her children. I like these lines especially. "Then I try not to be sad because I remember David the night before he left running his fingers through my hair and saying I was still the girl he married all those years ago. I try not to think of David too much because I always miss him when I do." For some reason they remind me of Lucy, valiantly pressing on through hardship.

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