Technically, I finished the Sharing Knife: Passage (Lois McMaster Bujold) on May 2nd, so it should go in the May log, but it was remarkably not-obnoxious so I want to give it a shoutout
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The romance for me was over very soon, although in your link herself says otherwise. Lots of problems related to the relationship after the Glassforge honeymoon, but no serious ones between Dag and Fawn. Only between the couple and the world. No serious misunderstandings, working out different standards, assumptions at cross-purposes. No problems such as in Busman's Honeymoon, for instance.
Which is all fine with me. I enjoyed the first two stories, and I enjoyed this one. I haven't understood, yet, what irritates you about Fawn and I'm not sure what you mean by the missing sense of community, unless it was that the couple didn't fit in at either Farmertown or Lakertown. They seem to fit in with people on the move - the patrol, the Glassforge hotel, the river people - who perhaps have to develop some tolerance to remain in their roles.
Re: Crane: both? Foil in that he is a problem that only (mostly) Dag can handle cheaply. A patrol could handle him, but most likely with some initial losses figuring out the problem (already lost 2) and a risk that Crane would high-tail it before enough firepower could be brought to bear.
Object lesson, along with some other experiences, about the dangers of separation from Lakewalker society, and the temptation of power. Read another comment recently about it being unlikely that a cultural reluctance to resume lordship would last that long. True, but that's the setup. And the pervasive presence of that cultural reluctance is presented early in Beguilement.
Lots of problems related to the relationship after the Glassforge honeymoon, but no serious ones between Dag and Fawn. Only between the couple and the world. No serious misunderstandings, working out different standards, assumptions at cross-purposes.
Yes! Yes, this is why I dislike Dag and Fawn's romance! I think part of relationships is acknowledging differences, in addition to being in gooey love!
haven't understood, yet, what irritates you about Fawn
I feel that Fawn is presented by the author as smart, but within the narrative does not do smart things. This is less excellent writing than I'm used to from LMB. Does that clear things up at all?
It's been pointed out that I'm defining "smart" fairly narrowly here: I mean someone who can produce a chain of logic explaining how they came to a conclusion. Fawn may be more of an intuitive thinker than a logician. But her conclusions seem fairly obvious to me.
I'm not sure what you mean by the missing sense of community . . . They seem to fit in with people on the move
Yes, so where are their pre-"on the move" friends? Who did Fawn shuck corn with during the last harvest? Where are Dag's "we've been on umpteen patrols" buddies? Granted, they're both presented as being a little off the norm and a bit isolated, but there's some context missing. Does that make sense?
Re: assuming lordship: I think you're onto something there.
Which is all fine with me. I enjoyed the first two stories, and I enjoyed this one. I haven't understood, yet, what irritates you about Fawn and I'm not sure what you mean by the missing sense of community, unless it was that the couple didn't fit in at either Farmertown or Lakertown. They seem to fit in with people on the move - the patrol, the Glassforge hotel, the river people - who perhaps have to develop some tolerance to remain in their roles.
Re: Crane: both? Foil in that he is a problem that only (mostly) Dag can handle cheaply. A patrol could handle him, but most likely with some initial losses figuring out the problem (already lost 2) and a risk that Crane would high-tail it before enough firepower could be brought to bear.
Object lesson, along with some other experiences, about the dangers of separation from Lakewalker society, and the temptation of power. Read another comment recently about it being unlikely that a cultural reluctance to resume lordship would last that long. True, but that's the setup. And the pervasive presence of that cultural reluctance is presented early in Beguilement.
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Yes! Yes, this is why I dislike Dag and Fawn's romance! I think part of relationships is acknowledging differences, in addition to being in gooey love!
haven't understood, yet, what irritates you about Fawn
I feel that Fawn is presented by the author as smart, but within the narrative does not do smart things. This is less excellent writing than I'm used to from LMB. Does that clear things up at all?
It's been pointed out that I'm defining "smart" fairly narrowly here: I mean someone who can produce a chain of logic explaining how they came to a conclusion. Fawn may be more of an intuitive thinker than a logician. But her conclusions seem fairly obvious to me.
I'm not sure what you mean by the missing sense of community . . . They seem to fit in with people on the move
Yes, so where are their pre-"on the move" friends? Who did Fawn shuck corn with during the last harvest? Where are Dag's "we've been on umpteen patrols" buddies? Granted, they're both presented as being a little off the norm and a bit isolated, but there's some context missing. Does that make sense?
Re: assuming lordship: I think you're onto something there.
Reply
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