Little help understanding Fire & Hemlock?

[tehanu_chan]

Hi, there! I'm new here! I didn't even now this comm existed until I run upon it in a frantic search for answers after finishing Fire & Hemlock 10 minutes ago.
First things first. I read the book in English and it's not my native language. I understand it quite well, mind you, but I' am aware that I might have missed a couple of things, specially

Comments

[rainbow_yarn]

I think Fire and Hemlock is one of Diana's most ambiguous books, so it's totally understandable that you'd feel you missed a few things. There are still lots of things I don't think I understand about it (although that doesn't keep me from loving it). So anything I write here is my own conjecture; other people might think differently!

Why Polly? I actually never thought about that before. I think... I think that at first, it wouldn't have HAD to be Polly, it could be anyone that Tom happened to meet and who happened to understand a certain level of him that no one else did. She also clung to her connection with him as much as he did. I think that's what it was about Polly, and the reason it WAS her was that she happened to be there.
BUT. While I do think that's true, there's also the fact about Polly's Granny and probably history repeating itself: Granny's husband was taken by Laurel, just as Tom was going to be. I think that's the main connection.
As far as Seb goes, he needed his own tie to life, and while I do think he actually liked Polly, I think he's fixated on her because while it would be saving himself, it would also be royally shoving it in Tom's face. I'm not entirely sure, though. It could just be that, again, Polly was the one who happened to be there.

What do you mean by what happened with Mr. Piper? He wasn't to be the King, he was supposed to be the sacrifice for Mr. Leroy, like what Tom's role was. He got out of it be exchanging himself with his brother, Tom.

You must be fantastic if you can understand most of this book in a second language! I think you're pretty great! Sorry if my explanation doesn't make much sense, though. I tried! =D

[tehanu_chan]

Thank you so much for answering! It was really helpfull!
I think I understand better the thing with Polly now. After asking this I remembered an interview of Diana where she "complained" that to the grown-up reader one had to explain everything whereas the children just understood, simple as that. I think I'm finally growing up? Sucks!
About Mr. Piper: I understood that every other Tom was a sacrifice for Mr. Leroy (I felt so stupid when I found out he was the King, because his surname was SUCH a hint throughout the entire book xD), but at the end Laurel is like so sorry (as Laurel can be) about Leroy that it made me wonder why? Was there a chance that he wouldn't have a sacrifice at all and die? Or was she thinking that he must felt cheated that Tom was no longer his sacrifice?

Thank you! I'm not fantastic at all, I asure you. I have to skip and asumme meanings of some words in order to have a fluent reading. But since most of Diana's books aren't out in my language, I'm glad to pay the price (?)
You made a lot of sense! Thank you again =)

[viirivehka]

Don't worry about growing up - Fire & Hemlock is actually written for young adults, not for children as most of Diana's books are, so it's more complicated. ;)

[emeraldsword]

I thought it was Polly because she intruded into the fairy territory by gatecrashing the funeral; she then ate nothing, drank nothing and worked the nowhere vases around before returning to the house and taking paintings that were not hers to take. Significantly, she took the Obah Cypt (Crypt? My copy is upstairs) which contained the lock of Tom's hair that bound him so tightly to Laurel.

It also didn't hurt that Polly was absolutely and totally devoted to him, and that he felt sorry for her.

(Icon is a quotation from Archer's Goon which I don't get to use very often!)

[pagan_toon76]

I'd like to thank you too for shedding some light on this tale for me. I just finished the reading the book and had pretty much the same questions as the OP. Though I do wonder if Seb was also like Tom in that he was also to be sacrificed in the future. And if that were the case, wouldn't it be probable he too was sort of adopted like Tom, as opposed to being a real Leroy?

[rainbow_yarn]

This is waaay too late a response, but I just reread the book and felt I understood more things, so I came back here to look at this post and saw your comment.

Seb tries to get Polly to choose him because it's either Tom or Seb who will have to be sacrificed. Tom's the one up at bat and the one Laurel is planning to take, but we see through Polly, Seb's been afraid his whole life because he's just as much up for grabs as anyone. Not entirely sure why, but it probably has to do with being a half-blood and being a suitable life for his father to take over (Seb mentions being a half-Leroy, that his mother was as ordinary as Polly is, after he "first" takes Polly to meet Laurel and Mr. Leroy). If Laurel takes Tom, Seb will be safe, at least for another nine years, at which point she'd likely be ready to take Leslie.

I think Seb's constantly doing what he can to extend his own life in the normal way, not the stealing way that the King does it. He has to go sit next to Laurel when Polly challenges Mr. Leroy's claim to Tom's life, because Seb is the next suitable candidate next to Tom.