2006 Author Reviews for
Madeleine

Madeleine stands out in the witty dialogue department. She is absolutely outrageous, in just the right way, and her romantic epic, in four parts, benefits enormously from that talent. Even more impressively, her characterization is very strong, so that it is simply impossible to mistake one character\'s voice for another, which means the sense of humor has to change for each character. They each have their particular turns of phrase, manner of delivery, and facility with words--you can tell her Amrothos from her Eomer instantly. As might be expected, her timing is exquisite; one never feels the joke lasts too long, and the pacing is quick and nimble enough to match up to her dialogue so that one never feels as if it\'s really been ten chapters (or however many). The intricacies of the verbal sparring are set against well-defined settings which nevertheless are not dwelt on tediously. She evokes a sense of where the characters are very well, and portrays the fits and starts of a relationship with style and verve.

As I almost always prefer to read about Aragorn, I was somewhat surprised to find out how much I enjoy reading Madeleine?s stories. She artfully blends humor and drama, and draws her characters vividly. This first installment in her epic series about Eomer and Lothiriel is just getting her warmed up?the later tales really come into their own. I especially enjoy the ?comedy of manners? side of the tale, which is presented with humor and insight. Perhaps my favorite scene in the series is the wedding night: a wonderful blend of the funny and the erotic. It read very true to me, sexy and not overwrought nor encumbered with purple prose. The tortoise was a masterful touch, although it?s hard to choose when the competition is a snake named Denethor and the onion riddle. Don?t miss Madeleine for Rohan and Lothiriel. Oh, and she writes a good Aragorn, too.

Madeleine\'s portrayal of ?omer and Loth?riel, from their first sight of each other, their unusual courtship, their marriage and beyond, is funny, touching, sexy and sizzling; always highly enjoyable. Not only the protagonists, but the rest of the cast, too, is vividly portrayed, as are social and political customs of Gondor and Rohan. The dialogues are excellent, especially the witty repartee between various characters.

Madeleine has a unique gift for capturing a Lothiriel who is at once modern and perfectly content in a Middle-earth created by a nineteenth-century Briton. She is in some way a working woman -- she lives in Minas Tirith away from her family and works as a healer in the Houses of Healing -- but that does not change the fact that she accepts her fate as a noble\'s daughter that she will be married in a political alliance. Her Eomer is engaging as well, and seems like a very natural outgrowth of the canonical character Tolkien presents us with. Her stories involve all of the hallmarks of an engaging story: a realistic world, intriguing plot, pace that moves the story forward, freedom from distracting mechanical mistakes, good use of detail. Yet it is the characters that really make her stories so compelling for me, and anyone interested in these characters or the Fourth Age in Rohan and Gondor in general will find them a satisfying read.