Name: Finefrenzy__ (Signed) · Date: 23 Jan 2021 02:43 AM · For: Moira

Hey there Kaitlin, I'm here during the winter in fairyland reviewing event.

 

The Handmaid’s Tale - especially the show - has a very distinct style which I feel you have emulated very well in this piece. Taking the scene from Jezebel’s that we witness from June’s perspective, and flipping it be from Moria’s POV was a great touch, and also an excellent way to to further explore the horrific circumstances these women find themselves in.

 

Your use of description is great too, and started off strong with “scabbed over bite marks”. It encapulates in such a short sentence the horrific things she is forced to perform and endure. And you manage to capture Moria’s fiery spirit as well. Even though she’s been beaten and broken in every sense of the word, (nice use of description again - “you are a shadow, a spectre, a silent witness to the horrors of Gilead”), her seeing June is obviously what she needed to reignite that burning hatred she has for Gilead and manage her escape.

 

I very much hope you post more snippets from the other girls POVs. I definitely think you are onto a winner, and it is something I would love to read more of - your take on the horrors of Gilead.

 

 

Take care,

Rhi :)

Name: Chemical_Pixie (Signed) · Date: 07 Apr 2019 12:16 AM · For: Moira

Kaitlin! Here for our swap. And this amazing, incredible story! <3

 

I am thrilled that you wrote this piece. Not only for the Collab but because you have done it such incredible justice. The Handmaid's Tale is no walk in the park, both the book and the TV series, but you handle this subject matter so well.

 

Writing this piece in second person is incredibly effective. It places the readers into Moira's experience, her existence, her thin thread of survival. Since I'm familiar with the contents of this story, I know straight away what Moira is describing and thinking about and it's absolutely gut wrenching. But yet, I go on. Sure, there isn't much hope left in Moira, but that innate need to carry on, to continue, perhaps listlessly, is a strong undercurrent. 

 

Moira's reunification with June is just as intense in this fic as it is in the story. They are both trying to size each other up and protect each other and jolt the other into a sense of shock. There is so much weight behind all of their words, especially since they are both in an impossible situation. You and I both know what happens after this scene, but I like to think that here, June is able to wake Moira back up, since she's fallen into a lull in order to survive. Sometimes, all we need is a reminder of why life is worth living. Moira seeing June gives her just that, but you just this reunion in a very clever way.

 

June's look of disappointment. In such a dire situation, one would think that hope and love and justice would be the things that would ignite a person's desire to survive and escape. But here you show disappointment, because that is what hope, love, and justice become when they fall short, when they aren't enough. And that's enough to get Moira on the course to escape.

 

Ahh. What a powerful piece. I am flattered at your shoutout at the end. You write excellent stories as well. <333 And I know that you have over twenty WIPs, but I do hope that you post another update of this fic soon! :)

Name: StarFeather (Anonymous) · Date: 31 Mar 2019 09:25 AM · For: Moira

Hi, Kaitlin. I came back for the fourth review from the forum.

 Reading the first hardship for the protagonist, I remembered the novel, 'Roots" by Alex Haley. Moira's situation is just like Kunta or his child. I googled about Handmaid's Tale fandom wiki and thought it was written about the same theme, discrimination and internalized oppression. It's sad both ebony people and women in some countries have been deprived their right in real history and now. The world is full of unright things. I hope these stories let people think about human equality and more people will come to wotk together to eliminate the bad situation in the world.

 

 The good thing is you avoided describing horrible things in detail. Sometimes it might be needed as a story, but the authors should try to write in the other way. The world has already been full of dirty things or disgusting things. You don't have to repeat it more than necessary. So kudos on your effort, Kaitlin.

 

K

 

 

 

 

Name: crestwood (Signed) · Date: 30 Mar 2019 08:12 PM · For: Moira

Hi Kaitlin! I’m here for our swap.

I’ve not at all familiar with the Handmaid’s Tale but I’m jumping right into this and taking whatever I may take away from it.

The first thing that strikes me is that this is written in second person, which I don’t see very often at all, but I really, really love. It can often give a harrowing story a bit of extra gravity because it’s such a personal pov.

You start off the story with a pretty uncomfortable description - the dress that scratches at your skin, scabbed over bite marks - it sounds like the protagonist has not had an easy go at it. Especially considering they’re wondering whether surviving is worth the cost of what they’re made to do. Heavy opening, even before I’m quite sure what they’ve been through.

The paragraph about what happened to the woman who attempted to escape is absolutely chilling. You’re painting a picture of complete hopelessness that I hope never to experience.

It seems the protagonists circumstances continue to get worse and worse the more light you shed on them. The writing is straightforward, but beautiful, with some excellent turns of phrase - I especially liked ‘The door protests loudly.’

June and Moira clearly have quite a lot of history between them and their confrontation is definitely the centerpiece of the chapter. The lines that start with ‘it’s the look’ are excellent - such a great device to move the plot forward, establish Moira’s motivation and give the reader some catharsis after all of the tense events that preceded it. Really amazing ending and such a powerful story. You handled some very difficult subject matter with poise and blew me away. Very happy to have read this. Thank you for the swap!

 

Joey

Author's Response:

Thank you so much for this absolutely beautiful review. I hope you know how much I appreciate your words of encouragement! They seriously make me smile every time. ~Kaitlin

 

Name: BookDinosaur (Signed) · Date: 29 Mar 2019 06:36 AM · For: Moira

Hey Kaitlin! Here for part 3/4 of our swap ❤

I’m not entirely familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale -- that is, I’ve absorbed a lot of it through cultural osmosis, but I’ve never actually read the book or watched the TV show, so I’m afraid I can’t offer you much perspective on how this relates to the source material! That being said, I think that you’ve done a great job of explaining the story well enough that my being familiar with the basic premise was enough to keep me thoroughly engaged in -- and ready to review! -- the story.

First of all, the atmosphere that you’ve established for Gilead is so bleak. I feel like you get the message across really strongly just in the first paragraph -- bite marks on her, a scratchy dress, wondering whether it’s worth surviving. It’s a lot to hit us with right out of the gate, but at the same time it feels horribly appropriate. And that doesn’t let up, either -- not, at least, until she meets June again.

I really love the mental state you’ve established for Moira here as well! She starts off just as bleak as Gilead is -- she’s the one relaying how bleak it is! -- but there’s this slow sort of change as she re-meets June. Even during that first meeting, there’s a little bit of herself coming back to her when she thinks about how she wanted to protect June, and then even through their other interactions it’s clear that she thinks she’s doing what’s best for both of them. I’m so glad that June was able to get through to her eventually, that she took the second chance to escape -- and that she made it to Canada!

And I LOVE that it was just the look on June’s face. A picture is worth more than a thousand words, or so they say, and in this case it seems like that’s the truth. June could have argued until she was blue in the face, but ultimately I still think this is what would have convinced Moira -- the wordless disappointment, the faith that June must have had to carry hope, to be able to be disappointed at all.

I feel like I have to reiterate, I’m very glad that Moira gets out :’) This was a really touching story, Kaitlin!

❤Emily