CI5 hq

I may be a lone voice so far, [edit: no I'm not, it just took me ages to post] but I am an enthusiastic one. Having finally got to read the whole story, I am really grateful for this recc, and can't wait to read more by Castalia now.

I really loved the writing style. Oddly, I thought it was the opposite of dreamy, what I liked best was the attention to small, everyday details. Instead of avoiding the boring bits like making a cup of tea, putting away groceries, dealing with a headcold, Castalia has used them so beautifully, sometimes to counterpoint the mood, sometimes to reinforce it.

Maybe the dreamy quality is the way she presents lapses of time, especially in the first scene. And the descriptions of snow are
beautiful. And the scene where Bodie curls up on the sofa to the sound of Doyle's voice - swoon.

Plotty stories with other agents (and yay Jax playing a prominent role!) always appeal to me, where the relationship is being played out against a background of CI5 work.

I don't usually enjoy a lot of angst between Bodie and Doyle, indeed didn't enjoy that aspect so much here, but I was so enjoying the writing. Also impressed that we're never told about what went wrong with their relationship, just tantalising hints that they had been lovers but Doyle had carelessly hurt Bodie and Bodie had overreacted (I mean, by anyone else's standards, not by Bodie's own standards).

Also I think I enjoyed it because, unlike some angst stories, it's quite one sided. Doyle is repentant and persists in trying to win Bodie back - although not of course without being snarky and self-protective too.

If I have one mild criticism, the rows and Doyle's being 'lost' without Bodie didn't seem quite tough and bloke-ish enough:

Another argument, between them, just one of many. Words thrown and too carefully picked up and thrown back; well-aimed, those, too. Not a particularly nasty fight, even. Accusations, recriminations: there had been worse than that. Much worse.

Wonderful understated ending too - 'rescue' has indeed arrived for them.

Edited Date: 2009-11-27 01:13 pm (UTC)

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Castalia writes beautifully, dreamily, atmospherically - sometimes someone is so good that you feel everything the lads feel. I adore that - but what do you think?

What do I think? I think yes, yes and yes - I couldn’t agree more! I’ve always thought of Snowman as a mature story written by a grown-up for grown-ups and about grownups in a grown-up relationship and being a grownup I loved it.....

While the writing’s not really like Helen Raven’s I’d say my response to it and the way I read it is similar to the way I read HR's: at times I almost forgot to breathe and at one stage definitely paused in the eating of my banana in order to concentrate 100% on writing like this:

"Can't help it," Doyle answered, in a similar murmur. He lifted his right hand, the sleeve tightening around his shoulder, his biceps. His fingertips touched Bodie's dark head, rested on his hair, still wet, followed a water drop, sliding over Bodie's brows, his cheek, one fingertip moving further down, reaching chin, then naked neck, to stop right against the black woollen edge of the pullover.

What else did I love? Apart from all my favourite ingredients for a good story like memorable (erotic) atmosphere, wonderfully executed sex scenes, grittyness and a distinct lack of slush between the lads? Hmmm......…loved the frequent references to snow and the way the writer makes good use of it throughout the story. I suppose snow can symbolise all kinds of things, but what I took from it here was the silent, calm, lonesome (for some, depressing)and at times, claustrophobic world of snow - another world - was a fitting context for how we view their relationship: initially stuck together on obbo with the hours stretching endlessly and silently (like snow) until it was so dark he couldn't distinguish where the walls of the house across the street started and the sky ended. His eyes then lingered on Bodie, all stiff back and cramped legs, a darker outline against the dark sky.....(love the frequent links between them and the elements) and then how the relationship evolves - how they're both feeling about each other (and particularly Doyle):

Doyle stood still, panting, a lonely dark figure, a small point in the vast white, in the cold night. A small, solitary thing...seen from above, lost.

...and lost in the relationship? Oh, well, *I* liked it.....

And the scene where Bodie curls up on the sofa to the sound of Doyle's voice - swoon.

Yes! Completely agree.

Lovely rec and thank you - whoever you are - for the choice!

Edited Date: 2009-11-28 08:18 am (UTC)

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"...love the frequent links between them and the elements..."
Yes, you've put it so well.

Doyle stood still, panting, a lonely dark figure, a small point in the vast white, in the cold night. A small, solitary thing...seen from above, lost.
I was going to criticise this image for making Doyle look too pathetic. But then it occurred to me that it is a precursor to the final scene where Doyle is literally lost out in the snow, but that time Bodie comes to find him and in his desperation overcomes the almost impossible odds of finding the 'lonely dark figure...in the cold night'.

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Doyle stood still, panting, a lonely dark figure, a small point in the vast white, in the cold night. A small, solitary thing...seen from above, lost...........

I was going to criticise this image for making Doyle look too pathetic. But then it occurred to me that it is a precursor to the final scene where Doyle is literally lost out in the snow, but that time Bodie comes to find him and in his desperation overcomes the almost impossible odds of finding the 'lonely dark figure...in the cold night'.

Ah, excellent point and I think you're probably right. I took it to be a reflection of how he was 'lost' in their relationship, floundering and not knowing what to do next in terms of Bodie (even though it seems that he, Doyle, was the cause of the rift in the first place) but I think I prefer your interpretation.

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"I’ve always thought of Snowman as a mature story written by a grown-up for grown-ups and about grownups in a grown-up relationship and being a grownup I loved it....."

Yes, but sometimes grown-up stuff is a disturbance in our neatly constructed escapism! ;-)

So I stopped reading and started some Meg Ryan kind of story instead. An Affair To Remember by Meg Lewtan... :-)

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I'm a bit surprised, if you found this off-putting how can you bear to read anything by M. Fae Glasgow, or other more gritty, angsty stuff?

I'm right with you on escapism, though. The fics I like best are full of love and romance and humour and exciting action, and hot sex of course. "Snowman" had all of these.

It also had a bit more angst than I would normally choose, but I really felt for the characters, and just enjoyed the style of writing so much I wanted to keep reading, hoping that it would turn out right. Although Bodie was being very hard and determined in rejecting Ray, Castalia gave us enough clues about his true feelings to be encouraging. oh, and I did cheat by reading the end first *g*

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I don't read much M.Fae Glasgow. I think I started some but didn't finish them.
I just know Jingle Balls and Wish I Wasn't Here (which I love!).

"I'm right with you on escapism, though. The fics I like best are full of love and romance and humour and exciting action, and hot sex of course. "Snowman" had all of these."
I believe it! And the story is in my 'to read' folder - but not at the moment! ;-)
Just look at the first 5 pages - too much desperation, defence, silence and misunderstanding between them...

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Yes, but sometimes grown-up stuff is a disturbance in our neatly constructed escapism! ;-)

Yup, that's true. I'm not always in the mood for being grown-up either and I can enjoy escapist stories very much, hence my love for Pam Rose's Arabian Nights and the early parts of The Hunting.

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So you know what I mean. And now IS the time for something 'else'!
Arabian Nighs is a good idea to reread btw...
But why just the early parts of The Hunting? (I don't know it.)

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But why just the early parts of The Hunting? (I don't know it.)

Because I hadn't read the rest...HAHAHAHAHAH!!! No seriously, I *haven't* read all the rest but it did start to get very repetitive after the first few parts... You know the kind of thing, lots of outdoor sex, Doyle being treated like a girl by Bodie, lots of outdoor eating/picnics, lots of outdoor sex and then you had lots of
sex/eating/sex/eating/few fights/more sex/more eating and so on until it began to remind me of Enid Blyton but I did *love* the first couple of parts (I can't remember how many exactly. I think Parts 1 -5 are online).

Edited Date: 2009-11-29 07:05 pm (UTC)

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LOL! That's not very convincing to start reading it... ;-)
I mean I understand if an actor doesn't want to leave a long running show - but why should a writer do that???????????
LOL! "...lots os outdoor sex.... more sex.... sex...."

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Sorry it's a bit late, but LOL, that's hilarious! I love this review!

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