Reading Room - Theme IV: Week 1 - Older Lads- PJ's 'The Story of My Life'

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Title: The Story of My Life
Author: PJ
Link to story:http: The Story of My Life also on Pro's Lib CD
Pairing: B/D
Further story information found at prosficspoilers


PJ's 'The Story of My Life' is a bittersweet look at old age, love and losing a partner. You will definitely want to have some tissues handy when you read it.



The story is told from a third person POV, a visiting nurse who has charge of Doyle's care. Doyle is eighty (or is he...). A new nurse, Angie, is assigned to his case and she visits his home to check on his health. She shows up on a day when Murphy is visiting. As Angie questions Doyle, Murphy warns her away from some areas. She seems perceptive, maybe overly so, to the signals Murphy is giving her.

There is something definitely not quite right with Doyle. When she see a picture, lovingly displayed upon a small table by the fireplace, its dark wood gleaming with a warm lustre, of Ray and a dark haired man, the mystery is slowly revealed. Ray tells her that his spouse (and for some reason I can't explain, the constant use of that word really starts to annoy me) isn't home right now, he's stepped out for a bit but he'll be home soon. Angie knows that Bodie has been dead for three years. Ray seems 'normal' in all other ways, but he's definitely confused where Bodie is concerned.

An amusing scene has her falling under the 'Doyle Spell' as Murphy observes the first meeting:

"Oi, Doyle! You've got a visitor!"
"Bloody hell -- two in a row? Who'd believe it?" called back a sarcastic, yet cheerful, voice. A curly head poked itself around the kitchen door. "Who is... Oh, `ullo, luv." A gamin grin appeared.
Distantly aware that she was gaping, Angie closed her mouth with an almost audible click.
"H-Hello," she stammered, desperately hoping she wasn't blushing as fiercely as she feared she was. Get a grip on your hormones, girl! He's old enough to be your bleeding grandfather!
Somehow, that knowledge didn't have the effect it should have. Behind her, she heard Murphy give an exasperated sigh.
"Eighty years old, and he still does it to every ruddy bird he meets! It isn't fair."

Although he is an old lad now, Doyle still has the characteristics we've come to love: the curls, the grin, the sarcasm, the wit, stubbornness, vulnerability and a deep love for Bodie. (And he still slurps his tea, something I've always found humorous and still wonder if its canon or fanon!)

As the story unfolds, we learn that Ray's health is deteriorating, we're told more about the fifty-three year long relationship he shared with Bodie, what happened to Bodie and finally the reason why Ray believes that Bodie has only gone out somewhere and will be coming back. There are lots of 'tissue required' moments. I found them very moving, but then I do like a story that can make me cry. And it has a satisfying ending (I would call it a happy ending, but others might not like that choice of words...)

The title of the story comes from a song, and it fits, although there is one point where it is used that was a bit unbelievable. But this is fiction, so the reader can make the stretch!

If you want a story that can play your emotions, or that shows just how deeply the lads love each other, then I highly recommend this one. But be warned, it does tend to cause tears.


How about some questions to start a bit of discussion?
What did you think about the portrayal of Ray as an older lad? Did it seem real and in character? (I'll admit that at times PJ's descriptions of him reminded me of hobbits! The descriptions of his curly head peaking around a corner, his impish grin - it all said Bilbo to me! *g* (that's most likely due to spending the weekend with all three extended versions of the LotR movies).

Do you like outsiders POV stories? I prefer to be inside one of the lads heads - I get more involved then, but what do you think? It is kind of fun to see the lads from a different perspective.

Death fics - yea or nay? It's a fact - no one gets out alive, but some people won't read them, or don't like them - I'm curious as to why?

How about the use of Murphy in a story. I thought it was well done here. Since we only saw him in a few episodes we can make him whatever we want. How do you see him?

If you've read it, did this story work for you? Why or why not?

And would you say the story had a happy ending?

Thanks so much for joining me here! If you've read the story, I hope I've done it justice; and if you haven't, I hope I've enticed you to do so!

Comments

[margaret-r.livejournal.com]

I read this story a little while ago and enjoyed it, but it’s not the kind of story I would willingly read again, although I did a quick skim read as a refresher for this rec. It’s not that I won’t read death fics but I admit they are not my favourites, especially if it concerns the death of one of the main characters. This fic was different for the fact that it showed the lads in late life after they have spent 50 odd years together so not quite as devastating as if they are separated by death early in life. It was still very poignant.

I had to laugh at your hobbit reference with Doyle and I do agree. The writer has almost made him a caricature in old age of what he was in his younger days and it didn’t really work all that well. I mean an 80 year old with an impish grin in that context just isn’t quite … right. I could accept charming but not impish*g*.

The “outsider” pov on the lads can be interesting and in this story it worked well, although I wasn’t sure why Angie had developed such a quick and total, almost romantic, interest in Doyle. I thought Murphy was a little underused as well. Apart from his obvious concern and care for Doyle we don’t know anything about his life at that point so a bit more information would have been good. As for the ending, I thought it was complete more than “happy”, but the thought of the lads together in another place was good.

So, yes I liked the fic but there were a few niggles including the circumstances of Bodie’s shooting. I just can’t see Doyle being so careless of Bodie’s safety by refusing to see a doctor or get treatment for his condition, but then that was the crux of Doyle’s belief that Bodie was just “away” and not dead so as a plot device it worked for the story.

Thank you for such a comprehensive rec, you did do the story justice and I enjoyed reading your comments as much as the story itself:)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I could accept charming but not impish*g*.
Yes! Thank you!

And to the other things you said, too... *g*

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the rec. I usually don't mind death fics and to be honest, I prefer the ones where Bodie dies and doyle is left to suffer on alone (I am a terrible person!) That said, I do prefer younger lad, hurt/comfort/happy ending stories.
I had issues with some of the things Angie "knew" and took on. She'd have a very hard time surviving her job is she gets so involved with all her clients. But then we know that Ray is special!
I agree with you about the circumstances of Rays shooting. It didn't ring true, but as a plot device, it did work for me.
Thanks for joining in!

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

I read this story a long time ago--thank you for reminding me of it. The fact I had to be reminded of it, though, is probably a point. *g* I remember enjoying it, and rereading it a couple of times, but then it slipped away. I think...I think possibly the older I get, the more unrealistic I find her portrayal of an 80-year-old Doyle. He'd have more depth; more character. I...feel like the author doesn't really know elderly people. I do like your hobbit comparison. *g* For all that, I did enjoy this story, and that's probably down to the thing you can take or leave: the outsider's pov. I adore stories like that. It gives me another view of the lads and, done well, it provides great fun as I know more about what's going on than the pov character does. This is definitely a kink of mine. So, really, that's why I enjoy this story as much as I do, I suspect.

As for death stories, I can read them, but I don't tend to reread them very often. I prefer death stories that show the lads don't really ever recover from the loss. (Yes, in real life, I'd with the opposite for someone; but here...total devastation, please. *g*) And so Doyle's inability to comprehend Bodie's loss here actually does work for me. It's so devastating that he just can't accept it, and so he's gone into, oh, his own form of dementia in a way. And maybe that would make him more "child-like" as he kind of appears to be here. If you think about that too much, it all falls apart, but I can definitely enjoy it for what it intended to be. And for that third party POV. *g* It's nice.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

but I can definitely enjoy it for what it intended to be
Nice way of putting it - that's rather how I felt, too... I'd be interested to see how someone else wrote the story actually, because it could be wonderful!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Doyle's characterization here did seem a bit flat. The story is focused on his feelings for Bodie and we don't see much else. That may have been the author's intention, to keep us focused (and drying our eyes!)
I prefer POV because I like to see how other writer's view the lads. By taking Ray or Bodie's POV, the author reveals their perceptions of the characters, and I find it fascinating how many different characterizations there are. We all see the the way MS and LC played the lads, yet we all have a different view of how they react to the situations we drop them in. It makes the fandom alive for me. (Getting a bit deep, no *g*). I do agree, that a third person POV does let the reader know more of what's going on, but I prefer to see one character's reaction and his perception of how the other is reacting. That's why I like to write many of my stories twice, once from each persons POV.
Thanks so much for joining in!

All for the Reading Room... :-)

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

First of all, it's a very good rec! Thank you! :-)
I think I answer your questions.

"Do you like outsiders POV stories?"
Yes! And this one works perfectly I think. Although I don't want to read it all the time, just now and then. And it must be well and interesting written! And not too long... LOL! But I do like them! :-)

" How about the use of Murphy in a story."
Here I like him much better than in the show. Yeah, it's true – we can make him whatever we want... *g*

" If you've read it, did this story work for you? Why or why not?"
Yes! I would probably like it, if it wasn't about B+D! Because old people all have a lot to tell, and it's nice that someone is listening.

" And would you say the story had a happy ending?"
No! It's just sad!

" Death fics - yea or nay? "
I hate death fic!
But reading some comments earlier, I thought – maybe it is THE big love story, and that at the end they’ll be together – for ever.... Sigh!

So I started to read at work. Which was a big mistake! My (male)colleagues are very blind concerning every emotion anybody may have,
but even they would notice a heartbreakingly sobbing old woman ahead of her PC.
So I decided to go on reading later. At home, in my bed.... Sniff!

But then the spell was broken. And I stopped right in the middle of the story and threw it away!
No really, why should I read a story where Bodie is already dead, where Ray is just a shadow of himself, and where I could watch him dying, - very slowly...???

"Death fics - yea or nay? It's a fact - no one gets out alive, but some people won't read them, or don't like them - I'm curious as to why?"
Well Tom Sawyer is still alive! As much as Elizabeth Bennet, and Darcy, and D'Artagnan! :-P

Second: I read fanfiction for fun! That doesn't mean that I want just mushy or funny stories! I love angst and problems and misunderstandings – as long as everything is solved in the end! Happily!

I don't live and suffer through a beautiful story just to see one of my heroes die in the end!
And I can't say that 'it's just a story'... It would depress me immensely – for days and probably weeks! (I'm sure I wouldn't be a Pros fan, if they would have killed one or both in an episode!)

So, no death fics for me!

- but at least I did try this time! :-)
And now I think I deserve nothing less than the great RR medal of honour, in gold please! :-P

Re: All for the Reading Room... :-)

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I'll see what I can do about the medal...I think we're all out of gold! *g*
Thanks for joining in, even if you didn't care for the story.

Well Tom Sawyer is still alive! As much as Elizabeth Bennet, and Darcy, and D'Artagnan! LOL! I never thought about it that way - yes these characters live on and so should the lads!

I read fanfic for entertainment - so for fun and also to make me think, sometimes to make me sad. We all have different but equally legitimate reasons!

As a weird twist, I don't like stories where one of the lads dies at the end or in the middle. I do like stories where one of them is already gone and the other is trying to cope. (Callisto's 'Til a Bullet Stopped His Song' is a beautiful story dealing with this)

But differences is what keeps this all interesting! Thanks for joining in.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I enjoy your reviews, they're perceptive and stimulating, and I think asking questions is a really good idea, one which concentrates my mind, and hopefully not to the exclusion of matters not covered by the questions(!)

Here we go (and I’m beginning to know how an author must feel when being interviewed):

I read this story a short time ago, so on what I can recall....

What did you think about the portrayal of Ray as an older lad? Did it seem real and in character?

I think it was OK and reflecting on still-attractive older actors today who never really lose 'it' the idea that Doyle is still attractive and attractive to a younger woman is plausible and I think it was written in a plausible way. (I don't know much about hobbits and have never seen any LOTr films so I can't comment on any possible similarity.)

Do you like outsiders POV stories? I prefer to be inside one of the lads heads - I get more involved then, but what do you think? It is kind of fun to see the lads from a different perspective.

I think you're right, if it's from the POV of any of the lads and their thoughts it's probably easier to get a bit deeper, but now and again I do like POV stories - being the voyeur is erotic (much like reading about them, I suppose) and they make a change from a storyline which just comprises foreplay and then the final sex scene.

Death fics - yea or nay? It's a fact - no one gets out alive, but some people won't read them, or don't like them - I'm curious as to why?

Putting the bins out every week is a fact of life but I’m not sure I want to read about it! Seriously, I think I sit on the fence over this, but I can certainly understand people *not* wanting to read them if they find them depressing. Who would consciously want to make themselves depressed or more depressed than perhaps they already are? I think that’s the reason why I tend to avoid the older lads genre and domestic/curtain-based fics because I find them depressingly about real life ('kitchen sink') and I don’t want to be reminded even more than I am that people get old, ill and die - I can see that in Sainsburys every day and I don't want it as part of my favourite hobby! For me Pros is about escapism, adventure, young blood, renwal, strength, surviving death, ever-green Peter Pans.

How about the use of Murphy in a story. I thought it was well done here. Since we only saw him in a few episodes we can make him whatever we want. How do you see him?

I quite like the use of Murphy in stories, he’s a handy character to have, easygoing, would never be homophobic and I think he’d be a good enough friend to hang around and help out in post ci5 days.

If you've read it, did this story work for you? Why or why not?

Yes, if you like older lads stories and maybe even if you don’t because I think the writing was strong enough to move the reader and it *did* move me and make me sad but for those reasons I probably wouldn’t read it again.

Thanks very much for this review, I enjoyed it!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for your kind words! I enjoy writing the rec - I'm glad people enjoy them. I guess the questions come from my teaching background - I could never let a student just enjoy a story, there had to be questions! *g*

Putting the bins out every week is a fact of life but I’m not sure I want to read about it! I like this analogy! Good point. And I totally agree with the Peter Pan idea. It's just sometimes I need something serious, and I don't think it gets more serious than death. I do prefer the happy endings, but very once in a while....

[tango65.livejournal.com]

I liked both the characters and the story, although it really does pull the heart strings. I think Doyle is right in character, right up to still being gorgeous, even at that age, lol.

I struggle sometimes with death fics, because I like to see my lads ride off into the sunset together, but in this case, they do, so it is a happy ending to me.

Murphy played a great role in this, supportive to Doyle and a way into the story of the lads life for Angie - but not intrusively so, it was very well managed.

I've only read it twice and I would come back to it again because its so well written, but given a bit of time because of all it stirs within me.

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this is not one I read alot. But every time I do, I am still moved to tears. I did think this was a happy ending kind of story because Ray finally got what he wanted - his Bodie came to get him.
Thanks for reading and commenting.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this rec - it's not the most cheerful Older Lads story to start with, but it's a good one in many ways... *g* That said, I find myself separating the idea of the story as being the good part, and the actual writing of it rather letting that idea down a bit, so... let me see if I can try and explain that... *g*

I don't mind death-stories at all, but I do hate classifying any story as a "death story", because whilst that might be one aspect of a story it's rarely the only one, and whilst I've read sad, poignant stories in which the character/s died, I've also read hugely heart-warming ones, where the death is really a side-issue. One of my favourite stories, which has me giggling and smiling all through, would technically have to be called a "death story" - but anyone avoiding it because of that label would be missing out on something far more wonderful. Anyway - that's rather how I feel about this story. It's only a "death story" in the way that we all have to die eventually, but it's really a life-story (as the title says! *g*) and although both our lads do die, the focus is on them being together - in both life and death. It is still a sad story, but there's more to it than just "death".

I like that it makes us think about that aspect of their lives though - I think we do, as fans, try to avoid dealing with the sadder, more brutal sides to B/D's lives, and it makes a change to be given something deeper to think about in a story (even though I'd ultimately say it had a happy ending anyway... *g*).

That said... I'm not totally convinced by the story as written, I'm afraid. It's a bit over-sentimental for me, in the way it's written rather than the subject matter - I think the same things could have been said without the melodrama that imbues them here, and the lads I see in the eps are anything but melodramatic (Doyle's extravagant gestures aside, they tend not to emote at great length, or as easily as the characters in this story). People can get more sentimental as they get older, but I don't find it quite believable here, especially when Doyle's character has essentially been frozen in time when he was 60ish and we're given all the info about him still seeming young and mischievous etc etc... His character's both frozen and yet changed - I think it could be done very cleverly, but I don't think it quite has been.

Angie (and/or the story) make alot of claims that aren't really backed up by what we're shown - as others have said, I didn't quite believe that she could be so intensely emotional about Doyle after a single meeting - and I don't think we were given any real reason in that meeting for her to become more attached. At one point she describes him as intelligent and well-read, but we weren't shown anything that demonstrated that in Doyle, we only see and hear him being sentimental about Bodie. In order to believe it, I need to see a connection like that being made, rather than just being told it was.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Is it me, or does time skip rather strangely, too? I might have missed it, cos I end up skimming towards the end of this, but we're told at one point that Murphy and Doyle trick Angie during their poker games - yet I don't remember reading/realising that she was becoming a regular friendly visitor as well as attending Doyle as a district nurse...

And of course my eternal complaint (though zooming forward to the future makes it a prediction rather than just non-Brit-checking, I guess!) - they're speaking American... Can't hardly rest for it... boy oh boy!... mighty peculiar...the name's Ray, by the by... I know American readers won't notice it (which is a completely separate discussion - does it matter who we're writing for?!) but it does completely throw me out of a story, as they say...

What else... All that said (and agreeing with others who've said similar things below) I've been thinking about this, and I'd be really interested to see someone else have a go at this sort of premise (and a bit tempted to try it myself) - riffing and re-writing story ideas seems to have been quite common in early Pros fandom, but you don't see it now and I think that's a shame. There are so many stories out there that are great ideas, but their execution doesn't work for everyone - as long as it's not done rudely/disrespectfully then I don't see why those ideas can't be reworked into other stories along the same lines... It happens all the time outside fandom too, of course, and with the really good ideas that can have more than a single perspective/point of view/interpretation I think it can work well...

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I barely skimmed the story because I hate death fic. Sorry! I don't enjoy them and I read for enjoyment, not to be sad or be taught any lessons. Again, I don't like outside POV stories because I don't care what other people think of Bodie and Doyle. I only care what they think of each other. I don't care about Murphy either! I'm a bad girl. :) Death fic don't make me feel bad, they make me annoyed so I avoid them. I want my lads shagging and snarking and loving each other whilst chasing the bad guys or painting the walls.

Otherwise, I'm sure the story is fine! And no, a death fic can't possibly have a happy ending. Somebody's dead! That's not happy. LOL! Nothing against this particular story since I didn't read it, just some general rambles.

Thanks for doing this! It's good to spark discussion.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

a death fic can't possibly have a happy ending
But From Here to Eternity did - and you liked that one! (http://ci5hq.livejournal.com/137948.html?thread=2377948#t2377948)! *g*

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

No need to apologize! We all like different things, its all good! I don't care for Murphy too much either, but he is a handy character to have around.

I want my lads shagging and snarking and loving each other whilst chasing the bad guys or painting the walls. LOL!!!

I only called it a happy ending because the lads do end up together... sort of.

Thanks for commenting even though this wasn't your cuppa!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec. I read this story quite some time ago so my memory of it isn't 100%, but I do remember needing the Kleenex. Death fic isn't my thing, nor is older lads fic; I like to think of the lads young and healthy - and together - but still I'm glad I read this.

Outsider POV is something I enjoy hugely, I think because it's the POV I can most readily identify with. And I love seeing someone else's reactions to the lads as well, seeing that others recognise their worth. I don't know if I'm explaining that very well!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

You explained very well! And I do prefer the happy, healthy lads. Just every once in awhile, I like a bit of sadness...makes me appreciate the hsppy a little better!
Thanks for joining in!

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

I should confess from the start that I actually read this (or rather, started reading it and ended up skimming it) quite some time ago and have not re-read it now - for several reasons: I didn't get a very strong feeling that this was Doyle (not that he couldn't be, just not enough of a feeling that he was) and I generally have a pretty strong aversion to deathfic (which is the story that makes you laugh, bsl? Sounds like an exception!). I can certainly enjoy the lads when much older, if they still feel like them: examples would be the shootout in the Post Office one (sorry, title ... damn) and there are several beauts like (iirc) Xeno's Paradox and the TOG Sticker diptych. But from what I remember of this story, it had a number of holes in it - I couldn't quite believe in Angie's instant reaction to Doyle, for example, or quite how quickly she seems to understand him; and the conclusion felt a bit artificially set up like a punchline the story was working too hard to reach.

Great to see the review and the discussion, and looking forward to more! Not my cup of tea this time, though *g*

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I had the same problems with Angie, but I looked at her as a plot device and so could get past her. Doyle was very one dimensional, but I think that was intentional - we needed to see how much he missed Bodie so the ending could be considered a happy one.
Glad you commented - we need both sides! Thanks!

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

I´d say it is a happy ending, though it is quite a sad story to begin with. So "happy" is just happy under these circumstances.

I do like the outsider POV, that way it´s easyier to tell little by little and keep the reader in the dark a bit longer. Suspension.

It really worked for me, I like the way she writes Doyle a lot. I like the love she pictures and the reason why Doyle denies Bodie´s death really seems sensible to me.

I am looking forward to read it again.

Thanks a lot for reccing, I do think it is a story well worth to be read and to be presented to other readers like this is very nice!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the story and the review.
I agree that its only a happy ending because of the circumstances - if Ray weren't hurting so badly, it would not have worked for me.
Thanks for posting your thoughts!

[cornishcat.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I last read this but your great rec gave me a solid reminder of the plot.

I can't recall reading any other fics written from a district nurse's perspective and was really pleased to see that, in fiction at least, future governments haven't completely decimated the service!

However, I found myself frequently wanting to address Angie's professional attitude and so the plot lost a lot of its enjoyment for me. Sad really, aren't I?

I loved the fact that the lads stayed devotedly together all those years and that good old Murph was there for Doyle in the end. Obviously I would have much preferred it to have been Bodie ... but then it would have been a completely different story, wouldn't it? *g*

Thanks for the rec.

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Sometimes its hard to separate reality from fiction, and just let go and enjoy. Its especially hard if you deal with that reality on a daily basis. It sounds like yo might be involved in the medical field?
The story worked for me because the lads stayed devoted to each other all those years.
Yeah, if Murphy were Bodie - a different tale altogether!
Thanks for joining in!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Okay, I promised to post. Here we go with those questions.

Older Doyle: there are some great older Bodies and Doyles, but this was a Doyle who has lost the aggression and impatience that makes him Doyle. I didn't recognise him at all. (My Doyle is the Doyle who goes around smashing plates in restaurants until he gets answers :)) Having said that, I have certainly seen people change to this extent over the years, as previously independent and driven people lose their drive and become, well, 'biddable', for want of a better word: easy to over-rule, easy to distract, easy to treat as a child and willing to accept being treated that way and to release their control somewhat. So it's not incredible in itself. However, if that's what we have here, I'd expect Murphy to be far, far more cut up. It's a terrible thing to watch, and instead of impotent anger or undirected frustration, the story gives me the idea of Murphy in some kind of gentle melancholy.

Older Murphy, incidentally - he also must be 80ish, and he's visiting twice a week? I have met plenty of extremely active octogenarians, several of whom like to keep an eye on even older friends, but is he popping in from next door, or driving in from a nearby town or what? Does Murphy have no-one? Is Doyle his only link with past times?

I do like the occasional outsider point of view. I read a great one (where? I have no idea now) about Betty's thoughts through her working day, and there's one I remember from the point of view of the mechanic who has to fix the cars they keep abusing (not so light-hearted as it sounds).

Death fics: if the story is good and well-written, I have no problem at all with it, even if it's one of the more harrowing ones - by which I mean the ones where one or the other never gets a chance to express their feelings. But if it's along those lines, it has to be very, very good.

Happy ending? Well, what happens when she arrives back at the cottage worked for me - aww! (With the exception of the unfortunate door that bounces off the _opposite_ wall - how?) I thought it was the emotional high point. But the significance of the lark completely escaped me. Is it to do with the song? (I'm not familiar with the song either, and if the lyrics are relevant, that went straight over my head.)

Did it work for me overall? Well, LiveJournal says I have written too much already, so I shall have to save the answer and the reason for a second comment. Ahem.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Did it work for me overall? Well... ish. I realise now that I have read others by the same author, and not finished all of them. This one is better, I think. The Americanisms all through make me think she's from America, in which case - and despite the Americanisms - she's made a good effort with things: district nurses don't have an exact parallel in America, but she got the job reasonably right (although nightly visits to a patient? Hmm. Asking for trouble there); and remembers that prescriptions are collected from chemists (pharmacists, whatever, but not druggists). Can't comment on the accuracy of the medical details, but they were convincing enough for me to go with the story. The physical ones, at least. The big thing about failing to accept what had happened... I'm afraid that didn't convince me, and it's a major element, so in that respect, no.

The structure was good, I think: big news happens around halfway through the story and I thought "here we go.." and was very surprised to realise that there was going to be a lot more to come; and then events start to pile up, and we get increment on increment of what happened in the past.

I could have done without - well, was it a bizarre coincidence, or some supernatural message? The reason Angie heads back to the cottage. It asked a bit too much of me.

But my biggest problem was timing. I couldn't fit the dates together, and it began to nag at me, and in the end, with every new nugget about dating, I spent more time thinking "so if this happened in 1988, then.." than taking in the story. I didn't really think it through when mention was made of Doyle being 80-ish; it's only when dates were given that it hit me that we must be in 2030 or so. "So if Doyle is 80-ish, and they've been together for 53 years, then he was 27 when that started, and Murph says they'd been working together for 6 years before that, so he was 21 when they met, so when was he in the Met, then, no, that can't be right, so suppose instead..."

And once it's clear it's in 2030, then we have all kinds of problems: even in 1996 when the story was apparently published, district nurses were taking bloods, sending the bottles to labs, and the surgery then got the results over a network connection (in one local surgery, at least, and we are not at the cutting edge of primary health care reform around here). Carrying a floppy disc from one room to another as Angie does would be jarring in 1996, let alone in 2030. Is the cottage "pseudo-thatched" because in 2030 thatching has been replaced with something, or because some authors just like villages full of thatched cottages? The dating for same-sex marriage given is really unfortunate now: sad to think that back in 1996 it seemed so unattainable that people could think it might take that long. (Yes, I know that it's not the same as civil partnerships, but still..) Still, at least we thought that district nurses would still be around :)

So all in all, the story got me thinking, but mostly about the complications of drawing up timelines! Thanks for recommending it.

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec!
I've read this story in the past, and now a second time, and it just leaves me feeling very melancholy.
The biggest stumbling block is that I can't quite make myself believe that Doyle would have acted this irresponsibly, causing Bodie the injury that ultimately killed him later.
It makes me feel so badly for both of them, and Doyle, with his tendency to feel guilty, would never forgive himself, imo.
So maybe, in the context of the story, his blocking out Bodie's death entirely is exactly what would happen. Either that, or deep depression.
I enjoy the outside POV, even though the nurse seems just a little too quick with her emotional attachment. I'd like to believe that a Doyle that age would retain much of his charm and personality, but sometimes I feel he was just a touch too much of the "ideal elderly man" and not so much "our" Doyle, warts and all.
Overall, this not a story I will come back to often. Too sad for me, which probably means the author painted her picture well enough! :)

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I agree, it is a sad and melancholy story, but I liked it because they did end up together. I think you're right about Ray's portrayal as well, he wouldn't have done something that would risk Bodie's life - but it did play on the canon aspect of Ray's personality - the guilt.
"ideal elderly man" - What - you don't think our ideal younger Doyle would stay ideal as he grew older!? We don't get older, we get better!*g*
Thanks for joining in!

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

In the spirit of byslantedlight's admonition, I'm just checking in late to say thank you for the thoughtful rec.

I read this a while ago, and it did raise some questions for me, which I think have all been addressed above.

Third party PoV stories are enjoyable, for me. The quibbles aside, I came away from this fic feeling pleased that the story of Bodie and Doyle would not be forgotten but had been passed on to the nurse. It's a satisfying read that makes you think about issues of guilt and responsibility and memory, far from being fluff.

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I think that I reaped the benefits of BSL's admonition by being the first poster for this round! Lots of participation!

And interesting - I kind of skipped over the idea that Murphy gave Angie the picture so that the lads story would live on. I like that thought.

Thanks for posting - even if it was just to avoid BSL's wrath! *VBG*

[ladyhawke2.livejournal.com]

Anything I have to say has already been covered, but I thought I should just post to say thank you for the rec. I dislike death fics intensely and avoid them where possible, and although I wouldn't read this again I am glad that I read it once. I started last Thursday, and found it so sad that it was only today that I could make myself finish the story. And it made me cry, much as I don't like to admit it. As if it wasn't sad enough without the author adding in the part about Ray overhearing the doctor :(

Apart from some very minor quibbles (the 80 year old Doyle was a bit off) I thought this was a well written story and I'm glad I read it, but I need to go and read something very sweet and sugary as an antidote!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

It is a very moving piece and I cry when I read it as well. It is not one I go to often. Fortunately there are lots of sweet and sugary Pro's stories out there - so enjoy! Thanks for joining in!