[Potterholic]

Wormwood by Silverthimble
Narrated by AlexG2490
Link to Story on Archive

Your Reviews Here:

This is an amazing story, and an excellent podcast as well. It is very heart-wrenching to read about Harry and Ginny's relationship portrayed this way. I love the characterization and the description in it, and I teared up in the end. I really wanted her to hex Harry, but I thought it showed her character more, the fact she walked away. I loved it, and I love the podcast too. The voice was very clear and the emotion came through really well too. <img src="http://www.harrypotterpodcast.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="thumbsup.gif" />

This post has been edited by LovlyRita: 12 August 2010 - 02:51 AM

[Wildheart]

I almost wish Alex would've broken down a bit during this attempt, too, and kept it in - that said, it was still very emotional and beautifully read. One thing I really loved about the podcast itself was the music in the background. It fit really well with the setting, and made it even more heartbreakingly dramatic. The detail in the story was absolutely fantastic, and Alex didn't miss a beat with any of it. I kept watching the images unfold in my mind - Ginny, watching her husband with the shop assistant, and then walking away with the tears on her face.

Well done! I'm still kind of choked up about it.

[JLHufflepuff]

I really feel Ginny's emotions as I listen to this podcast. The story is very well-written that way - a tale that can definitely describe any relationship in such a situation. I am amazed at how it translates into a podcast. The fact that AlexG was deeply moved while reading shows, and it offers something extra.

[eternalangelkiss]

This story was a fantastic story to listen to. I think the author did a wonderful job capturing realistically the emotional upheaval an affair can cause someone. I also think the way Ginny was characterized was so heartwrenchingly sad because the old Ginny would have confronted Harry, but this Ginny was so heartbroken that she didn't even have the strength to do anything. I really wanted to know what happened when Harry got home and faced her. I wanted the story to continue.

As for the podcast, I could hear the emotions in Alex's voice as he read the story. This made the story that much more potent because it displayed just how heartbreaking an affair can be. I also think the music in the background helped accentuate the story, bringing out the drama of the story even more. Excellent work!

[melian]

Podcast review: Nicely read by Alex, with a good intro to give us a bit of background as to how the podcast came about. I loved the background music, as it really added to the effect. Good sound quality and very few stumbles, especially once the story began, so overall an excellent production.

Story review: Nice descriptions! Horrible as it sounds, I liked the idea that Harry and Ginny were not living the Happily Ever after, because it does happen, especially when people get together very young and then grow up, sometimes in different directions. It's AU, of course, because Ginny was much younger than 35 when there were babies around (even Ron & Hermione's) but I can live with that. Losing a child is a tragic, horrible thing to happen to anyone – whether the child had been born alive or not – and I can really understand how that could drive a wedge into a relationship. A resultant affair, while awful, is not unheard of, though it was something that I wouldn't wish anyone to witness or experience. Ginny's sense of loss was really palpable and the story was brilliantly written.

[RonNiffler]

Well yay that you got it that 4^th time so you didn't have to try a fifth time! Alex did a wonderful job with this! His voice showed much emotion and passion! It was wonderful!

I love how Ginny talked to her cat Ginger (I think that was what the cats name was, I may be wrong). It was sad how the cat was the only thing she had to talk to. But I really did like how they put this small detail in there.

Gosh! I'm so mad at Harry! But you always see Harry and Ginny being the ideal happy couple, you never see it where they don't live happily ever after. But I like it. It's a breath of much appreciated fresh air. I like though that Ron and Hermione managed to work out well.

I can't believe her baby died. I really didn't see that coming. I thought she had just been stressed with a new baby and all, but for it to have died. Very upsetting. I can see how this much have had a great affect on Harry and Ginny's relationship.

The detail throughout this whole story was amazing. I felt as though I were along with Ginny as she went to Ron's house, to the bar and after Harry.

Again I'm so mad at Harry! Cheating on her! Oh I hope she tears him a new one. I mean how could he! He has Ginny wanting to be ignorant! That is so horrible! Gosh I wish I could see Harry just to knock some sense into him!

Before I forget that music throughout this was a nice touch!

Well wonderful job! This story was amazing!

This post has been edited by RonNiffler: 20 July 2010 - 02:11 AM

[Broomsticks]

The intro that Alex gave at the begin was very touching and I'm glad you gave the background to the podcast and told us a bit more about why you chose it.

This was beautifully read with so much emotion and feeling. Alex's voice so easily pulls you into the story and as I listened I could see the scenes so vividly. Ginny's emotions were read so well, I really felt for her. I don't really know what to put haha! It was such a strong piece. I love these stories where the kids are older and struggling to get on with their lives - mostly they are angsty and don't end well, but the one's I've listened to on the podcast have been so well written and well read that I've really developed a love for them even if they do break your heart. I loved the pace of the podcast and I felt like I was with Ginny as she watched what was happening to her life. The narration was brilliant. I thought the music was very atmospheric, however at times I thought it was a little over the top and it distracted me. But the sound quality was brilliant and the reading was wonderful, I extremely enjoyed it!

The writing was beautiful. Ovbiously whoever wrote this has a lot of talent and the way they portrayed Ginny was heartbreaking. I was really touched by this story, as I felt like I was somehow a part of Ginny's struggle. The author did really well to get the readers emotions going - this was beautiful!

Thank you for recording. It was heartbreaking, but I'm glad that this story was recorded otherwise I wouldn't have found it, so thank you!

[lia]

Wow. I could see why Alex had some trouble reading this with his composure kept. This is like the anti-epilogue where all wasn't well...not at all. After all those years of being together, the Golden Trio sadly drifted apart. And Ginny, jeez. She's not a character that I particularly like but seeing her here makes me feel awful. The background music didn't help my mood much. Don't get me wrong, it was fitting, rather mournful actually. The repetition of Ginny and Harry was like nails scraping across the chalkboard. I would've chucked the album away myself!

*shakes head* there is no way he would've left that alley alive. At the end of this, I felt like crying yet I'm enraged. Ignorance is bliss. She really should've stayed home. I agree with Broomsticks, I definitely felt Ginny's heartbreak too

[Singularity]

I'm such an eternal optimist. I kept waiting and hoping that Ginny would discover Harry planning something wonderful for her. Yeah...a little off on that one.

The story was brilliantly written. The detail and descriptions were quite good, and the characterizations were spot on. Well, except that I can't see Harry ever doing that to Ginny. Yes, I know that it happens and that even good people do bad things, but it's so hard to reconcile that with the image I have of Harry. It's probably just me and my eternal optimism again.

Alex, you did a fantastic job reading this story. You really captured the emotion involved. The pacing was good and I only noticed one or two stumbles, which is pretty amazing for a story this emotionally charged. The music in the background really added to the story.

[pennyardelle]

Another great podcast...a few stumbles this time from Alex, but it's okay, we know you can't be perfect ALL the time. You know, I'm not really sure I liked the music with this. I really liked it at the beginning, but I almost think it should have faded out after the first 10-20 seconds. I just kept imagining what it would sound like without the music, and I think Alex's tone and emotion would have come through a lot more clearly if it had been silent. It was like I instinctively paid more attention to the mood of the music than what was being read, and those moods didn't always quite match up. Sometimes the music even competed with the volume of his voice. However, I think it was good that the music changed at a couple points, and I like that the first change was placed at something of a turning point in the story, too.

As for the story, I liked it a lot. It was definitely very bitter (having listened to the staff chat where you talked about this, I know that was the point of the title) and the emotions were written really well. I could really see the challenge that had prompted this story coming through, because half of me was furious with Harry for being so slimy, and half of me was mad at Ginny for being so suspicious and following him. It was like in a horror movie when someone decides to go down into the dark, grimy basement. Of course, it's not Ginny's fault that Harry wasn't faithful to her, but I could definitely see that questioning of "ignorance is bliss" that the author tried to get across. And I honestly think that question is one that extremely difficult to answer, so this story really makes you think.

This post has been edited by pennyardelle: 01 August 2010 - 12:52 AM

[SexyDoorFrames]

This was a beautiful story. I adore it. The fact that it had almost a bitter tone made me love it more. I love things with a little bitter edge The story was written brilliantly. Clear and consistent characters; the author is really good at her characterization (other than Harry cheating...) The detail to everything was fantastic. The authors descriptions were brilliant and the last line was perfect. Just perfect. It summed up the story perfectly.

I don't actually like stories that portray Harry as a cheat but I couldn't help liking this story. I mean, I don't think he'd do that, but he could, because we don't know what happened after Deathly Hallows. But that's me, I'll always think of Harry as a boy, not a man.

In all, excellent podcast! I really enjoyed it.

[alicia and anne]

This story was just so sad, I can't believe Harry and Ginny's relationship has gone to this, it's horrible to think it had become this. And Ginny just seems so depressed and lonely and it seems like Harry doesn't care. I can tell that this story got to Alex, I can tell in his voice.
I must admit that I almost cried when Ron got excited to see Ginny.
What is Harry up to? why wasn't he at the ministry? this music is not helping the situatuion it's such tense music! this is such a nice touch.
Oh my Merlin!! what a slimeball! Poor Ginny, I can't believe she saw this happen. This was such a sad story, I don't ever want to think about Harry and Ginny not being in love.

[propertyoftheHBP]

Oh. My. This is possibly one of the saddest stories I've seen/heard on HPFF ever. I can see why it took Alex four times to record it. I think the worst part (not worst as in bad, worst as in most heartbreaking) is that I knew what was coming in the end and I just had this impending sense of doom for Ginny. Her character was so real and I really sympathized with her, it was so sad to listen to everything unfold for her. Alex's reading of it was completely perfect and I could really tell how he felt about it. I liked the music; it set the tone of the story straight off the bat--though in the first few seconds I thought that Harry had died, I'm not sure why--and the music got more emotional as the story did. All of the characters were perfect and I really could have seen this happening if what happened to Harry and Ginny had happened to them in the books.

It was heartbreaking and I loved it, the author and Alex did fantastically.

[LovlyRita]

Is it weird that I wish I could have heard the version where Alex broke down? Maybe it's because I can't imagine Alex being weepy much, though I'm sure he could be. He's pretty straight laced, not much ruffles his feathers...so the fact that this does makes me even sadder than i would've been just listening to it on my own!

As it is, he did a great job with it as always. He has a voice made for podcasting, that's just how it is. Although sometimes his pronunciations are silly. He said "SterIle" haha.

this story is so sad! Is it weird that I like this kind of story, though? Fluff is something that I don't really like very much, and this is the antifluff. Actually, upon listening to it, I'm pretty sure I've listened to this before, back in the day. Or maybe I read it? not sure. Anyway, poor Ginny, she just cannot catch a break. The baby, losing her job, the affair. I kind of want to write a sequel to this where Ginny kicks Harry's butt to the curb, starts her own company and totally dominates all of Harry's fail.

But as it is, this story really is so sad. The writing is amazing, the descriptions so real, and...well, intense. That was intense.

Good job, as always, Alex