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| The Life of a Bard by Dreamflower | 16 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/18/2016 |
| Not a dry eye here either. Pippin would indeed have made a very fine bard but, once tempered, those same talents will make him a wonderful Thain. | |
| MorganBaggins | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/18/2013 |
| I think this might be one of my favorite stories of yours yet! I (of course) love the relationship between Frodo and Pippin. It's so sweet that Frodo works to understand both Pippin and his father and helps mend the bond between them. I was excited when Pippin finally got to see Merry-I felt so bad for both of them that Merry's trip was delayed. Menelcar was a great OC (and very realistic to middle-earth). I'm glad he had the pleasure to meet such admirable good-natured hobbits :) Author Reply: I just now found this review! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment on the story! I apologize for not answering sooner! I love to examine the relationships between all four of the hobbits, and of course Frodo had a special relationship with Pippin that was different from his relationship with Merry or Sam. The age gap is much wider, and Frodo was far more of a mentor figure to Pippin than a peer. All the while I wrote this I was conscious of the irony of Frodo keeping Pippin from running away, when just a few years later, Pippin would run away to be with Frodo! That was part of the reason I held Merry back until the end, allowing Frodo and Pippin the chance to showcase their friendship. But of course, even though Merry was not physically present in most of the story, his presence was still felt. Menelcar is one of my favorite OCs. This was my first time to use him, but not my last! | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/11/2006 |
| Oh, I had a good laugh with Merry and Frodo's exchange about those daft Tooks. :-D And what a tearful leave-taking from Menelcar. I can see why you got so many requests for Chance Encounter; this storyline definitely demands more attention--meaning, I want more! Thankfully, we are. :-) Onward, I go. Thank you for sharing your wonderful poetry (even though others may have actually wrote it!) and excellent storytelling. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: Yes; of course, that's saying nothing about some of that Brandybuck "daftness" is it? Menelcar apparently tugged at many heartstrings, so I was very glad to get a chance to reunite him with Pippin finally. Well, I have a couple of original things in "Chance Encounter". Hope you like them as much as you do the adaptations. | |
| Gryffinjack | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/23/2005 |
| Yeah! I finished before the hurricane got here! Count this also amongst my favourite stories of yours. For a tale about a wandering bard who came to the Shire, this sure has a lot of insight into Frodo, Pippin, and Paladin as well as into the Took family dynamics. "Merry rolled his eyes. “Daft Tooks. All of them. Uncle Paladin ought to know better than that after all these years. And Pippin ought to know better than to believe him.” “Your mother’s a Took.” “Not anymore. She had the good sense to marry a Brandybuck.” Frodo chuckled. “A poor excuse for trying to get out of being half Took, I’d say.” Merry gave his older cousin a little swat to the back of his head. “Well, anyway, Pip’s as Tookish as they come.”" This is a fantastic exchange that made me laugh. Of coursse, Frodo and Merry are right - Pippin *is* as Tookish as they come, which accounts for both his good and bad points. Menelcar is absolutely right. Pippin might have been happy living the life of a bard for a while, but he would have missed his family and friends so much that he would have ended up quite miserable. Pippin's life is in the Shire, with occasional visits to the South. A lovely story! And Frodo nodded his agreement. They didn’t come any more Tookish than Pippin. Author Reply: Glad you did! Here's hoping Wilma will not inconvenience you too much. Please stay safe!! Almost any story I write tends to be an exploration of the dynamics of the relationship of the four hobbits. I concentrated here on Frodo and Pippin, but of course Merry and Sam found their way in a little bit as well, LOL! Paladin's trust in Frodo has built up over the years; since you have been reading chronologically, you know how Frodo has helped Pippin in the past. This is not the first time Frodo has run interference for his young cousins with Paladin, and Paladin has learned how wise and caring Frodo truly is. I had a bit of fun with the exchange between Frodo and Merry. Both of them do recognize the ultimate Tookishness of their younger cousin, and all that it implies. Hobbits are not meant to be apart and alone--most especially a very social creature such as Pippin. He probably would have stuck with Menelcar out of a sense of obligation, but he would have been so miserably homesick that it probably would have translated into physical ailments. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story. I am eager to get "Chance Encounter" up soon, and you can discover what came of Menelcar *afterwards*. | |
| longcleeve | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/6/2005 |
| oh what a great story! i love all the pippity goodness! :D i have really been enjoying your stories lately thank you so much :) Author Reply: I just came across your review, sorry for taking so long to respond. I am glad that you liked the story! | |
| Hai Took | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/29/2004 |
| I have been a bit neglectful in reading your stoires. But now of course I have a lot to explore and will be able to take my time reading them, although I probably won't, take my time that is. I love the way you worked all the different songs in! That you used some of Lindelea's songs was great, it makes the fanfic world not seem to seperate when you can find some of the same thing in different stories! Frodo certainly seems to know just what to do with wayward cousins! I'm glad that he got wind of Pippin's plans and all. I think that was best for Pippin as well, that way someone listened to him. It was nice that Gandalf's room was put to use! I like that you mentioned it in this story! Of coursen' Gandalf hasn't been to visit in a while so I doubt he would even know! Also I wanted to mention that the scene you wrote in the kitchen for elevenses was very hobbity and well done! That both Frodo and Pippin deferred to Sam on what was to be done was great! That the knew what needed to be done with out asking and all, it seemed to fit very well! Thank you for the story I only wish I had kept up better with it! It was lots of fun! Author Reply: I understand. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with longer fics, and sometimes it's easy to get absorbed in the story and forget to review, at least for me, anyway. But I always love your reviews, they are so detailed. I wanted to work in as many songs as were practical. Lindelea was kind enough to offer some of hers, and I took her up on it--I'm so glad I did! I agree, it kind of helps tie the different fanfic worlds together. Frodo knows his cousins pretty well; he's had a lot of practce at being the wise older cousin, and he not only listened to Pippin, but Pip was willing to listen to him. This story is 3 years before the Quest. JRRT says that at the time of the Quest it had been 9 years since Gandalf had been to the Shire. And I'm sure he would not mind, even if he did know. I like to show hobbits in the kitchen. I think that is probably the part of the home where they are at their most comfortable. We are told that young hobbits are taught early on how to cook--I can see them easily learning how to work together, and following the direction of the most experienced cook as a matter of course. I'm glad you had fun reading the story. I had a lot of fun writing it! | |
| mariposa | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/20/2004 |
| Oh, I loved this whole story--it was lovely, lovely. All the music was like food and drink to me, and reading about Pippin's talented singing and playing--ah. Just... Ah. Thank you! Author Reply: I'm so glad you liked it! I wondered a bit about including that many songs; many people I know who otherwise love JRRT complain about the songs and poems, which I love. They say they skip over them! I wish more fanfics included them. Thanks for the review! | |
| Anso the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/15/2004 |
| I´ve been terribly behind on stories I`m reading lately, but now I finally got to finish this. I love it! Not only because you write so well and are an excellent storyteler, but also because we get to see all those lovely songs and rhymes that either Bilbo made or belongs in the Shire. Thank you! Author Reply: I am so glad that you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun finding just the right songs to put into the story. I think it's a shame more people don't put songs and stories into their fics the way JRRT did. It's actually true to life for that type of culture--no CDs or MP3s for them. If they wanted music they made it for themselves. I've been gratified by the response to that in this story. Thanks for the nice review! | |
| Marion | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/11/2004 |
| This is not the last chapter, is it? Isss it? Nooo precious, it can't be, no... Author Reply: Yesss, yes it is. I'm sorry, I guess...but it had to come to an end sometime, didn't it? | |
| Elenar | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/10/2004 |
| Very nice! I'm happy to see that Paladin understands Pippin more now and you did a great job creating Menelcar. Author Reply: Thank you very much. Paladin does begin to understand a bit better. And I am glad you liked Menelcar; I grew rather fond of him during this story. | |