Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

A Tale That Grew in the Telling by GamgeeFest	10 Review(s)
whisperer	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 5/8/2013
I enjoy your story very much. I finished it in one sitting. Thanks for this. :) Author Reply: Thank you, whisperer! It's always wonderful to get new reviews on an old story. Glad you enjoyed it!

nancylea57	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 12/9/2008
what an emotional rollercoaster, the ride you provide is amazing. Author Reply: Thank you! It was a rollercoaster to write it as well! I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. :)

Socrates399	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/26/2008
So, I was reading this, and it's not 3 am...just like for Sam and Daisy (and like Sam, I have stuff to do tomorrow!) :-) Anyway, I enjoyed the story. Thanks! Author Reply: Oh boy. I see Rose is going to have to give Sam another lecture about overly long bedtime stories. Now he's keeping the humble readers up all night! :P Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed Sam's story, but dear me, do get some sleep! =) sends Rose after Sam

Frodo Baggins	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 7/21/2006
That's it? No! It can't be! That was so wonderful! I can't even explain to you how intriguing, how heart breaking, how much it made me laugh through my tears and made me smile again. You do Sam so very well! That poem at the end...that was so sweet. So Sam. That was wonderful story. hannon le a thousand times over! Namarie! GOd BLess, Frodo Baggins Author Reply: Yes, that is it. A good thing too, or Daisy might never have had any sleep that night. :D I'm so delighted that you enjoyed the story so much. It's always wonderful to hear how this tale affects my readers. I'm constantly surprised with they respond to it so deeply. I'm especially glad that you enjoyed the poem! I don't try my hand at poetry very often and so I always think it's mediocre at best. Thank you for reading!

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 4/21/2006
Hi again. Drat, I knew I'd forgotten something! (Say, that sounds familiar; I sure hope it doesn't storm tonight. :)) But seriously, I know I'm putting my comments ahead of where they belong, but I must tell you I loved Melilot's comment to Merry: "But you owe me. I had to cry." LOL! I got to that and would have laughed aloud if it hadn't been like one o'clock in the morning. My bad. But it just struck me as so hilarious in the middle of all that angst. That sounds like something I would say! LOL! Great moment of humour there, especially for those of us who like to act and know we're no good at it. :) I'm so glad I'm going to get to do a short story for you! :) Anything you want? I've only discovered you recently, and it would be a great help to know what you'd like. I've got several vague ideas running through my mind already, but can't settle on one. Even if you can't think of a plot, if you could tell me the characters you'd like, it would be great. (Sam, of course!) God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: I tried as much as I could to throw in little lines like that, to lighten the story for just a moment or two. I figured that Mellie wouldn't be the type who would normally fake tears to get something and so she would hold Merry to the promise that he'd pay her back for it somehow. :) Anything with Sam would be great, whether it's him at Bag End, with his family, or with his friends, it doesn't matter. Maybe we can see what he does on his days off, but whatever you want to write would be wonderful! I can't wait to read whatever you come up with!

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 4/21/2006
Do you know I stayed up till near three o'clock this morning, trying to finish this tale, and now I've finished it I wish I still had it all before me again? I expected to say, "Does it have to be over?" But it's a perfect ending, the kind that leaves you happy and at peace, wishing you could live it again but not wanting more, contented with what is there. Oh, undoubtedly I'll read this again; it's going on my list. But a story is never the same the second time through. For the first time I find myself pitying Lotho. I can't believe it; I didn't think that could ever happen. See what miracles you work? :) First I find myself angry with Frodo (though of course I melted and forgave him everything when I understood fully) and now I'm pitying him whom I've often called "the Loathesome." I cried with Sam when the news came that Frodo 'had drowned,' really cried as I haven't done in a while. And of course I was elated when Frodo came home, and even more so when he returned to Bag End. I love the banter and the quiet talk between the cousins. The birthday party was so wonderful, and I love the conversation between Frodo and Sam on the hilltop. I'm so glad Sam let himself relax for a minute and just be a friend, and the cake thing had me laughing hysterically! Sam knows them very, very well! LOL! And I simply adore Sam's gift to Frodo. Sweet, beautiful, poignant, priceless, all fall short. I can't begin to tell you how very much I've enjoyed this. I always try to wait a while before rereading a story, but I'm very anxious to read this one again. Of all that I've read of yours, this is the ultimate masterpiece. What to read next, I wonder? I can't decide. Oh, and if parts of this were made up, then what really happened? :) God bless, Galadriel P.S. If I may, I'm going to write a short story for you and put it under my "Gifts" as soon as I can. That's my way of showing other authors how much I appreciate them. :) May I? Author Reply: Thank you so much for your high praise! It's very much appreciated. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you enjoyed this so much. Once I realized that Lotho was going to be the "villian" here, I knew that everything that happened in the story leading up to that point had to reflect, in some way or another, the turmoil that Lotho is experiencing. I knew readers would never care a stitch about Lotho himself, but I figured that a few might have vicarious sympathy for him because of what the other characters have gone through already. The misery is just beginning for Lotho though - he has no hope of proving himself to his father any more and there's no one, besides his mother, to offer him any comfort or ease - and you know Lobelia isn't going to be offering much of that. As Sam tells Daisy, it's enough to make anyone bitter and spiteful. I'm glad I was able to both bring you to tears and make you laugh. That tells me I did my job well. :) Sam knows that his master is fond of him and he allows them to be equal friends when he can. And he knows Merry and Pippin well - after so much heartache and angst, that joke was just screaming to be told. I can very well imagine Frodo and Sam playing such games in their youth, and reprising them now to remember their carefree days after everything they've been through. I'm truly glad you enjoyed the poem. I don't try my hand at poetry very often and I always feel its inadequate. Whatever you read next, I hope you enjoy them just as much. This was pretty much one of the very first stories I wrote, and many that came after are inspired by this one, "Took Madness", "Mid Years Walking Trip", "Under the Harvest Moon", "Somewhere Only We Know" and "A Night to Forget" to name a few. This story also helped me to establish the hobbits' lives pre-Quest, so many of the themes visited here continue to come up in my other works. Daisy got it right for most of the made up parts. My theory while writing this was that whatever Sam didn't make up, he borrowed from other times in his life and altered them to fit the story where needed. So most of what he tells actually did happen, but not exactly in the way that's represented here and certainly not during this same time frame. You certainly may write a short story! What an honor! I'm truly touched.

Elf Friend	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 1/21/2005
Oh. My. Goodness!!!!! I absolutely LOVE this story. I've been tearing through it frantically for the last three days. There's so much to say, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum... I love the bonds between the four hobbits, especially at the end, between Frodo and Sam. I love their game of making things up and how the conversation between Merry and Pippin came true. Inside jokes are so much fun. ^^ I love also how "everything sad came untrue." Lovely echo from the original stories, there. And I know there was more I want to say, but I forget now. This was excellent, I can't wait to read your other stories!! Author Reply: Thank you so much! This story took many twists and turns, some of which I wasn't even fully prepared for. Our hobbits took quite a journey and came out the better for it. It's easy to see why they stuck to Frodo like a bur on a later journey. LOL, Frodo and Sam know Merry and Pippin far too well. They could have guessed that conversation even without them standing near the cake! Sam had promised his daughter a happy ending, and he gave it to her. Now she can rest easy, until all those pesky questions start nagging her again. ;) Glad you enjoyed it, and if you think of anything else, you know where to find me. :)

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/28/2004
You know, I've been following this story from its start, and it is a joy to see it through. Thank you for the story. Author Reply: And thank you for reading. I'm glad this was able to entertain you for a bit.

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/28/2004
What a wonderful story. You should feel very, very proud. That Daisy is a sharp one! She inherited Sam's shrewd, practical mind, that's for sure. And Frodo-lad is a real treasure. I was particularly struck by these marvelous passages: “No, neither of them were monsters,” Sam said. “It’s a horrible thing, to yearn for something so completely you forget everything else that ever made you happy. That’s to live in despair and no one should have to live like that. And if you never had anything to make you happy in the first place, that could make anyone bitter enough to do the things Lotho did.” "...nothing ever happens ‘right now’. Even things that seem to happen all of a sudden are a long time coming, you just weren’t looking in the right direction to see them approaching is all." "his father found it difficult to say his full name, always having to call him Fro, or Frodo-lad. Never just Frodo." applauds Author Reply: Thank you so much! Daisy did inherit quite a lot of her father's practicality and Sam just gets wiser with each passing year. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews.

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/28/2004
This was wonderful and I am so sorry to see it end. I am like Daisy and could listen to much more of this. Your Sam is so sweet and this was a very entertaining story. I look forward to your next one. Author Reply: Thank you for all your lovely reviews. Maybe one of Sam's other kids will have trouble sleeping and we'll get another story... or maybe not. But I am working on my next fics and will have those up as soon as possible.

Return to Chapter List