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It Takes a Took by Dreamflower	29 Review(s)
PSW	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/27/2016
I have been having such a great time reading your stories, and this one is no exception. I loved your version of Diamond, and your Pippin. You have definitely shown him as someone any girl would want to marry... :-) Thanks for writing!

pegueng	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 5/14/2013
Awww.. outstanding .. fabulous.. I started reading yer Fantastic story on FF but just couldn't wait for yer updates there ;) so i took the liberty of finding the original posting of it to read it through. I didn't know of this site so now i have another grand library to weed from. But your's was the first here and will be in remembrance always. Yer story has the air of propability and well earned happiness for them unintentional heroes. As i mentioned on reviews on FF, you have a knack of descibing the lives and ongoings with much ardour. I salut you, Dreamflower. / Pegueng

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 4/7/2013
Love this story! I really don't think I ever read it before, being kind of keen to avoid romance at the time. Now, of course, I can't get enough of it. ;) I absolutely love your characterization of Diamond, and Pippin's letters are adorable! They'd drive me crazy for being so short, but they are so charmingly Pippin. I actually had chills when he and Merry were telling their story to their ladies. What an agonizing process it must have been. Poor Estella, her mother really is quite the character! You captured the dread of feared illness very well, I thought, and Diamond's experience with it. I almost felt everything she did. In case I haven't said it lately, I love the way you flesh out all the hobbits' personalities in all your stories, not just our favorite five, but your own original characters (love Opal and her sisters and the transformations there) and people who have their names mentioned in Tolkien's work but get little or no more than that. Your Esmeralda is one of my favorites. Frodo's last letter is heart-rending. But the departure from the wedding is so sweet, and somehow, even though I read the words of "Upon the Hearth" at the end, I was hearing Pippin's special song for Diamond in my head. :) Author Reply: Yes, Pippin made up in quantity for what his letters lacked in volume, LOL! Telling their loved ones was very painful for them--but they were wise enough to realize that it had to be done if they wished to share their lives with the two lasses. Rosamunda is shallow, and a bit of a snob. But she does love her children and want what's best for them. It's just that her ideas of "what's best" can be a little skewed. Thanks for the kind words about my characterizations--I know you've seen me say it before, but that is one of the nicest compliments on my writing: characterization is key. I'm glad you were touched by Frodo's letter and also by the ending of the story! And again, thank you for reading, and for reviewing! It's always lovely to hear from you.

FantasyFan	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 5/7/2007
I've had a good time re-reading this story tonight. It is a lovely romantic story, and I just love the characterization of Pippin in this. He is pure Pippin - mischieveous, determned, honorable, brave, easily bored, and utterly charming. And also so innocent, despite all that he has gone through, despite all the evil he's seen and the terrible and hard times he's lived through. His goodness, his purity, are really apparent here. I originally started reading this tonight where you've been newly posting it at West of the Moon. Quickly realized I'd read it before, and remembered I'd liked it. When I got to chapter 2, the sentence about Diamond and Pip being 6th cousins immedediately caught my eye, and then when I got to the bottom and saw myself credited I just laughed. After chapter 7, I came over here to SoA to finish reading. By the time I got to the end I was in tears for the letter from Frodo, which I had forgotten. And I read my original review of that chapter, where I also cried, and I realized that the more things change, and time passes, the more that they really stay the same. Frodo having to leave his cousins will always make me cry. Pippin will always make me laugh, and Tolkien's world will always make me shake my head in wonder and awe, as will marvelous writers like you who expand the original and make it personal and present in so many ways. Thank you for a lovely story. Author Reply: Oh wow! You know, it does my heart good to find reviews for stories that have been up a while. I'm rather fond of this one myself, but I'm so glad that you see all those things in my Pippin, for that is just how I have always seen "book-Pippin", and to know that you think I got it right just makes me smile. And to know that you are re-reading it also makes me happy. I'm one for re-reading the things I enjoy, so it feels good to know you liked it that much. Thank you for taking the time to let me know! I appreciate it ever so much! Thank you for a lovely review!

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 8/19/2006
Oh, Dreamflower! What a splendid tale! That's the best romance I've read in a while. I don't really know where to begin, there's so much to love and admire. Well, here goes; I'll try and cover everything that really stood out for me... How like our Pip to get himself hurt saving other lives...again! I can really see how his and Paladin's relationship has improved, just in the way they behave and react to one another. There's real closeness there, obviously, and it's wonderful to see. There are so many names in the books that Tolkien never got to give personality to, and I love how you and so many others can make them come alive. I have to say, though, that I'm very partial to your Took family, which, of course, includes the future Mistress Diamond and all the OCS, particularly the Jewels. Wow! Opal is doing so well! I'm really impressed with how well she accepted her disability, and seems so determined not to let it get her down. This summer I attended a program for youth at the Colorado Center for the Blind to gain some useful info and experience of all kinds (that's where I've been all this time), and while there I saw a lady who had just lost her sight and come to learn life skills all over again, but was waiting to go back to the airport because she thought she couldn't do it. Yes, it's challenging; yes, it can be frankly terrifying and almost overwhelming at times, even when one has never had sight in his/her life, but it takes mindset and determination, and it made me so sad to see her just give up like that, in such real despair, because she so deserved to live her life fully, and she could have, I know it. And then to see someone like Opal, who is suddenly robbed of a limb, which, to most (and I have to say to me) seems far, far more severe than the loss of sight, just get over the rough stuff and do her very best to learn to live fully and be the best she can...It's thought-provoking. Now that poor Hyacinth is out of the way, I am able to find Rosamunda rather amusing. Not that I'd want to be in Estella's place, but still...:) "Dragon Rosamunda" is a very appropriate if not altogether kind nickname. :) Eglantine and Pearl are wonderful, and I think the four young people ought to do something special for them when Rosamunda isn't around as a bit of repayment. It would be kind and much appreciated, don't you think? :) Mistress Lavender seems like a very kind and interesting person. Healers can be delightful to write, can't they? :) Diamond was fortunate to have her as a Mistress. You have the extraordinary gift, like Tolkien, of slipping those moments of genuine sweetness and pathos into just the right places in a longer tale. Wonderful to see others noticing that special bond between the four, especially during Merry's incident. Poor Hobbit, to feel it even then! And while I'm on anniversaries, I think the happenings at Bag End were done just perfectly! You didn't skim over (as seemed to have been done in the Red Book), and you didn't go way overboard. I can't say I'm never guilty of the latter, but it's not a good fault to have. It was very touching, and I truly felt for Sam. To see your brother of the spirit look at you with eyes utterly empty...shudders No wonder he didn't sleep much that night. I really felt for Merry when Frodo's letter came saying he wouldn't come for Yule. I guess it was the wisest thing, as he would have been overwhelmed, but it would be so crushing for his cousins, especially Merry. And 'Candles' sounds like a very beautiful dance! Loved the party of well-wishers at the end, and Frodo's last letter to Pippin made me cry, this section in particular: For some reason, you always loved me, your strange old cousin who was solitary and bookish. And no one who knows you can imagine doing anything but loving you, which I have done from the time you were the tiniest of babes. I know, of course, that Merry is your favorite cousin, but you did me the honor of making me a close second in your heart. Some of my fondest memories are of the wide green eyes looking up at me with a stream of endless questions, and the lad who could never seem to stop moving. Oh, he had no idea how very much he was loved. In such a huge epic, with so very many characters, Tolkien didn't get much time or space to really delve deeply into the thoughts of each individual; at any rate he couldn't stay with one POV for too long. I recall in FOTR his seeming almost constant switching from Frodo to Pippin and back again. Some of the time he left it to us to imagine their thoughts and feelings, judging them by their outward actions. I know I've said it before, but I truly think that your characterizations of the Hobbits are some of the truest in the fandom. Thank you for such a marvellous read! I sure missed just sitting back with a good story this summer, even with all I had to keep me on my toes! God bless, Galadriel

	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 8/8/2006
What a lovely story- with such excellent characterisations! The little details, such as the Tookish dislike of wheeled chairs, added realism. The way you wrote of how the rest of the Shire viewed the Travelers was touching and heartbreaking, that so few understood their pain. Frodo's illnesses, and how others reacted, were just as I had imagined, only stronger. And I was crying from Frodo's letter. Thank you for writing this and being kind enough to share it!

PIppinfan1988	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 11/17/2005
I was almost in tears over Frodo's letter...so sad, having left for the Undying Lands years before. Was it a gift that Sam held onto and then gave it to Pippin on his wedding day as Frodo's gift? Sorry, somehow I missed that bit. What a sweet thought; Merry, Estella, and "the baby"! Is it lad or a lass? Or...should I wait until after the wedding tale that I hope you're planning...? Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful, incredible imagination. I absolutely love your world of hobbits! I have enjoyed, and delighted in this tale from the first word through to the end. :-) Is there a sequel coming anytime soon? ;-) LOL, one tale at a time, right? Thank you again, Pippinfan Author Reply: Yes, Frodo had left letters, sealed, with Sam. Directions to give them to his cousins on their wedding days. For of course, he had not planned to see them and say farewell. There are a few stories that might suit you if you haven't already read them: "Surprises" actually takes place the day after Chapter 32. "A Special Homecoming" deals with Merry's and Estella's first child, and "A Night to Remember" deals with their betrothal party. In addition there are "Wish You Were Here", double drabbles set on their wedding day, and "Wedding Night", also a drabble. All of those are in my mathoms. I probably will do a story on their wedding eventually, but so far I've written "around" it. And I would like to thank you! You've no idea how much I have enjoyed our almost daily exchanges over this story, nor how much I looked forward to the review notices in my inbox. It's been great fun! I hope we do it again sometime--so, when do we get a sequel to "Courtship"? grin

Ailu	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 6/8/2005
Oh my! I don't know where to begin! I've always loved the hobbitwives myself (Estella is, for some reason, one of my absolute favorite characters in LotR--there's something about her name, I think) & I do so love your Diamond & Stella. They're both so delightfully Tookish & will make their husbands quite happy, I'm sure. Pippin saving his brother-in-laws was delightful in itself, & I loved his cousins & Sam coming immediatly (& Rosie's courage about letting them go, despite her fear of being alone). The ensuing h/c was delightful, and Frodo scolding Merry about being a "mother hen" sent me into a laughing fit. I scarcely every read Pippin h/c (I'm all about Frodo), but it was fun to see him as a patient for a change. Lavendar's awe at the amazing healers they had met during their Travels was adorable. Your Diamond's dimples are now branded onto my own, thankyouverymuch. Merry's initial assessment of Diamond & making sure that she was worthy of his cousin was so endearing. The scene where Pippin wakes up to see Frodo on the bed next to him was so beautiful in that horrible bittersweet way. Diamond falling for Pippin's "Tookish charm" was lovely. Really, who wouldn't? Opal was an interesting character--I was intrigued by her myself. I love characters who start out horrid & develop into better people (or hobbits). Oh--and the "magic potions from talking trees"... just... xD; Weaving Frodo & Sam upon the return to Bag End into the story was nice. Merry having an anniversary illness on Oct. 6 was quite interesting, but it made a lot of sense. Oh, and "But that’s all right, he thought. I have enough pain for the both of us." That line... I mean, I don't know what I mean--something about it just ached with all of the sadness of Sam having to care with poor Frodo when things were supposed to have gotten better. Merry telling Estella all of those romance stories during their courtship was amusingly sweet. The hobbitwives hitting it off so well right away (I knew she would confide in Estella!) made me grin like crazy. Estella being able to give such wonderful advice was wonderful as well. :) Diamond handling the spotted fever outbreak so well made me so proud of her. Your Diamond just made me love her right away. Diamond h/c was something I'd never though I'd see, but oh--it was wonderful! Estella's stubborn refusal to let Merry slip out of telling her the story was so wonderfully Tookish. Though your Rosamunda is quite different than mine, she certainly was amusing. I loved how the poor Tooks had to keep her occupied while Merry & Pip told their story. And the story & how the girls handled it was so wonderful. I do so love scenes like that. :) It's very good that they know, really. Pippin's letters were a hoot! I love that Pippin played the fiddle--it so Pippiny, I suppose. :D Must mention this before I forget--Pimmie's twins being named Drogo & Primula was so sweet. I loved it. I forgot to mention Pippin's talk with his aunt about Primula earlier, but that was one of my favorite scenes, I think. And then Frodo's letter in the epilogue. Wo-o-ow. That got me a little teary. & Frodo talking not just to Pippin, but assuring Diamond that her life would be happy as well is so very much like him. So, yes. I had a bad run-in with a piece of undercooked chicken & the resulting stomach ache was horrible--thank you very much for providing me with such wonderful entertainment during that. :) Hope this review isn't too incoherent. Author Reply: Heavens! What a lovely review for a story that has been out for a while. I always love seeing new readers for my "older" stories. (LOL! I've only been writing fanfic a year and a half.) I am so glad you like my Estella and Diamond. I am rather fond of them myself. Too many people make them deliberately unlikeable in some way, especially Diamond, for some reason. Jealousy, I suppose. But I think that Merry and Pippin deserve happy wives and happy marriages. That's part of the reason I wrote this in the first place. You know you are the first to observe the Tookishness of both wives. Yet that is perfectly canon: Estella was half-Took on her mother's side, and Diamond was of course, a descendant of the Bullroarer himself. I tend to include all four hobbits in my longer stories whenever feasible. I am all about the four of them and the way they relate to one another, so there is no way a story with this many chapters would only be Pippin. I just can't do it. So anyone who loves Frodo, as long as the story is pre-Grey Havens, he will find his way in somehow. (And as you saw in the Epilogue, even after.) Many of the references in the story tie in to others of mine: Opal is an OC in "A New Reckoning", and Pimmie naming the twins for Frodo's parents is in my story "Tribute". I am very sorry to hear about your stomach-ache, but I am glad that I was able to help you pass the time profitably.

hobbitdownthestreet	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 1/28/2005
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i don't think i'v read a better tale than that in all my life! that was just AMAZING! i loved every little bit of it! you realy do have a woundeful talent that many would love to have (i am one of them) please keep up the wonderful writing and God bless you! Author Reply: blushes I'm sure that there are a great many stories as good or better, not to mention LotR, but I am happy that you enjoyed this one. Thank you for the lovely review, it means a lot!

Anso the Hobbit	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 1/18/2005
Finally I`ve come to and through this story and I absolutely adore! I love how you beautifully made this story into a lovestory between Pip and Diamond, and you put me in quite the romantic mood, lol. There are so many lovely little sentences and passages throughout it and it is very enjoyable to read. Like how Pip looks at Diamond, the way Merry writes letters, how Frodo knows his cousins so thoroughly in-and-out (his letter in the epilogue was brilliant and almost broguth me to tears), how you`ve described Diamond, the Tooks, Lavender and everyone. It`s also great to see Sam being treated as he should by everyone, not only Frodo, Pippin and Merry. I couldn`t help but laugh at how Frodo treats Merry telling him to take a nap and say “say good night Merry” as if he were a child, lol, but Merry needs to be taken by the ears sometimes and Frodo is very good at that. Merry worries himself into quite a state over Pippin, even when told not to, but Frodo always knows his Merry. Wonderful! Merry has almost lost his Pip and if he looked out for him to distraction before the quest, he is even more on watch now, knowing what he almost lost. It`s also good to see Frodo happy, I think there are too many stories about sad/worried/ill post-quest Frodo and him behaving as he would before the travels (even if he is changed) is very good to see. Allthough the quest isn`t that far behind and his reaction to talk about it is still rather serioius, Sam`s too. Pippin of course is just his usual charming self and I understand that it`s difficult for Diamond not to fall for him, and it is great to see the friendship between Pippin and Sam too. It was very interesting to see that Merry was affected on the 6th of October too, not only Frodo. I`ve never seen that before but it is quite logical I think, as Merry was affected by the Black Breath so many times and therefore would feel it when Frodo does. I blame this on the anxiousness for his cousins though. It is very interesting indeed with those cords of friendship you have the healers talk about. Our hobbits are extremely close but I`ve not read anywhere else that any of them can feel how the other is doing when he`s not there, maybe with Merry and Pippin, but not with Merry and Frodo. Very interesting indeed! :) I had to laugh at Estella being what Merry needed, but of course! I was thrilled to finally see Estella in the story too. I like the way you`ve written her too, and Merry needs her. You have a lightness to your writing that makes even difficult things as injuries easier to read and there is a general air of happiness in this story that I like very much. I also loved how you gave us your version of how Merry came to find out about the ring. And it is very convenient for Pippin having crutches so that he can watch over Diamond, lol. Talking through the quest with their lasses was really brave of them, and I think both Diamond and Estella loves their lads even more for it. And the scheming to keep Rosamunda away from Estella and Merry is just priceless, getting both Pippin`s and Merry`s families involved in it. have I said I so absolutely love this story? Now I want to see Merry and Estella`s wedding, lol! Hugs and thanks for sharing this with us Anso Author Reply: What a lovely detailed review of the whole story! As you know, I love the various relationships between the cousins. Frodo is always, to a certain extent going to be Merry’s “big brother” rather than just his older cousin. I think Frodo knows plenty of tricks for managing Merry, and taking him by the ears (or the elbow, LOL!) is just one of them. Post-Quest Frodo is at his best when he is looking out for others. As long as he can keep his mind off himself, he is able to function almost normally, and to be somewhat happy and content for a time. My take on Merry is that he is the pivot in the relationships. He is in the middle of the cousins, and close to Sam in age. I do not see that he would have any less sensitivity to Frodo than he would to Pippin, and the occasion of Weathertop would be exacerbated by his own exposure to the Witch-king. Perhaps if he had not already been in a sensitive and worried state of mind it would not have been so marked a reaction. I’m glad that you like my Estella. I’m rather fond of the lass myself--she’s not so outgoing as some lasses, but she is intelligent and perceptive and very much in love with Merry. I am not the sort of writer who likes to wallow in angst. I prefer to measure it out in smaller doses for the most part, and to intersperse it with less serious matter--much like hobbits prefer to take a light-hearted tone. On the other hand, a longer story, for me, cannot be pure fluff--I tend to also put in a bit of seriousness into the silly also. It seemed to me that it was important for these two to let their future wives know what they would be getting into. Although it was hard for them, it was necessary. It seems to me rather odd that either of them would not warn his wife that she might have to listen to the odd nightmare or two! Poor Rosamunda gets no respect, LOL! Of course, she has no one but herself to blame. I’ve written around Merry’s wedding, in drabbles, but the wedding story itself is on the back burner for now. Thanks again for your review! I always like hearing your opinion!

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