News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| If I had a Hammer by Grey Wonderer | 12 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/29/2005 |
| Whew! Had me going there, for a second. You didn't put "TBC" at the end, and so I was hoping you wouldn't just drop us off like that... Cool--another chapter to take to work tomorrow! :-) This chapter ended up so splendidly! Young Pippin finally spilling his guts..feeling every bit the "teenage" angst and jealousy--and nice to see Merry getting in on the action. LOL, seems he's been harboring some jealousy of his own lately. Love to watch them just being "kids", so to speak. I really enjoyed this chapter! This is a fantastic tale--have I told you that lately? Pippinfan Author Reply: So glad you liked it and I really should continue to put TBC at the end of the chapters. I don't know why I stopped. I had several folks that thought this might be over because of that. I will have to either start ending ALL of the chapters on cliff-hangers or bring back the TBC. I think I'll go with the TBC because I don't think I can write that many cliff-hangers. I think everyone is jealous of someone and I do believe that Frodo, being the amazing hobbit that he is and doing things like speaking Elvish would certainly be the target of jealously from time to time. Merry has a lot to live up to and Pippin has both over-achieving cousins to live up to. Glad that you are enjoying this one. Thanks so much for reading! | |
| Anso the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/29/2005 |
| I loved Frodo's plan, lol, but Merry and Pippin "ruined" that. It's not easy being the youngerst and feeling everyone is perfect but you. I am glad that Pippin talked to Merry though and that they didn¨t fight too hard about this. I bet Pippin deep down missed Merry too. Author Reply: Oh, Pippin certainly did miss Merry. The sudden hug was proof of that. Also as angry as he was and as jealous as he was, he was still very proud of Merry. It was a bit of a war of emotions for him. It seems that poor Frodo's plans are constantly getting spoiled in this story. Frodo had planned to have a nice summer visit with his cousins and that went a bit wrong, he planned to remain calm when talking to Mister Tunnely and that went wrong, and he planned to be the one to talk to Pippin but Merry beat him to it! Maybe Frodo will get a break later in this story. But, then again, he is trying to deal with a Brandybuck and a Took! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/29/2005 |
| Love it. I like that Merry didn't know that Pippin was up the tree when he started his rant - otherwise it would seem rather too calculating. Good thing that the cloudburst made them sit and talk too. There has been enough stomping off. I can certainly see why Pippin has heard enough of 'at your age'. But that is the down side to having all your best friends be several years older than you. I'm glad that Merry started pointing out all the things that he has done wrong. And that he is jealous of Frodo for being older and wiser. Not that hearing it will be enough for Pippin. But it's a start. And of course, between the milk thing and the grape-stuffing skill, Pippin is clearly a hobbit of remarkable talent. Author Reply: I thought that Merry should 'discover' Pippin in mid-rant. You're right that it would have seemed too much like a set up if he'd known all along. Pippin is in for years of hearing 'when I was your age' but at least now he does feel a bit better since he's talked to Merry and Frodo. I thought that Pip's talents should match his age and his rather interesting personality. Glad you liked that part. Thanks for reviewing! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| I wrote such a lovely review this morning that got all wiped out somehow before it got posted, and now, of course, I can't remember precisely what I said then. I love the three of them finally all getting over each one's pique and finally starting to communicate about it all, allowing all three to finally express their concern for one another and their individual and mutual feelings. And the realization via the apple cores and the one bitten apple that Pippin was up there in the apple tree--I'd been thinking that was probably how Merry knew where he was, but wasn't certain. Anyway, am looking forward to more chuckles as Tunnely finds he has to eat his words when he sees the fine wheelbarrow Pippin makes under Sam's tutelage. Author Reply: I've had that happen to my reviews before and it makes me so angry. You have what you want to say down perfectly and suddenly it's gone! I couldn't let them stay angry for long and I did need to get Pip out of that tree. Merry knew exactly what all of those apple cores meant once he thought it over. LOL More soon and thanks for both reviews, this one and the one that got wiped out. | |
| Pipspebble | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| This is a very sweet and believable conclusion to the misunderstanding between the cousins. I've always loved the vision of Pippin in the apple tree, and the image of Merry standing beneath it, craning and rubbing his neck as he tried to converse was very funny. And the milk and the nose thing. Ugh. I've got two lads of my own who do that. Double ugh. Still a fun, fun story! Author Reply: So you've seen the amazing milk trick performed in stereo? LOL I've seen it, but never two at once. Merry was probably glad that the Gaffer was right about the rain because he was getting very tired of looking up. Thanks for the sweet review and I am glad to know that I am not the only one that has seen the milk trick up close. Boys! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| Oh GW! What a brilliant chapter! Everyone's mentioned a great many of my favorite parts already, but I have to say, I loved the part where Frodo's watching Merry out a window, "talking to the tree" and his wondering what Lobelia would make of it. The subsequent conversation was wonderful and hilarious; I loved and got every single reference to "Trust a Brandybuck and a Took". But this part just made me feel all gooey for some reason: "Well, maybe that's true," Pippin said. "But you did build that snare that time and that worked." "That worked too well," Merry groaned at this. "I hung us both by our ankles in the barn as I recall. You still have a little scar across your ankle bone from that wonderful idea." Merry reached over and ran a finger across the tiny white scar. "We hung there like that for most of the night and if Frodo hadn’t woke up and gone in search of us then we’d have been there until dawn. As it was, your ankle bled and you wound up with that scar and I had a head ache for two days from hanging upside down for so long." Merry gently touching Pippin's scar like that, you know he's blaming himself for it being there, and the gesture just says more than anything else about his protective love for his pestiferous younger cousin. And it's an interesting bit of foreshadowing, making me think of the future scars they will have from the bonds the Orcs put on them. For which, of course, Merry probably blamed himself as well, as if he could have done anything about it. And I love the way the chapter ends, and Frodo wisely letting Pip have a holiday from lessons, and the upcoming grape stuffing contest (I'm with Frodo--stuffing grapes sounds far more appealing than blowing milk out one's nose. And it reminds me of when I was in high school, and we had contests to see who could stuff the most "Screaming Yellow Zonkers" in their mouth. LOL!) I am looking forward to seeing Sam continue Pip's lessons, and to Mister Tobias "I Know Everything About Carpentry" Tunnelly's final come-uppance! Author Reply: First, let me say that I love your use of the word "brilliant". LOL This is a wonderful review and I thank you. I'm glad you picked up on the tiny serious moment with the little scar on Pippin's ankle. I didn't know if it would get noticed amid the milk trick and the grapes but I did want to include it. Sam is in the next chapter and there will be more carpentry to come. Do they still make "screaming yellow zonkers"? I'd love to have some about now. Oh, and did you win the contest because if so then maybe you should get in on this grape thing. Thanks for the review! | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| "That’s my point," Merry smiled. "Anyone can be good at regular things. Not everyone can be good at unusual things like stuffing grapes into their mouth or making milk come out of their nose or making a noise like a cricket." Now, this is a very "dangerous" sentence, especially when you read it while sipping on your drink - as I did ;-) I did that milk trick once, but it was rather an accident. I'm very impressed with Pippin's unusual skills. I enjoyed reading this chapter, in particular the references to "Trust a Brandybuck and a Took", and I would really like to see Frodo stuffing more grapes in his mouth than Pippin! Author Reply: Frodo may have bitten off more than he can chew with this grape contest. LOL We shall have to wait and see. I'm glad you enjoyed this and I thank you for reading. I figured that since Pippin is a rather unusual hobbit that he should have some unusual skills. I was hoping that I hadn't made too many references to Brandybuck and Took. It's nice to know that those bits were enjoyable too! Thanks! | |
| Baggins Babe | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| I laughed so much at this that, had I been drinking milk, I might have inadvertantly achieved Pippin's trick! So many hilarious lines, but a few which caught my eye were: Congratulations, Pip! You’ve actually become a pain in the neck." ****** "It wasn’t raining until you showed up and said it would and so now it’s raining! ****** I painted it, myself, you, and half of Uncle Doc’s workshop," Pippin said. ****** Frodo hoped that he looked properly impressed rather than startled but he was very much afraid that he simply looked confused. "Pippin even managed to beat Fredegar," Merry said with a touch of pride. It wasn't easy to beat Fredegar Bolger at anything that involved food. ****** And of course, the thought of Frodo blowing milk out of his nose reduced me to a giggling heap! I'm so glad they've made up. Now I'm looking forward to Paladin's reaction to Mr Tunnely's behaviour. Brilliant chapter. More! More! Author Reply: Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know which parts of this you enjoyed. I re-wrote some of this chapter in an effort to get it right and it is very rewarding to see that the re-write was worth the time. Thank you so much for reading and for the review. I hope to have more up by the weekend. | |
| Pearl Took | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| Merry was talking to the apple tree. He did not blame Pippin's sister Pervinca at all for gagging at the sight of Pippin's milk trick. He’d seen Pippin make milk come out of his nose before and it was not a pleasant experience. Bravo! Bravo! a Wonderful chapter :) I hope there is more to this story, that we get to "see" the finished wheelbarrow :) Author Reply: Merry got in a bit of practice for Treebeard. LOL I could just see Pippin embarrassing his older sisters with this trick. I've seen it done and it is a real mess. There is more and we will be getting back to that wheelbarrow and Sam shortly. Thanks for reading! | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 9/28/2005 |
| Awww! They all made up! WAFF. :) Merry can be sympathetic when he wants to be, in his own special way of course. Mentioning all his goof ups was the perfect way to get Pippin to let his guard down a bit. Pippin just needed to be reminded that his cousins have made mistakes also and that everyone needs to practice to be good at things. And reminding him of his own natural, or unnatural, talents always helps too. Those are some impressive tricks, lol. Author Reply: I had to let them make up and I figured that a nice, long, talk was in order. I also suspected that Pippin wouldn't only have the normal list of talents. I figured that like everything else with Pippin this would also be a bit off-center. I also thought that at his age some of his 'talents' just might be a bit on the gross side. LOL Glad you enjoyed this! | |