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When Winter Fell by Lindelea	7 Review(s)
Inkling	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/22/2005
The Took boys mixing it up…quite a scene! Keeping them straight is daunting, though...too many Isens by far! And LOL that the sign of Isengar’s “madness” his family seems to find most disturbing is that he forced a young hobbit to read a book! Author Reply: Way too many Is-- names. What was JRRT thinking? (But then there are modern parallels. I think of the parents who have sixteen children or something like that--all names starting with "J". Heard a radio interview with the father of the family, and he was able to name all the kids, in order, without hesitating. We have three and sometimes mix up the names, and the names are very different from one another!) I get the feeling that the Tooks aren't quite so bookish as the Bagginses or Brandybucks. Don't know where that impression comes from, but am going with it. Thanks!

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/18/2005
Good for Belladonna and Bungo! And your guilty feeling wizard is interesting. I don't think we see him in this mood very often - except over Frodo. Author Reply: I'd imagine Gandalf didn't feel all that guilty when Isen went to Sea. Probably thought it did the lad good to be stirred up--and when Isen went on to become an important part of the ship's crew, something of a morale "officer", the wizard was satisfied. But it must have been difficult, after the accident, to contemplate bringing home the broken body to the father of the hobbit, or perhaps only the news of his passing, had Isen not survived or had the ship been lost with all hands on that earlier occasion.

Cuthalion	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/18/2005
Well done, Bungo! (Though I still think a stay at the Grey Havens would have been helpful either). And Biilbo's father is a really brave hobbit. is impressed Author Reply: I would think a stay at the Grey Havens would be very helpful, indeed, amongst Elves... but if Gandalf and Cirdan thought the hobbit was dying, I can see Gandalf bringing Isen home to his father. After all, Gandalf was Gerontius' friend. (I wonder how badly the friendship was strained.)

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/17/2005
I see. An INTERESTING turn of events; and perhaps Isengar will assist a particular young Baggins to prepare for his own adventure, to the betterment of all. And Gandalf is for it, is he? Good enough, then. Author Reply: Hmm. We've got a hobbit returned from adventure, and terribly isolated--at first parents probably kept the children away so as not to bother the unfortunate sufferer, and then later his aberrant behaviour and talk would have caused the parents to warn their children off, and lack of hobbity interaction would have fed Isen's eccentricity, in a vicious circle. But now he's about to become part of an intimate family circle. And winter is coming, and it will bring its own challenges. I'm with Gandalf. This can only do the hobbit some good.

FantasyFan	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/17/2005
I'm eager to hear more about the relationship between Isengar and Belladonna. (so many I names - Isem and Isum and Isen - why did he do that to us?!) She was 'remarkable', she was 'fabulous' but she never had any adventures after she married. Did she have any before? Or did she at least wish for some, as she dreamed of adventure with her baby brother? Perhaps Gandalf though so, as he later wishes to grant Bilbo and adventure for the sake of 'poor Belladonna'. She certainly has been treated as the black sheep by her father. It's a curious dance that the Tooks do, especially the Old Took here. One of the Tooks took a fairy wife once, as the story goes, and that is said to be the source of their Wild Streak. The Old Took has a fair portion of it himself, or so it seems, and he has no trouble consorting with a Wizard. Yet the Tooks in general and the Old Took specifically are as concerned with propriety and respectability as the rest of the Shire, or maybe even more so sometimes. I'm not sure Bungo's suit would have been accepted had the Bagginses not been so 'respectable'. Was it a punishment for her flighty ways (or an attempt to make sure there were no more indescretions)? Perhaps some of Gerontius' treatment of her is fueled by the state Isengar returned to the Smials in, but some of it (before he came back) has to be as much due to pride as much as any grief. In that he reminds me of his great-grandson Paladin. I'm looking forward to seeing Isen fill young Bilbo's head with a bit of nonsense. And increasing that great strength and compassion that Gandalf's noticed, that will come in so handy later. But Isen's not going to live at Bag End for the rest of his life: he's got 50 years yet, much longer than Bilbo's parents do. I'm very curious about what's in store for him, and if Gandalf has any part to play. Author Reply: I know, those "I" names drive me to distraction. I have to work on the Bilbo-in-the-Smials chapters with the genealogy open in front of me, and even then I'm prone to err. Gerontius is a fascinating character to contemplate, and like any person IRL he has many facets, even some contradictory. Hmmm. Pride seems to be a Tookish flaw. I never noticed that thread before, running through the tapestry of tales, but it is definitely there. Appearances matter, even though we'd like to discount them. Yes, Isen's got 50 years left to him. It was quite interesting to me to note that Isen is still alive when Bilbo returns from his adventure! Of course, that had to be worked into this story, though it took an Epilogue to do so.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/17/2005
Good for Bungo! Gerontius might have seen marriage with a Baggins as punishment, but it strikes me that he is a mighty decent and kind-hearted hobbit. Bilbo might have got his adventurous ways from the Tooks, but his generous heart came from his father. Eventually. (He might not be too thrilled at the moment. But he will learn . . . I hope.) And getting away from Isengrim can only have been a plus!!!!! There's a hobbit that did well for the world by not reproducing. And a good get-out for Gandalf, too. And a reason for him to spend more time with Bagginses. There is no way he could have gone off and left poor Isengar in the madhouse that is the Great Smials, with Isengrim acting as keeper. What a lovely chapter. It's getting me quite het up! Author Reply: Well, Bilbo is not too thrilled at the moment. And perhaps his father will be somewhat alarmed to see the adventurous Tookish side of his son being stirred up by his Uncle's stories. "There's a hobbit that did well for the world by not reproducing." LOL! Isengrim is not cruel, nor is he ambitious. He is just enormously pragmatic. (Doesn't that mean "practical, above all else"?) It is always a pleasure to get readers het up.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 11/17/2005
Oh I love your Bungo! How brave of him to stand up to the Tooks in their own stronghold!!! This is a Bungo I can easily imagine as the father of our lovely and adventurous Bilbo! It wasn't only the adventurous Tookish side that had courage but also the quiet and thoughtful Baggins side! Bravo!!! But I am sorry Bilbo won't get his visit with Siggy. Author Reply: I am sorry about Siggy's visit as well. But perhaps Bilbo will have other diversions. It's fun to contemplate where Bilbo's "pity" came from. His father, perhaps? And the same for Frodo--did it come from the "Baggins" side? Frodo showed much more pity than his Took and Brandybuck cousins--but was it all due to his experiences? Bilbo didn't have the same experiences to shape him as Frodo did, and yet he was moved to pity in his interaction with Gollum.

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