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| Testaments of the Past by Dreamflower | 11 Review(s) |
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| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/24/2006 |
| The leaving must have been so very painful for Merry. If Frodo felt he was abandoned by first his parents and then by Bilbo, how much more so must Merry have ached when Frodo left him behind? Author Reply: And it happened to Merry over and over: Frodo left him to go to Hobbiton; Frodo *tried* to leave him when he had to leave the Shire; Frodo left him at Parth Galen; and finally he left him at the Grey Havens. Not to mention nearly losing Frodo to death twice, at Weathertop and at Sammath Naur. I am quite sure that all of it took its toll, especially since Merry could not feel angry at his Frodo for doing what couldn't be helped. | |
| Anso the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/16/2006 |
| This is a very interesting story and a lovely read! It's so full of emotions and I like it very much. The idea of Primula maybe knowing that something would happen is interesting. I haven't thought of it that way before. Poor Merry! This is very hard for him, and Sam and Pippin too, but especially for Merry I think. Well done! Author Reply: To look through all of Frodo's treasure mementoes would be a very emotional task, and likely to bring up a lot of feelings. I always think Merry somehow takes things a bit harder than the other two. | |
| Pearl Took | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/20/2006 |
| This is sad and beautiful all rolled together. Well done! Author Reply: It is sad, as everything to do with Frodo's leaving is, but I'm glad you think it's beautiful as well. Thank you! | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/20/2006 |
| Loved the names of the kittens! Well, Elanor is a hobbit, so she had to name them after something to eat, I suppose. Oh. I see why Sam thought these letters and whatever more may be in the box are family business. How touching of Frodo to keep them! And I can imagine how difficult it is for Merry and Pippin to go through these documents. No wonder Merry was upset when he learned that Primula had something like forebodings about hers and Drogo's early death. It brought home too much of the sorrow and despair of Frodo's leaving, first from Buckland, then at Amon Hen and, the worst, the Grey Havens. Was very glad Estella was there to comfort Merry, and she may be right about the strongbox. Hopefully they don't find more of such sad reminders, but a bit more joyful. Author Reply: Well, Pippin liked to name his pets after food too. It just seemed a hobbity sort of thing to me...LOL! Yes, these are things that Frodo kept all his life; he couldn't take them with him, yet he couldn't quite bear to throw them away either. They will be finding all sorts of reminders, both joyful and sad, but hopefully they will come away with a better understanding of Frodo and of one another when they are finished. Don't forget to check out the Author's Notes, and all the links in them. Much of what is only hinted at in the story is shown in full in the Notes! | |
| AspenJules | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/9/2006 |
| Awww, poor Merry, feeling like there was something lacking in him, that he wasn't able to heal poor Frodo. His grief, his missing Frodo is all so beautifully and poignantly written. Well done, both of you! I hope he finds the healing *he* needs. OH, and Pippin's and Estella's concern for him is so well done also. Looking forward to more! Author Reply: Merry has always made it his special job to look after Frodo and protect him, so he feels like he has failed whenever he can't protect Frodo from being hurt, even though there's nothing he could do about it. Frodo's been like an older brother to Merry his whole life and Pippin and Estella understand that. However, Merry is not the only one missing Frodo as they go through the strongbox. Maybe Merry will get a chance to give some comforting as well. | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/6/2006 |
| I love the kitten names ... we once had guinea pigs called after chocolate bars ... And poor old Merry. He inherited quadruple doses of the responsibility gene - he thinks every bad thing is down to a failing of his. I'd say that he'd worry himself into an early grave - except he clearly won't. Estella is a good match for him. And I can't wait to find what else is inside that box... Author Reply: Thanks! I had fun coming up with the names for the kittens. Chocolate bars? LOL! Very imaginative. Merry does worry more than the average hobbit, doesn't he? Thankfully, he has Estella, his children, Pippin, and Sam to help him. We can't wait to find out what else is in the box either! The more we talk, the more things we keep adding to the box. By the time we are done, it's going to be the largest strongbox ever built! | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006 |
| Poor Merry. I felt so bad for him when he said he still needed Frodo, even now. You never do stop needing the ones you love and look up to. Hopefully, going through the strongbox will be able to heal his wounds. Good thing that Pippin, Estella and Sam are there with him. I loved little Elanor and that she's the darling of everyone's eye, and Merry's and Sam's talk about the effect that daughters have on fathers. Once Pippin has his own daughters, he'll know how hard it is to tell them 'no'. :) Author Reply: You're absolutely right - you never do stop needing them. Not only Merry, but Pippin and Sam also still bear the wounds from Frodo having left. We shall have to see if going through the strongbox helps them to heal. Having each other certainly helps. I'm glad you like little Elanor! She is indeed the darling of everyone's eye. And, yes, no doubt Pippin will come to learn how hard it is to tell a daughter "no" once he has children of his own. | |
| lotrgirl1415 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006 |
| “He was cheated in life. First by the death of his parents and then by The Ring. As long as I have known him, there was always a part of him that was missing. A part I never knew.” I have always wanted some one to write a wonderful example of what Frodo really was...instead of the shadow that he was (I never make any sense! lol). I mean he was/acted only because of what had happened to him...instead of truly being himself.... Does that make ANY sense? Sorry! I am looking forward to this story the most of any stories that I am reading. *saves it to computer**adds to internet favorites* lol xoxoxo ~Katie Author Reply: What a nice review - thank you! It certainly does make sense. Hopefully, as they go through the strongbox, Merry, Pippin, and Sam will discover more about who Frodo really was, from before the shadow of his parents' death when he was a lad until the time he left for the Undying Lands. We are honored that you are saving this story as one of your internet favorites - thak you! | |
| PIppinfan1988 | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006 |
| Wow. You brought up some excellent points--points that I myself would ask at times about why Frodo *had* to leave. I felt Merry's heartache at losing his dear cousin three times. I'm looking forward to more. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: It's been quite an interesting experience for us as we discover more and more about Frodo and how Merry, Pippin, and Sam would have felt a few years after he left. All three of them will have to deal with their grief as they go through these mementoes of Frodo's. We're really looking as much forward to writing more as you are to reading more! | |
| SurgicalSteel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/5/2006 |
| This is just lovely - I love that we get to see these things that Frodo clearly considered important through the eyes of those closest to him. The interaction between Merry and Pippin and Estella was lovely - and I enjoyed how Sam keeps having to stop himself from saying 'Mr.' Author Reply: Thank you! We have had such a wonderful time figuring out the things Frodo would have kept all his life, and then had to leave behind at the end. Merry, Pippin and Estella share a home--and I think that just as much as Merry, Estella has come to think of Pippin as a brother as well. Merry and Pippin began to insist he drop the honorific after Frodo left, and most of the time he remembers. But when he is stressed or excited, he forgets--a lifetime habit is not easily overcome. He had said "Mr. Merry" and "Mr. Pippin" since he was 19, but he's only been saying "Merry" and "Pippin" for a bit less than four years. | |