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Runaway by Lindelea	3 Review(s)
Tim the Enchanter	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 11/7/2003
No wonder Fredi repressed that memory. Very haunting. Especially going from the lighter openning. I loved the part when Rosemary, Robin and Ferdi tell Merry that Pippin is lying about how much he's eaten. So Ferdi still sees Pippin as the hobbit who ditched him and got him shunned. I imagine that is an image difficult to shrug off, but Ferdi is fundementally fair and sensitive to injustice. Having been given some food for thought he will chew on it a while. After all, if Pippin can change so can Ferdi. Regarding chores - surely Pippin could find something for Farry to do? Hobbits seem the type to believe that idle hands make mischief. Why not have him watch younger kids (didn't Merry serve as Pip's minder? They are he's almost on the same social level), help his father in the office, or play go-for for Diamond. Maybe he can help answer correspondance for his parents, the Thain must recieve a great deal of post. Author Reply: There may yet have to be a story where Pippin proves his loyalty to Ferdi, but it hasn't popped up yet... Author Reply: Just an update. The story where Pippin proves his loyalty to Ferdi is now in the works, called "Where there's Breath..."

FantasyFan	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 11/7/2003
It's a shame that Farry will not be able to do any chores once they get back to the Tookland. How will he become a competent administrator, if he has no concept of the details of what he is administering? He's not of an age to start helping his father administer, but there are things he could learn at his age, most of them involving starting at the bottom. There's got to be some way to create a roving apprentice junior Thain position, where Farry is kept out of trouble at the same time he's learning a variety of the tasks at the Smials, gradually increasing from the lowest to the higer levels as he gains strength and judgement. (He'd definitely be away from his snooty cousins this way. Can't see any of them milking a cow.) Put Pip's clever brain onto this task, won't you? I see Merry thinks as I do, that Robin should come to Buckland. I didn't know his age, and I'm not surprised Hally and Rosemary are reluctant to let him go, but Merry is nothing if not persistant. By the time Robin is old enough, Merry will have him. There's no doubt about it. For the mean time, he's managed to wiggle out a compromise that will ensure nobody forgets about the need. We are down to the last talk of trust here. Rosemary calls Ferdi to task to update his view of Pippin, to put away cynicism based on the past, and really trust. It's hard to have all your assumptions yanked out from under you, and here's Ferdi's chance to grow from the crisis. Rosemary's remembrance of the fire is very interesting. Ferdi's mother didn't die of the type of madness I have been envisioning: a long slow loss of faculties. She died of shock and grief, at the height of trauma. Although not everyone tries to throw their children in the water at a moment like that, an irrational response is almost expected when your world has just been destroyed, even from the most normal of people. How could anyone hold that against her long after her death, or fear her children could spontaneously erupt into madness with no like provocation? That's gossip taken to the point of slander. She was a victim of the fire as much as the others: she died trying to save her children, even irrationally. Those Tooks - where is their compassion!?! Rosemary above all others knows the circumstances, and should have trusted her brother more than she did. Upbrade him for his stupidity and pride, yes, but not think him mad. I'm glad Ferdi woke up, to share apologies with Rosemary and have no recriminations left between the siblings. (An idle thought - I wonder if the passing Brandybuck was anyone we know?) One more chapter? Author Reply: Two chapters, I believe. Chapter 25 is finished, as far as I can tell, and Jo's working on 26. She has an idea for Farry's work that I've not seen yet (she's taking the raw material I sent her and crafting it in her own special manner). Hah! I managed not to hit the "remove review" button when I went to reply, and I haven't even had my second cup of tea yet. Those Tooks... they are infamous for their long memories and short tempers... Author Reply: p.s. Rosemary bears her own scars, as you've seen. She has not been watching her brother all these years, waiting for him to go mad, not at all! However, when he arrived acting odd, and deteriorated before her eyes, culminating in the nightmare, muttering about not losing Farry, and "the stream", it spurred the old memory and made her fearful. It is not that Rosemary "held it against her" mother for all these years--yet (thinking aloud, struck by a new thought) I know someone (whose parent committed suicide) who is still angry over the parent's choice, years later, even though as an adult can understand some of the desperation that led to the act, can understand the aberrant thought process, can feel sorrow and regret and compassion... but is still deep-down angry and has to deal with that feeling surfacing unexpectedly after it has already been dealt with and put away yet another time. Cannot go into more detail than that but I'm sure you catch my drift. Author Reply: I really need that second cup of tea (c'mon teakettle! boil!). A thing I find interesting is that the Tooks did not gossip about Ferdi's mother, rather the opposite. They put away all memory of her, which in a way is as tragic as gossip would have been.

Shireling	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 11/7/2003
Hi Lindelea and Jo. So pleased to find another chapter. This one is so full of understanding and compassion- how quickly things can change in the course of a day. Beautifully handled as always. Helen. (whispers to Jo...how is 'the other wizard'?) Author Reply: Thank you for the kind words, Helen. Jo is a wonder, isn't she? She keeps adding all these homey touches that make me wish I lived in Hally and Rosemary's house! I will pass your question on to Jo, as it has crossed my own mind a few times recently... however, I am hoping she will finish chapter 26 before she immerses herself back in "Other Wizard", for purely selfish reasons of my own, of course. (I am eagerly waiting to see how "Runaway" comes out!)

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