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Pearl of Great Price  by Lindelea 3 Review(s)
Lady ForlongReviewed Chapter: 21 on 5/22/2025
I’ll bet Gundy and Hally are going to get lots of business now that people have seen that "little sample" (understatement) of their work. Not to mention all the gifts. Between that and the land, they ought to be pretty well-to-do, as hobbits like to say.

Hally’s cold is much improved (wink wink) LOL He deserves an academy award.

“Before my mother changes my mind,” He’s not out of the woods yet, assuming he's not joking, as Pearl wonders.

I can relate to Pervinca – I read too many stories too. And it’s all your fault, and others like you :)

Author Reply: Your review made me think about what the Bolgers' life looks like in the future, and that took me down the side trail of how JRRT described Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit. Good food for thought, thank you for being the catalyst!

In stories set later on the timeline, Hally and his older brother Gundy (named for their father) and a couple younger brothers live comfortably. I might even call them well-off, though I'm not quite sure about well-to-do, which I think might be a notch higher on the scale? For there are no gold – or even brass – buttons on their waistcoats. (On second thought, I doubt they have waistcoats... but if they did wear such a thing, the buttons would be beautifully carved works of art that someone of the gentry class would probably pay a pretty penny for, a notch above brass and maybe even up there with gold, when I think more deeply on the matter.)

I think the key is that they are unpretentious; they were happy with their lot before, so a sudden windfall doesn't turn their heads. They will likely get the occasional commission from the gentry at a higher rate, but the bulk of their efforts will probably remain the same as they're used to pursuing: practical household items that are beautifully made "just because". (They live in harmony with the surrounding Wood and have an affinity for wood in general; when they carve, it's like they see the finished shape living inside the piece of wood, and so by carving they are simply setting free that particular facet of beauty and grace. A woodcarver once described their creations to me in those terms, and the image they painted with their words has stuck with me for decades.)

And it's all your fault, and others like you
Guilty as charged! (Or did I mean to say, "Kindred spirit!"? Or was it, actually, "Glad to be of service!"?)
(Can there be such a thing as too many stories?)

Author Reply: p.s. I might have given the impression that the four brothers are all woodcarvers, but that's not accurate. Hally is the woodcarver, meaning one who can bring out the fine details in an intricate piece of carving. His father was a woodcutter who was skilled at choosing trees to cut down, and he was able to do "rough shaping". In terms of eyesight, he could see the outline of the shape hidden inside the layers of wood, and so he could cut away the outer layers, thus streamlining the process by giving Hally quicker access. Hally didn't have to take time carving away the outer layers but could go right to work on the details he could see in the wood (as opposed to his father seeing a rough outline).

Hally's brothers work with wood in different ways; Gundy is a woodcutter. He brings down trees and practices practical forestry management (i.e. he is careful and because of his close connection to the earth, as JRRT described hobbits in general, his practices are aimed to protect and promote the health of the Woody End where he lives and works). The two younger brothers are furniture-makers.

I hope I'm not boring you! I'm in a contemplative mood today, so I'm probably rambling. (Who am I kidding? I am rambling. Time to seek out some protein, I guess. Who needs drugs when low blood sugar can induce an altered state of consciousness?)

Anyhow, thanks for listening. I appreciate hearing your thoughts. (I can never seem to get enough of pondering the various aspects of JRRT's sandbox.)

Lyta PadfootReviewed Chapter: 21 on 12/31/2003
Rosemary's been disowned very quickly - even before her whereabouts were known. I was kind of hoping to read the scene where Ferdinand disowned his daughter (hint, hint), but maybe another chapter. The Ferdi and Regi conversation harkened to future discussions in "Flames" - in particular I was reminded of the discussion between them in the pub when Paladin went to visit Pippin. Ferdi, like his sister, has more friends and allies than he knows.

Author Reply: In this belated reply, I have to say I remember imagining the scene, but I don't think I ever wrote it down as it was too heartbreaking. I have, however, written a couple scenes related to her disownment being reversed, at least one of which will appear in The Proposal and the other is still under consideration.

Hobbits may be clannish and resistant to change, but they're also what an older relative of mine used to call "salt of the earth" and described in terms of "would give you the shirt off their back" when talking about such people helping others.

You're right about the pub conversation! I hadn't made that connection, but there is a certain similarity. Thanks for that insight!

FantasyFanReviewed Chapter: 21 on 12/31/2003
A very satisfying chapter. I feel proud of the farmers of Tookland. It seems that Lalia's ways are well known. Not only has Gundy gotten what he wanted most, his land, he's also gotten the respect of the farmers of the Tookland, and though they think they're rewarding him for his carving, their respect is for an honest and virtuous man: they don't know it, but the reward is just as fitting for his rescue of Rosemary. Lalia may be respected for her cunning, but she is not beloved.

Pearl feels she can hold her own at the Smials. She's a few years older, and she had a level head and enough experience to manage her situation. At least she thinks so, and for her sake I hope she's right. She wants to look out for Ferdi, and so does Regi. Having Ferdi train for a hunter is the perfect thing to further pull him out of himself. Not taking the charity of the Thain is a strong motiviation for him.

I read somewhere that the strongest bonds that keep a family together are ones of adversity. The memories that matter and the stories that are the best to share around the fireside later, come from the troubled times and remembering the strength that gets you through it together. Somehow, the behaviour of Bittersweet, and Regi, and Pearl and Ferdi and Gundy remind me of a family pulling together in hard circumstances against a common enemy. Now calling Lalia an enemy may be strong, but when a leader acts in her own self-interest over the welfare of the group, others have to stand up and take up the slack or someone will get hurt. I think Lalia has crossed the line from cunning and unpleasant but good for the Tooks, to harmful. Maybe before she only hurt her son; now she's endangering much more. (IMHO)

Author Reply: Lalia's been running things for 22 years since her husband died, and I'm sorry to say that power has gone to her head. The Tooks try their best to explain away the iron fist by focusing on the velvet glove, but those who are wise and/or discerning know the truth of the matter.

Pearl is an oldest child, which shapes her confidence and ability. If JRRT had allowed for female Thains, I think she would have made a good one.

You're right about adversity pulling people together for a common cause. In fact, Lalia's domineering personality and self-indulgence end up doing a great deal of harm, not only to individuals but to the entire Tookland. The Tooks are incredibly lucky to have Paladin as Thain when the Troubles take place. Lalia would either have been vulnerable to Lotho's flattery, or she would have seen herself as smarter than Lotho (and she might have been, but she wasn't smarter than Saruman, and that would have been her downfall, bringing devastation to the Tooks).

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