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| Pearl of Great Price by Lindelea | 85 Review(s) |
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| Nienor Niniel | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 8/25/2006 |
| Ah, great! I had wanted to read your fics chronologically, but somehow I had missed this one. But it offers so much backstory to the other ones that I'm now very glad that I read it. The set-up is great: Lalia and her designs, and the various people that are affected by them. Of course it's also good to see more of Ferdibrand and his sister. And it's nice to see how Pearl got her husband. All in all, very enjoyable! Greetings, Nienor Author Reply: Thanks! Appreciate the feedback. Maybe this one isn't on the list of stories on my author's page? It's in need of updating I know. Just got back from camping and it was nice to read a few reviews--but I'm exhausted and need to hit the pillow! Thanks again. | |
| Hai | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 2/13/2004 |
| That was a great story! I liked how you wrote everyone! Pearl was a great character! Something I like about your writing is the way you use lesser known characters and give them a personality all their own! I was glad that Paladin stood up to the Mistress and wouldn't disown his sister! The whole thing with Paladin owning money to the Thain and the story of how they got the land in the first place was wonderful! I was glad that it was Frodo who came and took Pearl back to her family! That was great. Thank you for giving Pearl a happy ending as well! Maybe you have spoke on this somewhere else but in your other stories wasn't Pippin involved with the stables burning? No big deal I was just wondering. Great story! It was a long read but well worth it! Thank you! Author Reply: Thanks for taking the time to review! I'm afraid I scare readers away with my long stories. For my part, I think LOTR was too short... Yes, you're right, Pippin and Ferdi together burned down the old (Ferumbras)Thain's stables (nearly). That incident may be told in full in a future story, you never know. It happened during Pippin's tween years, before his father became Thain. | |
| Lydia | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/9/2004 |
| I decided to wait till this story was finished to read it but it seems very interesting thus far. I've read all your other ones too, and I'm a bit slow but finally realized that Remembering Day is on All Souls Day. That's cool. Anyway, I love the stories, all of them. Author Reply: Don't know if this is a good email address for you or not since you reviewed so long ago, but I didn't see the review until today when I was hunting for something! So sorry about the delay in replying! Anyhow, thanks so much for the encouraging feedback. | |
| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 2/9/2004 |
| I've loved this story and hate to see it end. A happy ending for Isum and Pearl, Paladin freed of ban and debt, the Tookland free of Lalia. Poor Ferumbras, as much as his mother was a burdan he loved her. On dangling thread though: does Pearl tell her father about the succession? He ought to know since Ferumbras is setting himself up not to marry. Author Reply: Thank you for the encouragement! I haven't decided yet to address the dangling thread here or in a follow-on story. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 2/9/2004 |
| A story with a mostly-happy ending! I'm glad Pearl gets her reward for perservering at the Smials, for her care of Lalia and for her loyalty to family, for her endurance of the Talk. I'm glad Isum has survived and will prosper despite his injuries. I'm a little surprised at the changes in Ferumbras: with the death of his mother he's not quite the same any more. He's finally got the authority he never had, but the responsibilities seem to weigh on him. The grief is still strong. He's doing what he sees as the right thing, undoing as much of Lalia's spite as possible. He's released Pearl, and rewards her with more than Lalia would. None of the old arrangements can be held to, and the right thing is to let Pearl go, but I wonder how much pain it caused him to realize he might always be alone - there are few as brave and level-headed as Pearl at the Smials. Isum would not have acted without Ferumbras' blessing. Will it hurt to see Pearl back at the Smials, happy at having found her place? I think he hasn't gotten a happy ending. Then, there's Paladin and Pip. Maybe Pearl never told her parents exactly what she had been prepared to do for them. But, maybe she did. Paladin has to be told, either by his daughter or by the Thain, about the succession. That will be weighing on his mind and Pip is not forgiven. There won't be a happy ending here for a long time. But it's a satisfying story. The romantic in me is pleased. I bet your editor won't find much to quibble about. Author Reply: Thank you for the long and lovely review. Icing on the cake, really. Yes, Ferumbras is an admirable figure, flawed as he was by living under his mother's thumb for most of his life. Still, he sees his way clear to doing the right thing and puts others before himself. Glad you liked the ending, bittersweet as it was, but life is often that way. Now to concentrate on "Solid Ground" which is coming along nicely, and "Merrys" which is not (it is difficult to write a comedy that does not sound contrived--at least I find it so at times.). | |
| Grey Wonderer | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 2/9/2004 |
| Lovely ending. I was very happy for Pearl. A wonderful story. Author Reply: Thank you! I appreciate the feedback. Now I must go to "Downpour" and write a bit of feedback myself! Oops, I hear children stirring. It'll have to wait until teatime, even though those new chapter notifications are burning a hole in my email... | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 2/8/2004 |
| Viola and Bittersweet have got to be two of the sharpest Tooks in the Smials. Perhaps they've been trained up in 'managing' hobbits by all the grief a Took usually gives a healer, but I see them here coaxing and being firm when needed, and knowing instantly when someone has to keep quiet. There's no hiding Lalia's death, not that they'd want to: it was well witnessed. But the aftermath and the implications for Pearl are instantly grasped, and she must be silent for her own good. I'm glad Frodo has appeared. He's not intimidated by anyone, he's got a level head and he can be the one to focus on Pearl when everyone else is distracted by the disasterous hunt, the sucession, and arrangements for burials. Nobody answered Adelard's question about notifying the Brandybucks of Lalia's death, I see. Saradoc's hearing it at the Green Dragon, so he can send word home if necessary. I wonder, will they go to the burial? Lalial would not be happy...but now's the time to think of what will be best for the future, not belabor the past. Author Reply: Thank you for the thoughtful review. Good analysis of Viola and Bittersweet: you have them down precisely. Actually Adelard's question was answered, but Pearl did not hear as it was a simple nod of the head on the Thain's part and her eyes were still closed. However, this comes clearer in the final chapter, just posted. I have deliberately left the succession of Thain up in the air in this story. Either Pearl has put aside the notion or all that has happened drove it out of her head. It may be that she discussed the matter with her father some time that summer and he dismissed her concerns with the assurance that of course his granfather removed their line from the succession; he remembers the old hobbit saying as much (and perhaps Hildigrim intended to put it down in writing but never got the chance?). Paladin will have to deal with the knowledge that he's next in line in another story. Not sure where that falls in the timeline. It might be part of the story of Pippin and Ferdi "burning down the Old Thain's stables" and it might not. Too early to tell. | |
| Grey Wonderer | Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 2/8/2004 |
| Way to go, Frodo! Someone to rescue Pearl and more importantly, show her some support. Continue soon. Author Reply: Thanks! The last chapter is posted. | |
| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 2/6/2004 |
| Either the ban has been lifted already or Frodo doesn't care. I imagine Pearl needs to be with her parents, she's been though a lot. There is still her offer to marry the Thain, but Lalia's death has changed matters. She's the 'clumsy attendant' now. So Isum lives? Good. The Tooks have had enough to deal with. Author Reply: Frodo didn't care. Of course, under Lalia who was head of the Took family only (I imagine a Ban pronounced by the Thain would be more far-reaching), this Ban applied to Tooks only (she was head of the Tooks), so it wouldn't hurt Frodo to visit Paladin, though it might hurt Paladin somehow. Yes, Isum and Pearl have been intended for one another from the beginning... Author Reply: Reading this over after it's too late to edit it, I see clearly that I really need that first cup of tea this morning... | |
| eiluj | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 2/4/2004 |
| I think this chapter is fine. What has occurred is as clear as it can be at this point. I don't know if it was the boar hunt or Lalia's accident or the description of the returning hobbits that you were most worried about, but I think it all works. I always hate it when authors introduce wild boars into their stories ... it's so rarely that all the characters emerge unscathed (it's like a red flag with "Tragedy Ahead!"). Even Big People with the proper weapons and training are seriously at risk -- how much worse the danger for the much smaller hobbits.... Author Reply: You always hate it when authors introduce wild boars into their stories? I haven't run across any since (what was it? am taking a stab here as I cannot remember for sure) "Old Yeller". You mean I didn't think of it first? (that is, after the author of "Old Yeller" or whatever it was) Well, wild swine are a fact of life and have to be dealt with, so I imagine no matter what the outcome or the losses the hobbits will prevail in the end. They cannot leave a sounder of swine to menace travellers and ruin crops. Thanks for the feedback! | |