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All That Glisters  by Lindelea 5 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 21 on 12/10/2004
Very satisfying. And I'm glad Pippin showed mercy and sense.

Author Reply: Glad to hear you're enjoying the story! I certainly have been enjoying re-visiting these earlier chapters with you!

Pippin can show a lot of sense, when there's no danger to his wife and child(ren) in the mix!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 21 on 11/24/2004
That turned out well! I love Ferdi's astonishment when Pip takes him to task for acting impulsively--*pot*kettle*black*--yet in this he was absolutely right. And for Ferdi to realized that the boy he thought had been hanged was still alive and in happier circumstances should go a long way to easing his night terrors.
But are they ever going to make it to the Bridge?

Author Reply: It is awfully fun when Pippin takes others to task for faults for which he could be the poster child!

Are they ever going to make it to the Bridge... this story seems to drag on forever sometimes. But yes, I believe you'll see the Bridge very soon.

Anso the HobbitReviewed Chapter: 21 on 10/15/2004
I havenīt managed to keep up with my story-reading, but now I fnially got this far, lol!

Little Rob is saved, yay for Ferdi! The Rangers are wise but hobbits in general do not know of their ways and understandable that Ferdi - even if he does know men - think all the "ruffians" are killed.

Author Reply: Just saw this review, Anso, and will answer it (but won't answer more, in fear of filling up your mailbox while you're offline).

I don't think Ferdi knows men as well as he *thinks* he does!

Thanks!

Connie B.Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 10/10/2004
Sorry to be so slow again with a review. RL was Busy this weekend. I should be catching up on sleep right now, but the dogs woke me up, so here I am.:)

Nice chapter. I'm glad Ferdi's nightmares about the boy can now be put to rest. Ooo, did I just make a bad pun, or what?

Pippin telling Ferdi to be less impulsive was terrific. Pippin has that great gift of being about to laugh at one's self and know one's self so well that he can use his own weaknesses to show others what not to do, but do it with humor and grace.

Thanks for sharing your own gifts with us.

Connie B.

Author Reply: Well I certainly appreciate the review! You don't know what a nail-biting undertaking writing can be... well, perhaps you do. It is nice to get feedback, to know if the writing sounds "on" or "off" somehow, or what facet of a character strikes you as true to that character.

The pun is okay... the chapter title is a pun! (was thinking of Ferdi's spirits, and also the ghosts that haunt him)

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. It makes the writing that much more do-able, somehow.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 21 on 10/10/2004
Well, OK - respect to Pippin. He is showing a lot of subtle understanding and kindness here. I'm so glad that Ferdi need no longer be haunted by the fate of the child he handed over to the Rangers. In fact, he could find a few more abandoned children and give them into the care of the Protectors of the Shire. And, having discovered that the child was being used by nasty villains who were not kin to him, he needn't even feel bad about the others being hanged.

I cannot imagine that a picnic near Hanging Wood is an ideal afternoon's entertainment - I am definitely with Pippin on what should happen to the bodies of those hanged.

It is rather humorous to have Pippin accusing Ferdi of driving himself too hard and overdoing it. You can tell they are cousins - but poor Ferdi (my favourite hobbit) didn't have the presence of Frodo and Merry in his life to give his spirits some release and after the fire he just had so much misery he was just braced for everything to be bad. Even after marrying Nell, it took a long time for him to be able to look forward positively and expect good things. (Not surprising really, considering how much happens to the poor hobbit!)

Author Reply: Well, Pippin is maturing, and his fight to be the best Thain he can be in the face of his own physical limitations is contributing to that. I might call "Runaway" OOC except for the fact that (hopefully) I've established that the one thing that sends him off his rockers is a threat to wife and/or son.

Hmmm. Ferdi as stray-collector. An interesting concept.

I'm with you as far as the Hanging Wood goes. Bury the bodies! And likely the little stretches of woods around the Bounds of the Shire will grow reputations and be thought of as Haunted Woods instead.

It's interesting, Frodo and Merry provided steadying influences for Pippin, but I also see Pippin and Merry as providing cheer to Frodo, poor orphaned lad. It is interesting, postulating Ferdi as having been so close to Merry before the fire, and so close to Pippin for most of his life before the Quest. Have had to do a bit of thinking to work out why he wasn't part of the conspiracy (besides the fact that JRRT didn't include him amongst Frodo's inner circle! LOL). Of course, the fire had a lot to do with that, as well as the fact that he's a "friend of a friend" and not friends with Frodo.

Poor Ferdi, he's had a hard life, but it's been an exciting one, and at least he had his Nell for the better part of it.

Thanks so much for your review! It makes me feel quite cheerful and inclined to keep pegging away, to open up my email and see feedback there.

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