Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

The Apology by Dreamflower	10 Review(s)
Frodo Baggins	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/28/2006
Aww! How sweet! Oh this is so cute! Poor Frodo... I don't blame the poor thing for running away. Great job, Dreamflower! God Bless, Frodo Baggins Author Reply: Yes, he was so sad and confused. But I think that Saradoc and Esmeralda will understand when they get his letter.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/4/2006
Aw! Poor Frodo! "It's a lot of work to be cheerful, and sometimes I'm just too tired to try..." Heartbreaking! But that sounds so like Frodo. I can imagine he felt that way a lot post-quest, and to see it in such childlike words really brought it home. This was excellently done. It really looks as if Frodo could have written it, and the "voice" is that of a ten-year-old. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: Thank you very much. Again, my fondest hope is that I am keeping the characters in character. And poor little Frodo, sometimes it was to hard to try, especially in the spring, near the date of his parents' death.

Dana	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 1/1/2006
Oh, ow, Frodo. It all just made me so very sad, and the only thing I could think of was how much better it would be if I had drowned, too, and then I would not be a bother to anyone. That line is terribly angsty, and terribly -- er, terrible. The poor dear, really. But I do like the ending. Still, poor angsty Frodo. Author Reply: Yes, Frodo at any age rather lends himself to angst, poor baby. Fortunately, he has Bilbo and Merry, and soon he'll have Sam and Pippin too!

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/11/2005
How sad! You captured the childlike quality of young Frodo perfectly in this letter - not too childish, but not written like an adult either. Having Merry at Brandy Hall really helps him, but it is not enough to overcome the empty sadness of having lost his parents to the Brandywine River, especially when guests make nasty comments about him. No wonder he wanted to escape it all in favour of Bag End and Bilbo. Kudos to Bilbo not only for his care and understanding of Frodo, but for his making sure that Frodo understood that running away was wrong and disciplining him for it. He really is a special uncle. Author Reply: I'm glad I was able to balance Frodo's "voice" at this time between being too "babyish" or too "grown-up". Merry is his joy most of the time, but there are certain times and occasions when even little Meriadoc is not quite enough to hold on to Frodo. The idea that he could go to Bilbo, and that Bilbo would understand, was I think the point at which Bilbo began to firm up his resolve to take care of Frodo, though it did take him a few more years to convince the Brandybucks of that. And Bilbo would want to make certain Frodo understood how he had hurt and frightened his foster-parents. You will notice, however, that his "punishment" was not terribly onerous, LOL!

Nina the powerwriter	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/6/2004
Aww! That sounds like something Frodo would say as a kid. It makes me wonder what Tolkien had thought about the relationship between Frodo and Merry before Frodo left to live at Bag End. What did he envision? How close did he think they're relationship was? Like brothers? Oh, the questions! Are you going to write like a story around the letter? Because it made my little spark bunnies hop around and say "more, more!" If not, I'd like to tackle it :P Good job! Author Reply: Tolkien doesn't seem to go into the personal relationships too much--which leaves a great deal for our imaginations; However, going by what he has said about hobbits and family, I would guess that it was very much like a close big brother/little brother relationship. In fact, to my mind I think in some ways even closer. I am not sure if there will be an entire separate story here or not. This is a companion piece to "Grief"--I may just do it in bits and pieces. But if it gave you a plot bunny, take it and run with it; I don't care, and it might be fun to see what someone else does with it.

good_one_pip	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/16/2004
Oh, that's so sad! Frodo must have felt so awful when his parents died. He truly had a hard life. I'm glad he was able to find peace and happiness for a while with Bilbo. The letter of apology, though, was absolutely heart-wrenching! I nearly started sobbing hysterically at the end. Author Reply: Goodness! I am always taken aback when someone tells me I made them cry with a story! It amazes me that something I write could do that! I've read a few stories that made me tear up, but I never thought mine were that good. You've read and reviewed several of my stories, so you know my take on Frodo: that he suffered from melancholy (what we in the modern world call depression) from the time of his parent's death on, and often contemplated suicide in the Brandywine. That is pretty sad. But he had some bright spots in his life: Merry, Bilbo, Sam, Pippin, Bag End, and he had people who cared more about him than he realized. On the other hand, the fact that he held his own life in little esteem, and that he cared more about other people's happiness than his own, was one reason I feel, that the Ring could not get hold of him up until the very end.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/15/2004
Poor Frodo. I think Bilbo knows you like lessons really, young Frodo. (Only Frodo would admit to his official guardian that the punishment he has been awarded is really no punishment at all. Almost too honest, that hobbit.) Author Reply: Poor little Frodo indeed. And yes, I think that you are right, Bilbo would have a very good idea that Frodo really likes lessons. Young Frodo really is very earnest, isn't he?

Elendiari22	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/15/2004
Wow! You have succeded in knocking me over completely. This is wonderful, so sad, and yet so sweet. You ought to make a longer fic out of it! Thank you for the lovely read! Author Reply: Thank you for the lovely review! I am so glad that you liked it. Frodo was a sweet, sad child. I do not know that I will make one long fic from it. This goes with the drabble "Grief", and what I may do is gradually piece the story together with little references here and there in other fics.

SharonB	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/15/2004
Ah, poor Frodo. Bilbo made him write an apology to his aunt and uncle. Kids really do take to heart comments that adults make, so that much have really cut Frodo to the quick. Asensitive lad like Frodo would really hurt from such comments. But Bilbo was right to make him write that note. Like most that age he just did not think things through. Author Reply: Frodo is fairly sensitive about losing his parents anyway, and hearing a couple of adults (who were of his parent's own generation) saying these things really hit him hard. But once he got over the initial pain, Bilbo was able to make him see that he should have confided in his foster parents.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/14/2004
How true that Frodo has to try to be cheerful, rather than it just being automatic. Really shows how much he's been through in his short life. And that was pretty naughty of him not to tell Bilbo he likes lessons, lol, but that's just a typical kid. I love the letter and it would be interesting to see what Esmeralda and Saradoc do about their relatives. Author Reply: Frodo, I think, suffered from melancholy ever since he lost his parents. I believe it was there long before the Ring or the Quest, and was one small part of the reason that the Ring had such a difficult time finding purchase in him. Somehow I would not be surprised if Bilbo guesses that Frodo likes lessons even without being told, LOL! Unlike a lot of fic writers, I don't see Buckland as being filled with cruel relatives only out to pick on Frodo. I think the majority of them were fond of him in their own way, though they did not understand him. But most were busy with their own lives, and only Saradoc and Esmeralda had real time for him, and even that limited a bit by Saradoc's position as Son of the Hall. However, I was combing the family tree for a relative that would be useful as a catalyst for Frodo running away and came across Asphodel and Rufus. Since he was a Burrows, I figured that they might not live in Buckland, but would come visiting. And their remarks were not necessarily intended to be hurtful, but they were tactless and officious. I see them as the sort of people who are made uncomfortable by grief, and whose only response is to tell people to "get over it" and "get on with life". Not necessarily useful advice to someone in pain.

Return to Chapter List