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If I had a Hammer  by Grey Wonderer 13 Review(s)
PIppinfan1988Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/2/2005
LOL--that was too funny. I really do love your Frodo. He tries so hard to be the grown up and yet succumbs to the wiles of a teenager! A mouthful of grapes and Sam slapping his back to make Frodo spit them out, thinking he was choking...that was too much--oh, how I laughed! I think that Sam does deserve Paladin's money, and Tunnelly desrves a swift kick in the breeches. Well done!

Pippinfan

Author Reply: Glad you got a laugh out of this one. I couldn't resist giving Frodo a chance to look a bit silly, but we won't tell Merry. LOL
I think Sam will earn his money before this is all over and Mister Tunnely may be in for a bit of a surprise as well. More soon and thanks for the lovely review!

AuntiemeeshReviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/1/2005
Whew! Finally got caught up, so I'm just going to leave one review here for the chapters I missed.

Poor Pippin, I sympathize with his frustration over everyone around him being older and better at everything. Being one of the youngest and least talented in my family, I've been there, lol.

I loved how Pippin remembered all of Merry's projects in such a perfect light until Merry reminded him of all the flaws and disasters he'd been responsible for.

Your Pippin and Merry always have such a wonderfully realistic older/younger dynamic which I love. :D

Author Reply: So, I shall take this as high praise coming from a "youngest in the family". Especially since I know exactly how large your family is! Glad you think it was realistic. I am an oldest child so I had to do a bit of guessing. I have that opposite set up, jealous over the younger one doing things better than me. LOL
Glad you liked Merry and Pippin's talk about former adventures. Thanks for the review!

Jeodo BrandybuckReviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/1/2005
Hee hee hee hee... I love it when Frodo gets embarrassed, but it has to be done in an amusing way that's in keeping with being a hobbit. Well done! I'm looking forward to reading more.

Jeodo Brandybuck



Author Reply: For some reason, I always enjoy it when Frodo is flustered. I stopped at letting Merry find him out because I thought that might be more than Frodo could take at that point. (Merry is already teasing him about his lack of carpentry skills and losing his temper with Tunnely.) I also figured that the very practical Sam would be the one for this event! Thanks for the review and for reading! I am hoping to have more up soon.

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/30/2005
Yay! My wishes have come true: Frodo with his mouth full of grapes and Sam totally misjudging the situation! That was hilarious!

It was also funny, that Sam asked about the tools, having figured out long ago that neither Bilbo, nor Frodo were any good at carpentry ;-)
I like the idea that those tools belonged to Belladonna.

Last, but not least, the most important question: Where's Pip?

Author Reply: So glad that you enjoyed Frodo and Sam and the grapes. I just had to write that bit. I like the idea of Bilbo's mum having built his desk for him. I also liked the idea of a female woodworker. I'm sure you will get your answer to your "where's Pip?" question soon. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying it!

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/30/2005
Belladonna, huh? So carpentering is in the Took blood! And good carpentering at that. I love it that Sam is so disconcerted.

What a start. Frodo must have been so embarrassed to be caught dribbling grape juice with his cheeks distended like a hamster's. I'm not surprised Sam thought he must be choking.

Merry isn't entirely pleased not to be back in Pippin's confidence. But Pip needs the independence of doing this without him. Although he's not currently where he's expected to be - or in the larder, which is the usual alternative. I hope he hasn't become depressed and gone off to seek his fortune.

I hope Frodo manages to convince Sam - I'm really keen to see more of Sam's teaching techniques. He's far and away the best person to teach Pippin. (Maybe even when it comes to teaching writing!) He's got the technique - he treats Pippin as an adult, while keeping his explanations clear and straightforward and encouraging him to work things out for himself.

I hope the next chapter has them back in the barn!

Author Reply: I think Sam is an excellent teacher and I can see him teaching members of his own family to read and write. I think he will accept Frodo's offer and take the money since he thinks that Paladin Took will consider it charity if he doesn't take payment for it. More about Pip and where he is in the next chapter. Thanks so much for reading.

Anso the HobbitReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/30/2005
Yes, where is Pip? I like that the Bagginses have a female woodworker in the family, lol.

Author Reply: I liked having the woodworker be Bilbo's mum. For some reason I just couldn't see any of the Bagginses building anything! LOL I think of Frodo's Baggins relations as the thinkers not the builders. I also liked having a female own those tools. I have my own tools, though I couldn't build a desk with them. LOL
More about where Pip is later on.....thanks for the review! Oh, and I do hope you are feeling better and writing more about that Master in Training? That is such a good story.

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/30/2005
I had to read this before I went to bed. LOL that opening was hilarious. It's not enough that Frodo was humiliated by losing to his cousins the night before, but now Sam walks in on him practicing! I do love to see Frodo acting silly from time to time. I did wonder who all those tools belonged to. How wonderful that Belladonna was the woodworker of the family. :) And where *is* Pippin? I'm hoping he's only out in the barn again. After all their wonderful making up, I'd hate to think he's run off.

Author Reply: I could see Frodo alone in the kitchen with the grapes and thinking to himself, "I'll just practice a bit while no one is about." Then, enter Sam. LOL
I came upon the idea for the tools belonging to Belladonna as I was writing another chapter of this. If neither Frodo nor Bilbo was exactly good at carpentry then why would they have all of those tools? The only thing that I could come up with was that Bilbo had inherited them. I liked the idea of Belladonna having made Bilbo's desk and of her being the craftsman in the family.
I thank you for the review and there will be more about Pip's location soon.

PipspebbleReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/29/2005
Oh, poor Frodo! You had me laughing out loud with the first couple of paragraphs. I knew right away what Fro was up to. And I love the whole competitiveness between the cousins thing. And your Sam! Oh, dear Sam! You have such a lovely Sam voice, everything you write him saying rings so clear and true. I was delighted to find another chapter so soon, but am now salivating for more, more! :-)

Author Reply: Sam was the one that worried me the most in all of this so I am very pleased that you are enjoying him. I love him in other people's stories but I have always been a bit afraid to write him much myself.
I like for Frodo to have a minute or two of silliness from time to time and I could just see this. Glad it made you laugh. Thanks for the review!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/29/2005
*chuckle*
Now, I thought you might or might not show the contest, but it never occurred to me you'd just show Frodo practicing to beat his cousins after his defeat. And he thinks *Merry* is competitive? Sam's reaction was hilarious.

I like the way Frodo persuades Sam to take the task on. And perhaps Sam can use the information about Belladonna to buck up Pippin's confidence--he might come to think of carpentry as a Tookish talent.

Has Pippin gone back to sleeping in the barn? Or is he still feeling dejected by old T.T.'s rejection, and decided to hoof it home?

Update soon, please!

Author Reply: So Frodo's practice session was not what you expected? LOL I could see him doing this and so I had to write it. I could also see Sam's reaction to the choking and to the explanation.
I figured it might trouble Sam a bit to take money for helping Pippin. Sam might worry about not actually being a professional carpenter but I decided that Frodo might use "the Tooks not wanting to take charity" and Sam would understand that completely . I can also see Sam teaching family members to read after learning from Bilbo. I liked the idea of the carpentry tools belonging to Bilbo's mum instead of his Baggins father. LOL Sam may well have to use that information with Pippin at some point.

As to where Pippin is.....

TheHobbitWaffleReviewed Chapter: 11 on 9/29/2005
I've been reading this one for awhile and I am really enjoying it! You are very talented. :D

Author Reply: You are very sweet to say so. Thank you! I enjoyed your story very much and so I am glad that you are enjoying this one. Thanks for the review!

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