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| The Case of the Purloined Mushrooms by Inkling | 30 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/12/2007 |
| What better reward than the recipe for Bilbo's mushrooms on toast! Far more valuable than gold - to any self-respecting hobbit, anyway. I don't know that Abelard's mother has much chance of persuading him to seek a bride. He seems quite happy with the world as it is! Author Reply: Yes, Abie is very content…but mothers never give up trying, do they? Thanks so much for reviewing! | |
| Althea | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/9/2007 |
| What a wonderful way for Bilbo to show his gratitude. I very much enjoyed reading this story. Author Reply: Yes, for Abie the nutmeg was even better than a gold coin! Thanks, Althea, for letting me know you enjoyed this. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/8/2007 |
| No wonder he couldn't recognize the spice if he'd not seen nutmeg before. We once purchased a nutmeg grater to sell in the antique store we had, and didn't keep it long at all. Bane does sound like quite the dog, and loved the reason the Gaffer gave for not accepting him. Heeheehee! Author Reply: Yes, Bilbo had good reason to be smug, as he knew Abie would never guess the mystery ingredient without seeing a nutmeg. I have a tin nutmeg grater that must be an antique (when’s the last time you saw “Made in West Germany”?), though I don’t remember how I acquired it. It was the model for the one in the story and is a very handy little device. Thanks for commenting and glad this gave you a chuckle! | |
| Fiondil | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/8/2007 |
| I sat here last night with a beastly head cold, drinking wild daisy tea (popular here in China where I live) and needing something to take my mind off my stuffy nose and decided to read your tale. It's a regular "Shire cozy" and Abie Archer is obviously the Miss Marple of the Four Farthings. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the oblique and not so oblique references to Sherlock Holmes and such. Quite amusing. The plot was believeable and the characters charming, especially Abie. I'm not particularly fond of first-person narrative, as it often is written very poorly, but you were able to pull it off without any trouble. Your style of writing is easy on the eyes and delightful to the mind. I do hope you come up with other mysteries for Abie Archer to solve, and maybe along the way, find him a wife just to keep his poor long-suffering mother happy. *grin* And while my cold didn't get any better, my spirits certainly did. Thank you. Author Reply: You’re very welcome, Fiondil, and thank you for your kind words! This was my first attempt at first-person narrative, so it’s nice to hear that my struggles with it weren’t too obvious. I was fortunate to have a beta who alerted me to some of its pitfalls, such as overuse of looked, appeared, seemed, etc. Glad to cheer you up and hope your cold gets better. Keep drinking that tea! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/7/2007 |
| What a perfect ending to a perfect mystery! And the recipe, too! I'm going to post a link to the story at Shire Kitchen! And I *do* hope we haven't heard the last of dear Postman Abie! Author Reply: Oh cool, I’d love for you to link this to Shire Kitchen, even though I missed the challenge! I hope you like the recipe if you try it…it’s a snap to prepare with a food processor (don’t tell Abie!), and freezes well too. And thanks for all your encouraging reviews! I’m so glad you liked Abie…and you never know, he may have another mystery or two to solve one of these days. | |
| Rowan | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/7/2007 |
| An original idea, well written and with an appealing non-Mary-Sue-ish OC protagonist. Will wonders never cease! Thank you for a most enjoyable read. Author Reply: You’re most welcome, Rowan! Your review gave me chuckle…yes, OCs are risky and I’m glad that Abie passed muster. Thanks for your kind words! | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 5/7/2007 |
| A beautiful ending to a grand story! Of course, Shirriff Tom claimed all the honors for solving the "mushroom mystery", but Abie didn't really care. And that's another thing that I like about him. I'm glad that Aunt Dora called Frodo "a credit to the Bagginses", and I would like to know more about Merry's attempts to get his own "Terror" title ;-) Last but not least: the secret ingredient! Nutmeg - who would have known, although I can very well imagine that it will add a lovely taste to mushrooms! Thank you very much, Inkling, for this wonderful story! P.S.: I think, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have enjoyed your story! Author Reply: And thank you, Andrea, for all your lovely reviews! I agree about Abie…it’s to his credit that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. As for Merry, I have to confess that I’m not sure just what he was up to, but have no doubt that he met the challenge… I’m so glad you enjoyed this little mystery, and hope you’re right about Sir Arthur! | |
| cookiefleck | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/3/2007 |
| Lovely story/chapter. I particularly liked when the Gaffer doubled up and only Sam knew he was laughing. Great fun! Author Reply: Thanks cookiefleck! The Gaffer became something of a scene-stealer in this chapter…he and Dora were both a lot of fun to write. I’m glad you had fun too! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/30/2007 |
| The sad thing is that Merry's thinking is totally logical - and, at his age, perfectly acceptable. And getting Frodo back is worth it, whatever the price! While the Sackville-Bagginses behaviour is totally predictable! And (apart from Sam's watch) ruined by their own stupidity. The dog in the night takes on a whole new meaning. The saying about gift horses should, perhaps, apply to mushroom-hounds. Farmer Broadfoot has been had for a mug! Author Reply: Yes, ironic how Merry and the S-Bs had the same goal for such different reasons. But you’re right, it is sad for Merry…I certified this fic 99% angst-free, but Merry is that other 1%. At least he got to eat the mushrooms! And you’re right about the farmer…what irks him even more than the loss of the mushrooms is being had by his competitor in the Marish…and by his own watchdog as well! Thanks for reviewing, Bodkin! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 4/30/2007 |
| Abelard is clever - unlike the Sackville-Bagginses. Otho is a nasty piece of work. And predictable. And the accusations have become so ridiculous as to be quite entertaining for young Frodo. Wings! Walking through walls! Author Reply: Well, at least you can’t fault those farmers for poor imaginations! As for the S.-B.s…they’re almost too easy to cast as the villains, aren’t they? Though Lobelia and Lotho usually have all the fun…thought I’d give Otho his turn in the limelight. Thanks for your comments! | |