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Sharing Sam  by Celeritas 11 Review(s)
Speedy HobbitReviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/20/2008
Awwwwww, our poor dear Frodo! And poor Rosie too, come to that- I can't imagine it being a very nice feeling at all, what the whole Sam-leaving thing must have looked like to her- he tells her he loves her, then departs the Shire for over a year without sending any messages back? That certainly would not look very well at all from her point-of-view. The poor dears.

*huggles them both*


Author Reply: Oh, excellent; I'm glad you found this!

I imagine that some part of Frodo has already realized that he's leaving, so a lot of his actions at this point are him gracefully preparing the way to make sure Sam has a fulfilling life without him--even though he doesn't consciously realize it yet.

And I can't imagine that the past year would have been easy on Rosie, either, especially since somehow she knew since March that Sam was well, but he still didn't come back for another six months!

Hopefully getting to know one another will help both of them feel better.

Thanks for reviewing!

~Celeritas

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/16/2008
This was just lovely and so very true to life.Your Rosie feels very real.

Author Reply: Thank you! I'm glad you thought this was realistic--I find it hard to believe that Rosie would sit passively by and let Sam have his extended adventure without getting angry with someone.

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/14/2008
A delightful short story - I really like this take on Rosie. It would be natural for her to harbor some resentment towards Frodo for not only haring off with Sam for so long, while the Shire was in trouble, but then seeming to be the center of Sam's attention when they returned. But what I love about this story is that it shows Rosie's essential good nature as well; she does not hate or demean Frodo in her thoughts, she recognizes him as a kind, sincere hobbit.

And I love how Frodo not only gives Rosie a glorious future as the mistress of Bag End; he also gives her Sam, at least a personal account of the heroic Sam who helped save them all, which Sam himself would probably never do.

Author Reply: Well, of course she can't bring herself to hate Mr. Frodo--he's one of those gentry bachelor types who's probably a bit obtuse when it comes to treading on a lass's (especially a country lass's) feelings, so he really can't help it, etc., etc. The excuses come very easily to Rose, but I think a huge reason (aside from that essential good nature which must be inherent in any lass Sam fancies) is that she knows how dear he is to Sam and so there must be something to the fellow even if she can't quite see it yet.

I often see in other hobbit-type shippy fics some sort of recognition of one of the Travellers and seeing how much and how drastically he's changed. But you rarely see that with Sam and Rosie, even though Sam was quite affected by his experiences as well. Frodo in his narrative is, on some level, trying to assure Rosie that if Sam has changed in anything, he's even greater than before--something which Rosie surely already knows but it's nice to get a bit of specific confirmation anyway.

Thanks for reading!

YavannaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/13/2008
This is a wonderful story. I believe Rosie had indeed secound thoughts against Frodo and would not easily move into Bagend after marrying Sam. Frodo telling her about Sam's heroic deeds on the quest was not only a heartfelt desire of him, but also a clever move to open her heart, though Frodo did this out of love and not calculation.

Author Reply: Thanks for reading!

Frodo's a very clever sort of fellow, and I'm sure that he did have some secondary benefits in mind in this fic when starting to tell Rosie of Sam. Depending on how much you think Frodo's love for Sam grew over the Quest (basically dependent on how much class would have gotten in the way of pre-Quest friendship blossoming between them), he may have had a lot to prove to Rosie. And if Rosie can just realize the extent to which he loves Sam (which hearing him storytell about Sam's heroics certainly would--oh, to be a fly on the wall in that room!), that'll do a lot to raise Frodo in her mind.

Kara's AuntyReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/13/2008
Celeritas,

Oh what a lovely story. I've never really taken time before to stop and think if Rose harboured any small resentment towards Frodo because Sam left with him - I just accepted that she was glad to have Sam back after their adventures- so this was a refreshing read!

You fleshed out the heart-to-heart between the two most importanct people in Sam's life nicely. Rose's hesitancy to 'speak up to her betters' was so realistic and Frodo's reassurances are very characteristic of him. It was nice to see them reach a mutual understanding and begin forging the bonds of their own friendship.

Great work!

M :)

Author Reply: Hurrah, glad I opened up a new possibility! I tend to think that Rosie really didn't know Frodo too well prior to marrying Sam, so it was pretty easy for her to get mad at him! Fortunately now that he's helped her put that behind her she'll be able to get to know him--and consequently, Sam, who came back changed--better.

cookiefleckReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/12/2008
I enjoyed this very much (I'm someone who likes Sam fic, in particular). I especially liked Frodo telling Rosie about Sam's heroic deeds. She (and the rest of the Shire) *should* know the sacrifices Sam and the others made for the sake of Middle-earth.

Author Reply: Thanks, cookiefleck! I've always been amused by that one scene in the Scouring when Frodo starts heaping ridiculous amounts of praise on Sam and Sam doesn't quite know how to react because 1). he's really quite embarrassed, but 2). Rosie's over there staring at him. I figured Rosie would have to learn the full extent of his deeds at some point, but probably better to have that done with him not around!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/10/2008
*applause!*

This is a wonderful and refreshingly different take on Rose and her relationship with Frodo! It makes a good deal of sense for her to bear a bit of resentment under the circumstances. And Frodo dealt with it perfectly--in keeping with his wisdom.

I've used the scenario of Rose guessing that Sam was going off with Frodo (though not why), and giving him--well, not exactly her blessing, but her assurance that she'd wait for him. But, really your idea is a much more likely one.

The dialogue was lovely, by the way--just perfect for the both of them. You have a good handle on the "working class hobbit voice" that JRRT used, and you don't try to use a dialect that doesn't quite ring true. It always bothers me a little bit when people write Sam or other working class hobbits and make them sound like a hillbilly. I'm always nervous of it myself, afraid I will slip into that without meaning to.

Author Reply: Excellent!

"Refreshingly different" is my aim for just about all of the fan fiction I write--I started lurking on this site years ago and quickly realized how much a lot of different authors wrote in common, making the same assumptions, describing the characters that Tolkien rarely or hardly describes in the same way (usually the way they appeared in the films!), giving their characters the same motivations, etc. But on returning to the books for a massive reread I quickly realized that these self-feeding loops actually made fanon as a whole diverge from canon; and that rather than making you think more about canon and look at it in a number of new (but not distorting) angles, they often limited the reader's views and perceptions.

So oftentimes I consciously go against the norms of fanon, especially SoA hobbit fanon because I know it so well, in an attempt to be "refreshingly different" and make people think. In this case what I was going against was more or less your "scenario," coupled with the idea that Frodo and Rosie knew each other at least well enough to be considered acquaintances pre-Quest (when actually the first time you even hear of Rosie is in the Mordor chapters!). While I do believe that Rosie was smart enough to figure out that Sam was going to be gone, and for a while, and that he might not come back, I don't know if she'd have had a chance to communicate that with him! Nevertheless, I think it would have been a lot harder for Sam to go off if he hadn't known, even by virtue of Rosie's character, that she would wait for him. But all of that still doesn't mean that there wouldn't be any hard feelings toward Frodo after all of this was done--especially since Rosie was expecting Sam since spring!

I share your dialect fears, actually, to the point that I'm almost positive that I overcorrect now (especially for Sam), and that it's not rusticified enough. So I'm very pleased to know I've succeeded (for you, at least) in this aspect as well. So on both points your review has been highly supportive, because it's always good to know that I'm doing what I wanted to do!

eilujReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/10/2008
Very nice indeed. Please write more!

Author Reply: Can't guarantee anything for a good long time, unfortunately--Canon characters are not my forte and I find it very difficult to write gapfiller because there always has to be some reason that Tolkien didn't include it, but another reason that it must have happened. Anything other than that rapidly devolves into self-indulgence, which I am not immune to but I nonetheless try to avoid.

At any rate most of my creative energy is currently going towards my mostly-OC epic(ish) tale(s) set over 100 years after LotR and dealing with the relationship of the past to the present, memory and to what extent it should factor in day-to-day life, and lots and lots of shiny manuscripts. Do check it out if it seems to be your thing.

Thanks for the review!

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/10/2008
This is such a bittersweet, totally realistic conversation. Frodo certainly has given Rosie quite a lot to think about. If you ever feel the urge to write about what comforts and changes Rosie *does* bring to Bag End, I'd love to read it.

Author Reply: Heh. That's a bit of a tall order, so I'll probably leave it where it lies (for now). Knowing that she and Sam took the best possible care of Frodo tells me all I need to know. : )

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/10/2008
This was a delight, seeing Rosie realizing that Frodo wasn't "stealing" her Sam, but wanted to see the two of them wed as much as she did!

Thanks so much for this.

Author Reply: Thanks for the review! Frodo of course wants to see Sam as happy as possible, and he knows that Rosie will be able to do so in ways that he never could. So it's very smart to put himself on her side, because currently Sam is the only person who's delaying the wedding!

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