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| Jewels by Lindelea | 235 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 7/11/2025 |
| Lin! First of all. Yeah! A double wedding!! And Paladin is there!!! Yeah. If he wasn't I was going to climb into the story and slap him upside the head. Secondly! I have of late been reading about Tolkien and what his writing meant to him. Your poems remind me of what I have been reading. To Tolkien ...and C.S. Lewis poetry defines words more fully brings the words closer to the song that brought both Middle Earth and Narnia into being. "Making magic of the slow, haunting music." Manefesting joy out of the song. Echoing Tolkien's song. Absolutely lovely! Thank you for that!! (((hugs))) MM | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 7/10/2025 |
| Lin!! Poor Merry! But at least he has Estella to stand by him!! (((hugs))) MM | |
| Periantari | Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 7/5/2025 |
| Wow, what a chapter- you did really well with the description of the catastrophe and it is so angsty what will happen . I liked a lot of dialogue you had in the beginning and i also liked the past chapters' developments with Caradoc and Pippin and love all your Pippin and Diamond interactions- they are quite sweet. I hope that Merry and Pippin will be ok! Author Reply: It's nice to hear from you! I appreciate your feedback, especially hearing about the parts that jumped out at you, which helps me to see the story with fresh eyes. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 40 on 7/3/2025 |
| Lin! Hello! Couldn't stop through the last three chapters to leave a review I just had to find out what was happening. Eeeeek! and Oh my! Those poor ponies! *sigh* and the brave hobbits who saved them. Both Merry and Pippin seem to be well taken care of by their intendeds. Yeah! Want read more but just thought I would drop a quick line. (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: MM! You made it through some very angsty chapters! I appreciate your stopping long enough to say a few words of encouragement. Thanks! (((hugs))) Lin | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 7/1/2025 |
| Lin! It is good that Pippin still has his sense of whimsy: "'Go right ahead,' Pippin said with an expansive gesture. 'I can't mind all the furniture by myself, as it is. We lost a bed just the other day...'" and... "'I'll make sure the house doesn't creep away,' Pippin answered. 'They can be sneaky that way, if you don't keep a sharp eye on them.'" And as the life of a farmer just wouldn't suit, now health-wise and before it seemed like hard work and Pippin were not close partners. :-)) So I am glad that something else has crossed his path. yay! I hope that Pippin can find his way back to some of that Joy that was his specifically. Thanks! (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: MM! Pippin's wit and curiosity and joyful spirit (as when Frodo sees him running on the grass and singing and resolves not to take Pippin with him, yikes) endeared him to me from the first time I read through LOTR (and Billy Boyd expressed his energy and exuberance so well!) – though I have to admit that Merry has always been my favorite among the hobbits from the first time I read the scene where he and Éowyn fought the Witch King. I'm not quite sure how I ended up writing so much more about Pippin and then Ferdibrand... Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. You often give me fresh insights into the characters when I catch a glimpse of them as seen through your eyes. (I hope that makes sense; I'm overdue for a dose of protein.) (((hugs))) Lin | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 6/30/2025 |
| Lin! "'Oh, aye.' Setting down his empty mug, he grasped the hand that lay on his shoulder, pulling it down to nestle his cheek against it. Diamond did not pull away again this time, but leaned over to rest her head on his curly top, and the two communed silently, listening to the laughter of the tots, the sweet song of a lark high above the field, the sleepy sound of bees droning in the blossoms nearby." Ah! Good to have a little peace. I've lost track how long has it been since they have returned from their "Travels" Dear Pippin it has been a long road... Interesting that the relationships between Merry and Theoden and Pippin and Denethor mirror the relationships with their fathers in your stories. And you didn't actually plan that...Ah the creative process is a curious thing. I found in my writing something that was a throwaway thought in one chapter actually becames relevant a couple chapters later. Most bizarre. I love the idea of the lamp in the window for Merry and Estella, give nice depth to their relationship. Oh dear! Pippin has lost the will to fight. I am sad. Poor Pip. I'm sure Diamond will be good for him! "'Not going back to Tuckborough?' Merry put down the letter his father had given him to read. 'Aye. Dinny's--pardon me, Thain Paladin's a fool. He tried to bend his son to his will, but he broke him instead.' 'Broke him? Those are strong words...' 'Peregrin's stopped fighting, Son. Something's gone out of him, some spark. Perhaps that fine lass of his can coax it back to life, but be that as it may, the Thain has lost his son.'" Fathers and Sons. It can be a very rocky road, even when there is affection. Thanks! (((hugs))) MM P.S. Chapter 28 for Destiny's Child should be posted in the next couple of days. My Beta, my hubbie will look it over, then... Author Reply: MM! I *loved* Chapter 28 of Destiny's Child! Wonderfully done. You are so right about that rocky road. *sigh* Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts! I really appreciate it! (((hugs))) Lin | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 6/24/2025 |
| Lin! Part 2! So glad that Mom and wee baby are fine! I was a little concerned for a moment there! That Pippin snoozing through the whole thing! LOL Thanks again! (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: MM! "snoozing through the whole thing" is a lovely idea, isn't it? Somehow the thought makes me smile. (((hugs))) Lin | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 6/24/2025 |
| Lin! Yeah! A party! That Sam, trying to get Rosie to stay home. Come to think of it, he always called Frodo Mr. Frodo... That Sam! "'At least The Took saw fit not to come,' Pippin said, changing the subject. Diamond could not decide whether she saw relief, or hurt in his eyes. Probably a little of both." So sad that Pippin and his father don't see eye-to-eye. It would help Pippin so much. I may have forgotten. Do they ever see eye-to-eye in the future. And this is what happens when I write running commentary on a chapter! LOL Pippin's dad arrives in the next paragraph. Must dash! (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: MM! You asked: Do they ever see eye-to-eye in the future? When I first started writing LOTR fanfic, I saw Paladin as a critical father (which shaped much of Pippin's character development). Somehow Merry's warm connection to Théoden and Pippin's rather more difficult connection to Denethor was reflected in how I saw their relationships with their fathers, as I realized a few years later. But Paladin didn't quite sit right with me. I found reasons for his harshness as I kept exploring the Tooks to make him more understandable (and, as in RL, more complex rather than something of a cardboard character). Father and son come to an understanding of sorts near the end of Paladin's life, but Pippin doesn't return to the Tookland until after Paladin's death. I even developed an alternative timeline with a likable Paladin; in The Farmer's Son, you'll find him a completely different hobbit. (It's a WIP and will eventually be posted in full after revision and beta-reading.) It's early days in the process, however, and I haven't solved all the problems that would need solving to make all the already-written stories fit with the more relatable Paladin. After all, Pippin's clashes of will with his father and his self-exile, as well as the impact on Ferdi's experiences, are a large part of the two cousins' character formation process on my original timeline. Anyhow, there's a glimpse behind the scenes. But I'm rambling. I need to go in search of some protein. Thanks so much for your lovely reviews! (((hugs))) Lin | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 34 on 6/18/2025 |
| Lin! Yeah! that Pippin didn't let the grass grow under his feet in getting handfasted to Diamond!!! Yeah!! I hope this means that Pippin's usually buoyant spirits are finally on the mend. He is eating and has asked Diamond!! Now for Merry! ;-) On a more serious note " '...the highest quality and elegant presentation, (he's still defying the Lockholes, as you know, and likely will be for the rest of his life),' My best friend's mom was in the Japanese internment camps and when I knew her back in the 70s she always shopped at the higher end stores (Gottschalk's, Penny's, Macy's - when they came) never at K-Mart, Zody's that were of course cheaper which we frequented. Joan's family had probably the same money as we did but they NEVER shopped at K-Mart. As if to say "the highest quality and elegant presentation" that she was American which of course she was. Art and life can most definitely reflect. Your next paragraph does that so well. Life during war or occupation so well described. Ah yes! Reading on a few paragraphs! Yeah! The light breaks through for Merry. Men can be so dense. I was practically sitting in my hubby's lap trying to get him to kiss me for the first time!!! LOL! "The brightness of her smile dazzled him. 'If I'd have you?' she whispered, radiant with joy, no longer concealing her feelings for him behind cool mischief. 'Why do you think I was such a pest, following you all over Budgeford all those years ago?'" The lengths we women have to go through sometimes! Honestly!! Thanks! (((hugs))) MM P.S. Chapter 27 of Destiny's Child has posted. Eager to see what you think! Author Reply: MM! Thank you for reminding me that you'd posted Chapter 27. It was lovely! I left more of a review attached to the chapter, of course. People can be so clueless. It's been rather amusing to write about clueless Merry (while figuring out how to prevent him from seeing Estella as she really is) in different stories so as not to spoil the surprise he experiences in this chapter! I've heard/read some of George Takei's stories about his experiences in an internment camp. What a terrible facet of American history those camps were. Your best friend's mum sounds staunch and resilient. (((hugs))) Lin | |
| Mirkwoodmaiden | Reviewed Chapter: 33 on 6/11/2025 |
| Lin! "She looked searchingly into his eyes. 'Don't you understand?' she said urgently. 'You're free. Your father has no hold over you now.' Tears filled her eyes. 'I could never stand to see a wild creature caged,' she added." I've said before but I will say it again! Estella's got style, kindness of heart AND brains!! I love your take on the Hobbit legal system!! Quite simple but efficient! Chapter 27 of "Destiny's Child" is almost ready. I have been working on it unfortunately to the exclusion of reading. I read when I have time to revive as well, which does curtail my reading a bit, but I know how much reviews mean to me so I want to give back!! Hope you are well! (40 weeks to retirement :-) ...not that I'm counting or anything... ) LOL! (((hugs))) MM Author Reply: MM! Ooo! I'm looking forward to Chapter 27! (I cannot wait until you get to the part where she wakes up in the Houses of Healing and going forward... How far will "Destiny's Child" go? Do you plan to write Éowyn's story all the way to her wedding or beyond, or refer readers to one of your other stories? Just curious. I don't mind reading the same scenes from a slightly different angle, for I can't seem to get my fill of these wonderful characters...) Y'know, since Merry's always been my favorite hobbit, ever since the first time I read the scene where he and Éowyn faced the Witch King – I was only a young teen at the time! – when I began to imagine the hobbit he'd marry, I wanted to make him a good – no, excellent! – match. So Estella is written to be the other half of his soul, providing exactly what he needs (while he does the same for her). I'm so glad you see her the way I do. So far as Hobbits and legalities go, I started from JRRT's brief mention of witnesses and red ink, possibly absorbed some influence from Dreamflower's writings, and went from there, though I diverged slightly when I began exploring the Tooks in more depth. As a result, the Tooks are something of a law unto themselves. But then, they were able to resist Lotho's influence and Saruman's malice, so I'm not too bothered by the difference between Tookland and what they regard as the Outer Shire. Thank you for your encouragement! This may sound odd, but I appreciate your appreciation of reviews. I find reviews so heartening; they reassure me that I'm not just talking to myself (or, alternatively, I'm not distorting Tolkien's world into something unrecognizable or unrelatable). These days, I'm trying to answer every review to show my appreciation. For years, I've tried to review every chapter I read, even if I don't have much to say, though I haven't always succeeded. (Sometimes I read on my phone, and for whatever reason, when I get back to the laptop, I forget to go back and leave reviews on those chapters.) In no way do I expect others to do the same, but I sure do bless those who do. How well I remember that countdown to retirement! I had to restart mine a couple times (put off retirement a little longer, I mean), and so I'm wishing you better luck in that respect, and that those 40 weeks will fly by. I have to tell you, I'm never bored, and over the past few months I've really enjoyed being able to explore pursuits I had put on hold due to a lack of time and energy while working. Fanfiction included. Oops. I may have descended into rambling. I'd better get off the laptop and brew a cup of tea before diving back into your young Aragorn story... (((hugs))) Lin | |