Reviews (146)

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Hahaha. It's all a piece with "too many stories" (of which I still argue there is no such thing). Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

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Merry and Pippin sitting in the ruins of Isengard and smoking That's perfect! (Thank you for the chuckle today.)

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Your review made me think about what the Bolgers' life looks like in the future, and that took me down the side trail of how JRRT described Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit. Good food for thought, thank you for being the catalyst! In stories set later on the timeline, Hally and his older brother Gundy (named for their father) and a couple younger brothers live comfortably. I might even call them well-off, though I'm not quite sure about well-to-do, which I think might be a notch higher on the scale? For there are no gold – or even brass – buttons on their waistcoats. (On second thought, I doubt they have waistcoats... but if they did wear such a thing, the buttons would be beautifully carved works of art that someone of the gentry class would probably pay a pretty penny for, a notch above brass and maybe even up there with gold, when I think more deeply on the matter.) I think the key is that they are unpretentious; they were happy with their lot before, so a sudden windfall doesn't turn their heads. They will likely get the occasional commission from the gentry at a higher rate, but the bulk of their efforts will probably remain the same as they're used to pursuing: practical household items that are beautifully made "just because". (They live in harmony with the surrounding Wood and have an affinity for wood in general; when they carve, it's like they see the finished shape living inside the piece of wood, and so by carving they are simply setting free that particular facet of beauty and grace. A woodcarver once described their creations to me in those terms, and the image they painted with their words has stuck with me for decades.) And it's all your fault, and others like you Guilty as charged! (Or did I mean to say, "Kindred spirit!"? Or was it, actually, "Glad to be of service!"?) (Can there be such a thing as too many stories?) Author Reply: p.s. I might have given the impression that the four brothers are all woodcarvers, but that's not accurate. Hally is the woodcarver, meaning one who can bring out the fine details in an intricate piece of carving. His father was a woodcutter who was skilled at choosing trees to cut down, and he was able to do "rough shaping". In terms of eyesight, he could see the outline of the shape hidden inside the layers of wood, and so he could cut away the outer layers, thus streamlining the process by giving Hally quicker access. Hally didn't have to take time carving away the outer layers but could go right to work on the details he could see in the wood (as opposed to his father seeing a rough outline). Hally's brothers work with wood in different ways; Gundy is a woodcutter. He brings down trees and practices practical forestry management (i.e. he is careful and because of his close connection to the earth, as JRRT described hobbits in general, his practices are aimed to protect and promote the health of the Woody End where he lives and works). The two younger brothers are furniture-makers. I hope I'm not boring you! I'm in a contemplative mood today, so I'm probably rambling. (Who am I kidding? I am rambling. Time to seek out some protein, I guess. Who needs drugs when low blood sugar can induce an altered state of consciousness?) Anyhow, thanks for listening. I appreciate hearing your thoughts. (I can never seem to get enough of pondering the various aspects of JRRT's sandbox.)

Author's reply

Lalia can get awfully cruel and spiteful, I'm sorry to say, even as she covers it with a proper manner and benevolent smile. Unfortunately, I've known a few people like her IRL. (Not many, thankfully, and not with the kind of power she has, double-thankfully.) Ah, Ferumbras. He has his moments. Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

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LOL! The trick is to keep the main parties completely above suspicion without throwing suspicion on any innocent parties! That can be especially challenging when trying to confound the plans of a spiteful, suspicious person... It helps that Bittersweet knows her Tooks well enough to predict certain behavior patterns and include them in the plan. Gundy and Hally are amateurs by comparison, but they seem to catch on fast. :) Thanks for reading and pausing long enough to share your thoughts! I appreciate it.

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Thanks for your encouragement! I actually put a fair bit of thought into presenting well-rounded, multi-faceted characters because they feel more real to me that way. A lot of the healers in my story are named after medicinal plants, as things have turned out (even though it doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense, for how would their parents know they were going to grow up to be healers?). Early on, it was a way of keeping track of who was who when a story had a lot of OCs to cope with. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts!

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JRRT certainly set the tone with Bilbo's birthday party! Hobbits and parties seem to go together quite naturally. (And parties can be so much fun to imagine and write about!) Lalia has some good points, which makes her a more interesting character in my view. The Tooks were rather short-sighted about the possibility of Ferdi freaking out when the Yule log was lit; however, it's quite possible they thought his earlier distress at the remembrance ceremony had to do with the stream rather than the candle. Tooks as I write them are quite wary of rivers and streams. Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts!

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Mistress Lalia is a piece of work. JRRT's description of her did not strike me as complimentary... Thanks for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! You've made my day.

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I'm glad to hear you say so! That's how I see her; she reflects the time and society and customs, yet she can think for herself, and she has a strong will and a firm moral compass. Very long ago, when this story was nominated for an award, several reviewers called her "flat", which I found confusing. I might describe her as "constrained", maybe, by her youth and circumstances and maybe even birth order. It really bothered me to hear people categorize her as two-dimensional, lacking complexity and not evolving during the story (at least one definition of "flat")! I'm quite fond of Pearl, actually. Anyhow, thanks for listening; I promise to stop grumbling now!

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Little kids can be so much fun to write (as well as interact with in real life)! They also keep you on your toes, I've found... Thanks for reading and pausing to share your thoughts!

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I agree! That's one of the things I love about hobbits as JRRT wrote them. Thanks! It's good to hear from you.

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Thanks! Appreciate the feedback. Maybe this one isn't on the list of stories on my author's page? It's in need of updating I know. Just got back from camping and it was nice to read a few reviews--but I'm exhausted and need to hit the pillow! Thanks again.

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Thanks for taking the time to review! I'm afraid I scare readers away with my long stories. For my part, I think LOTR was too short... Yes, you're right, Pippin and Ferdi together burned down the old (Ferumbras)Thain's stables (nearly). That incident may be told in full in a future story, you never know. It happened during Pippin's tween years, before his father became Thain.

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Don't know if this is a good email address for you or not since you reviewed so long ago, but I didn't see the review until today when I was hunting for something! So sorry about the delay in replying! Anyhow, thanks so much for the encouraging feedback.

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Thank you for the encouragement! I haven't decided yet to address the dangling thread here or in a follow-on story.

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Thank you for the long and lovely review. Icing on the cake, really. Yes, Ferumbras is an admirable figure, flawed as he was by living under his mother's thumb for most of his life. Still, he sees his way clear to doing the right thing and puts others before himself. Glad you liked the ending, bittersweet as it was, but life is often that way. Now to concentrate on "Solid Ground" which is coming along nicely, and "Merrys" which is not (it is difficult to write a comedy that does not sound contrived--at least I find it so at times.).

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Thank you! I appreciate the feedback. Now I must go to "Downpour" and write a bit of feedback myself! Oops, I hear children stirring. It'll have to wait until teatime, even though those new chapter notifications are burning a hole in my email...

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Thank you for the thoughtful review. Good analysis of Viola and Bittersweet: you have them down precisely. Actually Adelard's question was answered, but Pearl did not hear as it was a simple nod of the head on the Thain's part and her eyes were still closed. However, this comes clearer in the final chapter, just posted. I have deliberately left the succession of Thain up in the air in this story. Either Pearl has put aside the notion or all that has happened drove it out of her head. It may be that she discussed the matter with her father some time that summer and he dismissed her concerns with the assurance that of course his granfather removed their line from the succession; he remembers the old hobbit saying as much (and perhaps Hildigrim intended to put it down in writing but never got the chance?). Paladin will have to deal with the knowledge that he's next in line in another story. Not sure where that falls in the timeline. It might be part of the story of Pippin and Ferdi "burning down the Old Thain's stables" and it might not. Too early to tell.

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Thanks! The last chapter is posted.

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Frodo didn't care. Of course, under Lalia who was head of the Took family only (I imagine a Ban pronounced by the Thain would be more far-reaching), this Ban applied to Tooks only (she was head of the Tooks), so it wouldn't hurt Frodo to visit Paladin, though it might hurt Paladin somehow. Yes, Isum and Pearl have been intended for one another from the beginning... Author Reply: Reading this over after it's too late to edit it, I see clearly that I really need that first cup of tea this morning...

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You always hate it when authors introduce wild boars into their stories? I haven't run across any since (what was it? am taking a stab here as I cannot remember for sure) "Old Yeller". You mean I didn't think of it first? (that is, after the author of "Old Yeller" or whatever it was) Well, wild swine are a fact of life and have to be dealt with, so I imagine no matter what the outcome or the losses the hobbits will prevail in the end. They cannot leave a sounder of swine to menace travellers and ruin crops. Thanks for the feedback!

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Yes, I have often thought about those stairs. In my first few fics I actually had all the entrances to the Smials at ground-level, but after reading the JRRT letter that detailed Lalia's demise, I had to do a bit of revision. Now I have all the "other" or lesser entrances at ground-level and only the Grand Door with a set of wide stairs leading up to it. As to the rest of your questions, all I can say is that the cloak-shrouded hobbit on the pony is indeed dead, though his identity is to be revealed in the next chapter. Do you know how hard it is to describe a body laid across a saddle, face-down? I can see it clearly but cannot write it in a way that sounds right. You do not know how hard it was to write Lalia's demise! I hate hobbits dying! You're right, there's quite a bit of fallout due in the next chapter. (putting up umbrella) Author Reply: p.s. thanks for taking the time to review!

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Naughty computer, give it back! Play nice! (Drat. And I do so love long comments.) Thanks. This chapter was actually the seed that the rest of the story grew from. I've always known Pearl had to be innocent, and that the accusations of "clumsy attendant" were simply unkind outgrowth of the Talk of the Tooks. And of course it would be unthinkable for Lalia's death to have been deliberate on her part... so though she has plenty of motive in the eyes of the Tooks (considering the Ban on her father, and the fact that they wouldn't know she's taken care of the problem by arranging to marry the Thain), the readers all know what *really* happened, as the story summary promised from the first...

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O good, glad it sounded believable. It is hard, after so much research, not to show off and throw in a whole bunch of boar-hunting technical terms just to show I did my homework, but I restrained myself (and secretly hope that I did not make an awkward blunder in spite of it all). I'm glad you liked the old harridan. I was rather fond of her myself, warts and all. We all have warts, after all; some of us just hide them better than others. Thanks for the words of praise. Since the boar-hunt with the result of that badly injured hobbit wrapped in the Thain's cloak was the seed of this story, it had to be carefully set-up so as not to come seemingly "out of the blue". Glad it is seen as foreshadowing and a plot twist! (and not too heavy-handed or obvious). And if you notice, I foreshadowed not only Pippin and the boar, but Isum and the boar as well, all in one little table conversation. Doesn't take much to make me happy under the influence of cold meds. (OTOH, doesn't take much to make me flounder in insecurity, either. Hah. Toddling back to the couch now.) Sometimes I amaze even myself. (Han Solo, puffed up by success) That doesn't sound too hard. (Princess Leia, spoken with heavy irony)

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Haven't written any "author replies" in awhile, not wanting to give the climax away, but now all is bared and I can answer. Yes, you were right about the hourglass.