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Jewels  by Lindelea 6 Review(s)
MirkwoodmaidenReviewed 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

MirkwoodmaidenReviewed 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

PSWReviewed Chapter: 35 on 3/1/2025
I’m so glad everybody went well. I couldn’t bear it if things went badly with the baby - and this house has seen enough of sadness.

Paladin needs to chill a bit…

Author Reply: Paladin does need to chill. He's gotten so used to people saying, "How high?" when he said "Jump!" ...but that was necessary during the occupation of the Shire by Lotho's (and then Sharkey's) Men. He's had a bit of trouble transitioning to a peacetime Thain. However, interacting with hobbits outside of the Tookland (and his wife, who's fed up with the estrangement from their son), takes him down a peg or two and gives him food for thought. Or perhaps a better metaphor is planting seeds that will lie fallow for a while and then sprout?

demeter dReviewed Chapter: 35 on 5/22/2013
That, I think, is what it would have taken to have ANY Middle Earth father outside of the Elven world, be found in a delivery room. The world our Good Professor was raised in was most definitely one of "this is woman's work, a man has no place in here!" But a last minute emergency, an upset Rosie, and yes, I could see our beloved Sam rising to the occasion. I have not recently read the timelines, but I could very much imagine Merry and Pippin sharing both engagement parties and weddings. I really like the way that Eglantine handles her husband. I know a lot of real-life fathers who take it hard when their children's plans turn out differently than what they had expected. It would have taken a strong woman to be the Thain's wife. I can believe that she would speak her own mind.

Author Reply: Ah, yes, that's true about Tolkien's time. Good observations! I'm not sure what the timelines say, at this point -- I think only Pippin's marriage is mentioned. Merry's wife Estella wasn't mentioned at all in my set of books from the 1970s -- I actually wrote in Estella's name on the Brandybuck family tree when I found it printed in another edition.

I do love Eglantine as I've envisioned her. Both in this timeline (where Paladin is embittered by having the Thainship forced upon him) and in the alternate timeline of more recent stories (where he's much more likeable), Eglantine is strong and ready to speak her own mind when needed.

UTfrogReviewed Chapter: 35 on 5/20/2013
Lovely. I really am enjoying the whole story. Thank you.

Author Reply: Thank you so much for the encouraging words!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 35 on 5/20/2013
How sweet a greeting for Rosie-lass! Too bad Sam and Rosie were a bit late to the handfasting, but all worked out well in the end, at least. Wonderful!

Author Reply: Yes, it all worked out as it ought. Thanks!

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