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| Runaway by Lindelea | 3 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 5/28/2025 |
| Pheeew!!!!! This one left me breathless the first time I read it!!!! The suspense was unbearable, as I kept being called away and I was constantly in suspense all day for the better part of two days!!! My heart was in my throat. Poor Ferdi! After everything he suffered in his youth, everything he did in service to the Shire and the Thain. He was nearly irrevocably wronged and disgraced, far worse than being shunned... I was so excited when Farry came running! Good for Robin. He knew what to do! And the idea of a ‘truth-sifter’ is fascinating to me. The world needs more of those. Good thing the Bolgers were there to make sure Farry told the truth. Ferdi and Tolly both really are jewels among hobbits. The fact that they both so willingly forgave Pippin really testified to their characters, if their intentions in this scheme weren’t enough. And well done to Pip for his oath. He has shown that he will keep his promises indeed, if his own son doesn’t object when he makes that claim. My heart shattered when Ferdi told Pip that he never trusted him again. I suppose I didn’t quite realize that until he said it, but it made perfect sense. It seems wise, given what Pippin did to him, but at the same time, he needed to let it go. I loved that scene with Rosemary. She’s my favorite hobbit-lass! She’s got good sense on her and steadiness to be admired by all. A good sibling for Ferdi. They’re matched well as siblings, and Haldi is a wonderful husband. I love the stories that include them! I’ve been enjoying pulling out my copies of LotR to look at the maps of the Shire periodically, I love that you’ve included so much description of the places within the Shire and the landscape. I have a wonderful picture of it in my mind. Kudos x 100! Slán go fóil! Author Reply: Many thanks for this lovely long review! I love hearing your responses to various people and plot points. In this story, I must give JoDancingtree a great deal of credit for making the story work. (For example, in addition to helping me get past a serious case of writer's block at about the mid-point, she expanded on Tolly's character and family and built so skillfully on the character I'd created that all the extra little details she added worked perfectly with what I'd written about him before!) I'm glad you find the descriptions ring true. I learned a lot from perusing Tolkien's maps (and other people's maps based on his works), as well as combing the original story for details of the characters' surroundings as they travelled. I have to admit, though, that when we visited England in 2005 and drove through a lot of countryside that was said to have inspired Tolkien's description of the Shire, it expanded my understanding and inspiration and appreciation of the landscape. I agree about truth-sifters. That invention came out of a bit of wishful thinking of my own. It would have been very helpful to have that ability or at least know someone with that ability! Again, thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts! I very much appreciate it. | |
| Nienor Niniel | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 9/23/2006 |
| Ooh, I liked that one very much! The set-up was great, and you really had me thinking they would see the punishment through. The new view on Ferdi's and Pippin's relationship was interesting: that Ferdi hasn't always been fair either. And I like how Faramir is developing. Greetings, Nienor Author Reply: Glad you liked it! Some readers loved this stories, and others have told me they hated it. Haven't seen any lukewarm responses. Much of the credit for this story goes to Jodancingtree, for she rescued it from the rubbish heap and breathed new life into it when I'd given it up. Glad you like seeing Farry's development! He's been an interesting character to imagine, even though I haven't got much past his first year of marriage in my imagining. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 35 on 3/2/2004 |
| Somehow I managed to miss the previous chapter entirely. Farry is absolutely adorable there. Just the right mix of earnestness and vulnerability and inner strength. I know now he'll be a wonderful hobbit when he grows up, and a worthy sucessor to Pippin. Especially as Pippin will keep his promise, and not lose him again. I think I'm missing the point in the last chapter. Did Pip and Ferdi just have to get out of the Smials? Their conversation, although it requires privacy, doesn't require salted nuts and cheese cubes (great description of hobbity nibbles, by the way). Ferdi has told Pip he's staying, and if Pippin knows anything he should be sure of Ferdi when he gives his word. I suppose it's a measure of how shook up he's been about everything that's happened that he has to hear it again. But why go to the Spotted Duck to complain about their wives, especially if they are so concerned about being recognized? It doesn't look like they are trying to overhear the talk outside the Smials, though from what the inkeeper and barmaid say, it seems the hobbits there still respect the Thain and look to him for their concerns. Trust is not an easy thing to rebuild, but I think the Hobbits have it over us in the sincerity of their feelings. It is easier for them to forgive and move on when malice is so foreign and the joys of each day are to be savored. The next story in the chronology is 'Rope', and I don't see mistrust between Pip and Ferdi and the escort by then. Congratulations to you and Jo for finally finishing this story! Author Reply: Of course they just had to get out of the Smials. *grin* Imagine being a Took, with people sitting on you to keep you in bed... a bed that will swallow you alive if you stay there another hour. Your wife, thinking you're asleep, takes herself off to late supper--you hear her talking softly in the hallway with another hobbit mum. You carefully arrange a bolster or two in the bed to make it appear that you're still there, listen for an opportune moment when the servants are occupied or gone, muffle yourself in a cloak and creep out... only to encounter another escapee. So off you go together to commiserate. Author Reply: p.s. Thanks for the review and the congratulations! I truly would have abandoned this story as unworkable had Jo not stepped in. As it was, she reworked the middle and made it possible for me to write the finishing chapters. Whew. | |