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A Conspiracy of Hobbits  by Dreamflower 3 Review(s)
GryffinjackReviewed Chapter: 6 on 11/4/2005
It's still so painful to read about Frodo selling dear Bag End to the S.B.'s! It must have come as quite a crushing blow to each of them to learn of Frodo's plan and watch him sign that contract.

Leave it to Folco to be the only one to actually believe Frodo had run out of money and suggest a possible solution! He's so sweet and good natured. All of the others are too busy pretending they believe the story in hopes of not arousing suspicion that none of them even thought of making such a lame offer. Although Frodo hopes the rest of the hobbits are all buying his story, I wonder if he were at all surprised that none of them offerred to help, especially if even Folco had thought of that solution. Interesting how it is Lotho who unintentionally comes up with the way to get Frodo out of the jam Folco got him into - that an agreement is an agreement. It must be the only time in his life that Lotho was at all helpful.

This must have been so painful for all of them to see - the sale of Bag End would have made it all the more real that this *was* going to happen and that Frodo could not remain in the Shire and really was in serious danger.

Author Reply: Yes, breaking the news to his friends must have been really hard.

Poor Frodo, hardly anyone believed his excuses, except Folco, who was too clueless not too, and Lotho in whose best interest it was to believe it.

At this point, with him trying so hard to keep his secret, he is not "reading" his cousins as well as he normally does. Both he and Merry are putting their occasional suspicions down to their *own* nerves rather than to the idea that someone else has figured out the secret.

So when he finds himself wondering why Merry is not behaving normally, or when Merry finds himself wondering the same about Pippin, they both put it down to their own nerve-wracked state.

It was very painful. Since you've read all the "earlier" (in time) stories, you know how very filled with memories Bag End is for all of them.

PIppinfan1988Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 3/29/2004
So sad...very nice description of everyone's anger. I failed to mention in last chapter's review that I liked how the floor in Gandalf's room was lowered, rather than the ceiling raised. Cool.

Pippinfan

Author Reply: Yes. I think Frodo might feel a bit as though he has betrayed Bilbo by selling Bag End to the S-B's, who really were quite loathsome. And of course his friends are going to be furious, but not at him, at the circumstances that have pushed him to it.
It just seemed to me that would be a hobbity way to do it, and probably easier. After all, they'd just have to dig the floors out a little deeper; a lot less work.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 6 on 3/28/2004
I love Falco! So sweet and so innocent! Seems Frodo is so caught up in what he must do that he doesn't even wonder that Merry didn't offer.

Author Reply: I see Folco as one of those people who take everything at face value. If your friend says he's running short of money, then that's what it is. He mostly gets in trouble when he tries to be funny, as he doesn't really have a very good sense of timing! ( And of course, when he is funny, it's completely unintentional--I really wanted to give Lotho at least one bad minute before he got his hands on Bag End.)
And of course you're right about Frodo and Merry. Merry was so caught up in not letting Frodo realize he knew he was lying, that he didn't think to offer--though imagaine the awkwardness of that! 8-)

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