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Berry Picking  by Lily Dragonquill 5 Review(s)
BodkinReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/1/2007
I think big brother Paladin is asking for trouble.

Good thing Saradoc got in under the wire. So to speak. Berry-picking - always a good excuse.

Author Reply: You think Paladin is asking for trouble? Well, he might, if she hadn't agreed to give Saradoc a chance. I think it's rather Merimac who ask for trouble for his "distgusting" and "taste" comments :)

It seems the Brandybucks charm everyone.

Thanks for reading.

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/20/2007
Hmmm, red currants, very tasty! To tell you the truth, until now I did not know the English word for Johannisbeeren or Ribisel as you call them in Austria. So, thank you for teaching me a new word :)

"You can be quite spirited," he finally agreed, "but in a charming way."

LOL!!! Maybe, this is straightforward, but if I were in Esme's stead I would regard it as a compliment! Saradoc is very charming!

And she IS quite spirited as shows this remark:

"So, if you kissed me again I might even give you a chance."

Four years of age difference seem to be not a great deal, but if one is a tween and the other one already an adult it might be difficult.

I think Esme will find out very soon that Saradoc Brandybuck has "that certain something"!

Thank you very much for this entertaining story :)

Author Reply: I call them Johannisbeeren as well - Ribisel is more for eastern Austria if I'm not mistaken :)

Four years age difference is a very big deal when one is a tween and one isn't. I remembered when I was about 17 or 18 I felt so old and mature compared to my younger friends - which didn't hinder me to love them and be at their side whenever they had some foolery in mind :)


It was easier than I thought to catch a younger and less responsible Esmeralda and still have her be the same she is in Schicksalsjahre.

Thanks for reading.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/19/2007
Oh, how delightfully romantic! Lovely, lovely! Am so glad Esmeralda gave him that chance, you know. The Brandybucks needed her impulsivity and sensitivity, and she needed their steadiness and perseverence; and their son in the end needed both, as did their beloved fosterling.

Author Reply: Thank you so much, Larner!
I think in the end Esmeralda understood that age isn't everything. And I'm quite sure she was very much enjoying his flattery :)

Le RouretReviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/19/2007
Oh, how perfect! You had me holding my breath, chuckling, and grimacing along with poor Esmerelda. And that Saradoc! In only three short chapters you managed to convey his seriousness, respectability, courage and sheer grit; and Esme was perfect - stubborn, willful, with a streak of sensuous practicality that must have turned all the hobbit-lads on their ears. Well done!

And picking currants ... ick! That's got to be one of the most tedious jobs on the planet.

Author Reply: Esmeralda has a very strong will and sticks to her word. I wouldn't be surprised if she had really kicked Merimac all the way home had he been the one kissing her.
Saradoc is somehow the opposite of her: calm and considerate where she is impulsive. And yet they are a very good match.

Picking currants isn't so bad as it sounds - except of you don't like ants. They will crawl around EVERYWHERE :)

Thank you for reading.

Unheard ChimeReviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/19/2007
I liked this... very sweet and hobbit-y. I liked the uncertainty and dancing around each other that followed... cute! I wasn't quite sure what age you intended Esmerelda to be... was she actually significantly older than Saradoc, or was she just more mature with her sights set higher?

Author Reply: Thanks a lot!

I have mentioned Esmeralda's age in the story - 31 in the first part and 33 in the last. She is 4 years older than Saradoc as stated in the family trees.

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