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| A Comedy of Merrys (or Much Ado About Merry) by Lindelea | 76 Review(s) |
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| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/16/2004 |
| So far, so good. Loved Frodo's reaction to seeing Daisy. Can't wait to see what mishaps occur. Author Reply: Well, if you asked Faramir and Goldi and Merry Brandybuck and Merry Took, they could tell you. (Not to mention Estella and Pippin Took) More to come! | |
| Pervinca | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/16/2004 |
| Aww, that was very nice of the Innkeeper's wife! I feel sorry for them now. My goodness, Beregrin, Borogrin and Merigrin. I'm half expecting Pippin's new children to be Frodogrin and Palagrin! Very cute. Please continue soon. Author Reply: Frodogrin, now there's a thought. Actually, they are already named in another story, so we'll regretfully have to leave that idea on the shelf. Perhaps Faramir Took can use those names at a later date. Thanks for reviewing! | |
| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/15/2004 |
| I'm curious about Woodruff's theory - is it something recommended to pregnant women or simply a way of bettering their nutrition. The conversation about the babies was hysterical - Surprise indeed! I once knew a lawyer with that name. Is Merigrin riding with Nell and Ferdi - I didn't see indications of it - or is he playing hokey? As for Estella, well innkeepers in the Shire are much nicer than their modern counterparts! Author Reply: It's actually based on the diet my midwife used when I fought toxemia through my last two pregnancies. The Brewer diet, or the Brewster diet, or something like that. It had an inordinate amount of daily eggs and more protein than you can imagine... "normal" recommended daily protein for a pregnant woman is 80 grams or so, but she had me eating a minimum of 200g. Must admit that when I fell below that amount the swelling and woozies would start. I even had to get up in the middle of the night to drink a protein drink, to keep from feeling awful in the morning. A lawyer named Surprise? Just think of the possibilities. Hobbit innkeepers, as a rule, are better, I think. | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/15/2004 |
| I didn't notice Merry Took in the coach with Ferdi...he wouldn't have missed his ride, now, would he? Off checking on his nest for the last time and not noticing the time? He's got his head in the clouds in a way that reminds me a bit of his father, when he was young. I love Nell's descriptions of the night for Ferdi. They've adapted to his disability, and now it's a chance for poetry between them. Pip's very tender with Diamond here. Tender for Pip though, includes laughter. "Prize" and "Surprise" indeed! (Though I know a few babies who could be named so...) No sign of Merry Brandybuck at the inn. Of course, we know why - he's still asleep by the stream (or hurrying now well behind schedule). The innkeeper's wife is truly hobbity here - clever, resourceful, accomodating, and generous. All that's good about the hobbits. But, I'm not so sure that bolting the inn door is a good idea, even after the trauma of Ruffians. What would happen if there was a fire? (This isn't a criticism of the story, just something I don't think the hobbits have thought of. You're not planning to write another fire, are you?) Author Reply: No fires in the future, save those resulting from the earthquake in the other story, and don't plan to go into detail on those, either... Thanks for the clarification in the last line of your review; I so often take casual comments for constructive criticism when they are merely observations on the reader's part. Cannot answer your other questions/comments here but you shall see the answers in chapter(s) to be posted soon. | |
| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/13/2004 |
| Merry might make it for the wedding, but he'll be so tired his physical presence is all that will be there! Author Reply: Have you been drinking pina coladas with the Muse? How do you know this stuff? Thanks for reviewing! | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/13/2004 |
| Ooo, poor Pippin. I've broken toes twice; once tripping over nothing in the floor that wasn't there, and a year ago I dropped a sledgehammer on my foot. Not fun at all, but there's nothing you can do for broken toes, short of waiting the 6 weeks or so it takes for them to heal (well, you can tape them to the adjacent unbroken toes, but that's about it). This is putting a lot of responsibility on Merry for executing the perfect surprise. The pressure is building now! I'm glad to see Estella has better luck than Pippin with overturning carriages, and that everyone is OK. But, why did the driver walk to the next inn, when there are perfectly good ponies standing there? He should have taken one of the coach ponies, I would think. Oh, I laughed at the description of Elanor looking like a tomato ready to burst. I remember that feeling! I'm glad she gets to see the wedding, and escapes the fever, and I'm sure Rose wouldn't mind if another babe is born at Bag End. The little snippet about Rose still grieving the far-away homes of her girls is interesting. And it's a nice parallel to the coach journey of the same families, again expecting, in the other story. Merry should have known better than to rest by a stream. He'll sleep the day away, and maybe the night. Even with his family delayed, he'll be lucky to make the wedding at all. He's going to be in trouble. Author Reply: Oops, you got me! I missed something as obvious as the driver did. Perhaps he's still in shock. Will either work it into the story or revise... Thanks! | |
| Pervinca | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 2/13/2004 |
| Oooh, I liked how Rosie has married Fastred's brother! And having Elanor make a surprise appearance at the wedding is a lovely touch - but she's not going to name her new baby Merry is she? :P Author Reply: Thanks! I like hearing a reader's likes and dislikes (I like the "likes" more, for obvious reasons, but the dislikes always give me food for thought and motivation to rewrite something that didn't work). Hmmm, she hadn't thought of naming the new baby Merry. I'll have to mention it to her next time we talk... *g* | |
| Lyta Padfoot | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 2/11/2004 |
| Why do I have the suspicion someone will get shut up in that closet later on in the story? My foreshadow-dar went haywire reading that part. Merry is cutting it very close with his arrival, Estella won't know whether to hug him for wring his neck. Author Reply: Aw, Lyta, you can read me like a book... Thanks for reviewing! | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 2/11/2004 |
| I didn't notice this was a story of yours until yesterday. Sorry for missing the first few chapters! I'm glad we're going to see Frodo's wedding. I like weddings so much, and you've established such a lovely tradition about them. As for this story, Merry Gamgee makes me exasperated. He's such a tween! Merry Took makes me laugh, and so does Ferdi. Pip has never really ever gotten the best of Ferdi unless Ferdi lets him. Merry Brandybuck makes me worry. He's falling back into old habits of not sleeping enough. And he's got Estella worried. She's the fully mature responsible hobbit matron here - a lot different from the irrepressible lass she used to be, yes? Author Reply: Ah, good, glad to have you onboard. I do so appreciate your insightful comments. Estella has become somewhat of a "Lalia", not in personality but in function, as "mother" of the Brandybucks. She took her mothering quite seriously in the famine... (in "Rope") and has never quite got over it, I think, though one can still see the occasional flash of the old fire. Sometimes I wonder if, on the Mayor's annual visits to Buckland, she and Rose would steal away for a picnic, just "Tillie" and Rosie once more. Somehow I think they did. I do love Ferdi so, and I'm afraid it shows. Hope that someone reading this story in isolation, without having read any of the others, can still find him a believable character. It is going to be a lovely wedding, but fasten your seatbelt, somebody's in for a bumpy ride! | |
| Pervinca | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 2/11/2004 |
| A lovely story! So many Merrys up to no good! Though I dread to think what you'll do when you have them all in the one place! I just had one thing to not here. You've named one of Sam's daughters May, but as far as I know, he doesn't have a daughter called May (despite it making sense for him to do so). Just thought I'd let you know! Author Reply: Thank you so much! You are absolutely correct. I mis-remembered the genealogy and used the name of one of Sam's sisters. Have substituted "Primrose" instead. I love it when mistakes are caught early on, it makes corrections so much easier. I try not to make any, but they invariably creep in. Thanks for the feedback, and the encouragement. | |