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| GamgeeFest's Keepsakes by GamgeeFest | 16 Review(s) |
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| Elemmírë | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/7/2006 |
| This was utterly fantastic, GamgeeFest!! From Tolman's birth, to the journey, Arwen's parting gift to Sam, the babysitting guards, Sam's storytelling to the children ... I enjoyed it all!! And how very cool to have Pippin's new lass named Athelas. It's keeping in the hobbit tradition of a flower or gem name, after all. (and much prettier souding than Kingsfoil) LOL! I'm surprised no one's thought of that before! ~Elemmírë~ Author Reply: Thank you Elemmire! This story was a lot of fun to write, though I imagine Sam and Rose didn't have much fun in it. ;) Traveling with a baby in modern days is hard enough. To do so in Middle Earth really would take all the King's soldiers to help! Athelas makes a pretty hobbit name, even if it's not technically hobbity. But since Pippin named his son Faramir, people are probably used to odd names from this particular Thain. The muses gifted me with the name for Pippin's daughter, and it's very suiting that a lass with such a name would be the cure for a constantly crying baby. ;) | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/7/2006 |
| Oh, *sneezes as she wields the fluff-buster over the keyboard,* what a lovely tale. I love the babysitting guards. My Nephew was exactly like that but I don't think his babysitters were anywhere near as patient! Author Reply: It's fun to roll around in fluff every once in awhile, and there's nothing fluffier that little Baby Tom surrounded by soldiers making goo-goo sounds. :D There are strong similarities to Tom and my niece when she was a baby. I can sympathize with those merchants, and the poor soldiers who were on baby duty. At least they only had to watch Tom in two-hour shifts. :D Thanks for reading! | |
| cookiefleck | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/6/2006 |
| I loved this story. Always glad to read anything with Sam in it, and I enjoyed reading about his happy (if noisy) home life. I particularly liked the gifts... the 13 gems, and then the glimpse of Frodo. Very touching. Thank you! Author Reply: Sam's home life is never boring, that much can be safely assumed! 13 kids is a lot of work, but he and Rose are up to the challenge, even with a colicky baby thrown into the mix. Rose will save her gift for special ocassions, such as Yule, and Sam will carry that image of Frodo with him for the rest of his life. Thanks for reading! | |
| Althea | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/6/2006 |
| You know, I could have used some of those guards when my kids were babies. There are few things worse than a ceaselessly wailing infant in the night. I'm glad that the guards came up with a workable solution. I'm also glad that Sam was able to have a glimpse of Frodo at peace. Author Reply: My brother and sister-in-law are lucky in that their newborn is a quiet one. My nephew is clearly making up for my niece, who could have given Tom a run for his money! Every time we managed to put her to bed and she didn't wake up was a huge sigh of relief. Too bad we can't all commission Gondorian soldiers to watch our kids at night! Seeing Frodo healed was the best gift Arwen could have given Sam. You know he worries about his master even now and knowing that he is healed as he was promised is a load off Sam's mind. Sam now has an image of Frodo he can carry with him until he too sails over the Seas. | |
| Gryffinjack | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/6/2006 |
| You wrote it! There's just no keeping a great plot-bunny down! I love it! This is such a charming and funny story, from the way all of the Gondorians fall in love with Baby Tolman to King Eomer's joyous laughter at the guard set to be Tom's nurses. Oh, and Baby Tolman in the boots! And Tom Gamgee and Athelas Took! I had to laugh when I saw that Athelas was the only thing that kept Tom from crying! Arwen's gift to Sam was very touching, and the best gift she could ever give to him. But I think my favourite lines were these: Next to the trap was a solitary horse pulling another pony-trap, this one loaded with all of Young Tom’s things: his crib, carriage, buggy, clothes, toys, presents, and necessities. The trap was piled as high and full as the pony-drawn trap beside it, and everyone who walked past it shook their heads and laughed with wonder that so much baggage belonged to the smallest member of their party. Thank you so much, my dear. This was quite a treat! Author Reply: This bunny was persistant, and I knew if I didn't write it right away it would be nipping at my ankles all week until I did. This was so much fun to write and to see how Men would react to such a tiny little thing that hobbit babies would be. Ah, the fluffiness. :D Tom in Boots is one of those games that men can't get enough of, but mothers tire of very quickly. I can just imagine one of the guards looking at the baby, looking at his boots, looking back at the baby, and then lightbulb! (or, candle!) Athelas was the magic key the whole time! Tom just needed another baby around who could understand him. ;) Eomer's reaction to nurse soldiers was fun and shows his own hobbit-like humor, as well as his sensibility. Nothing can teach you patience like a baby that won't stop crying. :D Arwen gifting Sam with a brief glimpse of Frodo was truly the only gift Sam would require and need. Even knowing that Frodo is in Valinor and has been promised healing by the Elves, Sam would still worry about Frodo and wonder if his friend was indeed getting the treatment he was promised. Knowing that Frodo is well will relieve much of his worry. Babies do take up quite a lot of room. :D Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it. *hugs* | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 11/6/2006 |
| GF! It's so funny and delightful! It's *adorable*! I love it to pieces! I was giggling and chuckling, until I got to this part, when I burst out with a guffaw: Next to the trap was a solitary horse pulling another pony-trap, this one loaded with all of Young Tom’s things: his crib, carriage, buggy, clothes, toys, presents, and necessities. The trap was piled as high and full as the pony-drawn trap beside it, and everyone who walked past it shook their heads and laughed with wonder that so much baggage belonged to the smallest member of their party. Just *exactly* what we had discussed! And then I guffawed again, so loud I startled the dogs when I saw *this* line: To the merchants, she supplied ear plugs and for that they were eternally grateful. And then there was *this* exchange: “You’ll have to have one more now,” Meriadoc joked. “Thirteen is an unlucky number after all, as the dwarves say.” “You want another one, you can have it yourself,” Rose quipped back. “Thirteen is plenty lucky as far as I’m concerned.” “Fellows can’t have bairns, my dear,” Estella said sadly. “The first bout of morning sickness would kill them. Forget about the labor.” “Don’t I know it,” Rose returned. “Sam was ill this winter while we were in Gondor. I don’t know who was worse to take care of, him or the bairn.” The lasses laughed and the fellows knew better than to protest. And do I see a hint that Faramir and Goldie might not be the only Took-Gamgee alliance in the future? Finally, I loved the birthday party--so beautifully and happily hobbity. *big sigh of contentment*hugs story tightly*goes back to read it again* Author Reply: :D Thank you Dreamflower! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it so much and that you got some laughs out of it! It was a lot of fun to write and it wasn't hard at all incorporating the things we talked about. I bet Rose was wishing they hadn't packed away the rocking chair - that would have saved them all many sleepless nights if it had been easily accessible. Tom rather took after my niece here. She was colicky also and boy was she a handful to try to get to sleep! Well, maybe not get to sleep, but to lay her down and have her *stay* asleep! I wish we'd have those soldiers around to help us baby sit! Tom and Athelas do seem to have hit it off rather quickly. I think the muses are leaning in that direction. :D The idea of the birthday party came in halfway through writing the story. I thought it'd be fun to hear what Sam's shorter bedtime stories sounded like. ;) | |