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| Jewels by Lindelea | 295 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 8/18/2025 |
| Both Merry and Pippin helped save the twins, at least. And now there is the unspoken agreement betwixt Pip and Diamond. The marriage that didn't--a lasting grief for all. Author Reply: It was heart-breaking to write of two losses. It's fairly subtle, but both Pippin and Merry remembered Ruby in naming daughters in their own families. For Pippin and Diamond, Forget-me-not's "love name" is Ruby. For Merry and Estella, they give their daughter an Elvish name that (someone told me) means "a red jewel that shines with starry fire". Pippin has an understanding with Diamond's parents that if things work out, they know where he stands, and he knows they won't stand in his way if things work out as he hopes. At this point in time, Pippin's not even of age yet. Diamond is (five?) years younger. Marriage, if it should happen, is still years away by typical Shire custom. (I think I read somewhere that male hobbits usually marry around the age of 40, while female hobbits typically marry around the time they come of age or as early as age 30. Lobelia was almost scandalously young when she married Lotho, 26 I think? I don't know if that comes out of something JRRT wrote or if I got it from fanfic; alternatively, I might have come up with some sort of understanding by studying the birthdates and marriages on the family trees. Anyhow, that's how it works in my stories.) Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to leave so many thoughtful reviews! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 8/18/2025 |
| All he can do is to stay walking in the light. He will do well. Author Reply: I'm so glad that Frodo had the foresight to leave him that precious note. He knew his faithful Sam would follow through and be wise enough to recognize when the time was right. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 20 on 8/18/2025 |
| So the lack of this marriage is explained, and a time of joy is become a time of lamentations. Bless them all. Author Reply: Sigh. I appreciate your blessings for them. Though healing comes with time, not all sad things will come untrue. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 19 on 8/18/2025 |
| So--this is how a marriage came to naught? Pippin is a hero of the Shire indeed! Author Reply: Pippin is definitely a hero! Up to this point in my writing, Merry was always my favorite hobbit, but I think Pippin pulled even with him during this time... | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 8/17/2025 |
| Aha! Secrets abound, they do! Author Reply: Oh yes. This chapter and the next two were three of the hardest chapters to write in this story. Sigh. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 8/17/2025 |
| At least Saradoc knows what the anniversaries look like. And it appears that Merry has asked Ruby to marry him. We know who Diamond will accept when her time comes, and we know that somehow the proposed marriage between North-took and Brandybuck will fall apart. Will look eagerly to see how that will come in time. Author Reply: Hopefully the resolution of this plot point will make sense when you read it! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 8/17/2025 |
| The challenge was met, but wasn't as fully Austen as it might have been. Lovely visit with possible future inlaws. And loved young Tad. Author Reply: I can see your point. Austen had a much wider vocabulary than I have, for one thing. Young Tad is charming. It was such fun to make him Pippin's kindred spirit! I was inspired by a RL teen (close to Pippin's stage of development as a tween) who understood the wee hobbits so well, it was as if they resonated as part of the same chord. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/17/2025 |
| Healing has come through Frodo. Now Merry has the ability to fight his own shadows. Author Reply: It seems so natural that the older cousin kept looking after the younger cousin(s) even by anticipating their future needs after his leaving. (And then, of course, I had him visit people in their dreams later on, implying that somehow he was given the grace to continue watching over them before he ultimately accepted the Gift of Eru. At that time, of course, according to my idea of what happens to Hobbits in the afterlife, he'd be reunited with them in person at the Feast.) Thanks for sharing your thoughts! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 8/17/2025 |
| It's the saddest part of the entire story. At least they got to say goodbye, and he spoke back to him. Author Reply: As I said in another reply, I hate that Frodo sailed to the West. I even tried to come up with an explanation that made sense to me, but as I've mentioned before, I stumbled over one of JRRT's letters after finishing that story and found that the Professor was adamant that Frodo's malady was not physical. So properly, I suppose I ought to label my stories showing him physically afflicted as AU. I suppose I might justify what I wrote by saying that mental and emotional (and spiritual?) struggles can affect us physically... Thanks for reading and pausing to share your impressions. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 8/17/2025 |
| The failing is beginning. Author Reply: This part was so hard to write. I never completely understood why Frodo had to leave. It still grieves me that he did. Sigh. | |