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| A Mid-Year's Walking Trip by GamgeeFest | 85 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Hai Took | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/23/2005 |
| Wonderful! It was certainly a good thing that they didn't start out again that night! And for Pippin to notice, very nice. I liked Frodo trying to make plans for another hiking trip and all of them making some kind of excuse! I hope they can all make it. Merry trying to trick Pippin into telling his secret, how very interesting, too bad it didn't work ;) After reading this story I've decided I want to read your "Tale That Grew in the Telling" but don't have time! Hopefully this weekend or some such. Thank you for the fun, looking forward to more! Author Reply: Pippin's more observant than people give him credit for. Mostly because he often doesn't show it, but every once in awhile, he lets his intelligence shine through. :) A strange twist of events that Frodo would wind up enjoying himself and the others wound up having less fun than they expected. Camping is more work that Merry and Pippin bargained for, and Sam's going to need a good long strecth before he can be talked into going again. And don't be so sure Merry's plan didn't work. You know Pippin, curiosity is always his downfall. ;) Thanks for the review and I truly hope you enjoy "A Tale." | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/23/2005 |
| Well, who would have thought that Merry would end up being grateful for being stung to bits. That bog sounds seriously unpleasant. And it's a good job that Sam has his wits about him or they might well have taken that short cut. I hope we find out about the hedge. And what has Eglantine Took got against cinnamon rolls? Pippin seems to have got his own way in many things - so why not cinnamon rolls? Author Reply: Or that everyone would be grateful about being chased by wasps? We often forget or overlook how one event can affect another. Frodo wouldn't have taken the shortcut, his instincts are better than that, but Sam's observations kept the younger hobbits from doing something foolish. Feel free to make up your own theory about the hedge. I posted another theory in my response to Dreamflower, but I really wasn't planning anything further with the hedge. It's just one of those mysteries. I'm sure Eglantine doesn't have anything against cinnamon rolls. Just her son and cinnamon rolls. She's very strict about keeping her son away from sweets as much as possible. He's hyper enough as it is without loads of sugar in him. It's completely a fluke thing that he never had opportunity to sneak one. Thanks for reading! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/23/2005 |
| This was such a nice little reflective chapter. I love the description of their walk through the woods, especially some of your details about the scenery, the birds, etc. Very much like JRRT would have done. I also loved this little bit: "Pippin kicked absently at the many leaves and twigs that littered the ground, and every now and then he attempted to jump up and bat at a low-hanging branch." Such a typical, youthful, thing. I've often seen boys of various stages of growing up doing this--trying to catch a branch, or the top of a wall or something else that seems just barely out of reach. The little interlude at luncheon was also cute. I like the fact that Pippin is on to what Merry is up to, but he is curious enough that he might fall for it anyway, sooner or later. I enjoyed the speculation about the hedge as well. I'm wondering now if that may have something to do with the mysterious whistler. The bit with the bog is downright chilling. That's the kind of feeling you get when you turn on the news and hear that there's been an accident on the road that you just barely avoided. Brrr... And so they are nearly home. And Frodo has learned that his cousins will make good travelling companions. Which was, I think the whole point of this exercise. That, and not letting him out of their sight. Although I don't think he has quite yet tumbled to *that* part of it. Author Reply: Youthful? I still try to do that sometimes! There's just something so appealing about something just barely out of your reach. Curiosity killed the cat, or in this case, Took. Merry knows exactly what will get Pippin to talk, but he may be surprised at just how long Pippin holds out. The hedge is a bit of mystery. I have no idea why it's there either. Pippin seems convinced the whistling is the ghost of Nodi Hatcher, and that seems the best theory there is so far. Hm, maybe folk saw his ghost wandering around that part of the woods and built the hedge to try to trap it in? Or maybe Sam's right, and they built it to block the wind. Or mayb it's there for a completely different reason. It's up to the reader. ;) The rumors about the bog turned out to be true. And Pippin is absolutely correct. It's just far enough a distance from their previous camp that they would have decided to rest there if they had hiked that far. More like Frodo has forgotten that his cousins were there to their eye on him. He did suspect that they were only coming along to look after him at the beginning of the fic - that was one of the reasons he didn't want them along. ;) He has realized that they make good traveling companions and that they can be quite resourceful at need. Thanks for the review! | |
| Elenar | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/23/2005 |
| Lovely chapter! I'm looking forward to the next part! Author Reply: Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the story! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/23/2005 |
| Lovely descriptions of the land. Author Reply: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed them! | |
| Grey Wonderer | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/22/2005 |
| I love those. Or at least, I think I would, if I were ever allowed to have one. Do you think it’s right, Sam, for a hobbit to reach my age and never have had a cinnamon roll?” Loved Pippin's logic on this. He knew he'd love them even though he'd never had them. Also like it as a way to get sympathy. The entire chapter was great and the bit with the bog was a bit chilling as they might well have walked into it or camped there. I do wonder about the hedge and who planted it. Can't wait for more. Author Reply: Yes, poor unfortunate Pippin, he loves sweets but is never allowed to have them. You can tell sometimes just by looking at food if you'll like it or dislike it. And of course, Pippin has never met a sweet he didn't like. ;) The bog was a bit touch and go, whether to leave that in or take it out. But I figured with all Sam's talk about them and how they're real and Frodo teasing him about it, that there had to be a pay off. And then Sam couldn't quite believe it himself! I'm wondering about that hedge too. Just another unsolved mystery. Thanks for reading! | |
| Anso the Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/19/2005 |
| I must say, i`ve been reading this whole story so far in one go and that latest chapter was just brilliant! I also loved that the trip went well (well at least as what can be expected with adventorous hobbits joining) and that Frodo didn`t regret having Merry and Pippin along. I really like how Sam`s and Merry`s friendship is developing and it is very enjoyable to see a story exploring that in detail! Author Reply: Frodo surprised himself by enjoying having his cousins and Sam along. Of course, the others found camping to be much different than they expected, especially Merry and Pippin. They're not used to roughing it. And angry horde of wasps aside, the trip did go quite smoothly.;) It must have been hard for Merry when his Frodo left, especially at that young an age. Knowing that Sam is so close in age, Merry would have been jealous of him taking up that much of Frodo's time. It's good he was finally able to realize that and own up to those feelings. With that cleared up and out of the way, he and Sam can truly start to rebuild their friendship. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading! | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/18/2005 |
| How can Sam dispute it? They both have Frodo's health, happiness and general welfare as top priorities - ergo, they have a communal interest that the Gaffer cannot argue about. And Merry being jealous over Sam's closeness to Frodo is a reason he will understand better than any other he could have come up with. It seems as if Sam is coping well with the idea of having to be friends with Merry again. And if Merry continues to be tactful, that will help the budding relationship. And, although Frodo has cottoned onto Sam's Pippin-training technique, he is still soft-hearted enough to humour him. (I wish Merry had asked. I want to know.) Author Reply: He can't dispute it and he wouldn't try to now. Whenever Frodo's involved, Sam quickly puts aside his own reservations, and yes, having a valid excuse to give his Gaffer always helps. Gaffer can't argue with Sam wanting to look after Frodo. Merry's confession really helped Sam to understand that what Merry did actually had very little to do with Sam himself, and that will indeed help him to start trusting Merry again. Merry will be training himself to be more patient and considerate after this, and that will start showing in his other relationships. His parents might not recognize him when he gets home, lol! Merry's got a scheme up his sleeve to get Pippin to spill the beans. Pippin will do his best to hold out, but curiosity will eventually get the better of him. Thanks for reading! | |
| Hai Took | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/18/2005 |
| That was wonderful! You wrote Merry's anxiety about speaking to Sam very well! Sam is such a good fellow I'm glad he began to except Merry, even if it will take some time to actually trust him once again. In a was I guess this is the beginning of the Conspiracy, concern for Frodo and friendship with one another. I must say I'm just as curious about why Sam can keep Pippin in control better than anyone else. Also Pippin being shocked that he thought Sam would have told and that Frodo would betray him. Looking forward to more! Author Reply: This is a little bit like the beginning of the Conspiracy. It will certainly make developing the Conspiracy much easier for Merry when the time comes, since Sam would have learned to trust Merry again by then. LOL, the great food mystery sure has everyone scratching their heads. Pippin was shocked, becuase he knew Sam would never tell and that Frodo wouldn't hesitate to rat him out! But Frodo gave in to Pippin anyway - the very reason Sam's trick wouldn't work for Frodo or Merry. ;) Thanks for reading! | |
| Elf Friend | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/18/2005 |
| YAY! Good for Merry! I'm so happy that he and Sam are on the road to friendship again! *bounces* And it looks like Merry will be patient enough--it was nice of him to hold back his question about Pippin at the end. It's nice to know that he really does understand how patient he needs to be for this to work. And I'm so glad that Sam understands the common bond he shares with Merry: their love for Frodo. ^^ And hopefully the food story will come out soon enough. I've been trying to guess, so hopefully it's not something so obvious that I'll feel stupid when it's finally revealed. lol. Thanks for another wonderful chapter! Author Reply: Well, Merry will certainly try to be patient. He'll forget every now and then, but he'll eventually get the hang of it. He's tried too hard to get Sam to accept him as a friend to mess it up by being thoughtless again. Sam and Merry have much in common actually, beyond just their love for Frodo. They're both fiercley protective, quick thinkers and strategic planners. As time goes by, they'll learn to see those things about each other and Merry will begin to mature into the hobbit we see in FOTR. The food mystery probably will be obvious once you know what it is. Sam's solutions are always the simplest ones and are therefore easily overlooked by practically everyone else. Thanks for reading! | |