Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

The Courtship of Peregrin Took  by PIppinfan1988 134 Review(s)
DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/20/2005
I've got tears in my eyes reviewing this. See, I just got a registered letter from you a couple of minutes ago--just as I was reading this story. I'll send you a private email shortly.

I just want to say how touched I am that you seemed to feel this story is bound up with me somehow, and amazed as well. It's somewhat humbling to realize how many people care about me.

I love the chapter. The explanations of Opal's behavior ring very true, and yes, they do indeed remind me of Hyacinth and *my* Opal. Mothers who are mercenary unfortunately *do* exist. But best of all is Pippin's determination to win his Diamond.

Opal now has to rue her hastiness in trying to ruin her daughter's life. If she had managed to be more congenial, she be set up with the Thain as her son-in-law: status and money as well. Now she's going to be thrown onto her own resources, and it's quite possible that the hobbit she was trying to force Diamond to marry may decide to take action against her for misrepresenting things.

What a pickle.

Couldn't happen to a better person.

On to the next chapter.

Author Reply: Well, it seemed from your last reviews that you were kind of looking forward to Pippin putting Opal in her place. :-) Even though by that time, we had heard you were doing fine, I still felt bad posting it thinking it would be weeks before you'd read it. Like a neverending cliff-hanger,lol! I do have to give you the credit, thought, for the Grubb, Grubb, and Burrowes, LTD. Information. Yeah, like you said, its there for all to read in The Hobbit, but I forgot about them until I was reading A New Reckoning. So I reasoned, why not have the Shire's Thain be instructed in it as well? Makes for nice drama anyway. ;-) Then what made it all the sweeter, is Grey Wonderer and I were doing what we do best: thinking alike.

Opal is just one seriously disturbed hobbit. As you said, mothers like her exist; sadly, her character is based on a real person. (lol, no, not me this time) You're right--some folks just don't think about the consequences of their actions. Old Otto may demand that *she* marry him and bear his children! If Opal is smart, and she has proven to be clever in a dark way, she'd mend her relationships--and fast. Whether her older daughters accept her love in the future is going to be up to Opal. I may expound upon that in another tale...in the foreseeable future, but not right away.

LOL, yep!

Thank you for taking the time to review!

Pippinfan
p.s. When you said "shortly", I was thinking, like, Saturday! Email is not necessary...lol, but won't refuse it, either. :-)

Hai TookReviewed Chapter: 24 on 9/18/2005
Wow I couldn't believe how cold Opal was to her own children! At least they had a bit of a refuge with their aunts and uncles. Perhaps things will go a bit better for them now? Well I'm also glad that Sapphira and Diamond are close once more and that Pippin is able to speak with her and they will all hopefully get along well.

What a wonderful welcoming for Diamond! I'm glad that they are all there to great her and that Pervinca and Pimpernel invited Viola to come greet Diamond. They are very close and she had such wonderful news.

Both chapters were lovely! thank you!


Author Reply: The sad fact is, is that Opal's character is base on a real person. I think Opal is just crusted over with anger and bitterness that life dealt out to her or just plain self-centred, but as Merry said, that is no excuse for her to treat her children as she does. Yes, I think she will at least make an attempt to reconcile with her youngest, but her older two will be her biggest challenge yet.

My own older sister was my "Merry" and I was her "Pippin" while growing up, so I wanted to portray that with Sapphira and Diamond. Sisters go through rough spots every now and then, but I did want to heal that relationship before the story ended. We have just two chapters to go!

The one thing I feel Pippin's family is NOT, and that is snooty. So Viola is a servant--big deal. As long as a hobbit is a decent person, I don't think Paladin, Tina, nor their children care what caste of society he/she is from.

I thank you so much for stopping by to read! Have a great week!

Pippinfan

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 24 on 9/18/2005
(“And south of it, too,” remarked Pippin. “So far, every time Merry and I have performed our duties in Rohan and Gondor, their respective kings assign tutors to teach my cousin and me the basics of their own laws in our spare time. In Minas Tirith, they have a library filled with books and parchments containing instances of the High King’s edicts.” )

This keeps stray hobbits out of the fountains. LOL I loved that part. Laughed out loud.

Great chapter and I am glad that Diamond and her sister made up. I also love Viola. She is such a sweetie! Great chapter!



Author Reply: LOL!! This is the part I was referring to when I read your bit in In Service to the King. I had already written the scene of Pippin, Diamond, and Merry on the porch last Sunday...and then I got "stuck"--for four days...oy. Because of this, when I read your passage, for some reason I thought mine was posted already, but wasn't. LOL, so my jig-dancing was just a tad premature, but in my mind, I was on time. But I think its totally cool how we think alike! I laugh because we just seem to go back and forth validating each others universe. :-)

OH!! I forgot to review in Service about the Fountain Incident!! I laughed so hard when I read that! Was it sort of an "ode" to another Fountain Incident that certain "hobbits" did in NZ? Yours was too funny!! Only you could get away with Boromir doing that, lol.

I couldn't leave Diamond and Sapphira in a fix; I like to think that sisters, even though they go through rough spots now and then, make up. And I like Viola, too. Thank you so much for reading! Three weekends left.... :-)

Pippinfan

Connie B.Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 9/18/2005
Oh, I loved this chapter. It was worth waiting for.

The scene with Diamond and Sapphira was really nice. I was not surprised that Sapphira and her now-husband went a little too far before the wedding and felt like it might be safer to push up the date. I was impressed that you didn't give into the temptation of having her get pregnant that first time. I was also pleased to note Pippin's conviction not to let Diamond and himself fall into that same trap. I know he'll stick to that no matter how painful it is to fight the desire.

The ending where Viola announces her own engagement is so sweet. Now the two friends have even more to celebrate.

Thanks.

Connie B.

Author Reply: Sisters will be sisters, but as I have a good relationship with my own, I couldn't leave Sapphira and Diamond in a quandry. As for Sapphira and Hildebrand, they're young and impetuous hobbits and weren't thinking of the ramifications of their actions--as you know, kids rarely do.

Yeah, though I've known one lass (long ago) who got caught on her first try, for the most part it doesn't always happen like that. Pippin has been taught what I consider morals, and also "cause and effect". Roses was a trip into my "alternate universe", but in "reality", Pippin knows better and wouldn't put himself in that position...lol, so to speak. Sorry. :-P

Many times I tend to write an underlying theme of "brotherhood" for the lads, however, it seems I've temporarily switched to "sisterhood" for Diamond and the lasses in this tale--and Viola is included. So I kind of enjoyed that part with Viola, too. Thank you so much for reading!

Pippinfan

Pearl TookReviewed Chapter: 24 on 9/17/2005
HOORAY!! Pippin triumphs and brings home his lass :) such good news about Viola as well :) Well done as always :)

Author Reply: Thank you! I liked that wee touch with Viola, too. You know I couldn't have our Pip lose the argument this time round. :-) He may lose others within his lifetime, but not *this* one. :-) Thank you so much for stopping by to read!

Pippinfan

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 24 on 9/17/2005
Glad to see the two sisters making up, and Viola's news.

Author Reply: Sisters tend to have a bit of friction once in a while--that's natural, but I kind of wanted to develop the "good side" of sisterhood between Diamond and Saphhira and slso Pippin's sisters--and not to exclude her best friend, Viola. Diamond is young and still needs a bit of guidance from her "sisters". :-) I sort of liked that bit with Viola, too! Thanks for reading!

Pippinfan

Pearl TookReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/6/2005
Does she give up so easily? Mind, she knows with whom she is dealing! 'Tis indeed a pity when parents are so childish.

Well done as always :) :)

Author Reply: She has to; she may be greedy, but she ain't dumb. :-) I think I forgot a bit of an element in Pippin's argument, but I think the point was made in spite of my brain fart. Pippin threatened Opal with giving custody of her two younger children to relatives or to whomever Gemma was recieving apprenticeship training. Opal wasn't treating her children (through neglect and self-profiting arranged marriages) any better than "the lad's father" treated his son in the example case. I agree; 'tis a pity, indeed.

Thank you for the compliment--and thank you for reading Courtship! :-)

Pippinfan, et al.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/5/2005
I absolutly love Pippin in this part. His "Shire Law" lessons have completely paid off. (makes Merry's arguement in my recent story hold more weight. LOL) I do love the way everthing came together in the end and Opal was left without a leg to stand on in her battle. Loved the title of this chapter too. This was excellent and I am very glad to have gotten to read these two chapters together. I got the build up and the battel together! Great writing and a wonderful story! More?

Author Reply: YES!! LOL--I didn't want to give anything away, but that's what I meant when I said in my review of If I Had A Hammer, 'hold that thought! (wink, wink)'! I thought that was too cool when I read that! We still think alike! I really have to thank Dreamflower for her unwitting inspiration when her life gets back to semi-normal. In New Reckoning, she wrote about Frodo's lawyers, Grub, Grub, and Burrowes. Without getting into deep discussion, I figured, why not have the Thain--or the Thain's heir be trained in Shire Law as well? It should be within his purview of office.

Well, Opal had no choice but to give up--she may be greedy, but she ain't dumb. She won't get the chance to rear her "ogre" head any more in *this* story, though. Oh, yeah--there's a bit more, but not too much. I am guessing perhaps two or three chapters--and I mean it this time, lol. This story is about his love life and subsequent courtship, so I'm winding things down to the "ending", even though it's not really an end, so to speak. ;-)

Thank you for all the sweet compliments--and thank you so much for reading Courtship! Have a great week. :-)

Pippinfan


Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/5/2005
Somehow I missed this one earlier and so tonight I have two to read. This was wonderful. I loved Diamond's uncle taking a real interest in what Pippin's intentions were. It gave her someone who cares other than Pippin. I also thought that the song was lovely. Did you write it? Merry still remains a favorite in this even though he is not in this chapter much, but I can still read his support of Pippin in the time that he appears in the chapter. Still enjoying this one very much and now I am off to read the next chapter!

Connie B.Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/5/2005
Go Pippin! That was well done. I can just see the look on Opal's face as Pippin announces his love for her daughter. I am afraid that she's still going to try to say that he's just using Diamond to further some sort of personal agenda. She'd think that way.

I'm glad to see the update. Nice to see things slowly coming back.

Thanks.

Connie B.

Author Reply: Thank you, Connie! She'd like to think that she can still "use" Diamond, I suppose, but I'm not giving her that chance in this story. I can't see her changing overnight, figuring she's pretty much set in her ways, but Opal ain't dumb. She knows who Pippin is from her visit to Great Smials a month previous, so I can't see her doing anything to trip that up...however, she might try to sneak something by Pippin. But I may put that in the wedding story. ;-)

Thank you for reading Courtship!

Pippinfan

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List