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| The Usual Suspects by GamgeeFest | 49 Review(s) |
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| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005 |
| Aawww...poor Frodo, and poor Esme. So very hard sometimes to live up to everyone's expectations--Esmeralda's efforts to live up to her in-laws, and Frodo's to live up to everyone elses' have caused so much pain for them both. Really, here the blame can be spread around. Rory and Gilda putting so much pressure on both of them at the same time; the other children's automatic assumptions that Frodo was the culprit, Frodo for not explaining in the first place. *sigh* You do know how to weave a lovely tangle, don't you? *grin* Author Reply: Yes I do and the more tangles, the better. *halo* The blame could go even further than that. This is a culmination of the last couple of years. Whatever caused Frodo to first act out, the way Esme and Sara handled it (or didn't handle it), the way everyone else reacted to the things that were going on. Rory was under pressure himself when he made that ultimatum, and it just snowballed further from there. Gilda is only trying to prepare Esme for her future job; she could have given her daughter-in-law some pointers though. And Frodo, always so secretive, he hasn't learned to open up, not really. He's gotten better about it certainly, but he still has a long way to go. And now this, the worst accusation of them all, and Esme pulling Merry away stung the worst. Whatever progress they had made, it's all gone to nil now. | |
| Breon Briarwood | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005 |
| *sobs with Frodo* You're breaking my heart! I hope they find him soon before he does something foolish. Author Reply: Frodo's past the age of doing anything foolish, at least, doing so on purpose. He realizes he can't just run off but he won't be going home right away to face the music either. No one is looking forward to the inevitable talk. It's a pretty messy situation all around. *hands Frodo and Breon hankies* Thanks for reading and dropping me a line. :) | |
| MaidenofValinor | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005 |
| Wow! Very powerful last scene. Poor Esme! But really, I love Frodo's gift. I would like to have that, even! Hee. Very very nice...I think I may have a little prediction about where this is going, but I'm going to keep that to myself. ~_^. Always looking forward to reading more of your work! Author Reply: That was a thoughtful gift, just like something Frodo would think of. He knew exactly what to give Bilbo. But it was all ruined. Poor Frodo and Esme both. They're both feeling horrible and guilt-ridden. This is possibly the worst thing that could have happened, and just before Frodo's birthday too. This breech won't be readily fixed and really it's the result of the last couple of years, not just the last week or so. Ooh! A prediction! Thank you so much for reading! | |
| MaidenofValinor | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/15/2005 |
| Once again, I adore your dialogue. The scene between Esme and Saradoc is very nicely done! I just love the whole thing... I can't pick out anything specific to comment on. You're just a great writer, y'know? I really enjoy reading your stuff. You always make me smile! Thanks for being so diligent about posting and for posting such awesome stories! It's greatly appreciated! Love always! ~M Author Reply: Esme needed to vent, poor thing! She's been given a nearly impossible task and she's very nearly at her wits end. On top of that, she and Sara have Frodo to contend with. All his sneaking about isn't helping his cause any. Thanks so much for your kind words. You're such a sweetie, and now you made me smile! *hugs* I shall do my best not to disappoint. Thanks for reading! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/15/2005 |
| Did I guess they were making a gingerbread house? Forget that! With funnel cakes, they are constructing a full-sized sweets castle! Sly Frodo! Sounds as if your teen Frodo and mine were definitely cut from the same cloth! Author Reply: Frodo is pretty sly and he's using all his well-honed skills to go about undetected (for the most part). Whatever he's up to, he's thought this out well. My teen Frodo is a kind-hearted rascal, who acts out every now and then when he gets especially restless. If he's pushing the envelope now, it's not so much to see what he can get away with, but to see just how much Esme and Sara are actually going to trust him. Whether he's aware of his motives or not, he's playing a pretty risky game. After all, the more one sneaks, the more likely they are to get caught. | |
| Julie | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/15/2005 |
| Hmmm, I have the distinct feeling that Frodo & Merry's little project is going to be backfiring unpleasantly on them once it's revealed (intentionally or unintentionally). After all, the most usual suspect(s)has been right under Esmeralda's nose this whole time! I wonder if Bilbo is going to take up Frodo's suggestion of poking about? The part with Sam & the Gaffer was sweet & I got a kick out of Esmeralda's tirade & paranoia over the food situation. I also enjoyed how Bilbo is beginning to realize certain things about Frodo's life, ie: sleep patterns, the river, etc. No one ever really gets to see the whole picture of Frodo, do they? They all see bits & pieces, only what Frodo allows them all to see as he never fully lets his guard down, per say. I'm very interested to see how your take of Frodo's adoption will be handled later on. I have an idea of who Frodo's project is intended for & I'm eager to find out if I'm right. Please post more soon! Author Reply: Oh, Esme is very much aware that Frodo should be at the top of her suspect list, but she and Sara are trying this new thing were they trust Frodo. They're taking it a bit too far though, to be too scared to even ask him for fear of what might happen to the trust they've built thus far. Frodo's not helping though either, with all his sneaking about. Something's about to hit the fan, and it won't be pleasant. I imagine the Gaffer had just made some off-hand comment that someone should check on Frodo and make sure he's still breathing (because he's always sleeping in so late) and little Sammy took him literally, dashing up to Bag End before the Gaffer could call him back to work. ^_^ Esme's not having a good time of this investigation. She's under pressure to prove herself as well. I'm sure the kids *are* picking on her a little bit. Exactly. Frodo is pretty closed off. He'll share certain parts of himself with some, and different parts with others. No one really knows the whole of him and it will stay that way for a while, at least until he finally moves in with Bilbo. And Bilbo's eyes are starting to open up a bit during this visit. He's always known that it's never been easy for Frodo to live in Buckland, but now he's seeing just how that is affecting Frodo. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/14/2005 |
| I loved all the part at the beginning, about Frodo's visits to Bilbo, and about his sleeping patterns and how he was now more comfortable around the River. Of course, we know *why*, but Bilbo has yet to find out. So Morti and Fendi aren't the culprits (for that particular crime) and I am quite certain it's not Frodo and Merry, though I'm sure fingers will soon be pointing that way. But I am quite baffled as to who it might actually be--not one of the usual suspects? Now you have me really hooked--like you always do... Author Reply: Curious that Frodo hasn't told Bilbo by now about his making peace with the River. When he told Bilbo about the dreams would have been the perfect opportunity, standing there within sight of the Old Forest. He must think of that time every time he sees the forest. But then, as Saradoc said earlier, Frodo doesn't tell Bilbo everything. This is very much reminescent of Frodo: he'll let certain people see certain sides of him, but he never lets any one person see every aspect of him, not even Merry. At least, not at this point. That will change as the years go by and he starts feeling more secure of himself. Morti and Fendi are innocent for once - of the crime they were accused of anyway. They are always guilty of *something* though, as we clearly saw. The suspect list is dwindling to nil and for all that Esme has been tracking down the stragglers, there's still one she has yet to question: Frodo. Get your pointer fingers out. I'm being incredibly stingy on hints, aren't I? I did throw in a couple in this chapter, and there was another hint just before the beginning of the story. That's all I'm saying for now. ^_^ | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/14/2005 |
| You write such a wonderfully rascally (but good-hearted) Frodo. Very realistic, I'm sure! And this is a lovely conversation: Frodo stirred then and woke up, blinking into the pale morning sun. He covered a yawn with the back of his hand and smiled at Bilbo lazily. “Did I catch anything?” he asked. “Why, yes, my boy. Four large flies with your wide open mouth,” Bilbo answered. “Is that all? I didn’t sleep nearly long enough then,” Author Reply: Frodo didn't get the reputation of "worst rascal in Buckland" for nothing, lol! But never did he do anything in a mean-spirited fashion. Confused perhaps, maybe even rebellious at times, but not out of spite. Those Bagginses have quite a witty sense of humor, don't they? Thanks for reading! | |
| TheHobbitWaffle | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/14/2005 |
| Frodo's looking very suspicious! What is he up too? If he is the culprit, what will happen to him? Very interesting! Gaffy! ^^ Author Reply: Now, you know I'm not going to answer those questions. ^_^ At least, not yet. The next chapter should clear things up. As if little Sammy isn't cute enough already. No wonder the Gaffer's resolve always melts around his youngest son. | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 12/13/2005 |
| Great story so far! Frodo and Merry obviously have a secret and it has to be something very special, otherwise Frodo would not leave Bilbo's side for it. Right now, everything is possible and everyone could be the "kitchen robber", including Frodo and Merry. Fendi and Morti were very inventive with their answer to Esme's inquiry. They *are* guilty of something, the question is only, what this "something" is :) Poor Esme, I wouldn't like to be in her place. And why did Frodo "visit" Maggot's fields again? Maybe just *because* he came directly from Bilbo with all his stories about adventures. Compared to that, Brandy Hall is a boring place. I think it's possible that Frodo only wanted to have a real adventure on his own ;-) I'm looking forward to reading more! Author Reply: Frodo definetly has something up his sleeves, as he always does. And as do Fendi and Morti. They are the Merry and Pippin of their generation, lol, and have long ago fine-tuned giving spontaneous, simulateous responses to inquiries. Esme's in for a bit more than she bargained for with this assignment. Frodo is going through that age of disenchantment, when much of the childhood wonders no longer hold their luster, and he's always been more imaginative than other children his age, which would set him apart at any age. He's also had a much "shorter" and traumatic childhood, what with the death of his parents. All of that, combined with the enticing adventures related in Bilbo's tales as well as with the looming prospect that he is about to be left behind again (when Gil moves away, which would have been months in the planning at this point), makes for one very restless (and rebellious) young hobbit. The forbidden dangers of Maggots' fields would have looked far too appealing to leave them be. | |