News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| The Way Home by Lindelea | 219 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 58 on 3/14/2026 |
| Delightful! I'm picturing Bill all groomed and plaited and be-ribboned... and full of joy. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 57 on 3/7/2026 |
| Interesting that he seems to have gotten more intelligent along the way through all this -- now he can count higher, etc. Little Violet is going to be so sad when her "poppet" goes home with "his" Sam. Hopefully the hobbit(s) and the pony can visit her in Bree once in a while. Author Reply: He's grown and changed through his experiences; and part of his transformation, I think, can be attributed to Bill leaving behind his self-limiting attitude of being "just a pony". Rubbing elbows with Rangers and Elves and heroic Hobbits and a Wizard or two has been good for him, it seems. Poor little Violet. And yet, there's a plot point, one I can't quite reveal yet, that will bring her comfort when Bill must depart. Hopefully that's enough of a hint (and not a spoiler) to set your mind at ease. We are in the midst of a long stretch of mostly-fluff, after all, the kind of thing Tolkien did not write about as a rule. Perhaps he found them boring? Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway. (from The Hobbit) Thanks! It's good to hear from you. I like your idea of the hobbit(s) (and Bill!) travelling to Bree once in a while. Maybe, for starters, Sam travels there with Deputy Mayor Frodo (and Pippin and Merry as the Thain's and Master's representatives?) What a fun idea to contemplate! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 57 on 3/7/2026 |
| That-Bob leans against the pasture fence and laughs at our antics – for such a tall Man, he laughs as much as any Hobbit I've known, and perhaps more. Perhaps his name ought to have been Merry, and the sometimes-Merry hobbit ought to have been named Bob? It's lovely that Bill is so safe and cared for that he can indulge in such whimsical and entertaining thoughts. Bert and Violet are such sweet companions. You'll see your Sam again, dear Bill! Author Reply: It'll seem like forever, but Sam will return! (I'm so glad to have that foreknowledge!) It's been very comforting to work on this part of the story and let Bill be Bill; in other words, to allow him to live the carefree life of a well-kept, even well-loved pony. (As shown in the short story "Flower Fest", he'll enjoy much the same loving and respectful treatment when he comes to live at Bag End, of course, so this is just a taste of good things to come!) Thanks so much for reading and pausing long enough to share your thoughts. I do appreciate it. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 57 on 3/6/2026 |
| Bill doesn't know it, of course, but he will be reunited with Sam in the fall. In the meantime, he's got a little girl to help amuse! =) Author Reply: He will help amuse her and keep her from worrying about her poor dad, and she will return the favor, I'm sure, and help Bill not fret about his absent Sam. It's almost as if some power for Good has been looking out for the two of them! (It's nice to imagine such, anyhow.) Thanks so much! | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 3/2/2026 |
| Funny how animals know. I've been told that police dogs can tell the difference between criminals and innocent bystanders. And I'm glad Bill wasn't seriously hurt. Author Reply: I still remember clearly an incident that happened when we'd had our rescued Giant Schnauzer for less than a week. We lived in an inner-urban neighborhood. McDonald's (a huge treat for the littles at the time, though their tastes have become much more sophisticated these days) was only a mile away. It was such a pleasant day, we walked to McDonald's for lunch. I gave eldest the money to order food, and I sat at an outside table with the littler ones and the dog. A nice older gentleman sat down at the next table, and we had a pleasant conversation as we ate our respective lunches, and the dog (remember, we had only had her for a few days and were still getting to know each other) was friendly and well-mannered. Then a young man sat down at another nearby table. The dog's hackles immediately went up, and she started a low growl that continued until the young man shook his head, grinned at us, and got up and walked inside the restaurant. The older man leaned in towards us, nodded subtly towards the restaurant, and then shook his head and told us we'd "got a good dog there". Our other dogs down the years have also seemed to have that ability to distinguish between harmless people and threats. My dad used to claim that dogs could smell a difference in people. I have no idea whether it's the sense of smell or some other sense, but it's amazing, no matter how it works. Thanks so much for reading, and for pausing to share your thoughts! I really appreciate them. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 3/2/2026 |
And so I put my nose in his hand and rest it there to convey my consent. He seems to understand I love little moments like this, where there is trust and understanding and gentleness. Author Reply: The small, mundane moments can be so comforting, especially nowadays. (((hugs))) to you, dear friend. Now that I've finished revising the next chapter from the draft of the story, and have posted it, I'm going to go and provide a lap for one or another cat for the rest of the day, most probably. We must take our blessings where we can find them... Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. I do appreciate them. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 56 on 3/1/2026 |
| Hmm? I wonder if Bill's going to be making friends with a little girl while he's waiting for his hobbits to return? To be her "poppet"? =) Author Reply: I just find little kids so amazing and adorable, with their ready generosity, constant curiosity, and vivid imagination. Violet, who would be about five or six years old in human years, adores ponies (I think she'd be called "horse crazy" in our world) and can't think of anything better than visiting her dad and her cousin Bert in The Prancing Pony's stables. Along with the ponies and horses there, of course. In case you were wondering, Bert is orphaned; his mother was a sister to Bob and Nob, and Bob took him in when his parents died. It's in the background to the story as I fleshed out the characters named in Tolkien's narrative, but since it's not spelled out in the draft chapters, I don't know if it will come out in the story. And yes, Violet has decided that Bill's proper name is Poppet, and no one can tell her otherwise. :) Author Reply: p.s. Thanks so much for reading, and for sharing your thoughts! | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 55 on 2/24/2026 |
| Lovely! Bill has become quite the steady wise pony. It’s been amazing watching him grow as his journeys go on! I bet the Bill of the beginning would never have believed that he could lead a defense against Bill Ferny’s cronies. I can’t wait to see him reunited with ‘his’ Sam. (And possibly meet up with his dam?!) I know already it will bring me to tears. Cheers! Author Reply: Just as you said, if anyone had told Bill before he set out on the journey that he would be able to rise up against his cruel master, I don't think the pony would have believed it. His reunion with Sam was one of the first draft chapters I wrote when I was outlining this story (which was originally one very long story, but it had to be broken into two parts because it ended up having more chapters than SoA could accommodate in a single story). The first half was easy because it followed the book as closely as possible. The second half... realizing that Bill would be waiting for Sam in Bree for more than half a year was daunting. The easiest route would have been to bring him to Bree and then, in the next chapter, give a time clue as to the passage of time, and have Sam show up. Instead, I chose the more challenging course of imagining what might have happened to Bill during those months in Bree. Barliman Butterbur certainly didn't offer much help in that department! I think I have managed to fit Bill's dam into the story with an appropriate amount of irony and coincidence so that it doesn't sound contrived. At least, I hope it doesn't. Bill's reunion with Sam will indeed tug at the emotions, and in more ways than one. Hopefully that's not too much of a spoiler. The scene tugged at my emotions, at least. But then, I'm following as closely as I can in the footsteps of the original author, or trying my best to do so. ...even though I'm addicted to alternate visions of events, like Dreamflower's Eucatastrophe and Shirebound's "Quarantined" universe where Frodo ends up staying in the Shire and not sailing to the West. Bill's story, despite my added embroidery, will remain as true to the original narrative as possible. Thanks! I'm so glad to hear from you! | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 55 on 2/24/2026 |
| This chapter almost made me cry, you handled it so beautifully. I guess you can't have a battle like that without some casualties. Your assumptions, based on the small amount of info available, all seem plausible. I'm glad Bill has food and water and everything he needs now -- in spite of it all, they didn't forget him. Author Reply: When I realized that the timeline would (just barely, if it's allowable to imagine "early in the New Year, after the heavy snow we had" as mid-February) allow Bill to witness the battle for Bywater, I began to ponder those five deaths that Butterbur mentioned to the Travellers. They weren't just numbers (three and two) but people ("all good fellows") with friends and families who cared for them ("and they're missed"). Thus, I did my best to make them as real as I could within the constraints I had to work with – including sticking as closely as possible to "canon" and how Tolkien presented the people and the locale, however brief his description was against the backdrop of the much larger story. Just like real life, even though big events may take place elsewhere in the world, it's what happens in our own backyard that holds the most meaning for most if not all of us, I should think. (And I would be perfectly happy to live the rest of my life without any "big events" happening in my backyard.) Sorry, I'm rambling. Current events are unsettling, to say the least. Working on this part of the draft sometimes feels like escaping into another world that, despite a few bumps in the road here and there, promises a refuge and respite of sorts. Thanks for coming along on Bill's journey. As the draft currently stands, Bill will have a lovely spring and summer, enjoying the blessings of friendship and recovering from long effort and semi-starvation. I want Sam to see him sleek and glossy when they meet again! | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 55 on 2/24/2026 |
| Ouch! What a battle, and what an aftermath! Too many people were killed by those horrible ruffians. But thank goodness Bob's going to live, and Bill is safe from Ferny! Author Reply: You're right. Even one person would be too many. But in the aftermath of a near-disaster, counting blessings is an essential part of the recovery process. At least I think it is. Thanks! | |