Eirinn Leigh
· 2 December 2015
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
I think this is my favorite of your stories so far, in regards to style and flow of writing.
And the ending hit just the right note. Perfectly done.
Author's reply
Belated thanks! I don't know if I answered this earlier, and the answer was wiped out, or if I missed it. There were a few years when I was "away" from fanfic and only able to make flying visits to SoA... Anyhow, I appreciate your stopping to leave an encouraging word. I hope this finds you and yours well.
PipMer
· 22 August 2007
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
I just read this story after having it recommended to me by Grey Wonderer, and it was wonderful! You kept me on edge all the way through, even though I KNEW that Pippin doesn't die until he goes to Gondor with Merry! You had me wondering if perhaps it was an AU...but it all turned out well, which is what I like when it comes to stories about Pippin. He is my favorite hobbit.
I really enjoyed your story Jewels, too, which I found a few months ago through recommendations about Merry stories through Anso the Hobbit.
Well done, Lindelea!
Author's reply
Well, then I owe thanks to GW for the rec, as well as to you for taking the time to comment. You know, Merry is my favourite hobbit, and that is why I don't write much about him--isn't that funny? I end up writing a lot about Pippin and Ferdibrand (who appears on the genealogy chart for the Tooks, but is never mentioned in LOTR).
I've only written one AU (if you don't count the parodies), and I wrote that in an attempt to find a situation where Frodo could stay in Middle-earth and not have to sail to the West. In the few stories where I've written Pippin's death, it was always canon in its time and place. (Like at the end of Jewels, for instance.)
I'm glad you liked Jewels too. Was it the ff.net version that you read? Probably, as the edited version being posted here on SoA is not quite half-done. I wince a little at the ff.net version--it was one of my first fanfics and contains some comical errors, like Estella's age being wrong, and my thinking Melilot and Celandine Brandybuck were male names, and using the dreaded "okay" somewhere in the story, which I was told was a "horrid Americanism"!
Thanks again for stopping by!
Tari
· 24 July 2007
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
I finally finished this wonderful tale. It could have gone on and on as far as I'm concerned. I knew Woodruff would marry Ted. They were made for each other.
Did you write anything about their marriage and family?
I wished I could have been there when everyone saw a healthy Pipping walk into the room. What a hoot.
I believe you said the story with Jack, Wil and Robin was Dreamflower's Bunny, so I'm going to read that nest.
Too bad there are no icon's to post. I put one jumping up and down for joy right here.
Tari
Author's reply
So nice to hear from you! I do love Woodruff, and mention of her is sprinkled throughout my Tookish tales, but this is the first in-depth look at her and at her family. So you'll see her in Flames and StarFire and FirstBorn and Down and Out and Where the Merlin Cries but I believe they'd be called cameos or guest appearances. Oh, and she has a bit of fun in Where the Love-light Gleams, saving Ferdi's reputation. Ted does not appear, or at least is not named when he does appear in these tales. It makes for a little more suspense in reading A Healer's Tale though in truth he only got his name in A Healer's Tale and was a bit of a bystander earlier.
(I imagine Pippin got quite a kick out of that scene. *g*)
Yes, Jack and Robin are in Dreamflower's Bunny. I do believe Jack's other lad stayed at home with his wife and young babe, this trip. Perhaps another time...
I love imagining your icon. Thanks!
Hope you find Dreamflower's Bunny enjoyable. It's a WIP, but I'm chipping away and trying to finish it before summer's over.
Tari
· 13 July 2007
· Chapter 14: Interlude
This tender chapter brings me to tears. How heartbreaking.
I love the way you flip back and forth, giving us a taste of Woodruff's life leading to this day.
Tari
Author's reply
Yes, this was one of the most difficult chapters to write. Woodruff's chapters were a good tension-reliever for me. (Probably for the reader, too.) And it was an interesting exercise to interweave the two stories.
Thanks!
Tari
· 13 July 2007
· Chapter 0: Prelude: Deathwatch
How hard this must have been for you to write. To see feisty Pippin reduced to this state is aweful. Inside, a spark of the old Pipping must flicker. He will survive and now I continue reading to see how it happens.
Tari
Author's reply
It was difficult, in many ways, and yet it allowed for such an exploration of relationships, which is most of the reason that I write. And I had the comfort of already knowing about the healing to come. That was a *great* help!
Thanks!
Tari
· 15 June 2007
· Chapter 0: Prelude: Deathwatch
I just read All That Glisters and Just Desserts. Is A Healer's Tale the sequel, which would tell me if Pippin survives?
Tari
Author's reply
Yes, A Healer's Tale is about Pippin's losing the fight for his declining health, and his last-gasp healing, interspersed with glimpses of his lifelong relationship with Healer Woodruff (who helped to bring him into the world in the first place).
A much longer story, At the End of His Rope comes after All That Glisters, and the related story Healer's Tale expands on a couple of chapters in Rope, so if you wanted to know more about Pippin-as-Thain you'd be able to read it in Rope, but if you're specifically interested in his healing, Healer's Tale has more details about that.
Does that help?
And thanks again for taking time to drop a note!
Nienor Niniel
· 26 September 2006
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
Oh, that was good!
It's so great what you did with Woodruff's character and how you gave her a history. The way the two storylines are interwoven, with hidden or more open references between the two timelines, worked really well for me.
The scene where the Thainship was handed over - funny, I always thought Ferdi might be a good candidate, but it's also good that things came out like they did.
Nice to see something of Robin's conjuror time.
And that it ends with a thistle-teapot... *sniffles*
All the best, Nienor
Author's reply
Sorry for the belated reply!
I'm glad that the interwoven stories worked. I know it was a challenge to link the two together, but was hoping that both would be all the richer.
Thanks!
FantasyFan
· 10 July 2006
· Chapter 9: Family Matters
I have been re-reading old stories lately. I re-read “A Healer’s Tale” last week, and I have to tell you that I think you were absolutely top-form in this story.
It has all manner of hobbity goodness in it. There at plenty of Tooks, with their maddening, endearing ways, and enough Brandybucks and an occasional Baggins to satisfy. There is little Pippin, and little Merry, who are adorable beyond words, but besides that it is fascinating to hear the stories of the adventures that went into making them the hobbits that they needed to be, in later challenges. There are even disagreeable hobbits, Bracegirdles and the like, to liven up the story and make you appreciate the good hobbits all the more. There is wit, and wisdom, and above all there is love. The sheer amount of love that is in this story is just amazing.
The is the love between cousins, new and growing, tried and strong, desperate and overwhelming.. There is the easy love between family of older generations, before cares and responsibilities weary them. There is love of the admirable kind, of an apprentice to a master, several times over, and the return of that love heaping measure full. There is love, tender and shy, for a new beloved, and that same love, still tender but sacrificing and supporting and unwavering, throughout many years. These are hobbits at their absolute best.
And how you make me love Woodruff in this story. You have a marvelous talent in drawing characters from the back pages of the story, and making them real and whole and so much someone I would love to have in my own life. Woodruff isn’t some idealized hobbit – she has her blind spots and her indecision and her troubles, but she makes a place for herself by pluck and luck and her own competence and the fact that she really does care for every one of her patients, maddening as they can be sometimes, being Tooks.
But as much as you make me love Woodruff, you make me absolutely bleed for Pippin. The original chapters in “At the End of His Rope” are hard enough. Pippin is failing, losing the fight at last, but a cure is found, and the celebration is long and joyous. In this story, the pain goes on and on, told from the perfect point of view of the one who had to count every single agonizing breath, and fight for him after he’d stopped fighting for himself, and bear the bitter burden of knowing that no matter how hard she fought, the battle was bound to end in failure.
The interspersing of Woodruff’s backstory with Pippin’s struggle for breath is so perfectly done. It breaks up the unremitting agony, lets us see their long history together and why she cares so much for him. I kept noticing little parallels through the whole story, little clever things that tie the whole tale together. Today, I noticed another one, which prompts this long note, and the chapter it’s attached to. Since I had read this story last week, today I decided to read “Rope” again. I cried just as hard during the ‘Paid in Full’ chapter as I did the first time, even when I knew it was coming. What I hadn’t remembered, was that at the naming ceremony for little Miri Brandybuck, that Arwen gave a butterfly, exquisitely tinted, so that she might know wonder. You had done it again, hit me with one of those little unexpected remembrances of Frodo that take away my breath, trip me off my feet and leave me in tears. In this story, read just last week, a drawing of a butterfly, and the same wishes, had been what Frodo offered Pippin at his own naming day. It’s just a throwaway line, like the reference to Entdraught in the first chapter, but it makes me appreciate all over again just how good these stories are, how well-crafted and beautifully written and so resonant with the spirit of Middle-earth, and how lucky we all are that you’ve gifted us with your time and talent.
I know there isn’t as much time as there used to be, and that sometimes the Muse is not cooperative, but I wanted to let you know I’m grateful for every one of the 470 pages that these two stories comprise, and the hundreds (thousands?) of other pages you’ve written as well. Be well!
Author's reply
I have only a few moments to respond, but just wanted to tell you how lovely it was to read your thoughts on this and "Rope". You know, when I write a scene like a Naming Day or Remembering Day I usually go back to other stories to see what was done before. It is possible that the butterfly is a deliberate reflection, though I don't remember any more what my thought process was. However, it makes sense to me that it was remarked that there was "an elvish air" about Frodo, and so it might not be such an accident that his gift mirrors Arwen's in a different time and place.
I had a difficult time with this story, stringing out the agony so long. But sitting by a deathbed *is* a long and painful process. I admit that when I first wrote the timeline with Pippin's pneumonia followed by his fight for health and life, climaxing in miraculous healing, I was in rebellion against an older brother's cancer. How I wish he might have had such a healing of his own. In a sense, he did, but not in this world.
And now my time is done and I must turn off the computer before the poor beastie crashes on me. But it was so very nice to have a cup of tea with you once more.
Author Reply: OTOH (finishing a thought that was abruptly truncated when the poor beastie started to hiccup) it is entirely possible that the parallel between Frodo's and Arwen's gifts was serendipity. It is astonishing to me, how many time I read through stories, comparing them or seeking diversion or comfort, or when I research past stories while in the writing of a new, to make sure I haven't made any huge errors, that I stumble on parallels that I don't remember plotting. It is as if the Muse really is keeping track of all these details, without my noticing.
Anyhow, *hugs*
Ariel
· 24 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
Awww... Very well done indeed. Deathbed scenes are always better when they have a happier ending. Thank you for this lovely story.
Author's reply
Thank you for taking the time to comment! (And I agree with you about deathbed scenes...)
Andrea
· 24 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
Wow! What an ending!
"Not necessarily the last chapter in Woodruff's life" as you said, but the first time for Pippin to sit at her side as she did - years ago.
I loved the stone he gave her and his wish for Ent draught!
Woodruff is very special to Pippin as he is to her, the child of her heart.
I enjoyed reading this story very much. Now I'm prepared to read "Rope" ;-)
Thank you very much, Lindelea!
Author's reply
I liked the image of Pippin sitting by her side for a change, and giving orders that tea be made in the special pot, and them sharing stones and secrets.
Thanks for your comments! I always find motivation to write, in the feedback I get. And now you're prepared to read Rope? You were able to put it off? I'm impressed by your self-restraint, good job! Hope you'll find some time to comment, when you do read "Rope". It's always fun to revisit a story through a reader's eyes.
You're most welcome, and thank you for coming along for the journey.
Pearl Took
· 24 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
Aw! So sweet of her special child. This seems a good lead-in to another story ;)
This has been such a joy to read, thoroughly wonderful :) :) Thank you!!
Hetty is very talented. I'm sure she will manage to coax Woodruff through this - for Ted's sake. After all, she's over the fever now.
(It's one of the nice things about playing with elves - they don't go and get old on you!)
I loved Pippin sitting by her and looking after her for a change. A very Tookish farewell to a very important person in his life. And letting her in on a secret - and such a secret, too!
This is a lovely story - I have enjoyed the twists and turns. And I think Woodruff now makes it to Second Favourite Hobbit - after Ferdi. I'm only sorry it's finished.
Author's reply
Hmmm. I may have to investigate Elves. It's just that I'm a little put off by the fact that they speak a different language. Give me Common Speech any day. I'm too old a dog to learn new tricks. (Tried learning Russian with the dc. Dismal failure on my part. Just couldn't seem to pick it up.)
My goodness, Woodruff would certainly be astonished at her rise in status!
I'm sorry it's finished, too, but have the comfort of knowing that Woodruff will likely appear in any story set at the Great Smials during Paladin's or Pippin's Thainship. And when I "see" her in a scene it'll bring a smile, knowing so much of the background to her relationship with the other hobbits in the story.
Thanks!
Garnet Took
· 24 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
This one had me on the verge of tears, again.:)
It's sad, but all lives in this mortal world must pass. It was so sweet to see so many things come full circle. Wonderful story, and wonderful ending.
Thanks.
Garnet Took (Connie B.)
Author's reply
Thanks, Connie.
The Epilogue nearly got left off, but it really does close the circle, reflecting the first chapter and summing up the whole of the healer's tale, as it entwines with the Thain's.
But it was difficult to write, and I had to change the ending to be able to live with it, for I simply could not bear to write Woodruff's end, as it turned out.
Anso the Hobbit
· 24 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
What a lovely ending to this story! Woodruff is a wondeful character and I like her a lot, and what nicer way to end this story than to have Pip sit watch at her beddide? I enjoyed this very much Lin. :D
Author's reply
Thanks, Anso!
harrowcat
· 24 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
What a wonderful epilogue Lindelea and I am glad that you leave it the way you do. The story is now on my favourites list so that I can go and read it straight through and appreciate it in all it's glory.
Author's reply
O lovely. I hope you have much joy in the reading.
FantasyFan
· 23 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
Oh, this made me cry. After all the times she's sat with Pippin, nursing him (or dragging him) through bouts of this sickness, to have her lying there so weak is just too hard. I could work out in my head how old Woodruff is from this story, and what year it is here, but I can't imagine her in my heart, old and ready to sleep, even though you've set this epilogue much later, when Farry is close to coming of age.
And of course having read the end of this, I had to go and re-read On Solid Ground to see if she makes it to the wedding. It says 'some months' here, but by the time of the earthquake she is gone. Pippin knows, doesn't he, when he says he will see her at the Feast? That is such a wonderful comforting image for the afterlife. So hobbity, so right: peaceful and joyful and affirming and communal.
Of course, I kept reading On Solid Ground, and I'd just like to mention what a wonderful story that is. It is full of such emotion. Not melodrama, just the type of strong emotion that comes when the ordinary things of life are set aside to celebrate and mourn those things that touch at the very core of lives. It really is a very good story, and I see I never reviewed the Epilogue to it. In fact, I'm not sure I read the epilogue before. I am glad you gave the Fellowship (and especially Sam) a chance to think about Frodo, and celebrate his healing, and think about what they all meant to each other. You know I always cherish the mentions of Frodo in your stories, so thanks for that.
Author's reply
{{{hugs}}}
I hope this was a comfort and not difficult to read.
Yes, Pippin knows that it's close. It seems her family have gathered in the other room for fare-welling, and Mardi has given up--what can he do, when she hasn't been able to keep his draughts down? We can only hope that Hetty's draught does some good, and buys Ted a few more weeks or months with his beloved. For as you observed, by the time of the wedding feast, Woodruff is already engaged at another Feast, and a grander and more joyous one at that.
Faith is a great thing, when confronting the inevitability of death. Somehow, having the hope of meeting again takes some of the bitterness, the "sting", from the parting.
I wish you and yours well.
Larner
· 23 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
One feast or the other, she will be there, and rejoicing.
A lovely, gentle ending.
Now, girl, work on Thain! I am so waiting to read more of it!
Author's reply
One feast or the other, that's exactly what the ending meant.
Actually, the next chapter of "Thain" is half-written and making steady progress. It is heavy going, with lots of background to bog it down, but hopefully the readers won't mind too much.
Thanks!
Dreamflower
· 23 October 2005
· Chapter 51: Epilogue
Ah, what a sweet and gentle end to a sweet and gentle tale. Dear Woodruff has had a long and eventful life, much of it shared by the hobbit who sat by her side at chapter's end. I liked the way you ended it, leaving her recovery up in the air so to speak, for both she and Pippin are optimists, and it's only right.
This has been a really marvelous tale. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Author's reply
You're welcome. Thanks for coming along for the journey!
Somehow I could not bring myself to write Woodruff's end, and so I left it up in the air. I hope for her Ted's sake that Hetty's draught did the job and she pulls out of this, that he might have her a while longer. Good and generous fellow that he is, he deserves the joy.
Bodkin
· 8 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
It is a Good Thing that Woodruff had that sip of Ent-draught, or she would be totally bemused by all this.
I just love the way Pippin leaps out of bed - all casual-like - as if nothing was ever wrong with him. And I rather liked Woodruff's opportunity to - er - study his physique, when she could be TOTALLY PROFESSIONAL about it and examine the state of his ribs.
And Sam is clearly light-headed! But then, they all are - except Pippin, who is too busy eating to make up for lost time.
Lovely.
Author's reply
LOL "totally professional" and all that.
Feeling a bit light-headed myself. Guess it's time for breakfast.
Thanks!
SlightlyTookish
· 7 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
Oh, lovely, lovely. I don't think I've made mention of it before but I love Woodruff's voice, and how she has all these little asides and memories as she observes all that goes on. She's a great character.
Author's reply
O thank you. I've always had a soft spot for Woodruff. It was fun to tell her tale.
Larner
· 7 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
Ah, Lindelea, so properly joyful! And it's time indeed for a feast of welcome and thanksgiving, as their healed Thain is ready to rejoice and eat with everyone else! Lovely!
Author's reply
Thanks!
Anso the Hobbit
· 7 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
Happy ending! Of course, I knew Pip would come but it was a lovely story to see all through Woodruff's eyes. She is a wonderful character I think. Thank you for a very enjoyable read! :D
Author's reply
Ah, thank you! I have always enjoyed playing Woodruff off against various Tooks, so it was nice that she got to have her own story. There is just one more chapter, to wrap things up and tie the two timelines together. It's in beta right now, but I hope to post it next week.
Ariel
· 6 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
Ha! I knew it was Ted... hehee! Nicely done!
Author's reply
It would have taken a lot of work on the author's part for it *not* to be Ted. Good thing for Ted and Sweetie that I'm as lazy as I am.
Thanks!
Dreamflower
· 6 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
Yippee! Yaaay! What a perfect ending to all this!! I *love*love*love* it! Everyone's amazement and bemusement, and Pippin simply taking it all in stride--so very, very lovely! *sigh* Thanks so much for this lovely look through Woodruff's eyes!
Author's reply
O hurrah! Endings are such tricky things; you don't want to let people down by seeming to rush, or by writing an anticlimax... but all stories must come to an end some time. So glad it satisfies.
There is actually one more chapter, which ties the two timelines together, to be posted next week sometime.
You're welcome, and thanks to you in return!
Connie B.
· 6 October 2005
· Chapter 50: Postlude
Yay! He finally woke up. That whole scene, when he first gets up, just gave me warm feeling.
What a sweet, hobbity way to end this. They're happy, jesting and dancing. Just wonderful.
Thanks.
Connie B.
Author's reply
Not quite the end. There is one more chapter that ties the two stories together at last. Look for it next week sometime if all goes well.
I just love a happy ending. Hope it doesn't make my stories too predictable.
Thanks!