UPDATE NOW!

Well, I must say it was a long wait, but it's always worth it. I don't usually read Hobbit-fic, but I can't resist this one.

Th ending to this chapter was simply beautiful.

Another *wonderful* chapter! I'm always so delighted to find that you've updated this story. Having said that, I just feel so bad for everybody, punishing themselves so much! Especially poor, dear Faramir - I love how you draw out the things that are bothering him through different points of view. So many poignant details - especially that he misses his parents so much even when he's so angry with them. And I love that he wants Merry to buy something for Pippin. I can't wait to find out where poor Pippin is going, and what's going to happen now he's ill too..? *frets* There are always so many things to love about this wonderfully complex and beautifully written story! As always, I look forward to the next chapter... :)

please. please. please. update! i love it! it made me cry. alot. please. please. please!

I don't usually review, but this story is one of the few excellent exceptions. I love the honest way you portray all of them as ordinary people who are never immune to making mistakes, but try their best to amend it.

Keep up the wonderful job, I'll be waiting for more of this touching tale.

my name is horribly mispelt. wanderingelleth. anyway. mundane your story definitely is not. I loved the sixth chapter. i read it twice, cried twice, and probably am gonna read it again. The way you built up the tension and then finally released it in such a..a..manner was beeyootiful! And it's nice having an insightful faramir for once. this is a really great story that actually does some justice to Tolkien and doesn't sully his works.

do you know, this is the first fanfic that ever made me cry?

YAY! What a wonderful way to wake up... the first thing I see is that long-awaited author alert waiting for me! _

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It took a bit of refreshing to recall where we are in the story, but once that was over and done with I fell right back into the loop. This chapter was magnificent, just like all the others in this aptly titled story, and again tugged at all my emotions in a way that very few stories can.

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I so loved Estella's speech, which is something I need to say to myself every so often, and the ending conversation with Faramir and Merry. Faramir is such a little sweetheart. I adore him.

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The thing I really like about this story is that it's extraordinarily realistic... and not just in the Tolkien-universe, in general. All the characters have ugly faults along with the wonderful charms that myself and everyone else give them in our writings, and it's not often you see the flaws that everyone must have. It gives the story a great feeling of reality, along with the completely believable conversations and the whole plot in general. I could stand to try writing a story with a realistic plot once in a while. ;-)

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A truly fantastic story, and well-worth the wait. The only things I noticed were that if you meant to have any partitions between Sam-Pippin and Merry-Faramir-Estella scenes, they didn't show up, and it would be good to have them just to lower the confusion a little. Also, sometimes you end lines of dialogue in periods rather than commas (though it took me forever and a lot of red marks from my dad to get the rules related to that drilled in, so don't feel bad).

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I am very much looking forward to the next installment. Do take your time. _

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-Minty

I was so excited to get an alert for this long-awaited update, I nearly fell off my chair, lol. It's made my day to have more of this great story to read! I do so love your writing style and there's so many lines in this I'd like to highlight - but probably too many, so I'm afraid I'll just have to ramble on at you instead. I like Sam's thoughts about Pippin and that he can guess what has happened - I like to think that Pip is quite transparent when it comes to his feelings. Merry and Estella's conversation was wonderful and really captures what I love about this story, that your hobbits have so much depth, and they aren't perfect, and things aren't simple, but that they love each other comes across so clearly - the conversation between them later on is really lovely, though it seems not a day goes by that they don't worry about poor Faramir and criticise Diamond about something! I love the picture of Pippin trying to haul poor Sam up the stairs of the cellar. Maybe I was being incredibly dense, but I didn't realise Sam had the pox until Pippin did, lol. That *is* interesting... is Pippin going to get sick too? :-/ My favourite bit of all was Merry and Faramir's chat near the end - I love how stubborn your Faramir is and his reaction to the news that his da used to get sick was perfect. The whole conversation was so sweet, poignant and funny too. And (you might have got the idea that I liked the whole chapter by now, lol) poor Faramir at the end. It brought tears to my eyes that he's feeling such a weight of guilt at his age, but I'm glad for Pippin's sake that he misses him. Thank you so much for continuing this! Now I know you're still writing I'll try to be patient, though I really hope you update soon :)

I've been hoping for an update on this wonderful story for months, and have a bad feeling you're not going to finish it, which would be such a shame! I really do hope you're still writing fanfic too, because you're one of the best writers out there. *goes back to hoping*

That's terrible! My poor Pippin... whimper. Poor child...

Oh, wait, I meant Pippin crying is terrible, not the story or plot or anything! Oops!

Anywho... poor child... whimper. Please update quicker this time!

I was so happy to see you update this! I hope you find the time to continue as that last chapter left me crying.

Well...
I daresay this is one of the most exceptional things I've ever read.
The characterization of Faramir is perfect beyond words. I've been very gratefully influenced to heck for writing him in one of my coming stories. Your dialogue makes me jealous because although I sometimes have written similar stuff you make it come out that much better with a flick of the wrist. It's adorable and unbelievably sad and had me in tears in that last chapter. It's crafted in a way that reminds me of Phillip Pullman, something I envy, where you seem to know exactly what you're doing and plan it out in perfection from the very beginning (ie the foreshadowing of Merry's discomfort with Diamond's coldness). I cannot even begin to analyze everything about this story that makes it wonderful because you'd be here reading all day.
There's just one little teensy weensy itty bitty tiny little baby of a scruple.
IT'S KILLING ME! Slowly, I might add.
Thankfully Lady of Ithilien only just alerted me today, so I was able to read six wonderful chapters straight through, and then I realized about halfway in that it was a WIP.
GOD it's beautiful. I'm not going to say update soon because beauty cannot be rushed. I'm going to say that I will add you to my author alerts and wither away in agonizing pain very slowly, re-reading the "where-babies-come-from" explanation over and over for comfort, and I will do it quite happily until you are ready.
Until then, farewell
~Minty~
*wanders off in a daze*

(I actually read this chapter several days ago, but haven't gotten the chance to review until now, sorry!)
WOW, that was a tense chapter. I'm glad that they finally got it all out of their systems, but still . . . *sniffle* Sheesh, I hope what Merry said about how weak Farry is doesn't come into play later on . . . probably won't, but I worry for some reason. :P And that last line was so heartwrenching. Poor Pippin . . .
The tension build-up throughout this story has been excellent, and I certainly wasn't disappointed with the results here. I just hope everything gets sorted out soon, and that Faramir comes to think better of his dad.
I also loved that conversation between Pippin and Estella, and how Estella finally realized how lonely Pippin was.
"'Hello, little Brandybuck,' he whispered, 'I cannot wait to meet you.'
At that moment, Estella Brandybuck forgave Pippin Took every bit of annoyance he had ever cost her."
*sigh* This is definitely turning into one of my favorite fan fics. :)

I'm so glad you updated! This chapter was wonderful, and really intense and I feel so sorry for Pippin I want to cry. I can't believe what Merry and Faramir said ... poor Pip. Please don't leave him weeping in the grass for too long! :(