amazing

just an fyi
this story was enough to make me put it on my favorite stories list *and* you on my favorite authors list, something i really never do
i love to see such good characterization
and i'm not even really a huge sam fan, but this story is really good

You must understand--I am the sort of Tolkien geek who thinks the books are sacred and LotR fanfic is, in essence, sacriligious. [Oddly, I don't mind visual fanart, like the films.]

That said, I think I just read what is possibly the one piece of LotR fanfic that was worth writing: The Ringbearer and the Rose.

Your grasp of the characters, and your skill with language (particularly their speech patterns), makes this whole story come alive. It doesn't hurt that it's a kind of RotK in minature, either; after reading it, I was struck by the pervading sense of joy, something I associate with the field of Cormallen. "Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the world?" A shadow has indeed departed...not the Shadow, but the progress towards healing is the same.

I really enjoyed the interaction between Rose and Frodo. For that alone, I would recommend this fic.

And while I'm not sure I buy Sam knowing that his "sneak" comment on the Stairs may have cost Gollum a chance at redemption, I'll give that to you because of this scorchingly perfect moment:

“It’s Gollum,” Sam said, turning his head on the pillow as if he were ashamed to have said as much.

Gollum? Frodo sat very still as the memories of Smeagol danced in front of his eyes. “What about him?” he asked, when he could speak again.

“A year ago today he fell, Mr. Frodo, and ain’t nobody grieved for him yet.” Sam shivered under Frodo’s hand, like the Mountain had shaken with hidden torments.

Mostly I love this fic because you display something I hadn't really thought much about before: Sam's journey of healing. What hope there is in that--because at the end of LotR, it is Sam who is both in pain, and who has a life and wife and family to go back to. And this shows us how he might have gotten there.

Thank you for this.

O! This is absolutely gorgeous.

I hope you have more up your talented sleeve!

I'll keep on reading . . . I just love your Sam, your Frodo, your Rosie, your Pippin, your Gaffer . . . this is great stuff. Thanks!

This story is excellent. I've never read a post-quest story with Frodo in it that was so hopeful (angst is somehow appealing, even when it's one's fav. character). I enjoyed this very much, so much that I wish there was a lot more to be reading of it. Pippin and Frodo's talk was very interesting, and I like how you included how Frodo was feeling. Excellent job.
Jen

There aren't too many authors that manage to write a post-quest Frodo story that has such a sweet and hopeful feel to it as this one does. Despite the fact that Frodo knows he must leave, he's really at peace now with what he has done, and with Sam's future and that of the Shire. That's really nice to see.

I didn't review the other chapter separately, but I thought your theory very interesting that Frodo would diminish because he had only been sustained to that point by the power of the Elven rings, which were fading and would soon pass away. Tolkien sure doesn't give us much to go by at the end of the story, to see exactly what Frodo is going through.

I also was pleased to see the easy understanding between Frodo and Rosie, a character that just doesn't have enough written about her in canon to care about there. You've made her sympathetic and a friend to Frodo, which certainly ups her stock in my eyes. Sam deserves someone who can appreciate not only what he is but how he became that way.

A very satisfying story - thank you!
FF

That was really sweet. :) Rose's feelings of being second-best were accurate, as I see it, and Frodo wanting to stay on until he was sure of Sam's healing was accurate as well. I like the ending of this chapter, though. It brings it all together. Good job.
Jen

I haven't been able to keep up with all of the wonderful stories you have written, but this one for sure has to be my favorite story of yours and, I'm not kidding with you on this, on FanFiction. It has to be the most brilliant and beautiful LOTR fan-fiction I have ever read.

Lovely story, and there were so many times I felt myself nearly choke up. It was wonderful how you wove everone's grievances and wishes and plans together in-between Tolkien's timeline of events making the reader almost believe this was exactly how things came to be in the end of the trilogy for Samwise.

You have an amazing talent with words and dialogue to where I would probably be fooled into reading this and thinking it was some kind of lost rough-draft of JRR's. The end with the mallorn was just beautiful with your lovely ending with Sam's wishes. The simplicity of your stories without ever overdoing them with too many words (which many writers do at times, such as myself... *wink* ) is what makes this story pure gold.

Please continue to write and I hope you're expanding your writing elsewhere.

;) MlynnBloom

The Shire healing, and the heroes moving apart...Frodo thinking of his Uncle (lovely description there), and Pippin getting worried about girls. Good thing he isn't jealous of Sam at all, and he can still laugh. Some other good descriptions of the Shire, and the Mallorn, good as a companion piece to the first chapter. Sam as a storyteller is another aspect of his character I hadn't considered, thanks for that. A great story all round, with detail and lyricism.

A very complex piece, and intelligent, that I feel terrible about not reviewing earlier. Doing justice to it will be difficult…but looking at how the quest hurt Sam, rather than Frodo, is something that urgently deserved to be done, and which I could hardly see before this illuminated it an a very believable way. His regret over Gollum, unheard in the novel, fills in a big part of his negative post-quest feelings, in an effective way. Very astute point about the Eagles. And am I right in thinking Gamgee Snr’s treatment of Sam got passed on into Sam’s treatment of Gollum? A lot of interlinked relationships and personal levels of meaning. Frodo and Rosie are bound by Sam, but there’s some good (non-romantic) chemistry between them–why doesn’t the father-son aspect of Frodo and Sam’s relationship get aired more often (admittedly a minor facet of the gem, but Rosie and Frodo agreeing on the marriage before she asked Sam put me in mind of that)?
Was it a good idea to show Sam’s post quest feelings through outside parties? On the good side, it shows Frodo and Rosie’s relationship as well, they can talk much more freely about Sam’s feelings that he would himself, and it shows his healing as well as his pain. Downside, a bit more from Sam in person would’ve been nice. He gets angsty in a different way to Frodo, but he can get angsty, no doubting. Rosie saying she’d have liked to go with them, and Frodo’s reaction, was a good bit, and Sam/Rose at the end was very sweet indeed, final lines near to poetic. The focus earlier on, on things like Rosie’s bright blue eyes, and the sweet dreams that might return to Frodo rather than the bad dreams already present, maybe lightens the initial mood a touch, not sure if you intended that or not. ‘nightmare night’ sticks on the tongue a bit, and I must sadly confess to not recalling just what happened at Henneth Annun. I wondered about Sam running out with Sting for a time, but I think it pretty much works. Sam leaving the shire again is going out on a limb a tad, but an interesting idea…why not write a story where he does? This an excellent piece, with scale, depth and great emotional writing. Well done.

that's...so depressing. I love it!

This was so touching I'm in tears! i can't congratulate you enough..I feel very inferior all of a sudden..-pouts- this was gorgeous, a wonderful way to end the tale. Sam's mourning for gollum suprised me but I thought it was a beautiful touch- just like Samwise! I'm in love with Sam (obviously..eh...--') and I couldn't find any fault with this..cna't think of how else to say..I'll tell you a few of my favourtie lines instead (there are many, but I think you deserve to know it. These lines are the ones that made me go "aw!" out loud. ^^)
"It'd be like I was jealous of the sun for making the moon shine at night" (lovely metaphors here!)
“I’m neither Sun, nor Shire,

Very sweet story! I loved the interaction between Rosie and Frodo. Who else would be as concerned about Sam as those two? I really enjoyed this. Thank you!