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The Choice of Healing by Larner	8 Review(s)
Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/29/2006
Well, I've decided to do this one first, and savour "Lesser Ring," so that I don't read everything too quickly. My, it's been so long since I read this that I'd forgotten a lot of it, seemingly. Poor Bilbo--I imagine it would be terribly frustrating, and yet with Arwen he manages to cover it up with something both shocking and amusing. Strange, perverse thoughts indeed! :) Of course Frodo would realise that the others were all trying very hard for him, even if they didn't intend him to know, and of course there might--would likely be bitterness that the relief was only temporary. That is wonderfully portrayed here. And that Frodo would unconsciously take a position he often slept in after his parents' death seems at a first glance a small thing but is really very expressive of the pain. And those first entries in the journal are hilarious. "I am writing in this journal. I am writing in this journal..." Now that's something I can imagine my brother doing; he hates to keep a journal. :) But it's good that he finally began writing out the anger and grief. Speaking of, I don't think I ever told you that I was inspired by "For Eyes..." to begin keeping my own "stationery box," though mine is a computer file with that name. Some of the things in it are, I dare say, rather silly afterward, and some I hate even to look at; but it's helpful. I'm going to have to stop for now, and get some rest while I can. Part of the reason I was able to finish The King's Commission so fast is that the other night I was unable to sleep due to just enough discomfort to be annoying, so I read...and read...and read...and before I knew it it was four thirty in the morning. See? Told you I could stay up all night reading your stuff. :) But I sure regretted it at a more proper hour, when I woke after three hours or so of sleep. Then I took some cold relief medicine last night that gave me energy instead of having the opposite effect as it was supposed to, so again, I was up late, and now I'm really exhausted. I may get back to this later today, though, when I'll hopefully have more energy. You know, the only thing keeping me from hating this cold right now is that it gives me a chance to relax some. I do hope the migraines will ease off soon. Wouldn't it be nice to have athelas sometimes, or Sam's tea? :) God bless, Galadriel P.S. I didn't think I'd posted a review for this story, but I looked through four or five pages of them just to be sure, and didn't see one. It was sometime last year that I read this, before I realised that if I reviewed every few chapters or so, I could remember everything I wanted to mention, so I intended to review at the end and never got there. But hopefully I'll get all the way through without unwanted distractions this time--and at a reasonable pace. :) Author Reply: I looked through also and didn't find any comments, so assumed that was what you were doing. It was years ago I found myself in the commissary behind a nun who must have been a chaplain or something on the Navy base where I was shopping. Juices from the hamburger I was buying had dripped through the bars of the shopping cart down onto a box of sanitary napkins I was purchasing, and I made without thinking a most indelicate comment on the state of that proposed purchase to the poor lady. Then I was terribly embarrassed for having blurted out such a thing. Tony didn't let me live it down for years. Bilbo's joke was inspired by that memory, I KNOW. We will say some of the most perverse things at times, you must realize. As for the journal entries--I was a teacher for many years and have seen my own share of such things. Plus I know what I used to do to while away moments when I was doing creative writing and I didn't know what I wanted to write as in those days I wouldn't share my own stories with others. I would write all kinds of odd things in mirror writing, would do my own version of braille representation with comments on those who sat around me (I taught myself the Braille alphabet when I was just ten), and so on. My fifth grade teacher despaired of me at times. And that Frodo's stationery box is proving practical today is wonderful. Thank you for letting me know about this--it's always an honor when we find life follows art which is following life, you see.

Inkling	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/17/2005
A very nice beginning, Larner…wonderful insights into the characters. Frodo’s “stiff upper lip” reserve (so central to his character, and so very British!) is not always portrayed in fanfics, so was nice to see it here: “Call it pride or the display of an extraordinarily private nature or unwillingness to burden others with his problems…” And this is a very appealing Bilbo. In the books, he always seemed a bit selfish to me, and your explanation of why he asks Frodo to write the book makes him seem less so. Author Reply: I always have liked Bilbo, and felt his own love of Frodo would have led him to try to spare him as much as possible. Glad you like him as portrayed here, and that you appreciate Frodo's unwillingness to let others know just how badly off he is. Hope you continue to like the story, Inkling.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/7/2005
and one corner of his mouth quirked just slightly. “Although there is the fact you are a mixture of Baggins, Took, and Brandybuck beyond reason..." Nice taste of Elrond's humour. (Kind as summer, indeed) A stupid little nitpick on my part (I have been known to be wrong), but my ear is bothered by the phrase "make it" and thinks the language would "hang together" better if you simply substituted "come" both times (I noticed two, anyhow), not in the sense of "hither" but rather meaning "arrive". Good gapfiller, that scene between Bilbo and Arwen. I hadn't thought about conversations that might have happened before Arwen came South to her wedding. The picture you paint of Frodo (in Bilbo's eyes) rings painfully true. The worry-stone, what a nice touch! Did that come from the book, or did you make that up? And I am interrupted, half-way through the first chapter. Another busy day! And hope for another quiet moment, to finish reading the chapter... but for now, I'll post this and hope to remember to return. Author Reply: Ah, once again interrupted. Sorry that keeps happening. The worry stone is something I postulated in For Eyes to See as Can. And I agree about the "Make it" now that I've reread it--will consider fixing that tomorrow. And I've felt Elrond and Bilbo would have sparked one another's humor during the time of their association. Probably one of the things Elrond misses most now that Bilbo spends so much time sleeping.

Inkling	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 4/4/2005
What!? I go away for a week, and return to find that not only have you started a new story, but you’re already on chapter eight!? Not that I’m complaining, mind you, just…feeling like a slug by comparison! Perhaps it will shame me into getting back to work on my own next story! Sorry for this non-review—I have to finish “Light” before I start this one—but I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut when I saw this! And I did peek at the beginning; it looks very enticing… Author Reply: Oh, I'm glad you peeked! Hope when you settle to reading it you will love it. Read the last three chapters to my clients last night, and they were enthralled.

lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/28/2005
Well, Larner, I'm not sure why I am so overwhelmed with the "wonderfulness" of your new story, what with my experiences with Ruvemir and all...:-) ...but this is wonderful, and it's going to be very sad, I fear. Still, there were places of humor sprinkled throughout this first chapter, so about the time I teared up about something, you made me laugh about something Bilbo would say or do. Dear Bilbo...I am dealing with a sleepy mom right now in a nursing home (and hospital about every 3 weeks or so), so I know his frustrations! You ought to hear my mother complain! :-) His little run-ins with Elrond and Arwen were very funny, and threatening to tell Aragorn that Arwen had slept with him before making it to Aragorn's bed was priceless! Dear, naughty Bilbo! LOL I thought the quartz worry stone an interesting detail - you never stop to consider what the physical loss of the Ring would do to the Bearer...Bilbo or Frodo. It was terribly sad to think of Frodo constantly reaching for the Ring, and suffering with it gone. Arwen's Evenstar pendant provided a measure of relief for him...I'm so glad she gave it to him and started the process of his acceptance to the Undying Lands. I thought this line particularly wrenching..."With the power of Elrond's own ring cut by the destruction of It, there was little left in the air of Imladris which could get through the hollowness of Frodo's heart caused by the SCOURING of the Ring." There were several other places you noted how Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, and even Aragorn would effect some comfort for Frodo - but nothing ever lasted...it was always only temporary. Of course, this would drive Frodo into that helpless, hopeless, frustrated rage that made him say he wished he had died in Mordor. So much pain...and you write it so clearly, explaining (like I said before) the little details I never paused to think about before. I must say I love the idea of once more getting Frodo to relieve some of his anger by writing. And Master Tumnus...I loved it! THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE is the first novel I read my third graders every year! The next thing I do is make them write in journals (about 15 minutes every day) and you would be surprised (or maybe NOT) how many start out with "I can't think of anything to write. I can't think of anything to write"....although they get tired and draw before the 76 times! I'm glad Bilbo has thought of a way to to persuade Frodo to "write it out"...truly he knows his lad! A wonderful beginning! Thank you for sharing again! :-) linda Author Reply: Remember, I, too, teach, and have read some interesting journal entries--and did some very creative things to relieve my often self-imposed boredom as a child. And you are the second to note the origin of Tumnus--was tempted to change the name, but knew Lewis would love it, even if Tolkien would be affronted. It was heartbreaking watching both my own and my husband's mothers and then my husband as well as they went to their rests, the lack of coherence and all, the fighting of it, the relief when they did rest for a time. But we still found that their senses of humor would kick in in extremely quirky ways, which helped us accept that they were still there, if you understand what I mean. Have seen several ex-smokers with different kinds of cigarette substitutes, including worry stones of some sort to keep hands busy when no longer involved in lighting cigarettes, so adapted this to the Ring. The pebble in Bilbo's pocket I introduced in For Eyes to See as Can, by the way, so it's not exactly a new feature in this story. I find it's often the little details that I wonder about, which is why I suppose I tend to explore them in my own writing. Thanks again for the review.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/28/2005
I love this Bilbo-centric view of Frodo. (And the way Frodo wrote 'I am writing in this journal.' seventy six times is great. As is the patience of Master Tumnus in giving him the time to start expressing himself in his journal.) (Master Tumnus, the faun?) Author Reply: Well, the two of them, Lewis and Tolkien, both sparked my own creativity and were friends. I only hope Tolkien isn't spinning in his grave to have a character in part sparked by Lewis's work, which he disparaged in life, after all, included in Middle Earth. As for the first journal entry, I was again remembering some of the absolutely inane things I myself did when I was younger when unwilling to follow directions and had bored myself silly. Glad you liked the idea.

Ariel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/27/2005
So many spot on characterizations! Beautiful! Wonderful to see! I am still reading but this one is good enough to take offline where I can devote my full attention to it. Thank you for writing such an engaging story! Oh, Sam knew it was true deep down in his heart, but he was consciously pushing down that knowledge, clinging to the belief that Frodo was fine, that he was healing nicely thank you very much, perhaps in hopes that the strength of his desire for Frodo to be well would make it so. This is just SO Sam… He’d realized that seeking to pass up the Old Took was as vain an ambition as had ever been devised by the minds of mortals of any kind; but he knew Frodo needed some sign of permanency, something to hang onto while his own person was still in turmoil. And this is exactly how I always thought Bilbo felt. Wonderful characterizations! Thank you again! Author Reply: Tolkien wrote these characters so well that so often we can see them in our imaginations as if they were having a dialogue with us, which is what I'd found myself dreaming of the night before I started writing this one. This particular Nuzgul is apparently rather happy to have found a home and expression. But I swear I will get the one who keeps putting them in the hollow beneath the bed.

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/27/2005
What a refreshing idea, to show all this from Bilbo's point of view! I already can't wait until Chapter 2. Author Reply: Sorry, but you will find viewpoint shifts frequently. Hope you don't mind. But the first two chapters are definitely Bilbo's.

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