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The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner	9 Review(s)
Radbooks	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
This was a good and different way to cover the incident of The Travelers taking back the Shire without having to go into all of those details and instead finding out about Will's wife and their family. I remember how in 'The Ties of Family' she took very good care of Frodo when he was serving as deputy mayor and so it was sad to see how her son had died at a fairly young age. Author Reply: I wanted for there to be a tie between Frodo and Mina. This part of the story has been working in my consciousness for months, and originally was going to be an independent story; Fenton's death during the plague of 1390 while Frodo survived the same disease has been there for the whole time. That my motherly Nuzgul would insist on moving into this story I'd wanted to write first took me by surprise. But I didn't want to go back again through the retaking of the Shire in too much needless detail, and so this found its expression instead.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
I like the way you depict the hobbits as very resourceful and able to look after themselves,they remind me of the French Ressistance ! Author Reply: Resistance throughout history has tended to work in much the same way; and it has always seemed to me that the folk of Buckland would in the end have an easier time resisting Lotho's tyranny than even the Thain, for they are far from Hobbiton, have the natural barrier of the river to begin with, and are pictured with a strong independent streak as well as being full of initiative. So glad you appreciate it.

Baggins Babe	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
What an intriguing look at events from another point of view. A fascinating glimpse of a new character (I know she appears in some of your other stories) and her life. Also nice to see Will Whitfoot - a much neglected character in most fiction. Mina seems to have had a sad life - to lose her son like that must have been hard to bear. Nice to have a glimpse of the domestic life of the Whitfoots. Author Reply: Glad you like this deeper look at Mina and Will. Of course, we don't even know if Will was married, but if he was, I'd prefer it be to someone like her. And before modern medicine so many tended to die of diseases like pneumonia secondary to influenzas and so on. That there would be parallels between Frodo's life and that of Will and Mina's son seemed needed to explain why Mina would develop such a strong sense of affection for Frodo. In many ways, losing him will be like losing Fenton all over again, although the two will help each other heal.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
I like the way you chose to tell this part of the story through someone new. You excell at that! It's very much as I imagined it as well. I am quite sure that the ruffians did not have it so much "their way" as they thought--even after "Sharkey" arrived. I loved the description of Frodo's role in the Shire, and how it seemed as though he were being groomed as a future Mayor by Bilbo and Will. Wonderfully done. And now they are home. Author Reply: Yes, they are home, but home isn't as they'd imagined it to be, and now each has taken upon himself the mission to help the Shire heal however he can. Meanwhile they have a good deal of coming to terms with the changes they find in themselves, which they didn't quite appreciate until they got home and realized it, too, needs rebuilding. And, yes, I think Frodo had been groomed for being Mayor for a long time, and it's now coming to fruition, even if it's just for a short time. Thanks for the compliments!

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
Well, that leap in time was unexpected, but it told us a lot about Will Whitfoot and his wife Mina. It is quite possible that if Fenton and Frodo had come to know each other better, they would have become close friends. But obviously the Creator had other plans for them. It is also no wonder, that Will had his suspicions when he heard the gossip that Frodo ran out of money and therefore had to sell Bag End. He knew a lot about Frodo and was fond of him, like an uncle perhaps. And he would never have believed those stories! When Frodo sees Will after all he has suffered in the lockholes, he has simply no heart to deny the job as deputy mayor again. It is not what he would like to do, but he realizes that it's necessary. We know, though that he will never accept the role as mayor! Author Reply: Hope the change in characters isn't too big of a leap; but I've dealt with the time in Rivendell in "The Choice of Healing" and didn't want to take that further as I think it's about as far as it can go. But we can get more detail here in the time Frodo was deputy Mayor, so I wanted to explore that period in more depth. And I wanted to explore the relationship between Frodo and Mina. I think indeed the condition of Will caused Frodo to accept the role of deputy Mayor. Thanks for the response.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
That was quick, but so very intricate. And from the POV of a character we hardly know! Wow! I've been thinking of rereading "The Choice of Healing," now I know I'm going to. :-) God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: Mina is a minor character in "The Choice of Healing," but I've wanted to explore her story for some time. She pushed and shoved her way in, but now she's a part of this story instead of her own. Rather surprised me when she insisted on inclusion here. And I, too, have been rereading "The Choice of Healing," which seemed odd today.

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
Baggins responsibility, Took curiosity, Brandybuck initiative, Bolger intelligence, Boffin love of the land, Proudfoot pride, Chubbs sensitivity--Frodo was the best of his involved family heritage. Add in his physical good looks and the sense of vulnerability that he seemed to carry with him, and he was, Will thought, a natural as Mayor. That's a marvelous explanation of why Frodo was asked to be Deputy Mayor. Thank you for "filling in" such a wonderful history here. Author Reply: Frodo was the culmination of so many family lines, after all. And I truly suspect Will had been after Frodo to follow him for quite some time, and have imagined Bilbo also looking forward to that possibility. Glad you appreciate it.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
Wow! What a leap in place, perspective and general feel! Just the thing to keep us on our toes Larner. I like the idea of a potential friendship unable to blossom due to circumstance. I have a number of people that I often hold close to my heart but have lost touch with. Sorry for the quick review this morning but am off to the funeral of one of the catechists here at church. Age 44 and the mother of a twelve year old son. A lovely lady - I shall miss her immensely. Author Reply: Yes, I can imagine you would--and she is so young for our day and age to have died. Will pray for her and her son and family. And such a similar situation to that which we face in this story in many ways. The relationships that never had the chance to blossom are often such griefs for the dream of what they might have been. And now Frodo and Mina will have the chance to help one another heal and prepare for what comes next for each of them.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 59 on 1/5/2006
Interesting to see Frodo from the POV of someone other than his closest relations or Sam! And it was equal interesting to see Will knew something wasn't right with the sale of Bag End. Intelligent man, but he wasn't Mayor for nothing. So it was Mina who got Frodo to accept the office in the end? In light of this chapter it is much easier to understand why she cared so for him during this time. Author Reply: Certain folk had to know Frodo wasn't destitute, and I think the Mayor would have been one of them, don't you? And I suspect that both Saradoc and Paladin would have wondered what was going on as well. Actually, I think it was Will who wore Frodo down, but Mina was there as a witness. She's another relative, but not one of those who's been active in Frodo's life; she's coming to see him in ways as a replacement for her own lost son, but at the same time is realizing this is a very distinct individual, and that he has reasons for what he does, both the rational things such as learning Shire law and figuring out how to deal with the mountain of paperwork in the office and dealing with executive questions and ownership disputes in light of Lotho's activities, and the irrational ones such as having to have something to drink on hand or his hand going cold when he's stressed or someone mentions Mordor. And she will help him heal and prepare, I think, as he helps her accept Fenton's loss at long last.

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