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The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner	18 Review(s)
Radbooks	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/21/2006
Poor Narcissa is having here heart broken again here. I think I would be avoiding him at this point. It would be too difficult to see him over and over and not get any response back from him... but hope does keep you going, especially as he is not married. If I were Frodo, I think I would be telling people to leave me alone! I know they just want to help, but it would get tiring to always have people fussing over you. Though sometimes you only get really upset with those you are closest too - you are nice to those you don't know as well or who are more distant friends! Author Reply: I do put the poor lass through it, don't I? Narcissa Boffin should be awarded her halo swiftly for all the grief she's known for thirty years--but it won't be all that long before she, too, finds healing and the proper love for her--a love which is, in its way, a gift to both her and Brendi from Frodo. "All things work to the good for those who love the Lord"--or, in this case, Iluvatar. And I certainly agree about how one tends to put up with snoopiness from those not as close to us emotionally we'd go off on from someone we're very close to. Certainly my late husband was like that. The Kid and I used to catch it SOOOO badly for little questions that we needed answers to, while others could ask terribly personal questions and were answered at length. It was maddening at times during his last year. Sometimes it was as if we were supposed to have been able to just read his mind.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/20/2006
Yeah, so maybe this whole walking trip idea isn't such a good one. Frodo could possibly work up to it with a series of half-day and one-day hikes, but an all-out week-long walking trip is not for someone who can't even dance at a wedding. Interesting to see the impasse between Frodo and the ladies. He'll have some 'splaining to do if he doesn't want one of them to take him firmly in hand. Author Reply: You are right--Frodo's pushing himself too far to fast, and will probably regret it (as I describe in "The Choice of Healing, of course...). And he WILL have some 'splainin' to do soon.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/17/2006
Poor Narcissa, that was a difficult time for her. But knowing your other stories is somehow comforting, because I know she will find a new love with Brendi. sigh Freddy was right, Frodo should’ve accepted the extra coddling and used the wagon – we know already how his walking trip ended, don’t we? Author Reply: Those who've read my other stories do know, of course, which is why I didn't go into detail this time in the newest chapter. And Frodo is foolish for not accepting the ride--I agree there.

Lady Sarfuman	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/17/2006
Well, no, I don't think that the guy is a pervert. Sorry, I haven't told you the whole thing yet. If the guy who puts his arm around my waist happens to be the guy I like, then he's obviously not a pervert. But when it's a stranger, well, you can't be too sure. For example, my friend's dance partner, every girl hates him, because HE IS a pervert, and here's proof that was eyewitnessed by ME myself. When the teacher told us to start, he said to my friend, "Come on, baby, let's groove." He then put his arm around her waist, but she could barely tolerate that. Then, his arm slid, and I am 100% sure that it was NOT an accident. See, if it was, he would apologize and move his arm back to the appropriate position. And plus, the guys in our school are soooo ugly. All the hot guys are in high school. As my friend says, they get uglier and uglier each year. I personally agree with that. And as for you saying that soon I will think that gentlemanly, I don't think that will be possible. You see, gentlemen have long been extinct, and so now we are stuck with men who don't even bother to open a car door for their lady. Of course, one person says that this is because they are afraid that the lady will say she can do it herself and all kinds of things. And in another matter, it used to be "ladies first." But noooooo, in our school, (and in elementary back then) all the boys always clamor to go first in anything interesting and the girls get shoved behind. When there's something they don't understand the instructions to, they say "Ladies first," and then they make us go first. I don't know about you, but that is definitely NOT my definition for gentleman. And plus, I never did like dancing. I always hated it because you have to pair up with a guy you hardly ever know and dance with him. And, we're only in eight grade! If it was high school I would tolerate it better, but there's no way I'll tolerate it now, and it is a first-timer too. And of course, you'll say that stuff about wanting to do much more because you're an adult and you have experience. Author Reply: Okay--sounds like he needs to grow up a bit. Young teenagers are often anything but the best, unfortunately. Hormones can be terrible things to deal with.

Lady Saruman	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/17/2006
okay, I'm really tired here so I'll say good job, and I'll tell you about our history lesson in school thing, then I'll go to bed. History: we are now square dancing. It sucks. This was what happened. At first, the first several steps weren’t that bad—they were things like swinging your partner (that’s when you hook onto the crook of your partner’s elbow and vice versa and then you spin in a circle, then reverse arms), then we have the do-se-do, which is putting your arms on your chest and circling your partner to the right. I forgot to mention ONE important thing: WE ALSO HAVE A CORNER PARTNER. That means that we have TWO partners. Ewwwwwww!!! Ok, and then the third step is that we grip our partner’s right arm, then you walk past him on their left side, then move to the next guy, get his left arm, and walk past him on his right side, and you keep on doing that until you reach your partner. Then there’s the bridge. The “head couple”, which is the couple facing the mountains, makes a bridge by placing the palms of their hands against each other, then the second pair goes under the bridge—girl, boy, girl, boy, and so on. Now, in each group there are four couples, and the last couple (which happens to be me and some guy) goes under the original bridge and makes a second one next to the first bridge. Then the head couple goes under our bridge and walk to their original spots, then we walk back. Finally, there’s the most horrible thing of all. It’s called something—it starts with a ‘p’—and what happens is that a girl has to turn to the right. She raises up her left arm, and her partner takes her hand with his left, and puts his right arm AROUND A GIRL’S WAIST and walks around with her around the circle. That was so disgusting and humiliating!!! Most of all, this was because this was during 1st period, and there were two PE classes, and they all gathered together to watch us dance. Waaahhhhhh!!! So with my partner, I snarled to him “DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!” and he agreed, but there were actually some guys who actually DID PUT THEIR ARM AROUND A GIRL’S WAIST! PERVERTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Author Reply: You think a guy who puts his arms about a girl's waist is a pervert? In a few years, dearling, you will think such a one a gentleman, for most will want to do MUCH more--and you may find yourself wanting them to do more as well. Have done my share of square dancing both when I was in junior high and as a teacher working with students. It can be LOTS of fun if you don't start feeling self conscious. But I prefer different folk dances, myself. The Virginia Reel is a hoot, and there are a few Israeli dances which are beautiful and quite complicated. But if you have a chance watch Riverdance or Lord of the Dance. Both are gorgeous, and in part inspired my idea of the Husbandmen's Dance that Frodo used to perform regularly.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/17/2006
Tinges of romantic feeling - but Frodo's too ragged for it ever to be more than that. Paladin is a pain. I hope Frodo makes it to Buckland, so he can spend more time with Saradoc and - hopefully - make himself more clearly understood. There are a lot of people here recovering - one way or another, to a greater or lesser extent. Author Reply: Unfortunately, you are right about Frodo being too ragged for romance, although if he'd moved then he might have known some joy. And, yes, there are so many recovering, either from the Time of Troubles or from what happened long ago, or from the disappearance and then return of the Travelers. (But you know that Paladin DOES get over it--just a bit too late.)

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/16/2006
Oh, the electronic LOTR isn't a big deal. I can get it back. It's just a pain to do so because the website I get my books from isn't the best managed, and I haven't had the chance yet. As to the Braille version...hmmm...I think it's...let's see, five vollumes in the Fellowship (the vollumes are each about the size of a standard-sized print dictionary, only much wider)...uh, four in TTT, and five-no-six in ROTK, when you add the appendices. The whole thing is currently taking up nearly every inch of bookshelf space I have, and that isn't exactly convenient. But though I don't really need it any more, I'm attached to it because of all I went through to get it in the first place. Sat by our noisy versapoint (spelling?) while it printed every vollume off, gathered it up, removed the little computer Braille paper strip things on the sides, took the pages apart, put them in order, often stayed up till the wee hours to get the thing into one of those binders with the pins that hold them in and the really thick covers, and then went right to reading it and dealt with the errors that were due to embosser problems...and I don't regret any of it. Actually, I don't even have the last vollume of ROTK, because I got the electronic about that time, and it was soooo much easier! I love love love technology! :) As to the appendices being nice to read in Braille, I haven't even managed to get through the whole thing; it's pathetic. The family trees are what throw me. I can't help it, family history just makes my head spin! :) Now look what we've got going here! (You didn't start it though-my name ought to be Gabby. :)) Author Reply: I'm hoping to get the Juliet up and running soon--my laptop that had become my devoted braille computer (an old 286) was stolen, and so I've just received the gift of a new laptop I hope will communicate with Julie so I can get back to producing braille. (My current Toshiba notebook won't speak to Julie, I've found.) Julie is an interpoint unit, btw. Haven't used a VersaPoint for years. I can't imagine trying to do the family trees in braille. He published them sideways on the pages in the print book, and they get VERY complicated, particularly when you find yourself also looking at birth and death dates when they are added in. Family trees are so visual in nature with the spatial relationships it's hard to translate into braille, which is more linear in nature. Would you like to receive my descriptive scripts for the movies? I have them for the EE of FOTR and TTT, and the TV for ROTK. They've been forwarded to folk literally all around the world to look at in conjunction with playing the film to add to the understanding of the action of the movies.

Endaewen	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/16/2006
This is beautiful so far. Author Reply: My, you have been reading quickly! Am so glad you appreciate it, Endaewen. It is an honor to have someone indulge in reading such a work as you have.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/16/2006
Aw, drat! I meant "dilapidated." That must be the hundredth time today I've done something goofy like that! Sorry. Author Reply: Considering the several spelling errors I've corrected today, I can't complain, my Lady.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 82 on 2/16/2006
I've wanted to ask this for a long time, but it's kind of a stupid question. Did you come up with the customs for the weddings, or are they described by Tolkien? I could answer that question by looking in the back of ROTK, probably, but I've managed to lose my electronic copy (goodness only knows what happened there) and my huge Braille five vollumes are so unwieldy that they've taken quite the battering in being carried all over everywhere and are now too delapidated to be read. :) I have the recording as well, but the whole appendix wasn't included. Just curious. Author Reply: The wedding customs I've written are all my own invention; and I'm unaware of Tolkien having described any but the ones of the Elves, which amount basically to the bride and groom declaring to one another they take one another as husband and wife and then consummating the marriage. There are some customs in which the respective families give special gifts in recognition of the new joining, I think, but that's apparently in The History of Middle Earth Series, and I don't have that. I do have the Making of LOTR series, though, and have found that fascinating. You lost your electronic version of LOTR? Oh, I'm so sorry. And I'd love to see a braille copy of the entire LOTR--what is it--fifteen volumes or more? Reading the appendices in braille must be fascinating. I know a friend on one of the blindness lists to which I belong used her electronic version to find where the lyrics in Pippins song in the movie version of ROTK came from, and I was supremely grateful. One of the few poems I hadn't composed my own music to.

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