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| The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner | 12 Review(s) |
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| Baggins Babe | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/24/2006 |
| I'e had such a chaotic week I haven't had time to review as much as I'd have liked, but I wanted to say how beautifully I thought you dealt with this one. Rose is so wise - yes, it is real courage, to go on doing something even when terrified. She understands so much and will be the perfect companion for Sam. Poor Frodo - walking all that way when he's having such problems with his heart really wasn't a good idea but he's so stubborn! And Esme cares, even if she doesn't understand it all. Author Reply: Yes, Rosie is the proper one for Sam, definitely. And she has the best of heads on her shoulders and most open of hearts. As for Frodo--what can be said, other than he's the epitome of stubborn Bagginses? Yes, Esme cares, and wants so to understand. | |
| Radbooks | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/21/2006 |
| It was good for Sam to share and show Rosie all of his scars and tell her what he had been through. Best to start out a marriage with truth and honesty I think! You just knew Frodo was not going to make a walking trip across the Shire, even though his heart was in the right place to give Sam and Rosie privacy. He should have ridden with someone or stayed at the Cotton's or something like that. I loved that they told the story of Aragorn's and Arwen's wedding night! :) Author Reply: I personally think Sam would be very sensitive to what Rosie might think of his more hidden scars, for such things are, after all, extraordinarily rare among Hobbits and aren't seen as marks of honor as would be true in a more militant culture such as the Rohirrim or the Dunedain. And to find she honors them and him must have been a gift beyond imagining. You're righ--Frodo ought to have done a more simple trip first; but I can't see him going back to the Cottons or the Whitfoot house at this time. But having made up his mind to resume "normal" life, I think he'd about have killed himself making certain he did make it to visit his beloved relatives in Brandy Hall. And to find out why that salver of wine stayed in the hallway instead of Pippin allowing Belveramir to leave it on the table in the Royal sitting room seemed just right at the moment. Plus it helps the others in Brandy Hall accept Aragorn as a real person, and his own wedding comes a bit closer to home for them, knowing his own servants were desirous to assure themselves the King did indeed consummate his marriage. The voyeur tends to come out in the oddest folks at times like that. Glad you liked that tale. | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/20/2006 |
| This is a nice set of going-to-bed scenes. They show very nicely the contrast between Sam and Frodo's futures. Sam's is hopeful, loving, and looking forward, while Frodo remains entangled in the past. Author Reply: Oh, how perceptive, and beyond what I'd even thought of. Thank you for giving me even more to think of (as if I needed such!) | |
| Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/19/2006 | |
| Tedicus What a fun chapter! I thought I knew where you were going with Sam and Rosie what with the old stories of "war wounds" that lead to a loss of function.... "Yeah, Gollum bit me three times in all and that last one hurt like nuthin' I ever felt afore. I wanted to tell my master about it but seein' as that nasty sneak bit off his finger and all, telling him where that foul creatures' fangs had been might push his mind over the edge. Strider took a peek at it but said that they never had a book on comparative anatomy among the races at Imladris so he weren't sure what was normal for our kind. He consulted with Elladan and Elrohir and all agreed that in this case the best treatment would be absolutely no exposure to light, no wrapping of athelas leaves, no breathing on it and never a laying on of hands(something about infection). The only care that offered the best hope of healing was to pray to the Valar for intervention and let nature take its course. So here's how it turned out. Like the Gaffer always says: "When there's a tough job that needs doin' you gotta just rise to the occasion!" Rosie? You okay? You're a might bit pale there." Oh well, your story was good too, very tasteful. Quite mature. Keep up the great work. Author Reply: You certainly got me giggling with your review, Tedicus. Thanks for a day brightener! And thanks for the indication I was quite tasteful. I hope to see something of yours on here soon, kiddle. | |
| Kitty | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/19/2006 |
| Dear Sam, what an usual talk before a wedding night! Of course he had to warn Rosie, although I suppose she knew already a lot and wouldn’t have been shocked even if he’d not said anything. And as for being able to see it, I think here Sam didn’t give his Rosie enough credit. Well, Esmeralda is at last trying to understand and to hold her overprotectiveness in check – it should make things a bit easier for the Travellers. Author Reply: Yes, this has to be an unusual way to start a marriage--and yet a necessary one for Sam, I think, knowing that his bride not only understands but honors what those scars stand for. And he'll not underestimate her again, I think. And now if Merry can only open up and allow Pippin to do otherwise at least with the Brandybucks they'll both be better off. | |
| demeter d | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/18/2006 |
| Let us now sing praise for strong women! This is indeed the Rosie who told a newly returned Sam, in the book, that she had kept faith and hope for his return even when others had given up and he had "not spoken yet" before he left. This is the Rosie who said that she 'had been expecting you since spring'. I always took that little remark from the book to mean that somehow Rosie had been aware when the Ring went into the fire and the two were rescued and restored to their friends.The wedding night scene just served to reinforce the point that she was as brave and strong as Sam, and would love and support him all of the rest of their lives. Yes, we were right there in their room, but i do not think it felt intrusive. They, together, were the reason that Sam was able to live a long and full life even after all he had endured. Stories like this lend support to my own hope that this mortal time is not all there is to us, and that somewhere, "beyond the bonds of Arda", all of the things that really matter will survive and be restored to us. I like your Esme, too. This is someone who was able to give ophaned Frodo a sense of being loved and belonging. She will try to do the best she can for all of the four. Good Luck to Harrowcat! Author Reply: Yes, that was precisely what I was trying to convey. The Rosie Cotton who's been waiting through the disappointments of the past spring and summer for the return of the one she's loved is the very best one for Sam. Too bad she didn't have a twin sister for Frodo, who needed just such a one for himself, not that he'd have opened himself for her, I fear. No, perhaps my Narcissa would have been more proper for him--not that he opened himself for her, either. And I agree about there being the hope beyond the boundaries, and am looking forward to a few reunions of my own. And am so glad you like Esme--she's grown through the years. | |
| Andrea | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/18/2006 |
| She smiled. “That’s real courage, you know, Samwise Gamgee--doin’ what’s needed in spite of bein’ scared witless.” Rosie is a wonderful woman! She may not know everything that happened on the quest, but she knows the essence and she understands and accepts it. Sam does not have to worry, he found himself the best wife in the Shire! Poor Frodo. He had to stop at Maggot's farm, I remember that. But considering what happened during the wedding ceremony, he really covered a pretty good distance. I like Esme here. She tries hard to comprehend what happenend to the travellers, but as Dreamflower said, it's too remote for her. Regardless of that she continues to take care of Frodo, Merry and Pippin as best as she can, always afraid of overdoing it and losing them. And that isn't an easy task! Author Reply: Sam chose a true jewel in his Rose--there I agree--certainly he deserves the best of the best. She may not know everything that happened to them, but appreciates what true courage is and what it took for Sam and Frodo to do what they did. Yes, Frodo did get pretty far, although he did accept a ride part of the way. He's stubbornly insistent at doing what he can while he can. And Esme is working so hard at trying to strike the balance between accepting and caring, fearful of losing Frodo once again. And I'm so glad you appreciate that. | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/18/2006 |
| What a lovely, gentle and surprisingly intimate description of Sam and Rosie's wedding night considering they were talking about scars and how Sam got them. I am glad that Sam is now clear about how proud Rosie is of him. The blankets were a lovely touch too. The many colours reminded me of the marriage cord. And - poor Frodo - but at least his state is beginning to make certain parents that they HAVE to re-evaluate their disbelief. Got to run! Taking 40 kiddies for a team building and retreat day by coach. Good thoughts please! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5....... Author Reply: Yes, I tried to be intimate without being offensive or overly invasive of their privacy; and now it appears counting scars and making certain Sam thinks of them with joyful thoughts of her instead of the fear associated with how they were gathered may well become part of Rosie's lovemaking. The blankets are actually based on a yarn I've been using lately to make scarves--quite a lovely thing with two strands of fiber, one a glowing golden brown mohair wool and the other a twisted combination of synthetic fibers of all kinds of colors around a core of gold metalic material. I have completed two scarves for others, and am working on a third for myself. I'd love to do an afghan for my bed, but couldn't afford the yarn for it, as each skein costs $7.00, which would make it outrageously expensive for my queen-size waterbed. Esmeralda and Saradoc don't have the experiential basis yet to fully understand what Frodo and Merry have done, but would be willing to listen if they could get either to talk, and Pippin is letting Merry take his own time to explain. In the end, of course, it will be Frodo who finally makes it clear to both sets of parents just what Merry and Pippin went through. But Esme is realizing she must not push lest she lose Merry as she did Frodo, and as it appears Frodo is being lost now. Forty? Hope you do have more adults along to act as chaperones. And hope all forty come home again! Heh! | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/17/2006 |
| Oh, dear Sam, so worried that Rose might be offended at the sight of his scars. Of course she wasn't but was just as proud as could be. I love the note of triumph in her thoughts at the end of that section--she certainly felt victorious at finally being his wife. And poor Frodo, not able to walk all the way to Buckland. Still, he had gone further than he would have at one time. But not nearly as far as before the Quest. And his decline is inevitable. I like your use of Esme's POV. She'd been Frodo's foster mother--it has to make her both worried and confused. She is incredulous--not in denial, like Eglantine, and not skeptical or disbelieving of her dear ones' stories--but simply unable to comprehend. It is all too far out of her experience, and even her imagination is not up to the task. Yet it hasn't caused her love for them to falter, and I love her going in to check on Frodo, as if he were still the grief-stricken young teen who made his life with them for so long. Author Reply: I am glad that Sam's concerns about how Rosie might be frightened or disgusted by his scars were shown baseless, myself. He's got himself the finest flower in the Shire, and he now knows it, and she will make certain he never again regrets a single one of the scars he bears. And am so glad you appreciate that feeling of triumph she shows. She, too, has made out extremely well in mates, and is thrilled with the idea. Frodo will do his best to defy his condition, although he slowly comes to terms with the acceptance of his fading. He will try, though--try as hard as he can to live in spite of what's happening. And am so very glad you appreciate Esme's point of view here, and that you see her as I'd intended. Thank you so. | |
| Queen Galadriel | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 2/17/2006 |
| This chapter really serves to fill in some of the gaps in your other stories. I must admit to blushing while reading the first part-I felt a bit like I was intruding on Sam and Rosie's privacy, or like I was watching them when I shouldn't have been. But I guess it's just because I can't even fathom all of what it means to be a wife; I have the knowledge but not the experience. I did enjoy seeing how Esmeralda viewed Frodo and what she must accept as fact. It's obvious from the description of how she saw him that she sees him with the eyes of a mother. And her "Sleep well, dearling," at the end was perfect. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: I was trying to be intimate without being overly titillating, allowing to see how the wedding night comes with the appreciation for just what a hero Sam was, and thus the appreciation that Frodo is even moreso in spite if his horror of having his scars seen. Those closest to Frodo are beginning to appreciate Frodo is not well, and may indeed be actively failing; and they are given the chance to offer what caring they can as the opportunities are granted them. | |