Scan barcode
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
3.0
If you've seen my Fellowship of the Ring or The Two Towers reviews, you know what this is about.
If I thought TTT was strange, then THIS one is downright weird. I mean, a good third of the book is just dedicate to appendices; it's still split into two books, one about The Sextet (Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Merry and Pippin), the other with Sam and Frodo. But worse is the one that many a critic complained about the movie - the neverending endings.
Really, though, I can't blame the movie for having so many endings. It's basically EXACTLY what happens in the book. In fact, it's not as bad as it is in the book, because the movie removes the strange "Scouring of the Shire" - the literary equivalent of getting to the final page of an exam and realizing you have 10 more calculus problems to solve and only 10 minutes in which to do them. But also, it makes SENSE that a book this big, this epic would have more than one ending. I mean, you have to wrap up what happens to Aragorn, to Eomer, to Eowyn and Faramir, to the hobbits, to Saruman, to Bilbo...you get my point.
Of all the books in The Lord of the Rings, this is the one I reread the least, and it's definitely my least favorite. Sure, there are some great scenes, some superb character moments - particularly from Sam/Frodo. I like how Tolkien was really realistic about the whole thing. Frodo doesn't come home to sunshine and happiness - the Shire, his homeland, is just as affected as the rest of the world. Merry and Pippin may be able to laugh off the deaths of hundreds, but for Frodo, the weight remains firmly on his shoulders. Bilbo doesn't remain a chipper young man, but an old man ready to move on with life. And Arwen and Aragorn may be in love against all odds, but ROTK really doesn't pull punches when talking about sacrifices and how much they can really sting.
Part of my feelings is probably that this is the end, the end of the Third Age, the end of the tale of the Elves, the end of Gandalf, and that is really sad, to see them leave and the rest of the world move on. It's hard to grow up, isn't it? More and more, I see the world and think, "Man, my life has changed from when I was a kid! My parents are getting older! The world is so different than it used to be - do I like that?"
The other part is that this book just felt like it took forever to "get on with it". Tolkien doesn't really write battle sequences all that well (with MAJOR EXCEPTION to Eowyn's Crowning Moment of Awesome), and listening to THREE HOURS of appendices that reminded me of reading Numbers and Leviticus with a couple of kick @$$ stories, like Arwen and Aragorn's tale, gets old after awhile.
At the end of the day, I'm glad that Tolkien existed and wrote this, even though I now find the tale flawed and a trifle boring in places. I can both appreciate what Tolkien has done for fantasy and critique it. I can love Tolkien's varied use of women while also bemoaning how few women are in this tale or how our one warrior maiden gets married. (Seriously, there are WAY MORE women than the movies show and they are pretty kick @$$ - even Lobelia!! As for Eowyn...well, I still think she kicks @$$!)
I doubt this will be the last time I visit Middle Earth. I'll probably give myself a few more years to change and develop so when I return, I will, once again, see Middle Earth with mature eyes, new insight, and a fresh mind.
In the mean time, I eagerly await Hobbit 3!
If I thought TTT was strange, then THIS one is downright weird. I mean, a good third of the book is just dedicate to appendices; it's still split into two books, one about The Sextet (Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Merry and Pippin), the other with Sam and Frodo. But worse is the one that many a critic complained about the movie - the neverending endings.
Really, though, I can't blame the movie for having so many endings. It's basically EXACTLY what happens in the book. In fact, it's not as bad as it is in the book, because the movie removes the strange "Scouring of the Shire" - the literary equivalent of getting to the final page of an exam and realizing you have 10 more calculus problems to solve and only 10 minutes in which to do them. But also, it makes SENSE that a book this big, this epic would have more than one ending. I mean, you have to wrap up what happens to Aragorn, to Eomer, to Eowyn and Faramir, to the hobbits, to Saruman, to Bilbo...you get my point.
Of all the books in The Lord of the Rings, this is the one I reread the least, and it's definitely my least favorite. Sure, there are some great scenes, some superb character moments - particularly from Sam/Frodo. I like how Tolkien was really realistic about the whole thing. Frodo doesn't come home to sunshine and happiness - the Shire, his homeland, is just as affected as the rest of the world. Merry and Pippin may be able to laugh off the deaths of hundreds, but for Frodo, the weight remains firmly on his shoulders. Bilbo doesn't remain a chipper young man, but an old man ready to move on with life. And Arwen and Aragorn may be in love against all odds, but ROTK really doesn't pull punches when talking about sacrifices and how much they can really sting.
Part of my feelings is probably that this is the end, the end of the Third Age, the end of the tale of the Elves, the end of Gandalf, and that is really sad, to see them leave and the rest of the world move on. It's hard to grow up, isn't it? More and more, I see the world and think, "Man, my life has changed from when I was a kid! My parents are getting older! The world is so different than it used to be - do I like that?"
The other part is that this book just felt like it took forever to "get on with it". Tolkien doesn't really write battle sequences all that well (with MAJOR EXCEPTION to Eowyn's Crowning Moment of Awesome), and listening to THREE HOURS of appendices that reminded me of reading Numbers and Leviticus with a couple of kick @$$ stories, like Arwen and Aragorn's tale, gets old after awhile.
At the end of the day, I'm glad that Tolkien existed and wrote this, even though I now find the tale flawed and a trifle boring in places. I can both appreciate what Tolkien has done for fantasy and critique it. I can love Tolkien's varied use of women while also bemoaning how few women are in this tale or how our one warrior maiden gets married. (Seriously, there are WAY MORE women than the movies show and they are pretty kick @$$ - even Lobelia!! As for Eowyn...well, I still think she kicks @$$!)
I doubt this will be the last time I visit Middle Earth. I'll probably give myself a few more years to change and develop so when I return, I will, once again, see Middle Earth with mature eyes, new insight, and a fresh mind.
In the mean time, I eagerly await Hobbit 3!
aimeedobson01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
maciecantrell34's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
maryism_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
scott_you_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
neen_bean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jackmchenry's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
4.0
This was my least favorite books of the series, but that may just be because it is very dark and doomed. Very few songs or lighthearted times in this book (at least in the first half or so). When it picks back up the story things are very bleak for all the characters involved. However, things are resolved more quickly that I would have thought and there is a peaceful lull in the middle. The story goes out with a bang though, because there is more drama happening in the Shire and just when the Hobbits think they are ready to sit back and relax at home...they are fighting once again!
There is so much to this trilogy that I can see why people return to it so many times. It is definitely a story that needs to be read multiple times to truly grasp and understand everything that is going on!
There is so much to this trilogy that I can see why people return to it so many times. It is definitely a story that needs to be read multiple times to truly grasp and understand everything that is going on!
lenajean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
rikkudas's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0