Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Two Towers

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

15 reviews

i_write_on_occasion's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The second half was better than the first half, however, that does not make up for the slow, mostly uneventuful pacing and the tedious amounts of exposition.

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bearystarry's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Frodo and Sam 💕💖💚💝 I would love for these types of relationships to make their way back into fiction please!! Adventure is nothing without your friends and companions.

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potatodel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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squinnittowinit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Andy Serkis as the narrator makes this book bearable for me. Tolkien is the master of "tell, don't show". I love the story of Lord of the Rings so much, yet this book was a slog. I actually really enjoyed the first book in comparison because it felt like more happened in it. Or maybe the things that happened in the first book were just more interesting. If I didn't already know how this series ended, I would abandon it after reading The Two Towers. The filmmakers should be praised beyond measure for taking this book and turning it into such an interesting movie.

2.5 stars mostly because the writing is so unengaging. Plus, it's racist and sexist, as can be expected of its time. The rating would have been lower if not for Andy Serkis, he's that good of a narrator.

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itsreirei's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful tense slow-paced

4.0

Tolkien reeeeeally wants you to know where the characters are and what the surroundings look like....
The characters also be like "let me tell you my life story" whenever they interact with another living being...plus they must erupt in a song whenever possible! There's a verse in their pocketsses for every occasion, fear not!

One thing I certainly preferred in the book was Faramir: I liked him and his arc in the small amount of time we saw him in the movie but in the book...so much better. We don't really know if he's an ally, is he going to try to seize the ring and mess up the mission, what's he gonna do? Alas no, he's a proper gentlemen, I loved his demeanor, his actions, his take on the war, ahh! Also, in the movie they made it seem like they f*cked Smeagol up hence why he reverts back to Gollum but nah, Gollum was just a shithead all along, sry

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lorriss's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

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orchidlilly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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ran_sophia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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bexi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Hmm.. I'm conflicted about this one. 🤔 My overall reading experience was better for this than The Fellowship of the Ring (because I'm used to the writing style now), but I much preferred the storyline in Fellowship.

Most of this book felt like "wake up, walk, maybe fight, eat, sleep." While it didn't bother me in Fellowship, I think it bothered me in The Two Towers because it seemed like that was the whole plot of this book.

I liked the beginning of the book well enough, especially any chapter with Merry, Pippin, and/or the Ents. The middle of the book was a slog for me and part of the reason I ended up in a two-week reading slump. The end of the book was the best part, and where I think Tolkein's writing shined the most.

Cons: very slow pacing at times, often repetitive, sometimes the dialogue seemed info-dumpy, the historical references to Middle-Earth in this book were confusing, most of the villains from "the race of Men" were darker-skinned or "wild"... which I found odd and a litte off-putting.

Pros: impressive world building, many scenes that drag you into Middle-Earth with the characters, creation of tense and ominous moods, wonderful character work, beautifully written male friendships, Tolkein's sense of humor.

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