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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
Love this book so so much. I've been re-reading it quite slowly over the past couple of months and it's morphed into a comfort book not dissimilar to when you binge a TV show with 10 seasons. Now I've finished I feel a bit melancholic as I'm going to miss reading it so much! I cried for 10 minutes when I finished it in part because I'm sad that the journey is over. Guess it's time to reread the hobbit/have a movie marathon.
One of the best trilogies of all time. Rich, deep, heroic, and timeless.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
sad
Is there anything I can say that hasn't already been said? There is a reason lord of the rings is defining for fantasy as a genre. There is a reason the lord of the rings is a cornerstone of the cultural Zeitgeist.
People are overdramatic about Tom Bombadil, I actually really liked his parts.
It is the Lord of the Rings, it is good you should probably read it.
People are overdramatic about Tom Bombadil, I actually really liked his parts.
It is the Lord of the Rings, it is good you should probably read it.
I mean, it's Lord of the Rings.
It's epic, the father of fantasy, with huge battles raging contrasting small hobbits stumbling up mountains, both of at least equal importance. The world-building is legendary--backed by a lore that has its own book in The Silmarillion and decades of notes scribbled on scraps of paper. It's woven with messages of hope and spirituality and characters, objects, places, events, and concepts that the reader can draw personal inspiration from. It's a love story to humankind--the ordinary, good people that make all the difference just by going about their daily lives and being good and ordinary.
Of course, this book isn't perfect. There's a lack of female representation despite the awe-inspiring Eowyn, and some parts of the plot drag on. However, this book is the soul of Tolkien written on paper, infused with the languages and history he dedicated his life to creating, and it's beautiful.
Favorite quote:
“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘ So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”
It's epic, the father of fantasy, with huge battles raging contrasting small hobbits stumbling up mountains, both of at least equal importance. The world-building is legendary--backed by a lore that has its own book in The Silmarillion and decades of notes scribbled on scraps of paper. It's woven with messages of hope and spirituality and characters, objects, places, events, and concepts that the reader can draw personal inspiration from. It's a love story to humankind--the ordinary, good people that make all the difference just by going about their daily lives and being good and ordinary.
Of course, this book isn't perfect. There's a lack of female representation despite the awe-inspiring Eowyn, and some parts of the plot drag on. However, this book is the soul of Tolkien written on paper, infused with the languages and history he dedicated his life to creating, and it's beautiful.
Favorite quote:
“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘ So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I read this for the first time at around 12 years old, being obsessed with the movies when they were released. I found them difficult at the time and remember struggling with them.
This time round however after 20 years of reading I did not have that problem, I was surprised how readable I found them and instantly knew why The Lord of the Rings is still considered a classic today.
Though I read them in one large volume, I broke up the novels with other books in between hense the time taken to complete.
I can say without hesitation that The Fellowship of the Ring, like the film, was my clear favourite and undoubtedly a 5 star read. However I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Two Towers which is usually ranked third but was also a 5. Parts of The Return of the King dropped to a 4.5 as my interest dipped in a few of the travelling sequences.
However overall this was an easy 5 stars and I would highly recommend this. I would definitely read it again, perhaps in another 20 years.
This time round however after 20 years of reading I did not have that problem, I was surprised how readable I found them and instantly knew why The Lord of the Rings is still considered a classic today.
Though I read them in one large volume, I broke up the novels with other books in between hense the time taken to complete.
I can say without hesitation that The Fellowship of the Ring, like the film, was my clear favourite and undoubtedly a 5 star read. However I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Two Towers which is usually ranked third but was also a 5. Parts of The Return of the King dropped to a 4.5 as my interest dipped in a few of the travelling sequences.
However overall this was an easy 5 stars and I would highly recommend this. I would definitely read it again, perhaps in another 20 years.
There is nothing I can write here that will put into words how influential J.R.R. Tolkien was to literature -- specifically the fantasy genre. But I can say, without a doubt, that his writing influenced me, both by sparking my imagination and by making me interested in reading.
While kids today have the Harry Potter series, specifically written for young adults, to easy themselves into the world of reading, I had Lewis's Narnia books and Tolkien's Middle Earth books. And I am grateful for them.
While kids today have the Harry Potter series, specifically written for young adults, to easy themselves into the world of reading, I had Lewis's Narnia books and Tolkien's Middle Earth books. And I am grateful for them.