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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
Tolkien, Middle Earth, read 10000 times, classic!
Massively huge paperback, with very unfortunate cover art. It was a gift, so complaints can't be made. What counts is what's inside... and with this huge book, one really feels the weight of this legendary adventure. Tolkien's language, at first, is so complex and seemingly impenetrable. Even in his language, now several generations removed, he tries to create the air of ancient times. Once accustomed to the way of, not only the speaking of the characters, but the language of narration is written, the consistency achieved in expressing this world, this society and it's clear divisions of class and race, is awe inspiring. So many beautiful passages. Beautiful scenes. Also humor. Plenty of humor, suspense and drama. Sure, you know, that somehow, somehow, the heroes will prevail, but as is often said about life, it's the journey, not the destination, that Tolkien so masterfully sets before the reader. What more can be said, really. A certified classic that so many have already reviewed. I was quite late to the game with this one. Nearly took the easy route when the films came out, but realized straight away that this was something to be read, not fed. It was worth the initial effort. No doubt.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
When my grand parents moved, they gave me a box with my dad's books. The lord of the ring was among them. And it is by far my favorite book! I spent so many nights reading it over and over, getting excited by what was coming, impatient to read the beautiful ending. Best book ever.
And that's that on the Appendices. I made it! And it only took me like, half a year.
Tolkien crafts an amazingly intricate fantasy world with relevant messages to ours. The characters operate, like us, in a world with a rich and distant history. The natural world that Tolkien explores has been shaped by those lost to history, and in our lives, we operate in this world as part of something much larger. The narrative of our history is shaped by individuals, but each individual is just a part of something greater. This is where the remnants of the Third Age come in- they are able to see the broader arc of history and understand. As the Fourth Age begins (our modern age) immortality is lost, but there is hope for the reign on mortality. The natural immortality (Ents) gift their dominion over growing things to men. Wizards entrust the righting of things to mortality, and the Elfs entrust the development of wisdom to the reign of Men. There are theological implications in this that we must be responsible stewards of our world.
The epic battle scenes made famous in the films are subordinate to the more vital narrative of the interaction of the mortal individual with the immortality of time.
The epic battle scenes made famous in the films are subordinate to the more vital narrative of the interaction of the mortal individual with the immortality of time.
Just as powerful, rich, and quietly devastating as it was when I was 11.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Words cannot describe the feeling of reading the final passages of this epic. Everyone must read this story if nothing else but for its beauty. Take in every small description of a mountain or hill, immerse yourself in a mythic, dreamy world and take from it some of its lessons on life, good, and evil.