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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
Kirjan noin kymmenes lukukerta. Edellisestä lukukerrasta vuosia ja kirja tuntui tosi tuoreelta ja kirja iski vielä kovempaa kuin lapsena.
Kirja toiveikkuus nousi esiin huomattavasti kovemmin kuin aikaisemmilla lukukerroilla. Teos on teemoiltaan edelleen ajankohtainen ja tuo hyvin esiin vallan ja vastuunottamisen merkitystä maailmassa, jossa ei voi vaikuttaa millaisina aikoina sattuu elämään.
Kirja toiveikkuus nousi esiin huomattavasti kovemmin kuin aikaisemmilla lukukerroilla. Teos on teemoiltaan edelleen ajankohtainen ja tuo hyvin esiin vallan ja vastuunottamisen merkitystä maailmassa, jossa ei voi vaikuttaa millaisina aikoina sattuu elämään.
I hid this book under my math book because I couldn't stop reading it in class when I was in highschool.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
I mean it’s a classic for a reason but not every conversation needs to be 20 pages.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
DIDN'T LIKE THE MOVIE SO I THOUGHT MAYBE I'LL LIKE THE BOOK... WRONG... I COULDN'T EVEN GET PAST 100 PAGES
There is such a great story in here, and some lovely writing, and some unforgettable characters that are modern and classic at the same time.
But, but, but... it's so bloated and poorly paced.
I thought that this, my first reread in book-form (as opposed to listening via audiobook) in 15 years would reveal new facets, show my previous rereads to be lazy or impatient. I thought coming straight off of the Silmarillion which is a difficult, if brilliant, mythology the characters would pop. But they're oddly lacking.
How to review 1200+ pages?
Well, let's start with something controversial: the Fellowship was my favourite of the three parts. The long time we spend with the hobbits is eerie, their ignorance of their own danger and the lie of the land is compelling, and both lend a beautiful atmosphere to the gently dying countryside and the death of their innocence. They are deliberate and rustic in their little habits and customs. The countryside is beautiful and a character in and of itself. I also loved the Tom Bombadil sections.
Onto the elves and Moria! Moria is so short, I always forget how rushed things are in the end of Fellowship compared to the beginning.
And this is partially where things start to go wrong: it feels like Tolkien ran out of steam or started worrying about deadlines/word count because the following 2 books move at a much faster pace and yet feel oddly hollow. I noticed this on my last reread and put it down to Tolkien fatigue: put the book down, read a few easier things. But no, there is a difference. A lot of stuff happens in TT part 1: with Isengard and the Rohirrim and yet much of it feels like an absolute chore. I think it's because events proceed quickly and there's less time to discuss how it's affecting the characters. Or because Tolkien is trying to shoehorn in all his mythology about the peoples histories and how they interact and their allegiances that the rest of it feels like set pieces. It stops being fun to read.
The best part of Two Towers was definitely tree beard and the ents - and Shelob! - but everything else was: battles, discussion of battle, recap of battle.
And that brings us on to Return of the King that has the issues of TT and additionally far too much of the following: (a) reader witnesses event first hand (b) some of the company in the event meet and recount the event, (c) repeat (b) till every character in the book knows what happened in (a). This is especially true for the battles and the fallout from the battles. You end up longing to rejoin Frodo and Sam slowing perishing from thirst rather than listen to Faramir and Eowyn complain in the Healing Houses for another 20 pages.
The biggest crime though is that the climax of the entire book is so short-lived. In goes the Ring, and that's it. We just move on to more weddings/reunions/weird Saruman side-plot.
There's a great book in here behind a wall of editing and rewrites but this, as it stands, is terribly flawed and a chore to read. I can only really recommend the Fellowship.
Alan Lee's beautiful atmospheric illustrations in the HarperCollins editions are well worth it.
P.s. ABSOLUTELY read this with [b:The Atlas of Middle-Earth|92003|The Atlas of Middle-Earth|Karen Wynn Fonstad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529947259l/92003._SX50_.jpg|1502479] by Karen Wynn Fonstad - the definitive book of maps, geography, trails: everything you need for Silmarillion and LotR and Hobbit.
But, but, but... it's so bloated and poorly paced.
I thought that this, my first reread in book-form (as opposed to listening via audiobook) in 15 years would reveal new facets, show my previous rereads to be lazy or impatient. I thought coming straight off of the Silmarillion which is a difficult, if brilliant, mythology the characters would pop. But they're oddly lacking.
How to review 1200+ pages?
Well, let's start with something controversial: the Fellowship was my favourite of the three parts. The long time we spend with the hobbits is eerie, their ignorance of their own danger and the lie of the land is compelling, and both lend a beautiful atmosphere to the gently dying countryside and the death of their innocence. They are deliberate and rustic in their little habits and customs. The countryside is beautiful and a character in and of itself. I also loved the Tom Bombadil sections.
Onto the elves and Moria! Moria is so short, I always forget how rushed things are in the end of Fellowship compared to the beginning.
And this is partially where things start to go wrong: it feels like Tolkien ran out of steam or started worrying about deadlines/word count because the following 2 books move at a much faster pace and yet feel oddly hollow. I noticed this on my last reread and put it down to Tolkien fatigue: put the book down, read a few easier things. But no, there is a difference. A lot of stuff happens in TT part 1: with Isengard and the Rohirrim and yet much of it feels like an absolute chore. I think it's because events proceed quickly and there's less time to discuss how it's affecting the characters. Or because Tolkien is trying to shoehorn in all his mythology about the peoples histories and how they interact and their allegiances that the rest of it feels like set pieces. It stops being fun to read.
The best part of Two Towers was definitely tree beard and the ents - and Shelob! - but everything else was: battles, discussion of battle, recap of battle.
And that brings us on to Return of the King that has the issues of TT and additionally far too much of the following: (a) reader witnesses event first hand (b) some of the company in the event meet and recount the event, (c) repeat (b) till every character in the book knows what happened in (a). This is especially true for the battles and the fallout from the battles. You end up longing to rejoin Frodo and Sam slowing perishing from thirst rather than listen to Faramir and Eowyn complain in the Healing Houses for another 20 pages.
The biggest crime though is that the climax of the entire book is so short-lived. In goes the Ring, and that's it. We just move on to more weddings/reunions/weird Saruman side-plot.
There's a great book in here behind a wall of editing and rewrites but this, as it stands, is terribly flawed and a chore to read. I can only really recommend the Fellowship.
Alan Lee's beautiful atmospheric illustrations in the HarperCollins editions are well worth it.
P.s. ABSOLUTELY read this with [b:The Atlas of Middle-Earth|92003|The Atlas of Middle-Earth|Karen Wynn Fonstad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529947259l/92003._SX50_.jpg|1502479] by Karen Wynn Fonstad - the definitive book of maps, geography, trails: everything you need for Silmarillion and LotR and Hobbit.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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