Scan barcode
A review by thebakerbookworm
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Once again, I found myself in tears at the end of a LOTR book because of one Samwise Gamgee. I really don't remember crying this much when I first read these books, but Sam is really getting to me this time around.
I'd forgotten that this book is so cleanly divided, with the adventures of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin in the first half, and Sam and Frodo's journey in the second half. I think it works for the story this way, and prevents a lot of back and forth, but I did miss Sam and Frodo's presence in the first half, and then missed everyone else in the latter part.
I had remembered correctly that the movie strayed more from this book than the first book. Parts of the beginning were included in the first movie, and much of the end was saved for the last movie. It's still a fairly faithful adaptation, though I think the book ending is more of a cliffhanger than the movie ending. (I mean, it ends with "Frodo was alive but taken by the Enemy"—that's a pretty rough cliffhanger!! ) As I found with the first book, pretty much all the funny quotable lines from the movie are word-for-word in the book, and that has been a fun surprise to rediscover.
And lastly, I must sing the praises of Andy Serkis again—I just can't get over how perfect his narration is. He nails all of the voices, and I swear some of them even sound like the actors' voices from the movies (particularly Sean Astin as Sam—he sounds just like him!). And of course, Gollum is much more present in this book, and his Sméagol/Gollum voice distinction is as wonderful as you'd imagine. Seriously, if you have any interest in Lord of the Rings at all, you'll want to listen to these books!
I'd forgotten that this book is so cleanly divided, with the adventures of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin in the first half, and Sam and Frodo's journey in the second half. I think it works for the story this way, and prevents a lot of back and forth, but I did miss Sam and Frodo's presence in the first half, and then missed everyone else in the latter part.
I had remembered correctly that the movie strayed more from this book than the first book. Parts of the beginning were included in the first movie, and much of the end was saved for the last movie. It's still a fairly faithful adaptation, though I think the book ending is more of a cliffhanger than the movie ending. (
And lastly, I must sing the praises of Andy Serkis again—I just can't get over how perfect his narration is. He nails all of the voices, and I swear some of them even sound like the actors' voices from the movies (particularly Sean Astin as Sam—he sounds just like him!). And of course, Gollum is much more present in this book, and his Sméagol/Gollum voice distinction is as wonderful as you'd imagine. Seriously, if you have any interest in Lord of the Rings at all, you'll want to listen to these books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death