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nelsta 's review for:
The Return of the King
by J.R.R. Tolkien
My five-year old son and I have spent a lot of time together this summer. He and I went on an 18-hour road trip together (just us two) as well as a handful of other, smaller road trips with the rest of the family. One of the highlights for us both was listening to the Lord of the Rings trilogy on audiobook, narrated by Andy Serkis. He and I were totally enthralled. The rocketed to the top of his growing list of favorite books and I was reminded why I cherish this story so much. We are lucky to live at a point in time in which we can read these masterpieces.
"The Return of the King" is just a flawless novel. It encompasses a thrilling climax, a satisfying conclusion, and one of the best final sentences of any novel I've read. It's hard to even write a review for so perfect a book. Suffice it to say that I judge "The Return of the King" to be perfect--higher than any rating.
One of my favorite things about the Lord of the Rings is how thoroughly rural English it is. It is also indicative of just how easily our own biases and judgments seep into our creative works and imaginations. Tolkien's life was filled with fascinating epochs. He was a distinguished professor of Anglo-Saxon, a veteran of some of the hardest fighting witnessed in the First World War, and a child of British colonials in South Africa. All of these experiences are reflected in his masterwork. But his quintessential English-ness is reflected in The Lord of the Rings above all else. Tolkien also clearly subscribed to the popular English belief around the turn of the century that the Industrial Revolution spoiled the natural beauty that had previously abounded in England. (There's an entire chapter dedicated to the rise of this belief system in Robert Tombs' "The English and Their History.")
I love this book and its author. It transcends generations, cultures, and languages. For that alone, Tolkien should be revered. But the story contained within the six books of The Lord of the Rings is a classic tale of the fight between good and evil and the costs that it imposes on those that engage.
"The Return of the King" is just a flawless novel. It encompasses a thrilling climax, a satisfying conclusion, and one of the best final sentences of any novel I've read. It's hard to even write a review for so perfect a book. Suffice it to say that I judge "The Return of the King" to be perfect--higher than any rating.
One of my favorite things about the Lord of the Rings is how thoroughly rural English it is. It is also indicative of just how easily our own biases and judgments seep into our creative works and imaginations. Tolkien's life was filled with fascinating epochs. He was a distinguished professor of Anglo-Saxon, a veteran of some of the hardest fighting witnessed in the First World War, and a child of British colonials in South Africa. All of these experiences are reflected in his masterwork. But his quintessential English-ness is reflected in The Lord of the Rings above all else. Tolkien also clearly subscribed to the popular English belief around the turn of the century that the Industrial Revolution spoiled the natural beauty that had previously abounded in England. (There's an entire chapter dedicated to the rise of this belief system in Robert Tombs' "The English and Their History.")
I love this book and its author. It transcends generations, cultures, and languages. For that alone, Tolkien should be revered. But the story contained within the six books of The Lord of the Rings is a classic tale of the fight between good and evil and the costs that it imposes on those that engage.