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Lord of the Rings

I

it's just me

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Recently I started to re-read the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series, I read them in high school with a bunch of other kids. We were too broke to have all of the books together so each of us had one of the volumes and we swapped them around. As a result it took me a year to read all of them while waiting for the next book to become available.

I am most of the way through "Fellowship of the Ring" and I can't believe how well it has held up for me. Most of the time when I re-read something I read as a kid it loses it's charm, not LOTR. What a great piece of literature.
 
it's just me said:
Recently I started to re-read the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series, I read them in high school with a bunch of other kids. We were too broke to have all of the books together so each of us had one of the volumes and we swapped them around. As a result it took me a year to read all of them while waiting for the next book to become available.

I am most of the way through "Fellowship of the Ring" and I can't believe how well it has held up for me. Most of the time when I re-read something I read as a kid it loses it's charm, not LOTR. What a great piece of literature.
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I know, what you mean. That is a difference between good literature and run of the mill.
 
joG said:
I know, what you mean. That is a difference between good literature and run of the mill.
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The way Tolkien wrote was amazing. The narrative from the council of Elrond is sheer poetry, when it's not literally poetry, that is. Great stuff.
 
The way this happened was that I was listening to EWTN and someone was interviewing one of the authors of "The Hobbit Party", which is about the politics and theology of The Hobbit/LOTR series. Intrigued, I ordered the book and got about halfway through it when I realized I didn't remember enough about the series to follow what the author was saying about it. This created a reading chain reaction - now I have to finish LOTR in order to finish the book that got me started on all this in the first place.

So nice to be reading something other than dry theology for a change.
 
it's just me said:
The way Tolkien wrote was amazing. The narrative from the council of Elrond is sheer poetry, when it's not literally poetry, that is. Great stuff.
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I am not sure, but you might then enjoy another writer, Charlss Williams who also belonged to the Inklings as did Lewis Carrol might also interest you. He is less well remembered now, but has a similar magic about his stories. Charles Williams (British writer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Alexandrian Quartet by Lawrence Durrell is exquisite.
 
it's just me said:
Recently I started to re-read the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series, I read them in high school with a bunch of other kids. We were too broke to have all of the books together so each of us had one of the volumes and we swapped them around. As a result it took me a year to read all of them while waiting for the next book to become available.

I am most of the way through "Fellowship of the Ring" and I can't believe how well it has held up for me. Most of the time when I re-read something I read as a kid it loses it's charm, not LOTR. What a great piece of literature.
Click to expand...

Never read any of the books or seen any of the movies. Never looked that interesting. Was more into biographies and science fiction. I will say though that your struggle to read a book that was being shared amongst your friends is kind of cool. Most friends share video games, girlfriends, food. You guys shared books. More high school kids need to adopt this practice.
 
One of the amazing things about the LOTR books is that you can approach them from different angles and appreciate the sheer depth of layering that went into every page. For example, the first time you read it its pretty much all about finding out what happens. You can read it again and just pay attention to the geography. There are even two different atlases to help you should you opt to delve in that deeply.

Then you can read it just paying attention to the thousands of years of back history that was developed by JRRT.

If you are into linguistics and languages - that is a whole facet to explore as well.

There are plenty of songs for the musically inclined reader.

And then if you read THE SILMARILLION - it gets even more rich with history and legend making the different episodes even more enjoyable.

In short, its akin to a very complex meal gourmet meal made by a host of great chefs using an unlimited supply of superior ingredients and thirty years of experience that is layered with one taste treat after another.
 
chad1389 said:
I will say though that your struggle to read a book that was being shared amongst your friends is kind of cool. Most friends share video games, girlfriends, food. You guys shared books. More high school kids need to adopt this practice.
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This was a LOOOOOONG time ago. Computers were the size of a building, man had not yet landed on the moon, and pot was something you put plants in. Back then I read cereal boxes and everything with print on it. I still do, to an extent, but at my age I appreciate my back lighted Kindle, it's easier to see.

I lived in a small town and every once in a while someone was able to get to the city to get new books, our school library was very small. We read a lot for English Lit. but the LOTR stuff was just starting to catch on, as I recall.

Don't judge the books by the movies, check them out, I recommend them.
 
it's just me said:
This was a LOOOOOONG time ago. Computers were the size of a building, man had not yet landed on the moon, and pot was something you put plants in. Back then I read cereal boxes and everything with print on it. I still do, to an extent, but at my age I appreciate my back lighted Kindle, it's easier to see.

I lived in a small town and every once in a while someone was able to get to the city to get new books, our school library was very small. We read a lot for English Lit. but the LOTR stuff was just starting to catch on, as I recall.

Don't judge the books by the movies, check them out, I recommend them.
Click to expand...

After reading a few of the comments I've decided I will. Not a specific time in mind, but at least now the will to do so is there.
 
I've read them and thoroughly enjoyed them. However I have started and failed to finish the Simarillion several times, it is hard to read largely due to difficult names and thus not nearly as enjoyable.
 
haymarket said:
One of the amazing things about the LOTR books is that you can approach them from different angles and appreciate the sheer depth of layering that went into every page. For example, the first time you read it its pretty much all about finding out what happens. You can read it again and just pay attention to the geography. There are even two different atlases to help you should you opt to delve in that deeply.

Then you can read it just paying attention to the thousands of years of back history that was developed by JRRT.

If you are into linguistics and languages - that is a whole facet to explore as well.

There are plenty of songs for the musically inclined reader.

And then if you read THE SILMARILLION - it gets even more rich with history and legend making the different episodes even more enjoyable.

In short, its akin to a very complex meal gourmet meal made by a host of great chefs using an unlimited supply of superior ingredients and thirty years of experience that is layered with one taste treat after another.
Click to expand...

I just picked up the Silmarillion, that's next on my reading list, and you are right about the richness of the LOTR series.
 
Quag said:
I've read them and thoroughly enjoyed them. However I have started and failed to finish the Simarillion several times, it is hard to read largely due to difficult names and thus not nearly as enjoyable.
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That's kind of the problem with the LOTR in general, there are a million characters with names that sound alike, and you have to keep them all straight.
 
Quag said:
I've read them and thoroughly enjoyed them. However I have started and failed to finish the Simarillion several times, it is hard to read largely due to difficult names and thus not nearly as enjoyable.
Click to expand...

The first couple of chapters are the low point for the book since it is JRRT giving his version of Greek and Roman mythology in Middle-earth. Once you get past that and into the Elves and Melkor and the rest it picks up noticeably. And when the greatest of all the Elves comes into the picture - Feanor - then it hits its stride.

I found that it is enjoyable in small bits - at least the first reading or two. I was recently doing some research on one phase of it and surprised myself with a scan reading in an afternoon looking for certain information while speed reading over the parts I did not need. But at least a half dozen readings in the past will do that for you.
 
it's just me said:
That's kind of the problem with the LOTR in general, there are a million characters with names that sound alike, and you have to keep them all straight.
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Never really had that problem with LOTR, just the Simarillion.
 
haymarket said:
The first couple of chapters are the low point for the book since it is JRRT giving his version of Greek and Roman mythology in Middle-earth. Once you get past that and into the Elves and Melkor and the rest it picks up noticeably. And when the greatest of all the Elves comes into the picture - Feanor - then it hits its stride.

I found that it is enjoyable in small bits - at least the first reading or two. I was recently doing some research on one phase of it and surprised myself with a scan reading in an afternoon looking for certain information while speed reading over the parts I did not need. But at least a half dozen readings in the past will do that for you.
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Perhaps that is my problem I've never made it past the first chapter
 
Quag said:
Perhaps that is my problem I've never made it past the first chapter
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Try this - just know that in the first two chapters JRRT sets up his mythological world with lots of gods and goddesses who have various powers. Skip it if it want to or speed scan it. Then get into chapter 3 with the coming of the elves. If you get through it and want more about the gods - you know where to find it.
 
Ive had the LOTR complete one volume edition sitting in my bookshelf for years and I cant get past the first few chapters. The writing is just so silly and convoluted (plenty of oh my or oh dear plus songs and all that crap) that it makes me wonder why so many people like the book- I just dont see what the appeal is.
 
LOTR is a great story, told majestically....but only one of many in the fantasy realm

Maybe some of the others arent quite as high brow as LOTR but the story telling is rich, the characters divine, and the plot pulls you in

at least it did me


Terry Goodkind ( the sword of truth series)

Robert Jordan (the wheel of time series)

and for your kids, nieces, nephews, and youngsters

Anything and everything from Anne McCaffrey (the world of Pern)

just a few of my alltime enjoyable series in the same genre
 
haymarket said:
Try this - just know that in the first two chapters JRRT sets up his mythological world with lots of gods and goddesses who have various powers. Skip it if it want to or speed scan it. Then get into chapter 3 with the coming of the elves. If you get through it and want more about the gods - you know where to find it.
Click to expand...

If I can find my copy (it should be in a box somewhere) I will give that a try
 
it's just me said:
This was a LOOOOOONG time ago. Computers were the size of a building, man had not yet landed on the moon, and pot was something you put plants in. Back then I read cereal boxes and everything with print on it. I still do, to an extent, but at my age I appreciate my back lighted Kindle, it's easier to see.

I lived in a small town and every once in a while someone was able to get to the city to get new books, our school library was very small. We read a lot for English Lit. but the LOTR stuff was just starting to catch on, as I recall.

Don't judge the books by the movies, check them out, I recommend them.
Click to expand...

So I'm not the only one who reads every mundane thing in the house with words on it. :lol:
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
So I'm not the only one who reads every mundane thing in the house with words on it. :lol:
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Not by a long shot, most of the intelligent people I know read everything. :)
 
it's just me said:
Recently I started to re-read the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings series, I read them in high school with a bunch of other kids. We were too broke to have all of the books together so each of us had one of the volumes and we swapped them around. As a result it took me a year to read all of them while waiting for the next book to become available.

I am most of the way through "Fellowship of the Ring" and I can't believe how well it has held up for me. Most of the time when I re-read something I read as a kid it loses it's charm, not LOTR. What a great piece of literature.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing I'm a lot older than you, but I too remembered reading them in school and during my school years and when the movies were starting to come out, I decided to read them again before seeing the movies. I almost always find that when the movies take on a good piece of literature, they don't do it justice. I did like the movies, even though I liked the books more - my imagination is better at picturing things than the movies are. And you're right, the books are still terrific and seem fresh even years later.
 
CanadaJohn said:
I'm guessing I'm a lot older than you, but I too remembered reading them in school and during my school years and when the movies were starting to come out, I decided to read them again before seeing the movies. I almost always find that when the movies take on a good piece of literature, they don't do it justice. I did like the movies, even though I liked the books more - my imagination is better at picturing things than the movies are. And you're right, the books are still terrific and seem fresh even years later.
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I didn't think the movies were as good, either and it took me a while to figure out what it was - I missed Tolkien's omniscience. He knew what was going on anywhere in the world, what everybody in the room was thinking and what they were about to say, which you really can't do in the movies. That said, the movies were not bad, but they did not do the books justice, and I wanted to see Tom Bombadil and they cut him out entirely.
 
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