The Lord of The Rings
During the summer and into the school year I had been reading The Fellowship of the Ring. I had watched the movie around the end of the last school year and was impressed with the cinematic take on the story. This was probably because it could convey the massive and detailed landscapes of the story. I had high expectations for the book and was eager to read it.
When I finally got around to reading the book I was severely disappointed. The book was repetitive with the plot points and was very formulaic. Also, the writing style was monotonous and the sentences were drawn on for to long. Many times while reading I would find myself falling asleep. I then used the book almost strictly for falling asleep.
However, the setting and aspects of the setting made up for some of the stylistic choices made by the author. The landscapes and races of elves, dwarves and other fantastical creatures was intriguing because of the social conflicts and wonder created by them. This also made the introduction of new characters much more enjoyable because of the uncertainty of who you were actually dealing with. For example, Aragorn, the to be king of Gondor was hidden as a ranger who was wandering in the town of Bree.
Overall, I would rate the book 3/5. It was not bad, but the style was not to my taste. It had a few aspects that I found entertaining and helpful to the plot and feel. I probably would not end up recommending this book to a friend. It is not the type of book that teenagers will find interesting. When I am older I will reread it and finish the series, but now I can't handle the slow pace.
-Charlie Hechler
When I finally got around to reading the book I was severely disappointed. The book was repetitive with the plot points and was very formulaic. Also, the writing style was monotonous and the sentences were drawn on for to long. Many times while reading I would find myself falling asleep. I then used the book almost strictly for falling asleep.
However, the setting and aspects of the setting made up for some of the stylistic choices made by the author. The landscapes and races of elves, dwarves and other fantastical creatures was intriguing because of the social conflicts and wonder created by them. This also made the introduction of new characters much more enjoyable because of the uncertainty of who you were actually dealing with. For example, Aragorn, the to be king of Gondor was hidden as a ranger who was wandering in the town of Bree.
Overall, I would rate the book 3/5. It was not bad, but the style was not to my taste. It had a few aspects that I found entertaining and helpful to the plot and feel. I probably would not end up recommending this book to a friend. It is not the type of book that teenagers will find interesting. When I am older I will reread it and finish the series, but now I can't handle the slow pace.
-Charlie Hechler
I see where you're coming from about the book being slow and not always interesting, but when I was younger I loved the Lord of The Rings books. If I read them now I would probably agree with you, but as a 2nd and 3rd grader I really enjoyed the Lord of The Rings series. I find it very interesting how it can seem interesting to me as a younger child, but as a teenager the plot would be too slow, and as an adult I would enjoy it again. Age definitely plays a role in book taste and I think that you brought up a good point about how slow the book is compared to modern society.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your review, I agree, the book can certainly be slow-paced and drag on at times, and I definitely agree that adults would find this book more engaging than kids our age. However, after reading the trilogy a few times before, I think Tolkien's style helps give the story a more serious feel which sets it apart from the fast-paced, shallow fantasy novels centered around similar settings and characters. Instead of feeling like I was reading something off the teen section, I felt like I was reading a classic - both a good and bad thing, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Lord of The Rings, I agree with this review. I think the main reason why this book is so critically acclaimed is because it introduced all of the adventure book style ideas that we find today as generic, linear, and boring. If we read this book in the 50s, or even a little later, we would find it to be much more riveting. It also depends on the age of the reader. I guess that you need to have a very open and imaginative mind while reading this book - the huge and oft over-described land of Middle Earth can be difficult to visualize without feeling like you are reading something boring. This might be one of those books where the movie is more interesting than the book. I would not describe my experience with this book as terrible, however.
ReplyDeleteI have never read the book, but I did see the movie a while ago and I've wanted to read it for a long time. Most of what I hear about it are good things, so I like that you brought up some negative points about the writing style - it was very informative. I also think the age difference you and everyone who has commented brought up is a good point. It makes sense that something an adult might enjoy could be too slow for younger kids, which is why it's especially interesting that Lord of the Rings (as far as I've seen) is more popular with kids about our age than adults.
ReplyDeleteI have watched the whole Lord of the Rings series, but I haven't read any of its books. You would think that the main appeal to the series would come from the story telling but it's interesting to hear that you found it boring. As a side note, I like the bit of humor you included where you depicted yourself using the books to fall asleep. You may be right that age may be affect the audience's enjoyment, but I also like how you brought up the point of the introduction of characters. When I saw the movies, I never expected Aragorn would be king.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched the movie, however I did try to start reading the book, but I was never able to finish it. I agree with you in saying that the author's writing style is kinda boring and monotone with drawn out sentences. Your review mentioned that new characters was your favorite part, but I never got to know many of the characters well, so I just might give the book another shot, keeping in mind you, "used the book almost strictly for falling asleep."
ReplyDeleteHaving read the book myself, I see where you're coming from and I agree. You mentioned you watched the movie first, personally I always read the books before watching the movies but in this case I could see how that would make you not want to watch the movie. I'm glad that you were able to find a common ground on the book with it's "fantastical creatures."
ReplyDelete