Linh Nguyen
asked:
why am i just keep putting it down? should i continue or should i just give up, it really bores me to death, there are so many dialogues talking about past and chatting to each other ...
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chris fidler
If you are reading a book because you like a movie, you are reading for the wrong reason. I notice most of the answers to this question are people who probably expected Lord of the Rings to be like Game of Thrones, where the books were written with specific actors in mind for the roles, and that is not what this is. All the people who discover Tolkien after reading modern fantasy need to realise that their beloved books were derived from this source material. The reason you find it boring is no modern writer took the initiative to flesh out a complete world and history like Tolkien, because he already laid the foundation for them. So, if of reads like a history book, it's because it sort of is- not just for Middle Earth, but for every book with tall elves and heroic dwarves or anything else fantastic.
Clare Walker
I tried to read this book when I was a teenager and, like you, became bogged down and couldn't finish it.
My advice to you? Put it aside for now, but come back to it when you're older and have read more books. That's what I did, and I've read LOTR several times now as an adult. I just finished TTT again and I enjoyed it even more for the very things that used to bore me: the beautiful descriptive language and the dialogue.
My advice to you? Put it aside for now, but come back to it when you're older and have read more books. That's what I did, and I've read LOTR several times now as an adult. I just finished TTT again and I enjoyed it even more for the very things that used to bore me: the beautiful descriptive language and the dialogue.
Elise
I had a bit of the same problem with The Fellowship of the Ring, thinking some that it didn’t have enough action, or focused too much on the sub-plots and side stories. Looking back, however, I think that it’s what made these books so special.
The point of the series was not to bring us a sensational epic, it was to give depth to the small things in life—the things that give it real meaning. That’s why the climaxes of the stories aren’t about Aragorn rallying a valiant force, or Gandalf dueling out Saruman for control of Orthanc; it’s about Galadriel giving Frodo light so he can see through the darkness. It’s about Sam refusing to give up on his friends, even when tempted with the greatest desire of his heart.
The Lord of the Rings isn’t supposed to teach us to love the bright sword for its sharpness, and the arrow for its swiftness, and the warrior for his glory, it teaches us to love only what they defend. Tolkien literally told us that if more people valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. I think that’s why many people find it hard to read these books. Yes, they’re fantasy, but they are so very much unlike the fantasy genre that we are used to today, and they can come off boring because of it. Especially after watching first the movie adaptations, which are good in their own way, but fail to capture the full meaning of the stories. They focus too much on the adventure and excitement to hold the same message—and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it isn’t right to look at the books and their movie counterparts in the same light.
I really don’t believe I could have read these books when I was younger. In fact I tried, and failed, because I wasn’t able to fully appreciate them like I do now. That being said, it’s okay to put the book down if you’re not interested. It will be there if you want to come back later, but you shouldn’t force yourself if you don’t enjoy it like it is.
The point of the series was not to bring us a sensational epic, it was to give depth to the small things in life—the things that give it real meaning. That’s why the climaxes of the stories aren’t about Aragorn rallying a valiant force, or Gandalf dueling out Saruman for control of Orthanc; it’s about Galadriel giving Frodo light so he can see through the darkness. It’s about Sam refusing to give up on his friends, even when tempted with the greatest desire of his heart.
The Lord of the Rings isn’t supposed to teach us to love the bright sword for its sharpness, and the arrow for its swiftness, and the warrior for his glory, it teaches us to love only what they defend. Tolkien literally told us that if more people valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. I think that’s why many people find it hard to read these books. Yes, they’re fantasy, but they are so very much unlike the fantasy genre that we are used to today, and they can come off boring because of it. Especially after watching first the movie adaptations, which are good in their own way, but fail to capture the full meaning of the stories. They focus too much on the adventure and excitement to hold the same message—and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it isn’t right to look at the books and their movie counterparts in the same light.
I really don’t believe I could have read these books when I was younger. In fact I tried, and failed, because I wasn’t able to fully appreciate them like I do now. That being said, it’s okay to put the book down if you’re not interested. It will be there if you want to come back later, but you shouldn’t force yourself if you don’t enjoy it like it is.
Jennifer
Since the dialogue and the stories about the past are kind of the point of the Lord of the Rings series, I think if you're not enjoying it you should just stop. Never finish a book you're not enjoying, life's too short.
That said, part of the problem might be that this is the second book in a series. You could try starting with The Fellowship of the Ring, maybe that would help. But if you're not interested in books about mythology and folklore and history, then I sort of feel like this just isn't the right book for you.
That said, part of the problem might be that this is the second book in a series. You could try starting with The Fellowship of the Ring, maybe that would help. But if you're not interested in books about mythology and folklore and history, then I sort of feel like this just isn't the right book for you.
J Root
The trilogy was written a long time ago- it's roots go back to the author's service in World War One and it was completed in World War Two, so it is old fiction. The description of the dead marshes where little candles light above the drowned dead is Tolkiens's nod to the mud and corpses he saw in the Great War. Tolkien was also a Professor of English Literature, much into myth and development of language and the book reflects the man. It was written by a scholar, not a Hollywood script writer with an eye to kids with a two minute attention span and a car chase every thirty seconds. It is one of those books with a huge back story which has an enormous fan club. You either like it or hate it- few readers are so -so. If it's not your style then fine- maybe try graphic novels if you find them easier.
J. Straley
Television and movies form most of modern people' esthetic sensibilities. These media are passive and are best with short scenes. But "a picture is a thousand words", right? Movies even have music to cue you to the appropriate mood. Books have no pics, and the author must give the reader enough clues to put together the picture in their mind. That's interactive, far from passive. Tolkien takes the time to give you a rich landscape of clues. I found in my last reading that it was best to banish movies from my consciousness and crank up my imagination. Tolkien is indeed wordy, at the far end of the spectrum as regards the delivery of cues. In many ways he's the last of the Victorians. Is he tiring to read? I think yes, for me and for most moderns. Thus, read scene by scene, and put it down after a session. It can be like a wonderful cabernet wine: little sips, if you please, and consciously enjoy the complexity.
Dooter
Maybe try an audio version? I'm listening at work and reallynenjoy it that way. :)
saeedeh
Oh thank god!I am like this too!!
I think for me it's because I have watched the movie and the movie is soooo much cooler than the book!
and I think this book is full of description about the road,the plants,the sky,the view, THE EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think for me it's because I have watched the movie and the movie is soooo much cooler than the book!
and I think this book is full of description about the road,the plants,the sky,the view, THE EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slevin
If that's your case. I'd drop it, I mean it, just quit the book. Me for instance I love it, but I understand that feeling, and when that happens to me, it's just like I can't continue. Doesn't mean a books is good or bad for that reason, just that it's not meant for me. So I humbly suggest you to do yourself a favor and quit the book and do something else, since you're not enjoying it.
Cheers
Cheers
Harmony Reitz
I've slowed down as well. It's disheartening, I read the fellowship very fast and was complately submerged into it. I can't with this one. I'm not going to lie, the ents chapter was the longest chapter of my life, I just wanted to be done with it, and that feeling has stayed with me 100 pages after. I want so badly to get back into. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it now that they are almost to isengard. Hopefully it gets me again.
Lucy
Hi, you're not alone because I couldn't finish 'The Two Towers'. Put it down for a while, and if you haven't seen the films maybe watch them, read something else you're more interested in and perhaps in the future you will want to revisit it.
Daniela Hernandez
the two towers is my favorite of the saga for all the fights and battles.. i mean: they're taking the hobbits to isengard!
well, i read this before watching the movie. i think you shoul put it aside for a while like someone said earlier, and come back to it when you feel ready
well, i read this before watching the movie. i think you shoul put it aside for a while like someone said earlier, and come back to it when you feel ready
Kevin
You should know that Book 4 (the second part of the Two Towers) is a very slow read because there is limited action in it, and Frodo is getting bogged down by the Ring itself. I almost petered out there the first time I read the book (back in 1982!!) You need to power through. When you get to the end, you'll have a reward - a cathartic one.
Ludwig
Ik, this question is 6yo by now. But I'll write my answer for anyone with similar questions nonetheless.
I don't think forcing youself on a book does you any good. If you don't like it, lay it aside, come back later or dismiss it completely.
I loved the books from start to finish but that doesn't mean you have to.
LotR conveys a special feeling, a different awareness. (So do Tolkien's other books I've read so far)
It's different from the movies. It feels like a real, yet magical world, building upon so many things that make me feel as if I'm within this world myself and start to think and act more like in-story characters. It's not to be compared to the movies nor to anything I've felt in our real world. The inhabitants of Arda are different from us earthlings. I can't describe it. But I guess thats one thing that can either be good or bad depending on the reader.
I've watched the trilogy 3 times before reading the books. And I personally like the books much better. I think it took me just about two weeks to finish them. I was absorbed like never before and never thereafter. So many subtle things and beautiful stories and feelings that just don't apprear in the movies. Yet I still think that the movies are a great adaptation especially for the masses. Differnet in what they tell and still definetley LotR. However, liking the movies doesn't guarantee that you'll like the books.
(As you might've recognised, I struggle with explaining myself. Basicaly: It's different. And this goes for any book imao: Read it if you like it, don't read it if you think it's boring)
I don't think forcing youself on a book does you any good. If you don't like it, lay it aside, come back later or dismiss it completely.
I loved the books from start to finish but that doesn't mean you have to.
LotR conveys a special feeling, a different awareness. (So do Tolkien's other books I've read so far)
It's different from the movies. It feels like a real, yet magical world, building upon so many things that make me feel as if I'm within this world myself and start to think and act more like in-story characters. It's not to be compared to the movies nor to anything I've felt in our real world. The inhabitants of Arda are different from us earthlings. I can't describe it. But I guess thats one thing that can either be good or bad depending on the reader.
I've watched the trilogy 3 times before reading the books. And I personally like the books much better. I think it took me just about two weeks to finish them. I was absorbed like never before and never thereafter. So many subtle things and beautiful stories and feelings that just don't apprear in the movies. Yet I still think that the movies are a great adaptation especially for the masses. Differnet in what they tell and still definetley LotR. However, liking the movies doesn't guarantee that you'll like the books.
(As you might've recognised, I struggle with explaining myself. Basicaly: It's different. And this goes for any book imao: Read it if you like it, don't read it if you think it's boring)
Havana Blum
I would put it down, for now. I just finished reading it, but my mom was reading it to me. I really enjoyed it. You could try listening to as an audio book or have someone read it to you. Maybe that would make it more enjoyable for you.
T.
I'm struggling, too. I know this one is a slog, so I want to push past it to get to the Return of the King. I love the language, but I just can't get into the characters or plot. It just drags and I end up putting it down each time.
Michael
Movies were better, tbh. Peter Jackson did it perfectly, like Christopher Nolan with the Dark Knight trilogy. Probably too high expectations, but you aren't wrong because the books were incredibly long and drawn out with filler.
tt
I know that's what i felt when i first started reading it but then that"s the beauty of it- the beautiful and detailed descriptions and the carefully constructed universe and characters i have fallen in love with this book
spirea
I think that the author didn't indent enough. Try reading it again when you're older.
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