Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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J.R.R. Tolkien
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J.R.R. Tolkien (John Ronald Reuel Tolkien)
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Christine
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May 17, 2008 03:54PM
Favorite author.=]
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Liked the Hobbit & some of his other short tales, ie Farmer Giles From Ham, more than the trilogy although it had some great characters - Gollum & the Ents esp. He created a world & characters as interesting as those he had studied from the Anglo Saxon Nordic/Old English literature. But as much as I like JRRT I will put in a vote for Charles Dickens.
one of the favourites next to Alexander Dumas and Andrzej Pilipiuk
I read the trilogy for the 1st time many years ago. I reread them a few years afterwards, for pleasure. and when the first movie came out, it made me want to reread them again. This trilogy is the only story that I have read 3 times and am planning to read again in a few years. This story is so good that I do not tire of reading it.
I've only read the trilogy once, but I've read The Hobbit several times: elementary/middle school, high school, a few years ago when I got a really nice hardback copy. My sister though, reads the trilogy every few years. I plan to read it again also.
I've recently started reading a bit of Tolkien's work on Anglo-Saxon lit(particularly Beowulf). I had never really realized how much of his middle-earth was influenced by those studies. Interesting.I've also read the series a number of times and keep coming back.
I loved the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Loved the recent movies, too. Sherry, that is interesting to hear about the C.S. Lewis connection and "The Inklings." If you have any more Tolkien tidbits to share, I'd be interested to read them.
Apparantly they used to meet in a pub, there was a group of oxford dons including Lewis and Tolkein. They used to read things to each other and I'm sure I've read somewhere that Lewis was heard to say "Not another story about bloody orcs" at one of the meetings where Tolkein was going to read an extract of one of his stories.If it is true it makes me smile, though Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite books.
Interesting about Lewis and Tolkien's friendship, although I'm not altogether surprised that they were friends.
I think Tolkien is brilliant. I have read the Hobit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. A friend of mine suggested a lot of his other books. I will try to read those too.
I'm not sure why I haven't been able to make it through the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Every copy I've tried to read has words that go so close to the margin, where the sentences are so closely spaced that I get claustrophobic.I love the stories and characterizations, but I can't get past all that dark ink! I don't know what's wrong with me...
As for The Hobbit? Loved it.
Karey
P.S. Tolkien and Lewis were both contemporaries of George MacDonald, whom C.S. Lewis said was his favorite author. MacDonald's book, Wee Sir Gibbie of the Highlands is my all-time favorite book.
In it's original Scottish brogue, it's entitled simply, Sir Gibbie.
I agree - for some reason, I do not do well with long detailed descriptions of landscape and that is what made LOTR the toughest for me.That being said, it has been about 5 years and I need to reread it soon! :)
The Hobbit is all I needed to read of the never ending trilogy with the exception of the ENTS & Gollum.
ditto for the density of LOTR for me, too. i also just loved the hobbit - it's a way fun adventure story, quick paced & easy to read without at all being "fluffy". so as soon as i finished it, i dove right into my lovely leather-bound gift edition of LOTR...and promptly took over a month to slog through it. i've always said JRRT has a really good story to tell in there, it's just buried under layers of concrete. so, to you know, start a flame war on my head, i'll just admit to the blasphemy of having liked the movies much better than the book.
Some great stock characters of mythology in LOTR, JRR (like Homer, Shakespeare, CS Lewis etc), used them all: the lone hero, the dispossessed prince who eventually comes into his own, the old king misguided by his advisors, the doomed hero, the treasure all seek (dare I say: The Grail? Or does "Golden Fleece" work better?) the wise mage, the evil mage, the monster, the inseperable comrades, the trickster. Who approaches JRR today? Please advise.
I first read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in 1972. I usually reread it about every four years or so. The only books that I read that often. I love all the characters but I think that Sam is about my favorite. Even Gollum has his charm.
I started the Lord of the Rings about a week ago and have nearly finished the "Fellowship of the Ring". Considering that I normally do not read fantastic literature, I am greatly enjoying the book.However, it seems to me that Sam at this moment in time is the character undergoing the greatest transformation and I also feel that he is the secret hero of the story.
The scope of his imagination is astounding. Not only to create three great novels, but an entire world with its own culture and languages. Amazing.
Love the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I read LOTR for the first time when I was 11. I've also got a copy of the simarillion which i intend to read at some point. Loved the movies as well and was fortunate to live in New Zealand for 4 years, and got a chance to see where they filmed around Queenstown. They moved mountains around and made rivers vanish for certain shots.Where Lothlorien was filmed they sucked up all the leaves on the floor of the forest and took away dead logs and kept them in storage. They then scattered gold leaves over the forest floor, shot the scenes, picked up the gold leaves and returned the logs and old leaves. Apparantly it was part of the condition of being allowed to film.
I loved The Hobbit and LOTR so much that I went out and bought the Silmarillion, but couldn't get through it. Found it very boring. Hope your experience is better!I am so jealous about your New Zealand experience by the way! I am crazy about those movies.
Beautiful country and very unspoilt, most of the filming was done in the south island.
I read LOTR a few years ago right before I went out to watch the movies and absolutely fell in love with the books. Tolkien's imagination, his prose and his gift for language and details was just amazing. He really made some memorable characters. I picked up all the other books (The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tails and The Children of Hurin) and the scope of the whole mythology and the world he created amazes me to no end. Tolkien tops as my favourite author :)
I loved TLoR until the climactic scene. That ruined the whole series for me. I can still enjoy The Hobbit, but that rest just makes me sad.
Never posted here yet, b/c these are SO much a part of my last 30 years, I can start talking and then never stop myself. But as a Christmas present to myself.....LOTR and Hobbit are definitely in my top 5 (counting LOTR as one) books of all time. I started with them as pre-teen and have always re-read them regularly. Wish I had kept track of how many times, but far too late now....
It seems that those who can handle the long descriptions and DENSITY of these books just keep coming back. Certainly in part it's thanks to the archetypal characters (thx Coalbanks for mentioning) and the detailed well-thought out universe that they move in.
Abigail, if you still post on this group, could you explain what you meant by
"I loved TLoR until the climactic scene. That ruined the whole series for me."
On the Silmarillion, when I first tried it as a teen, I was shocked that it did not resonate with me as did the Trilogy. I didn't get through it. But when I tried again in my 20s I really enjoyed it. Maybe I had more patience...
PS - I totally to admit to occasionally skimming or skipping some particularly long descriptive passages, or poems in Elvish. This is however, more rare during my older re-reads than it was during my younger years. I tend to pick the trilogy back up when I am in a patient mellow reading frame of mind. Also, as with any title that I have read MANY times, the more you read it, the "easier" the read is - it is more like remembering. Like when a smell or a song makes you remember some previous event in your life, and it just flows back through you. To me, this allows for more reflection as the "event" or "book" "plays" itself - you can see different themes or relationships, etc. Even for those who don't like LOTR, I strongly recommend finding a book that YOU can re-read every few years, and see how that can enrich your experience.
Has anyone read Children of Hurin?
Stephanie "Jedigal" wrote: "Has anyone read Children of Hurin?"Just bought it online during the B&N post-Christmas clearance for $3.99. Waiting for it to be shipped here so I can add it onto my ever-expanding TBR pile!
Steph, I also have it on my TBR. Sometimes I look at my TBR books, and feel sorry for them. Getting in the pile in no way indicates how close they are to getting read. Especially since my TBR is probably about 2 to 2.5 years of reading. If I ever get Hurin tackled, I'll post about it.
Haha - I now what you mean! I haven't even added all of my TBRs to Goodreads - I'd rather look at my shelfs and be sad than have it all laid out in B&W on GR. :) I don't need to know the number!Whenever I get Hurin read, I'll let you know what I thought!
Coalbanks wrote: "Who approaches JRR today? Please advise. "Sadly, no one.
Tolkien is one of my favorite authors and the "inventor" of modern fantasy.
Brilliant man. Probably read LOTR like 12 times. Had a huge impact on me as a teenager. This man knew what world building was all about.
"Has anyone read Children of Hurin? "Yes. I really enjoyed it. But, like reading the Silmarillion, you really need to LOVE Tolkien's world, otherwise it could be a very long read. I've always enjoyed his backstory and this was nicely done.
Stephanie "Jedigal" wrote: "Never posted here yet, b/c these are SO much a part of my last 30 years, I can start talking and then never stop myself. But as a Christmas present to myself.....LOTR and Hobbit are definitely..."
Thanks for this wonderful comment, I agree totally with you, especially about it coming back to you each time you read it like a favorite smell! I admit I was slightly obsessed with Tolkien and Middle-earth as a teen and desperately wanted to go live there somehow, and I read the books so many times that I have many long passages and poems memorized. I also delved straight in to the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The Histories of Middle-earth.
I think that Tolkien can be hard for people to digest at first - the long descriptive passages for one thing, and the first few chapters of the Silmarillion read like the Bible. But if you can get through that and really read the stories, you will not be disappointed! I love how the stories in the Silmarillion are almost like Greek Mythology and the whole history falls into place, all the way up to the Return of the King. I love knowing why Galadriel made that speech at the mirror, and how amazing it was for her to give her hair to a dwarf when she had refused it to Feanor! It amazes me how Elrond is actually Aragorn's great x 100-uncle! Knowing the backstories on the LotR characters just makes it feel that much more real to me, and once I feel that way, the long descriptive passages are no longer something to skim over but are instead an almost living walk through a beautiful world.
(Sorry if I sound a little crazy! Did I mention I used to be slightly obsessed?:) )
David wrote: ""Has anyone read Children of Hurin? "Yes. I really enjoyed it. But, like reading the Silmarillion, you really need to LOVE Tolkien's world, otherwise it could be a very long read. I've always enjoyed his backstory and this was nicely done."
Funnily enough, I loved The Hobbit, was not too fond of The Lord Of The Rings but ended up loving The Silmarillion and The Children Of Húrin. I think I'll give LOTR another chance some day.
I love Tolkeins world, I've read The Silmarillion many times and love it every time. I also really enjoyed Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth and have read that one several times. And of corse the Hobbit and LOTR. I did like The Children of Hurin but I don't think it was my favorite, I guess because it was so sad.
Tenijha wrote: "Stephanie "Jedigal" wrote: "Never posted here yet, b/c these are SO much a part of my last 30 years, I can start talking and then never stop myself. But as a Christmas present to myself.....LOTR..."
Hey I didnt know I had a secret twin! I felt the same way in my teens and was just as obsessed. Did you have Middle Earth posters in your bedroom , too?
Alright, now this is embarrassing. I wrote on this thread back in August of '08 that I'd never read Tolkien except for The Hobbit. Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate was just compared to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Lewis's Narnia, and the Wizard of Oz novels. How in the world did words flow from my brain to my fingers to craft something that earned that kind of a review?
I'm just crawling out of my cave since that review came along last June . . . the pressure. If anyone is of a mind to send me a hug, I'd love one.
Karey wrote: "Alright, now this is embarrassing. I wrote on this thread back in August of '08 that I'd never read Tolkien except for The Hobbit. Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate..."
Statistics show, we need 3 hugs a day to remain sane and healthy... so here is one for embarrassment, one for reading Tolkien and one because I'm glad to meet you!
Joyfully,
Toni
Ha, my New Year's Resolution this year is to read "Lord of the Rings." Last year, it was to read "Ulysses" and I did that just fine (and am now the better for it). I'll check back in once I've completed my epic journey to Mount Mordor.-Emlyn
www.emlynchand.com
The fact that just about every fantasy writer in the last 50 odd years has, to varying degrees, borrowed from Tolkien is perhaps the biggest testimony of the man's greatness.
Silmarillion is my favourite Tolkien novel, with Children of Huring coming a close second.
Silmarillion is my favourite Tolkien novel, with Children of Huring coming a close second.
Emlyn wrote: "Ha, my New Year's Resolution this year is to read "Lord of the Rings." Last year, it was to read "Ulysses" and I did that just fine (and am now the better for it). I'll check back in once I've co..."
@Emlyn
My New Year's resolution is to read War and Peace. But then again, I had the same resolution last year and the year before that. Somehow, I can't get myself to complete Tolstoy's masterpiece.
@Emlyn
My New Year's resolution is to read War and Peace. But then again, I had the same resolution last year and the year before that. Somehow, I can't get myself to complete Tolstoy's masterpiece.
Have you read Anna K? Might be easier to ease yourself in :-P
And, I also have yet to read War and Peace, but last year, I read Ulysses--I can do anything! Mua ha ha ha
Haha, Ulysses was quite an ordeal, I must admit, even for a Joyce lover such as myself.
I haven't read Anna K either- I think I will some time later this month. Is it really as good as people say it is?
I haven't read Anna K either- I think I will some time later this month. Is it really as good as people say it is?
I think it was a bit overhyped, but all-in-all a good read. You'll enjoy it, I think.
I absolutely LOVE Tolkien's legendarium, I think I know enough of Middle-earth to the point of insanity:) He is THE greatest imaginative and influential creative mind of the 20th century. Did anyone else know that, Bilbo and Frodo, were named after British enlisted men the author had known during his service in the army?
wow reading how other people enjoyed LOTR so much makes me feel like a complete ignorant!i was so excited about reading this book about 3 years ago but i dropped it in two towers because i just couldn't stand it anymore, it pains me to say that i got bored and couldn't feel intrigued by the descriptions or the uneventful fights anymore. i didn't find any descriptions of a gigantic fight, it felt as if they're gonna pick up a cup of tea in the middle and have a British breakfast. i don't mean to make fun of an amazing masterpiece and i really am sorry i was bored. maybe bec i saw the movies before i read the books too many times, i probably had the script memorised by heart, the book felt out of place which should have been the other way around
definitely will read it from the start again when i have the chance.
Namida... wrote: "wow reading how other people enjoyed LOTR so much makes me feel like a complete ignorant!i was so excited about reading this book about 3 years ago but i dropped it in two towers because i just co..."
It's one of my favorite books of all time, but my husband, who reads even more than I do, thinks it's a complete bore. I reread it every five years or so, he'd have to have a gun to his head to reread it. So you are not alone!
Gini wrote: "...he'd have to have a gun to his head to reread it"I feel very much the same!
The Hobbit I have read a couple of times - short, sweet and rather enjoyable - however, I doubt very much if I would re-read LotR. I imagine curiosity might get the better of me and I may attempt to peer briefly at the pages only to decide that yes, it really was a chore the first time around and I'd be a fool if I attempted it once again..
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate (other topics)Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate (other topics)
The Silmarillion (other topics)
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth (other topics)
The Fellowship of the Ring (other topics)
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