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madamenovelist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Torture, Alcohol, and War
dewugging's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
astrangewind's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I'm not very interested in fantasy, and I was a bit slow to read The Lord of the Rings series, given its popularity. Now that I've read the first book, I'm absolutely blown away.
The world Tolkien has created is expansive and beautiful, but it's not overwhelming; the details of the world only come up as they are relevant. The plot has depth, the characters' interactions with one another are believable, and the writing style is comforting.
That said, the book is slow. It's a book to read while lounging, while you have a few hours to sit back and leisurely enjoy your time. It's a book to get engaged in, and to only come out when you're forced to. You can't just read a page or two to kill a few minutes. You need to be there, to explore, to sit down and have a conversation with the characters over a meal. I haven't read a book like that in a long time, and I needed the lesson that books shouldn't just be another thing on my to-do list, but instead a world to explore and fall in love with.
The world Tolkien has created is expansive and beautiful, but it's not overwhelming; the details of the world only come up as they are relevant. The plot has depth, the characters' interactions with one another are believable, and the writing style is comforting.
That said, the book is slow. It's a book to read while lounging, while you have a few hours to sit back and leisurely enjoy your time. It's a book to get engaged in, and to only come out when you're forced to. You can't just read a page or two to kill a few minutes. You need to be there, to explore, to sit down and have a conversation with the characters over a meal. I haven't read a book like that in a long time, and I needed the lesson that books shouldn't just be another thing on my to-do list, but instead a world to explore and fall in love with.
Content Warnings
Minor: War
i_write_on_occasion's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A very enjoyable read. A fun, classic, adventure. There is quite a bit of info-dumping and the reading is dense, but the overall experience is great
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
Minor: Alcohol
dragonaion's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Don't read this book if you're expecting it to be just like the movie. There are some differences between the two, which is to be expected, but by reading this book I gained greater respect and appreciation for Jackson's movie interpretation.
The story is a bit hard to read than most books, the verbiage is not common, and some of the descriptions can be a little lofty, but it is all worth it.
The story is a bit hard to read than most books, the verbiage is not common, and some of the descriptions can be a little lofty, but it is all worth it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
brogancha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Animal death
heather667's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Torture, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Andy Serkis is a great narrator, he strikes a good balance between dramatic and conversational, making the audiobook a more compelling read than just the text alone.
In my opinion, this is the way these books were meant to be experienced: read aloud in dramatic fashion, just as Bilbo did at his birthday party in the movie.
In my opinion, this is the way these books were meant to be experienced: read aloud in dramatic fashion, just as Bilbo did at his birthday party in the movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism and Animal cruelty
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
not much to say about Fellowship that hasn't already been said, but as for this edition: Actually it was really quite good! Serkis does great character voices as expected and has a lovely storytelling cadence. I just wish he'd done all the songs justice. Some of them he does render beautifully but it's uneven, with others (especially Tom Bombadil's) being extremely grating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death and War
Minor: Xenophobia, Blood, and Alcohol
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I am a big fan of the movies and rewatch them almost yearly, so I felt it was time to finally read the books. Obviously, I already knew I like the stories and characters, but it was really interesting to now meet the full story.
And it really is beautifully written prose, too, and way funnier than I expected. Also the themes of not losing hope and friendship stand out even much clearer.
I was disappointed to realise, that Arwen being a badass good girl and saving Frodo from the ringwraiths is a movie only thing, though..
And it really is beautifully written prose, too, and way funnier than I expected. Also the themes of not losing hope and friendship stand out even much clearer.
I was disappointed to realise, that Arwen being a badass good girl and saving Frodo from the ringwraiths is a movie only thing, though..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail