LoTR Review 1!

The Fellowship of the Ring:

by: J.R.R Tolkien 

Review

Hello all, 

I am so incredibly happy to be coming to report that this past week I finally finished The Fellowship of the Ring (further referred to as Fellowship)! I am astounded that is has taken me over 19 years to get around to read this book, though in all fairness I have only been able to read for about 3 years... Regardless of my excuses I could not be happier that I have finally read this book! 

As many of you know this book series and movie franchise has taken the world by storm since it was released over 15 years ago for the movies and many years ago for the books! I was always focussed on being "hip" and current with what is being released within the bookworld that often times I glanced past these books in favor for a new release; this book has taught me not to do that ever! I cannot believe what I was missing for all these years, an astounding character study and a romp in the woods. While this book is a slow moving plot with not a whole lot of action, I found myself immersed in the world and all of its events from page one. This book (Fellowship of the Ring) I feel makes a lot more sense after reading The Hobbit which I did many years ago now because my then girlfriend was obsessed with the stories and I never continued, which was very stupid on my part because I love these stories! 

Plot: 

" Frodo Baggins knew the Ringwraiths were searching for him—and the Ring of Power he bore that would enable Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it was up to Frodo and his faithful servant Sam to carry the Ring to where it could be destroyed—in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom." (Goodreads.com) 

Review Time: 

I found this book to be as though Tolkien was sitting right beside me reading this to me while I was wrapped in a huge blanket with a cup of tea. This may be the best example of the right book at the right time, as prior girlfriend just asked for a "break" about a month ago and I wa leary if I would ever read these books because they remind me so much of her and her joy for the world; however I have found that reading them is like having a comforting hug the whole way through. Ill keep reading these books because of the profound amount of light hearted fun they bring to me through the richly imaginative story that lies within their pages. 

While some readers may have issues with the slow pacing and seemingly aimless plot, this is the very aspect of this book that I could not get enough of! I feel as though this kind of storytelling is lost now in favor of those who can write a fast paced and gripping novel that will go to number one on the New York Times bestseller list; this was before that time and it truly is apparent. After recent events I have been taking things slowly and reading at my leisure, however, this book made me slow down to a new pace and enjoy every word that Tolkien crafted within this world. This slow moving plot lends a great deal of pressure to the character development for the entertainment of the reader, and Tolkien was spot on with his character development! 

Every character within the company that star in this book is fleshed out with the perfect amount of backstory and detail that allowed me to believe for an instant that they were real and my lifelong friends. This sense of friendship that is conveyed through this book is insane, while I would not like to be in the shoes of these little Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves I do envy their comradery that is shared with the fellowship going to destroy the Ring. At first I must admit that I was leary of Frodo because I had already fallen in love with Bilbo and his story of acquiring the Ring; by the end of the first book there is no doubt that I like Frodo more than Bilbo! Frodo has a sense of humor that is witty and dry and he shows a multitude of personalities and depth of character which I appreciate as a reader enjoying this book and in a critical sense it allowed the story to come to life in my mind. 

in the end this was a joy to read with fun characters and writing that will suck any reader in for hours upon hours. This series is going to be the perfect way to end the reading year for me, as I hope to finish book two by the end of the year... I have also rented the movie and I am off to watch that right now! 

Rating: 5/5 

- Something about a meandering plot and the joyous characters that Tolkien created have captivated me from the very beginning. 

Happy Reading!

I hope that everyone celebrating Christmas has a wonderful day today celebrating, and that those of you who celebrate the other holidays have a safe and happy holiday season!