I liked it. It was no Return of the King, mind you, but it was a charming, quaint duo with surprising depth to the first one. I preferred Farmer GilesI liked it. It was no Return of the King, mind you, but it was a charming, quaint duo with surprising depth to the first one. I preferred Farmer Giles of Ham, but Smith of Wootton Major definitely has merit as well. SoWM delved a little deeper into slightly more "signficant" themes, and I could see it making a great story to be passed on through word-of-mouth:) And then, of course, FGoH was just fun. It was a bit like The Hobbit, but...*whispers* I actually might have liked it better. Anyway, the book was entertaining and cheerful, a perfect quickie read....more
I first heard of this book through my uncle, a fellow Tolkienknight, and I'm so glad he recommended it to me! It was amazing.
While I am not a CatholiI first heard of this book through my uncle, a fellow Tolkienknight, and I'm so glad he recommended it to me! It was amazing.
While I am not a Catholic and thus couldn't relate to/agree with absolutely everything Mr. Bernthal discussed, I gleaned a lot from this book. It was impressively well researched and referenced, and while some of his postulations might be shaky, you could tell the man knew his Tolkien.
With a major emphasis on LotR, as the cover says, Mr. Bernthal also managed to weave together The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and other works admirably. I reread TFotR while reading this and was mind-blown;D
A thoroughly enjoyable, informative read that I highly recommend to any Tolkien lover!...more
Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind
{October 2021 Reread}
Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost. And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Goodbye for now, you flawed but beautiful trilogy. You have my deep and abiding love....more
"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword
{October 2021 Reread}
"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend[.]"
"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of th
{September 2021 Reread}
"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great."
I've never stopped loving The Lord of the Rings, and I don't believe I ever will. But I'll be honest: the last few times I've read or watched it, I've felt as though a small piece of the magic has been missing from the experience.
I think one of the reasons for that is that I've been too distracted trying to reconcile my profound love for the story with my increasing awareness of its imperfection. I've been expending too much energy trying to prove -- to my fellow Tolkienite relatives and friends, or to myself, or to no one in particular -- that, as a fan, it's just as valid to say, "This is wonderful and amazing and knit into the very fibers of my soul, but it's not flawless," as it is to say, "This is flawless and untouchable and any criticism of it is well-nigh sacrilegious." (Which is the end of the spectrum on which a lot of my Tolkienite relatives/friends tend to fall.)
Because, the thing is -- I do love The Lord of the Rings! It's one of my heart stories; it's woven deeply into my story sense; I wouldn't part with it for the world. I can't actually articulate how much it means to me. Believe me when I say: I love The Lord of the Rings.
But I can love it and still recognize room for improvement. I can watch the movies and appreciate the fact that they make me feel things that 90% of fiction never even comes close to making me feel, while still acknowledging that they're rife with an excess of slow motion, slow zooms, and occasional over-acting. I can read the books and marvel at a mythos so breathtakingly rich that it defies belief, while still acknowledging that the pacing, the editing, and the dialogue are all lacking in places.
You can love something deeply and still admit that it has weaknesses, and I know that. It can just be difficult to articulate that to one's immediate fandom circle, at times. ...more
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