One thing that struck me when I read the bit about Frodo taking MOOOOOONTHS to leave the Shire was how it highlights how weird Bilbo was by Hobbit standards for rushing out of the door after the dwarves to go on an adventure!!

The Fellowship of the Ring, as others have mentioned, is actually the opening chapter of what Tolkien envisioned as ONE novel with three distinct and amazingly complex story threads. I have read and reread the Lord of the Rings since the early 1970's and have read the entire corpus of Tolkien's works including the books published by Christopher Tolkien from his father's scattered story notes. It is true that the pace of Fellowship of the Ring appears to modern readers as slow. But at the time it was written, aside from the radio and a few televisions, entertainment was largely reading books. It was designed to be relished, to be read over long hours before a fire in the fireplace or an open window in the spring. It is immersive. Our modern culture with movies and streaming wants instant gratification. This is a book to return to over and over again. It is not a quick read that will be placed on the shelf and never visited again. Properly understood and cherished The Lord of the Rings in general and the Fellowship of the Ring create a world to which we would all love to live in (not all places or at all times for sure). The Shire is a place where time drags on because the life is simple, rustic and unhurried. The road to Bree, with Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, is mysterious and filled with wonder punctuated by danger. The race from Bree to Rivendell is both frightening and suspenseful. The Council of Elrond is one of the most amazing symphonies of characters, stories, and exposition ever written. The journey to Moria is frustrating and yet it allows us to bond with the Fellowship. The mines of Moria are from beginning to heartbreaking end a plunge into sadness and danger. The time with the Elves is both refreshing and restorative. And the parting of the Fellowship sets up the interweaving plots of the Two Towers and much of the Return of the King. This is a world that seems real. It is a work of incredible sweetness, deep courage, hair-raising terror, noble sacrifice, and most of all amazing love. The main villain is not exalted, as is true with so many modern books, and in fact, only makes the briefest of appearances. Far from the so-called black and white characters some critics alleged, Tolkien wrote very conflicted, frightened, and even failing characters, but characters who will live on the pages of this marvelous story, and in the hearts of those who love it most. Welcome to the Fellowship, Merphy, and the more you read this story, the more you will come to love it.

"There are some downpoints -- Tom" WHAT. Tom Bombadil is a national treasure.

'My definition of good literature is that which can be read by an educated reader, and reread with increased pleasure.'--Gene Wolfe

The Fellowship stresses how much they would lose if Sauron won. The beauty, peace and tranquility of the Shire is what they fought for.

I love that you’re rereading the series! I understand why you don’t love Fellowship as much as the other two, but for me, there’s something about being in the Shire, or in Rivendell or Lorien, that makes this book my favorite. I think it’s because of Elves and hobbits.

For me, reading Tolkien is comparable to reading the Iliad. It really is modern myth.

I've read this trilogy for the first time in English this year. It really is a series that grows on one. So beautiful! I loved the friendship and loyalty of Merry and Pippin so much!

The contrast in pace might be inspired by Tolkien's war experiences where soldiers would face long, almost unbearable lengths of downtime between moments of battle. Also, due to his experience I don't think Tolkien wanted to write long battle scenes. He knew they were necessary for the story but he never makes them gratuitous or dwells on them or lets them take over the story.

I'm glad you've grown to love this book, Merphy. I've read the Trilogy (and The Hobbit) at least a dozen times (maybe more) since first encountering them in the early 70's. I think one of the reasons Tolkien took so long in the Fellowship was because it reflects his deep love for the rural English countryside, which The Shire and it's surroundings reflects. His dismay over the industrialization of the area, and the later entry into a war footing, made him want to keep at least a bit of his childhood and youth alive. The more you read it, the more you feel his love for this part of Middle-Earth, especially.

When I read it, I interpreted that Sam is only an aquatintce at the beginning because of his class...... he’s in the servant class while all of the rest of them are upper class, and in the context of the whole trilogy I would say there’s definitely some commentary both on class relations and the Christian idealization of servitude

The highest compliment one can give to the writers of high fantasy novels is calling them Tolkien. One of my favourite novel ' face in the frost ' by John Bellairs is called best fantasy novel after LOTR. What I love most about his writing is the he way he build relationships between characters.

I love the Tom Bombadil scene with my whole heart, but even I understood why they cut it from the movie. Maybe I'd read the books before seeing the film I'd feel differently, but I didn't so...

2:00 For the record, the only thing insulting about “I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” is that Bilbo knew they wouldn't understand him. It's actually a compliment on both sides of the comma.

Some of my favorite parts of Fellowship are the scenes that take place in the Shire. I just love that place. Also Moria. It was so spooky to me when I read it as a kid. Loved this review! Can't wait for the next one! Also Merry and Pippin and Frodo are all related. They're cousins. So that can explain their bond.

I agree. The first time I read it my eyes began to glaze over whenever he started explaining the scenery, but as I went on I learned to really appreciate how realized his world is. It's like a real, living world. It's incredible.

The fellowship of the ring is my favorite in the series because it has the most atmosphere. I use that word the way Tolkien described atmosphere, in particular the atmosphere of a story. Tolkien said that the true story is always in the atmosphere. Long way of saying that I love the meandering. Some of my favorite parts in the story are when Frodo and co are traveling from Hobbiton to Buckland, then through the old forest and through the barrow downs. There is a part where Frodo is describing scaring himself because he thought he saw a black rider on a cliff, the first time I read that passage as a teenager I remember that terrifying me! I was there fleeing the wraiths with Frodo! anyway, love the book!

I'm glad that you're rereading them: it was a slow start last time as I recall, and your exclamations of 'being home' in the Shire in your reading vlogs are just what this Tolkien lover wanted to hear!

Yay yay yay!!! I’m so glad you were able to appreciate the beauty in the deliberate pacing in The Fellowship better this time! The Shire is so fun and the super distinct action scenes are such a well placed contrast to the lives of these sweet furry boys.

I'm fairly new to books and I'm loving your channel. I found it a couple days ago and I've binged many videos. Your enthusiasm about books is contagious and I just wanna go read more every time I watch these.

I loved the slow pace at the beginning. It's like smoking a brisket, it doesn't look like much is happening until you get to the end and realize how vital that first part is. The rest of the fellowship are fun, I'm interested in their stories. Aragorn especially I really enjoy. But it's the hobbits I truly love and that time at the beginning really getting to know them and who they are before the weight of the world is on their shoulders is so important. And then at the cleansing of the Shire you are able to see how much it has changed them and how much they are still the same.

I love lord of the rings. For awhile it ruined today’s books for me. Everything that comes out today just seems like surface level. The back story always feels rushed or something. Where lotr just feels more like a fully fleshed out world

There's an amazing video by Hello Future Me called "The Hero's Journey: Why we remember the Shire". You'd love it! Out of curiosity, are you familiar with the hero's journey? I don't want to preach to the choir if you already know, but Tolkien really wanted to pay attention to "the status quo" before making that shift/call to action

I would like to thank you because I bought those copies from your description some videos back. I love them! I love the fellowship and it could honestly be my favorite of the collections, but it's so hard to choose.

I happen to be reading LotR for the first time (since I was 12, at least) right now! I like that someone is recommending the Hello Future Me video as a very good example of the great discussion that already exists about Tolkien. I would add that Extra Credits has videos for each book of the trilogy that are as well considered and thoughtful as Tolkien deserves.

Merph, you broke my heart. How can anyone forget Boromir

For me I really love the down time. I love seeing how characters interact. Especially between Frodo and the other dwarves namely Gloin from The Hobbit. I don’t know hearing them tell stories it’s like they’re addressing you directly. I love it.

I read the trilogy at least 15 years ago and for me, the 3rd book was the one that was the hardest. I flew through the first two and actually never finished the third one. The movies were pretty big back then, so I felt like having watched the movie, I didn't really need to finish reading the books. Your review has made me want to reread them all!

Wonderful review! I am so glad to hear that you have enjoyed this, I agree that books two and three are better but there is something very special about book 1. I look forward to your reviews of book 2 and 3.

Goodness, I feel like I am the only person on this planet that like Tom Bombadil. Oh well. =)

You're cool. Thanks for these neat book reviews. Just discovered you recently and its refreshing to see reviews about another medium besides movies and video games.

I really enjoyed your thoughts on this book. You put in words, what I couldn’t. I appreciated the set up for the rest of the book, but it felt so long, and I agree with you that I think it was intentional as well. The hobbits are a simple people and journeys in general are meant to be long, but reading it wasn’t always fun. Thanks for your thoughtful insights. The two towers is my favorite of all the books, but I should think about rereading the books more slowly and thoughtfully.

Hi. Just found your channel. I really like that you gave it a second chance. So many people wouldn't have bothered. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are the books that got me reading on a regular basis. But they were written in a different time, and makes a huge difference. Peace.

These three novels and the "Hobbit" could be the finest works of art ever. Even "Harry Potter" has to bow to these. :)

I've had this series for about 3 years on my shelf... I had DNF'd The Fellowship at least thrice over that time (please don't kill me) but when I picked it up this time I meant to finish it and I did. All I can say so far is that I found this book to be charming. I don't LOVE it so far but I've heard so many good things about this series that I'm going to continue with it. Honestly it's about damn time.

Did you mean Isildur when you said Beren? Because Beren was a character from the First Age, long before the One Ring was even created.

I just finished Fellowship as well! First time for me though. I too found it soooooooo slow but I LOVE the parts that I love. I am in Two Towers now and I have to say I was so board through most of it as well 🙈😩 However, it’s finally gotten exciting in the second half. I’m surprised at how much you don’t see Frodo and Sam in this book! Anyway, I’m glad you are reading this series all over again so that I can hear your reviews as I get through the trilogy for the first time! Thanks Merphy!!

Always impressed by how balanced and fair your reviews are!

With the first on I really love the "at the council of Elrond" and forward to "A journey in the dark". The flight to the mine was unfortunately taken out of the film.

Ive been wanting to reread The Hobbit so bad lately ! This is making me want to reread LOTR as well ^^

Great video. Loved the setting. I recently began The Fellowship for the first time and am absolutely loving it. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through it (they're still in the old forest) and I do agree with what you're saying about the pacing to a certain extent. I mean on one hand it feels like things are taking their time (it feels like they've been in the old forest forever) but on the other hand a lot has actually happened in the 130 pages I've read. I think it might just be the fact that not only does Tolkien have to introduce us to a lot of people and races, as well as begin to build his world, but The Fellowship of the Ring was never intended to be a single book so it has the pacing of a book well over 1,000 pages long. Either way, I really hope they make it out of the old forest soon! Also, in all the years I've been a reader I've never read anything written with as much care as this. I'm constantly having to highlight passages due to how beautifully crafted and utterly brilliant they are. It's also the first book I'm purposefully reading very slowly simply because of how much I'm enjoying it as well as how dense it is. I want to be able to fully absorb every line as well as make this journey last a while. While this is not my first time reading epic fantasy, I can honestly say that, for me, it's the best I've ever read. And Merphy, I know you don't often respond to commenters but I'm very curious to know if your favorite epic fantasy series still remains The Gentleman Bastards. Keep up the good work. Love the channel.

I totally get why some people don't like the slower paced nature of Fellowship. I really do. That said, the slower pace is what I love about it! Moreover, the hobbits are the very reason I return to this book so much! I love their comradrie and the simplicity of Shire life. I'm probably in the minority, but Book One is my favorite part of Fellowship.

Great video! I can’t believe I’ve never watched your videos before! Subscribed :)

I need to do a reread of LotR now. Also, those LotR copies you have look really beautiful.

I am in the process of listening to the audiobook versions of these series after reading them before and for me the audiobooks are the way to go so I can actually appreciate all the details in the book. Glad to see you like it now!

This really makes me wanna reread it! A good little chitchat about the book and I agree and appreciate the same things ^^

I just finished book one yesterday and I really liked it, though I must admit I pushed myself through some pages because of the slow pacing. I can't wait to finish books 2 and 3 so I can watch your videos about them 👏🏻

Re read them bout year ago and what struck me was the wording Tolkien uses and descriptions. Its a elegant writing style. Specially when reading some other authors style to compare. Tolkien s words flow. Prolly my 4th time reading? I picked up on that more. Glad you gave it another chance !!!

This just inspired me to pick up LotR again. I am usually pretty hesitant about it because of Tolkien's writing style and how heavy the story is but every time I do I am very happy I did

Sam is Frodo's servant, not friend, leastways not officially. Merry and Pippin are his young friends. Boromir's story is a true tragidy. The reason he was drawn by the ring is that he, more than anyone else, needs its power. He'd come to Rivendell straight from the wars of Gondor, from seeing his brothers die constantly in the battlefield. He is tempted by the ring, but not for evil, only for the love of his people which he so desperately tries to save, to his own demise.

Hey Merphy, I just finished this book and I couldn't wait to come here and hear your thoughts! I've read the first chapter of the second book as well 'cause I knew Boromir's death was coming and I wanted to witness it for myself. As we knew nothing about him, it didn't move me, but I was still curious. I'm glad he was honest about his weakness in the end. So... I'm unfortunately underwhelmed. My favourite parts are the ones you mentioned and I don't mind how slow it was as much as the lack of depth in characters and background stories. I hated Tom Bombadil and I wished it was a trap, but no, it was just a weird convenient overly-powerful character to have around and no element of surprise. There were too many poems and it felt like the author was showing off most of the time. There were random references of folklore and ancient tales we know nothing about and that I couldn't connect with at all. I'll read The Two Towers because of you, 'cause I wouldn't have picked it up again otherwise. I do love how Sam nearly drowned himself to get to Frodo's boat. I admire his courage and devotion. I'll be reading it for him, really. I must say that I enjoyed the first book as much as I enjoyed the first movie, which means that they had pretty much the same flaws, but I was nontheless fascinated by the world and its mysteries. I do admire J. R. R. Tolkien's incredible world-building and imagination. I love the fact that he created languages as the genius philologist he was. He writes beautifully and I do have vivid images in my mind. I hope he won't let me down.

Hi. Very good review. This popped up in my suggested, so here I am. I come with a different window to Tolkien than you but it seems we feel similarly. I’m male, 55, and have read the Trilogy many times. My favorite book of the Trilogy is TTT and next ROTK. Your observations on FOTR are shared. It’s fantastic set-up for the rest of the novel...but it’s still set-up. 😀

I DNF'd this book about a year ago for the reason you mentioned: it is so slow it bored me so much. After watching this video I am actually considering picking it up again..

Is the print on this specific leather bound version really small? I am thinking about getting them, but if I can’t read it, or have to strain to, there isn’t a point.

And there is a religous and study of language side of it as well, so many angles, viewpoints and ways to read this book, that’s what makes it so brilliant

The first 100 pages of this book took me 6 months to read. After that, I finished the full series in 2 weeks.

Fellowship was my favorite volume of the trilogy. Reading Tom Bombadil's name at the end of Return of the King reminded me of that. When I visited a used bookstore or two to buy a copy of Fellowship I found out that no one ever put Fellowship up for sale, only the other two volumes.Fellowship abounds with warm fuzzy refuges for the hobbits, making it a nice bedside book to read before one starts sleeping.

I am reading hobbit for the 1st time and I really like Tolkien's writing style cause it's different and has this whimsical feel to it! It's sad that you had to face problems for the 1st time but you were happy at the end 🤗🤗👍👍

Good timing, I'm on the last few pages of the book!

My father and I took turns reading the series aloud, back when I was nine and ten years old.

The Fellowship I have appreciated more and more as I got older. Tolkien truly captures the immersion and intimacy of a small society of people that is all but lost to time. Life before real transportation and phones and computers and the like. Our world view for better or worse has gone from a tight knit microcosm of society to swipe right to hook up in a relatively short period of time and we lose track of the actual beauty in life and human interaction. We get caught up in the stimulus of all the electronics and the noise of all of our distractions and forget what nature and human interaction are about. Those are my thoughts and I fully agree that the jarringness and change of pace are deliberate. Tolkien truly was a master of his craft.

As a Tolkien fanatic im glad you did this review 😊😊

I often use audio book Fellowship of the Ring, Book 1 chapter 1 Long-Expected Party, or Book 2 chapter 1 Many Meetings to go to sleep by. Both seem non-stressful and familiar to me. The first is the Shire, and the second is Rivendell, the two most cozy places in the books.

I totally agree with what you said. I saw the movie first and then I have read the book - all 3 in 1 week actually! :D So well done, nice video and you look absolutely stunning once again! :)

Fellowship is my favorite. I’m glad you reread it and now appreciate it more. I just love being in the Shire, and meeting up with the Elves on the road, and Tom B, and Goodberry, and especially Galadriel. Galadriel was love at first read for me! (I do not appreciate how cold P. Jackson made her seem..)

Spoilers: Considering how the trilogy ends in The Shire it is a good contrast to how they used to leave before all the journey starts. i wish we got to see that in the movies.

I started my reread back on the 25th Nov and I’m only just starting RotK now, your gonna beat me 🤣🤣, I constantly forget just how funny some of the characters are ie Butterbur with his to and fro at high speed and a lot of the reactions to the friendship of Legolas and Gimli X

Please consider doing a more in depth review of this book. There’s a lot to be discussed both good and not so good. I enjoyed hearing your insight and discussion

Now on to the movie reviews! :)

Interesting! Fellowship was my favorite from the “trilogy” and even first book, ESPECIALLY first book of first book is probably my favorite book ever! I just love it so much! Sooo much!!!

What?! You don't think Tom Bombadil adds to the story? There are many opinions on who Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry are but there seems to be a consensus they are some type of water spirits. People have wrote their dissertations on the identity of Tom Bombadil with some being a serious consideration. I agree Fellowship is slow and the next two are more quickly paced. They need to be reread to fully grasp the scope of the story. I believe it was Christopher Lee who said he read it every year.

How a bout a review of Terry PRatchett ? His books can be a little lacking in intensity. But I love the book covers and the man is the most ev olved human being to ever walk this earth. I put his books away the first time I read them because of the many characters, but now I came back and am absolutely charmed. Amazing creativity, incredible outlook on life. I'd love to look at the world like he did.

Where did you get that nice leather copy of the trilogy

I read Fellowship once and I’m reading it again and I can feel and sense everything with the characters. I can smell and taste and see, hear, feel everything the characters are. Tolkien’s writing style is so immersive and elegantly done

Looking back on it I feel that it was intentionally slow and meandering at the start (of the whole story, not just book 1) as a way to really demonstrate the increasing urgency of the quest and how imminent the danger was becoming. During book 1 it was all focused on "yeah this is a serious matter so we better take it to someone who knows what to do" (first in Bree and then in Rivendell). Then as events unfold in books 2 and 3 we see more and more how it goes from "gotta get this done before Bad Stuff happens" to "omg everything is on fire and now we must hold on until Frodo gets there and also we must hope he's getting there hurry up boyyyzzzz."

I felt the same way the first time reading the fellowship I kinda had to push through it. But as I started reading the two towers I got used to his style. And I’m reading other books now and I find myself missing his style Once again and he made reading other books easier.

Can we just have a moment to acknowledge how stunning your LOTR edition is? I'd love to have something like this on my shelf.

Just found you. Nice channel. I am a voracious reader. I have read Lord of Rings 12 times starting in 8th grade. (A kong time Ago). Now I read Brad Thor. Good luck 🌴Aloha

My favorite part was when Dumbledore said "You shall not pass"

When I read overly-descriptive authors, I rate their degree of exposition in Victor Hugos, 1-10. Tolkien? He's a solid 6, 7 Hugos at most. There's a lot in play, so it can be overwhelming, but I don't feel that he goes so in depth that I get cranky. Not like G.R.R. Martin and food, for example. I'd give that an 8, minimum.

I know this is old but a few things: 1. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings as a single novel that he divided into 6 books or what probably today would be called parts. I found bearing that in mind gave me a different idea of the pacing and so it never struck me as slow. 2. Sam was not an acquaintance. He was a servant. There are definitely class issues going on. I'm not meaning these as criticisms.

Thank you!

I have not been able to get past a few pages on the book, but once I got it on audio book it made more sense. The whole first part has a very strong narratorial voice.

Literally deliberate pacing? Good point! The theme throughout is the contrast of old rural life that moved to the rhythm of the seasons, and modernity (which is set to a clock). The Shire representing the idealized village life of olde, contrasted with the horrific industrialization of Isengard and Mordor. It seems the pacing was working in service to that contrast also.

LOTR is one of my top favourite series but I struggle so hard with Fellowship. I really have to push through from after Bilbos party to once they are fleeing from Bree with Strider/Aragorn. After that I fly through the story and love it.

I think I was smarter in fourth grade because I read the series no problem then. LOL

It took me 15 days short of a full year to read the fellowship of the ring. The first 150 pages took me forever to get through but at like 154 i started to enjoy it and at the last 50 pages i was hooked.

It really throws your mind off when you learn (or relearn, it was easy to be influenced by the movie) that how long time had passed when Gandalf left Shire to research for the ring and came back to ask Frodo for his quest. It was like maybe 3 days in the movie but in the book it took years before Gandalf came back.

I believe the "slow" beginning is not necessarily because Tolkien wanted it to contrast the later books, but mainly because he loved writing these parts of the story. When he wrote it, his editor told him that there was too much "Hobbit talk" in it and Tolkien responded that "Hobbit talk" amused him privately more than adventures, but agreed to tone it down. So what you're reading in the first book is already the "reduced version"... 😁 For example there was a part where the Hobbits were discussing how useless houses with more than one floor are - that scene was removed, but I think it was actually quite funny and adorable.

I'm soooooo down for Tolkien reviews in 2020 please bring it on

More people should read the series, most just watch the movies or just read the hobbit, please its the father of fantasy.

Thank you for giving me hope Merphy! It's such a burden even with speed reading, I liked The Hobbit but this book... Ugh. The only thing that keeps me reading it is Stephen King mentioning how important it was for him while writing The Dark Tower series.

i have read this book once every year for 4 years

I read The Hobbit in 6th grade and just soaked it up. I was wholly unfamiliar with Tolkien and that style of Fantasy, and I instantly fell in love. Also, that was the year that the Fellowship of the Ring movie was released, but I had absolutely no idea that the movies were a thing yet. I tried to read Fellowship of the Ring between 6th and 7th grade, and I just couldn't. The pacing and descriptions, as stated in this video, really bog down the beginning of the story. I made it to Tom Bombadil's house and I put the book down. Bombadil just stopped the story dead in its tracks and I couldn't deal with the confusing and slow aspects of him and the story. My 7th grade English teacher insisted that I keep reading it. He must've been a Tolkien nerd and he must have been following the movies. I still didn't know the movies were a thing until after Two Towers was in theaters. The internet was still dial-up and everything, so it was hard to find information on stuff like that. I started FotR from the beginning, stomached my way through the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, made it to the Council of Elrond, and I was hooked again. It was about this point that I watched the first movie and realized that I needed to finish the books before Return of the King was released in theaters. I pounded my way through Two Towers... it's the shortest of the trilogy and definitely the easiest to read between the plot and intrigue. I started Return of the King, but I did not make it all the way through before the movie came out. I saw the movie in theaters, became emotionally invested in everything, finished the books, and now both the books and the movies are my favorites in their respective mediums. (Also, sidenote: there was a couple in probably their 20's sitting behind my family in RotK, and when Shelob attacked Frodo the guy was freaking out and the girl was making fun of him). I have read The Hobbit, LotR, and The Silmarillion over a dozen times each at this point. I was reading them annually for a while, actually. The books are best in reverse order (RotK, TTT, FotR), but the movies are best in the correct order (FotR, TTT, RotK). RotK has a completely different aesthetic that I can't get over... both the picture and the music have a different quality from the other two films.

I second the fact that you said that you felt like coming home at shire To be frank you need to understand this entire series is a one big tome I think middle earth is like a huge vastness It's really epic How events unfold on this beautiful deep created world

It is my favorite book! People complain about the description, but I don’t think it’s near as bad as, say, John Steinbeck. Did you pick up on the set-ups for later this time around? Like the subtle hints at the eventual Scouring of the Shire stuff? Did you read the prologue? And be sure to read the appendices at the end of volume 3!

I agree that Fellowship starts off rather slowly, and one reason for that is probably to give you more time with the characters and allow you to experience the story at "hobbit pace," like you said. However, I think the slow start is also due to the fact that The Lord of the Rings was not originally supposed to be a trilogy: Tolkien wanted it published as one volume, but his editor convinced him to do three smaller books instead of one huge one. So if you back up and think of the beginning of Fellowship on that much larger scale, it makes sense that it is a bit slower because it's providing the setup portion for what was originally intended to be a much larger book. The fact that the trilogy was split up means that most of the first "book" is taken up with the worldbuilding that is then used in the later installments.

I personally didn’t like the fast battle scenes . I lived for the slow character moments

Fellowship is my favorite because it sets everything up so well. The Two Towers is the downer for me because I didn't like the divided focus after everyone splits up. To me, that hurt the flow of the story.

I'm honestly a bit confused why so many people find these books boring. I've loaned out my copies multiple times to friends and family only to be shocked when they returned the books unfinished saying they just couldn't get into them. I read them for the first time at age 14 and they've been my favorite books ever since. Anybody else feel the same way?