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squire
Half-elven
Aug 21 2016, 9:16pm
Post #2 of 10
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Book II is when the adventure really gets on the road. Aragorn and Gandalf are in charge, and the hobbits are just along for the ride. And then it gets very, very hairy - then very, very elvish - and then just plain ghostlike at the end, with Evil finally arriving as promised.
Book IV has grown on me, especially in the context of discussing it on this board over the years. I like its focused scale (just three characters, all in all, from start to finish) and its eerie touch with landscape. Mordor is the goal of the quest, ever since we and Frodo first felt the chill of the name back in Bag End, and Book IV taunts us with glimpses of the Dark Land without ever quite entering it. In these chapters, Middle-earth the dream slowly becomes, for Frodo, Middle-earth the nightmare.
But, of course, that isn't the end of a discussion like this! I like the whole book, and would love to hear others' views of II and IV, and of the other four as well.
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Archive: All the TORn Reading Room Book Discussions (including the 1st BotR Discussion!) and Footerama: "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
Dr. Squire introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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enanito
Rohan
Aug 22 2016, 3:05am
Post #3 of 10
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Before and after the Silmarillion
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During my first readings, Books I and V were probably my favorites. I really liked how Book I sucked me into a completely new tale, incredibly different from The Hobbit. I know some readers are a bit non-plussed by the first couple chapters, but I loved them. And Book V, with the ride of the Rohirrim and the battle of Minas Tirith, really always stirred me.
But after reading the Silmarillion and getting insight into some of the backstory for LOTR, I think I've been drawn towards Book II, with its foray into Rivendell, Moria and Lorien and the encounters with Elrond and Galadriel. In that same sense, Book VI has grown on me, as I consider what the triumph over Sauron meant for the Elvish Kingdoms, the dominion of Men, and the fading of the Hobbits as well.
More accurately stated, my favorite is probably the one I'm currently reading 
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noWizardme
Half-elven
Aug 22 2016, 10:47am
Post #4 of 10
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when I was younger/now I'm older - favourites change
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Those answers bring out a point that chimes with my own experience: my favourites have changed over time.
At one point I would skip some bits - The Old Forest and Tom Bombadill from Book I, much of Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor, and much of Book VI after Mount Doom. That left me with the conventionally exciting stuff (and also parallels some of the cuts made by Peter Jackson and team when they were abridging the book to make their movies). At other times, its the bits where less appears to be happening that are more attractive.
From our read-through so far I particularly gained by reading Book IV in company - partly I expect that is because it's a comparatively neglected corner for me from back in my impatient days. However, our Book II read through had some surprises for me - I came away with a much better appreciation of Boromir as a character, for example.
I once used to see the latter half of Book VI as an overlong farewell to the story, but I've changed my mind with age and/or experience, and I also think there's a very good chance of me learning a lot from reading it in company!
I'm also looking forward to some help with the Appendices. As a child I bought an appendices-free cheap omnibus edition with my pocket money (what would have been my 'allowance' had I been an American kid). I got used to reading without the appendices, and was somewhat in denial about them when I finally saw them in a library hardback of ROTK. I'm sure there's good stuff I've missed!
~~~~~~
volunteers are still needed to lead chapters for our upcoming read-thorough of Book VI ROTK (and the appendices if there are sufficient volunteers) http://newboards.theonering.net/...i?post=909709#909709
A set of links to our Book III discussions can be found here: http://newboards.theonering.net/...i?post=886383#886383
A set of links to the Book IV discussions are here: http://newboards.theonering.net/...i?post=899201#899201
A wonderful list of links to Boook II, Book I and previous read-throughs is curated by our very own 'squire' here http://users.bestweb.net/...-SixthDiscussion.htm
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Hamfast Gamgee
Tol Eressea
Aug 24 2016, 9:11pm
Post #5 of 10
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You don't know the appendixes did I hear you say?
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Well,it would be my pleasure to help you with them later! In answer to the original question, I do still take a liking to book 1. I just, quite like all that stuff about Hobbits been confused in a wider world, been chased, inns the Shire and the wilderness and mysterious and dangerous riders. Even if as we know, there is a whole lot more to Middle-Earth than is said in that book.
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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Aug 24 2016, 11:31pm
Post #6 of 10
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Yeah, I know, no Frodo in V. But it's fast paced, with a real sense of desperation and how it works on the characters. IV is just a long slog, with one brief bright patch. III and VI are wonderful, too, and a great deal of I and II, though I tend to skip most of the trek through the Old Forest and Bombadil.
And anyone who skips Appendix A is missing a real treat!
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 25 2016, 9:03pm
Post #7 of 10
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I'm with enanito in saying that my favorite is whichever I happen to be reading, but I would say that Book 1 probably remains my favorite. I don't care that not a whole lot happens. There's something very pleasing about the introduction to this epic that never goes stale.
And maybe it's nice to return to Book 1 because I feel rather beat up by the very end of LOTR: Frodo feeling forced to forsake the Shire, Sam torn in two, the Three diminished, and the magical Elves taking their enchantment overseas to leave behind a dull, prosaic world. Book 1 is where nothing too terribly bad happens that can't be redressed, and everything feels fresh, even if threatened.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Aug 30 2016, 9:08pm
Post #8 of 10
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Other than being able to difinitively say that book III is my least favorite (though not because it's bad or boring), it's impossible for me to choose one section that I think is best, especially since they're all just parts of one book.
Book I is the absolute perfect transition between The Hobbit and LOTR, in my opinion. It starts off with the same light tone that we're familiar with from The Hobbit, but it gradually expands on what we know and shows a darker, more developed and mature world. Each adventure gradually shifts the tone farther and father away from the happy-go-lucky hobbit adventure tale to a serious quest. And the three or four chapters spent in the old forest/Bombadil's house are wonderfully mysterious. Bombadil's house is always a pleasure to read, as it feels like an emotional and spiritual resting place. I'd be happy to read a whole book about it.
Book II really gets everything going for the quest, with wonderful escapades in Moria and Lothlorien. Having the fellowship together is wonderful, and the world-building is phenomenal.
Book III is great, but for me doesn't quite have the allure of the others, though from The Voice of Saruman through the end is excellent.
What I love about book four and only discovered upon my last reading (a few years ago) is the continuous nature of it. We never leave Frodo and Sam. We really get to experience their journey with them, and frankly, the whole thing is exciting, especially once they pass the crossroads. Shelob's lair is such an exciting episode and ends with the perfect cliffhanger. This book really grew in my estimation last time, and I'm sure it will continue to grow and grow.
Book V is just simply epic. There's very little to say about it other than to sing its praises.
Book VI, to me, is the most perfect end to any book I've ever read. The length of the wrap-up is just so fitting to such a long journey. No stone is left unturned. The sense of closure and finality is perfect in all respects, especially once you realize not even the Shire has been left unaffected. I know some people wish the epilogue had remained, but to me, the ending is perfect, and I'm glad Tolkien ended it how he did. The perfect end to a perfect book. I'm sure this book will stand the test of time and become one of the classics.
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elaen32
Gondor
Sep 5 2016, 7:04pm
Post #10 of 10
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I'm in the "whichever book I happen to be reading " camp too
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Which sounds a bit wishy-washy and indecisive maybe. I suppose it would be nearer the truth to say that it depends on my state of mind during any particular re-reading of the book, as to which part of it I enjoy the most. Unlike many, I've always enjoyed Book VI after the destruction of the ring. I recall the first time of reading how overjoyed I was that Faramir and Eowyn got together. And tears in eyes imagining the parting of Arwen and Elrond. The Scouring of the Shire has grown on me, although still not my favourite chapter. The final chapter has me in pieces every time....
Is there a Tolkien topic that you have wanted to look into more deeply and write about your thoughts on it? If so, we'd like to hear from you for the next TORn Amateur Symposium- coming in July. This is the special LOTR 60th Anniversary TAS- for details, see the TAS threads in the Reading Room
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