lou's library

How I made it to the ripe old age of 29 without knowing how The Lord Of The Rings ends is a miracle to those around me and myself, but let’s just say I am quite good at avoiding things I don’t like and for a very long time I was under the (very silly, it has to be said) impression that The Lord Of The Rings was simply not for me. Me, that is an avid reader who loves intricate world building and storytelling, fantasy and who very much enjoyed The Hobbit. How I came to think I wouldn’t like The Lord Of The Rings? It’s beyond me to say at this point, which brings me to the theme of this blog post: I finally read it and what can I say? I HAD A HOOT AND A TOOT!

But let’s start at the beginning, with The Fellowship Of The Ring. It was all cosy enough with Bilbo going on his merry way and Frodo living quietly for a few years, but I was rather impatient for the action to start, as I knew there would be all sorts of dangers, battles, and intrigues before we’d cross the finish line. Therefore, I was simply thrilled when Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin (the most iconic quartet ever second only to The Beatles) went on their merry way. I love me a long quest, particularly if it involves walking a lot, and that’s just what they did. Then they met Strider aka Aragorn and I immediately knew he would be my guy. There usually is a guy in books I hyper-fixate on, because I really am very basic, so basic indeed that I chose the guy everyone seems to choose when consuming The Lord Of The Rings, as my sister has since informed me. Apparently, Aragorn is everybody’s darling, but for good reason, because what can the man not do??? swoons

Now, I had watched the film adaptations of the books twice before reading them, which might lead you to think that I knew the plot, or at least the ending. But nope, I had not a clue what would happen at any time, because I watched the movies a long time ago and paid rather little attention to them. Therefore, I spent the rest of the trilogy silently praying that my boy Aragorn would make it through. Spoilers ahead, in case you too have lived under a rock and don’t know how this story ends, but I was very relieved to find him not only alive, but thriving at the end of The Return Of The King.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I finished the first part in a state of annoyance concerning Frodo, because that hobbit really is a little brat in that part of the book. He is moody and not a very good friend to Sam, who is one of my favourites and would have deserved much better treatment. I get that Frodo’s burden is heavy, but it still gave me major Harry Potter in book five vibes, if you know what I’m saying. Luckily, Frodo grew on me a bit towards the end of the story, and he turned out to be a quite wise little hobbit.

I was surprised by how little I minded Tolkien’s infamous tangents and side stories, because I found it impossible not to admire and love his world building, and how much thought, care, and love he has evidently poured into this story. I too would want to tell the readers about all the different creatures, and wars, and events. That being said, I enjoy learning about a character’s backstory much more than reading massive battle scenes where the stakes are high, so nobody was more surprised than myself when I found myself soaking up every word about every single battle scene in these books. Shit started truly hitting the fan in The Return Of The King, and just you believe me that I was right there on the battlefield with Aragorn, Gibli and Legolas (who, it has to be said, is a bit of a bore). Tolkien might just be the king of battle scenes as far as I’m concerned, because I ate that shit up and that never happens!!! I could hardly give higher praise to a book!!

I loved the dual points of view we got in The Two Towers, when the fellowship has split up and we get to journey with both teams. It kept the plot dynamic, and created a sense of tension and purpose that I loved. Reading about Sam and Frodo journeying on with Gollum was really quite wretched, everything about that part was horrible and I just wanted someone to get them some proper food and a warm bed, for God’s sake. Gollum meanwhile has to be one of the best characters ever. Best as in ‘most-well-written-and-fascinating’, not as in ‘he’s a great guy’. I felt so furious every time the little shit started deceiving Frodo and Sam, but at the same time I pitied him because what kind of life is thirsting after a piece of jewelry so desperately that you would do anything for it? Gollum is the perfect warning sign when it comes to the dangers of the ring, he literally embodies everything that is wrong with it and that’s why it’s genius that Tolkien keeps him around for large parts of the story. He’s now one of my top ten villains, and I found him much scarier than Saruman.

I also am ready to die on the hill that Sam is the true hero of the story. Yes, Frodo is the one who had to carry the ring for the vast majority of the journey, and he is the one who destroys it (well, in a way it’s Gollum, but it’s close enough). But a lot of the emotional and physical labour to get to this point is done by Sam, who is repeatedly characterised as not being very bright, but loyal. I think it’s insane to think that anyone without much brain could have pulled off what Sam did, and I was very glad when he got his happy ending. Frodo’s ending on the other hand BROKE MY HEART, because I did not see it coming for a second, and because it instantly occurred to me as the only proper ending there could be for this story, but I felt so utterly heartbroken for Frodo, despite him not being one of my favourites. What a devastating destiny for this hobbit, but also how brilliant, because some things simply never can be mended once they’ve been broken, and I think it’s pretty evident that a part of Frodo broke on that perilous journey. BUT OH HOW SAD.

Speaking of happy endings, I would have liked to get more than one meagre sentence on Aragorn’s wedding, after Tolkien made me wait one thousand pages for it. It seems to me that Tolkien wasn’t one for romance, which is fair and all, but go girl, give us nothing. That being said, I should probably just be glad he didn’t kill Aragorn off, so there’s that. And there was something very satisfying about returning to the Shire at the very end, after all the celebrations, back to where it all began. Except the Shire had changed, which was sad but I also loved it, because that’s what happens to places, especially in dark times.

To me, The Lord Of The Rings wasn’t as utterly addictive as other fantasy books I’ve read, but I still didn’t want to stop reading. And simply knowing that this story is the blueprint for so many that followed and the impact Tolkien’s writing has had on the fantasy genre, is incredible. His mind must have been an incredible place, and that’s without even considering the entire language he created for this story. What a genius.

I just thought Tolkien nailed the ending in every single way, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading The Lord Of The Rings. Now I know about Ents, and Elves, and Mordor. And although I very much doubt I will ever become a diehard Lord Of The Rings fan (that seems like a full time job to me), to have closed that giant gap in my literary knowledge is a joy indeed. And to have enjoyed myself so much just goes to show that sometimes you ought to stop being a silly little goose and go on an adventure with four hobbits instead.