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Hello everyone, I hope all are well and ready to discuss this book!

As usual, I listened to the audiobook. The narrator did a good job with almost everything, better than I would have, but the song Galadriel sings at the end was delivered with some difficulty on his part. Other than that I thought it was well done.

This fictional universe is one of my favorites. Tolkien created so much depth, there is so much do dig into if you are motivated to do so. Beyond the mythos of this story is the rich history of Middle Earth, the elves, the gods, the various creatures, etc. Tolkien even created his own fully fleshed-out languages for this world!

This is the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the story of the Fellowship continues. I am eager to hear what everyone thought of this!

I really enjoyed the movies when they first came out, but this was the first time I have actually gotten around to reading any of the books. I am sorry it took so long. Having read more about Tolkien and his passion for the intricacies of the work, I really appreciate the world that he built. I imagine you could reread the books and discover something new each time. I love that about a book!

I, too, listened to the audiobook. I agree that the narrator did a good job. I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of singing toward the beginning of the book but it thinned out as it went on. I didn't hate the singing, per se, but I needed to be in the right mood for it. haha

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had some slow moments in the beginning, in my opinion, but for the most part it kept my attention.

There was so much going on during the journey, I don't really know where to start! What were some of everyone's favorite scenes and characters in the book? I enjoyed the scene when Galadriel read everyone's mind as well as the mirror scene with Frodo and Sam. I actually liked Galadriel's character quite a lot. When she was offered the ring, you could tell that she considered it but ultimately turned it down. I thought it was well-written and subtle.

I also really liked the Strider character. I didn't trust him at first, but he won me over during the journey.

What are everyone else's thoughts?

I'm chugging along with this. I'm switching to the audio. I noticed it was available on Kindle Unlimited so I thought this might help get moving on this one. Not sure what my problem is trying to sit down and read this. Hopefully I'll finish this up in the next couple of days since it's a long weekend.

I finally finished! Overall I enjoyed this. Loved the characters and the more character driven parts of the story.

I liked the story of how Bilbo found the ring. I watched the first movie in the Hobbit series (I thought I had The Fellowship of the Ring but I don't) and it has this scene in The Hobbit which made me like it even more.

I like the introduction to Strider, probably my favorite character. From that point in the book till Book II when they reach Elrond and Rivendell is probably the part I found most engaging.

Then there is is the whole world or Rivendell! I agree with Danielle I think I could read this again and discover something new or find a different part of the journey more fascinating than the time before.

So much to wrap my mind around.

Strider was a very interesting character. Gretchen, did you like him immediately, or what were your thoughts on how his character developed?

I agree with you that the book got progressively more engaging. Personally, I had a hard time getting hooked in the beginning. Being that it is the first book in the series, there was a lot to introduce us to in this world and the action really didn't get going until later. It makes sense now, having finished the book. Towards the end, I started to get excited to read the next one. I think it was a slow build-up with a big payoff.

Has anyone read all of the books in the series?

Danielle, I kind of knew going in Strider might be a favorite of mine because I saw this movie in theaters way back and I recall him being one of my favorites in the movie as well.

I apologize for being late to the party.

This book has been recommended my several of my peers on account of its historical significance in the fantasy genre and the Catholic theological themes within the story itself. I enjoyed it and I will certainly be finishing the series.

Danielle, the songs had a different effect on me as I read the book, but after reading your thoughts I found some examples of the audiobook on Youtube and I can agree that the the singing was a little awkward. The songs, as presented in the films, are much more melodic. I don't know if the fault lies in the narrator or if my untrained ears are simply not familiar with this style of music.

Gretchen, do you frequently listen to audiobooks? I am curious to hear about your experience switching from paper to audio. Did it have an impact on your imagination? When I read I have a particular sound in mind for each character. I had seen the films long prior to reading this book, so some of that carried over, but it was long enough in the past that I forgot many of the characters and what they sounded like. I would worry that switching to audio might break the suspension of disbelief, it might be a jarring transition. What was it like for you?

I have not read any other books in this series, but I have no doubt that I will finish it before long.

Ryan, I typically don't switch from paper to audio. When I do the reason I do is because I'm having a hard time connecting. So my imagination isn't engaging. No fault of the author, just usually whatever personal interference I have going on at the time.

So when I switch to audio, particularity with a good reader, it can actually pull me into the story more. The reader does a little bit of the heavy lifting for me sort of.

I prefer paper to audio and very much wanted to hunker down with this one but there were just too many distractions pulling me out of the story.

It looks like the movie might be available on Amazon Prime. If that's the case I plan to watch it this weekend.

I just finished the book! I had a really hard time keeping up with it in parts because the language is so different from what I am used to lol But I liked it! I am going to watch the movies on Netflix this weekend and see what all the fuss is about!

I thought the songs were more like poems and I didn't mind them so much but I guess I can see why they would get annoying if you dont like poetry! lol Gretchen Strider was pretty cool but Galadriel was my favorite character I think. She was the boss and everyone knew it! My friend said she was over 1000 years old too.

Do you think they will remake the movies since they are so old now?

If they try to remake the LotR trilogy I will chain myself to the studio doors in protest. I hope they NEVER do that, at least not while I am alive.

Amy, did you get to watch the movies? I'm curious to hear what you think. They are probably my favorite film adaptation of book series. Galadriel is a cool character, and if you liked her you should dig into the lore behind the books. She is actually over 7000 years old. To give you some perspective, Gandalf is about 2000 years old.

That is a little deceptive though, as Galadriel, Gandalf, Sauron, Saurman, and many others "lived" before they came to Middle-Earth. Their ages are measured in how long they were in Middle-Earth, and most of them were created by the "gods" before time began. I have not read every piece of Tolkien lore, but in what I have read I have not seen a figure for how old that universe is. It could be they are thousands of years older than we think, or maybe millions.

Gretchen, I understand what you mean by the narrator doing the heavy lifting. I tried to read The Silmarillion on and off over the course of my life and couldn't keep up with it. I was finally able to finish it in audiobook form.

Ryan, I understand where you are coming from too. When you have seen the movie, or read a book prior to listening to the audiobook version you already have a sound in your mind for the characters. Sometimes when I listen to the audio version of a book I read in print form years ago it is a little difficult to get into at first, but that almost always passes.

What did you guys think of Tom Bombadil?