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The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby shastastwin » Dec 18, 2016 12:21 pm

I didn't see FotR in theaters (RotK was the first we saw in theaters) but I remember getting the DVD for my 13th birthday. I haven't watched through them all in ages. I might have to fix that soon. (Though I sympathize with you on getting through long movies, FK. Even with our little Samwise, it's not often we have the time to sit down for one. ;)) )
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby ValiantArcher » Dec 18, 2016 8:30 pm

I got to see FotR in the theater. :D Actually, at least twice. ;)) My parents went to see it, and then my mom and aunt took me and my elder sister (we scurried to finish the book first ;))). I know it was still in the city theater in April the next year because my mom took me, my elder sister, and a friend to see it for my sister's birthday. There may've been another time in there my mom took us to see it, but I can't remember (I do know she snuck off one day to watch it again by herself ;))).

It's been a couple of years since I watched FotR (even with no kids, it's hard to sit down for about 3 hours to watch...we always do the EEs), but I do love it. :) The last time I watched it (and TTT and RotK) was over a school break which, sadly, isn't an option anymore. And I think the holidays are too packed this season to do a watch. :( (Particularly since a certain sister still hasn't finished the books, and shunting her off for 9 hours so my mom and I can watch just wouldn't fly... :P ;)))
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby fantasia » Jan 02, 2017 1:03 pm

Question, does anybody have any experience with the audio recordings of LotR OR the BBC Dramatization? I'd like to get them for my husband for his birthday, but they are pricey for the unabridged versions. The Abridged version is quite reasonable, but that's not as much fun. :P ;)
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby coracle » Jan 02, 2017 1:34 pm

I have owned the BBC dramatisation on a big set of cassette tapes! They are getting older and I no longer have a cassette option in my car radio. But I have made it part of my annual read that I would also listen to this once the reading was finished.
I have looked online and would very much like to get a CD version - someone has said I could get a download, but my tech skills for audio are not so good. Anyway, the cassettes were 70 pounds, and the CDs will be pricey too.

And here in New Zealand it is the 3rd of January, so it is already Tolkien's 125th birthday!
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Varnafinde » Jan 02, 2017 4:13 pm

It's just past midnight in Norway, too, now.
Raspberry squash.

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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby daughter of the King » Jan 02, 2017 8:26 pm

I bought the BBC Radio Tolkien Collection a few years ago. It's gotten pricier since then.

Overall, I liked it a lot. I would have preferred a different Aragorn, and the audio was occasionally soft enough that not everyone in the car could hear the dialogue, but it's a good adaptation. Still haven't gotten around to listening to The Hobbit or Tales from the Perilous Realm though.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby shastastwin » Jan 04, 2017 7:03 am

I've heard the unabridged audio book of LotR and the BBC RotK. I enjoyed both, but I'd say the audio book was the better of the two.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby fantasia » Jan 04, 2017 8:05 am

Thanks everybody, for the feedback, I will keep researching. :) I think the cheapest option would be to get a subscription to Audible and download a free book per month. Then cancel the subscription once all desirable books are procured. ;))

It's been interesting rereading LotR, and I shall put the rest in spoilers for Rose's sake, though it concerns Frodo's character.
I think the single biggest critique of the LotRs movies is the change to the character of Faramir. Understandably so. But I realize every time I go back and reread FotR, just what a true hero Frodo is. And I think that character change bothers me more than Faramir (or any other character change in the books). Yes, Faramir had a far greater deviation, but he's also a minor character. There is no character more central to the story than Frodo, and he fights, often, against the enemy in the book. In the movie he mostly just fell down whimpering, or ran away, or had to be rescued by somebody else. It really is a shame.

I finished up The Council of Elrond last night. Made the mistake of starting that chapter too late at night and it's a LONG chapter. ;))
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby shastastwin » Jan 04, 2017 12:24 pm

That's not a bad idea, FK. If I had more pocket change, I'd probably subscribe to Audible year-round. ;))

In response to your spoiler: I agree that Frodo's character was overly weakened in the films. While Faramir is still my biggest gripe with them, Frodo winds up as you said with almost no backbone or strength of character at all. I think PJ overdid the idea of the Ring as a drug addiction in that respect. We never really saw Frodo fighting back against the Ring after Fellowship and even then one of his biggest moments (at the Fords, which I'm guessing is the one that made you think of this) they gave to another character. :P
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby fantasia » Jan 11, 2017 8:20 am

It's been such fun rereading LotR again. I made it to the chapter of Treebeard last night, but that's the chapter that typically loses me. However, beings that I spend a lot of my time laying around these days, I shouldn't have too much trouble getting through it. :P ;)) Poor Treebeard.

I do want to say briefly, that for all the things PJ and company got wrong making the movies, they got a whole lot right! I suppose that's why LotR is the highest grossing fantasy series of all time, and very much beloved by many people. For me, almost all the things that bugged me about the movies is the changes to the characters...making them weaker and less heroic than they are in the book. Had they not done that, the movies would have been close to perfect in my eyes.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby johobbit » Jan 13, 2017 12:38 pm

Rose, how very exciting you're reading The Hobbit, then on to The Lord of the Rings! :D Next? The Silmarillion B-) much of which reads very much like the epic stories of the Old Testament. I tried reading it when I was in my university years (late teens) at my brother's recommendation, but I could not get through it then. Tried again in my early 40s and loved it! I have read it a few times since then. So, where are you now in The Hobbit?

fantasia wrote:It's been 15 years since Fellowship arrived in theaters.

Ahhh, such memories. I was determined NOT going to see this film, because I love the book so much, and I wanted nothing spoiled. Well, a friend convinced me at least to give it a try. Wise gal. We went together (she fell asleep during the Balrog scene :))) and I loved it. The FotR is by far my favourite of the three films because it is the truest to the book. But grrrr for the change at the Ford of Bruinen. I still weep at that. This is one example of fantasia's very valid and bang-on comments here. Also see the following post of shastastwin, as well. Hear-hear!

We have the BBC radio dramas of both The Hobbit and The LotR. Both are very well done. The only character I did not care for in LotR was Bilbo. He seemed very bland and rushed at times. That was disappointing. But thankfully he is not a main character in that lengthy tome ('though still significant).

Have you made it through Treebeard yet, fantasia? ;)) Good for you for wanting to finish TTT this time. Rooting for you. :D And for you too, Rose!
:D

fk wrote:I do want to say briefly, that for all the things PJ and company got wrong making the movies, they got a whole lot right! I suppose that's why LotR is the highest grossing fantasy series of all time, and very much beloved by many people. For me, almost all the things that bugged me about the movies is the changes to the characters...making them weaker and less heroic than they are in the book. Had they not done that, the movies would have been close to perfect in my eyes.

Yes! They did get a lot right. So much. But the thing is, what they got wrong was really wrong, imho. Still, I can fast forward those parts and revel in the true Tolkien story that comes across SO wonderfully. ♥ And totally ditto to your bit about the changes to the characters. If it were not for that, the movies would be spot-on. :D

Now, don't get me going on The Hobbit films, which I dislike intensely, except for the first 45 minutes or so of the first one, and a very few choice and well-done scenes in the subsequent films. My hubby leaned over to me in yet another action scene when we watched the second movie with other NarniaWebbers in Ohio and said "Pirates of the Caribbean", anyone? ;)) So disappointing. 8-|
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby The Rose-Tree Dryad » Jan 17, 2017 9:39 am

I've finished The Hobbit, and oh, it was so good! :D I can easily understand why it's such a beloved story. Bilbo has handily won a seat at my "all-time favorite characters in literature" table. ;)) (I cheered when Gandalf revealed himself and applauded Bilbo after he met with the Elvenking and Bard!) Ahh, it's a very satisfying story. :D

I also loved the style of writing; Tolkien had a wonderful way with words. I suppose one should expect that from a philologist, but his work makes for very pleasant reading. ;)) In terms of overall storytelling, Lewis still comes out on top for me (at least for now), but there was more than enough story-weaving magic to go around in that Inklings club, to be sure. ;)

I may very well give The Silmarillion a go after finishing LotR, Jo! I've heard good things about it, even though it's also said to be a more difficult read. I tend to be kind of adventurous with my reading anyway. ;))

Oh! You guys might like this. I ran across a piece of digital artwork the other day titled Blooming Flames by an artist called Fractist, and for all the world it makes me think of Gandalf's floral fireworks lighting up the sky over Hobbiton! I made it my laptop wallpaper and it's quite dazzling when the screen's lit up in a dark room. :D

Lastly, does anyone know anything about Hobbit-inspired cookbooks? I keep wondering what those seed-cakes look and taste like. :))
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby fantasia » Jan 19, 2017 9:00 pm

Glad you enjoyed The Hobbit Rose. :D I can't wait to hear what you think of LotR. Have you started it yet? If so, how far along are you?

In regards to Sil, to me, it reads like an Old King James Bible. (Which for me, means difficult :P ) I was constantly having to reference all of the family trees in the back of the book just to keep track of the story lines. Having said that, I'm really glad I read through it once, I really, really enjoyed it.

Speaking of LotR, I'm about to dig into The Taming Smeagol. Book 4, go go go! (I had to take a break once Book 3 finished so I wouldn't skip to Book 5. :)) )
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby johobbit » Jan 20, 2017 1:17 pm

:D about The Hobbit, Rose! :D Did you find the atmosphere of the book changed as the story progressed?

TheOneRing.net had this article back in Dec/2014 about The Unexpected Cookbook on Hobbit cookery. I don't own it, but it sure looks interesting. And it includes seed-cakes.
:D

fantasia wrote:I was constantly having to reference all of the family trees in the back of the book just to keep track of the story lines.

That's what I meant to post about above. I knew there was something else. ;)) Years ago, I ended up making my own charts as I read through The Sil, noting family trees of Elves, Edain, Ainur (the Valar and the Maiar), because I was becoming SO confused. 8-} It was rather phenomenal and mind-boggling. ;)) Yes, there were reference charts in the back of the book, but I found it helped more if I wrote them down myself, and in my own style. Goodness, what a detailed mind Tolkien had! Unfortunately, since our move a couple of years ago, I have not been able to find those charts, grrr, although I suspect they are hiding in a volume somewhere in our Tolkien library. Anyway, laying everything out on paper really helped to clarify who's who in my mind. (Not that I remember much now, haha. :p )

Woohoo, yay, fantasia! :D

I ordered a hobbit meal clock awhile back \:D/ (it was shipped the other day, so hopefully next week it'll be here). It has been difficult finding one that didn't mix up the order of Dinner and Supper, and that had "Elevenses" spelled correctly. /:) :P Anyway, I'm excited to receive it (it's rare I make purchases such as this), and hope it lives up to my expectations. :D
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Varnafinde » Jan 22, 2017 6:20 am

Family trees are almost indispensible for reading Silmarillion. Especially for the stories about the royal family of the Noldor in Valinor, where roughly two thirds of the males are called something with Fin- (from Finwë downwards, as he's the ancestor of them all) :p .

I've found a family tree on a Tolkien discussion board where I was very active for many years - the thread is called Ancestry of Aragorn. Yes, Aragorn was descended from the Elves in Valinor too, thousands of years later.

What helped me most with the who's who, was role playing on that board. There were no restrictions about using Tolkien's characters, so when we RPed in the Silmarillion context (with our own fan fiction plots to fill in gaps), I have played both Fingolfin and Galadriel. (Galadriel hadn't got that name yet, she got it from her husband whom she met later. She was known as Artanis in her youth, so that's what I played as. See the mail address in my profile.)

Both the RPing itself and looking up details in Silmarillion and other source books contributed to my knowledge of the family connections :p

The House of Finwe is a different text I found (from a blog?). It covers a smaller part of the family tree, but has more explanations for the names.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby The Rose-Tree Dryad » Jan 27, 2017 5:24 pm

I haven't started LotR yet, fantasia, but I'm hoping to begin The Fellowship of the Ring soon! I'm slightly dismayed because the font on my pocket editions gets a little smaller once you get into the LotR trilogy, as opposed to The Hobbit, but hopefully I'll be able to manage. ;))

I did notice a change in the atmosphere as the book went on, Jo! I definitely liked the last quarter the best, though it is difficult for me to say exactly why. Perhaps it's because everything that the story has been building up finally comes to a head! I do know that I loved witnessing Bilbo's character growth; his slaying the spider was a definite turning point for him. :)

*makes a mental note to have a notepad handy if/when she gets around to reading The Silmarillion* ;))

I was wondering — did any of you see the LotR films before reading the books? I haven't seen them yet, but I know that many people saw the films first and I was wondering if there were any opinions on what the best order is for maximum enjoyment. I know the films are well-loved but I tend to believe that the book is always better, and I imagine that I'll have a more critical eye towards them if I read the books first. ;)) Knowing this, I'm still planning on reading the books beforehand, but I was curious if there was anyone who had seen the films first and wouldn't want to change that if given the choice.
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