Lord of the Rings

[rhiannon333au]

A question so often asked by first time readers of LotR. Although 
it is not everyone's cup of tea, in my opinion, it is really worth
the effort. It was not voted the book of the century (20th of 
course!) for nothing. I won't embarass myself and reveal my vast 
age by telling you how many times I have now reread and 
enjoyed it, but I can recommend you persevere. 

Advice I have heard, and think is not bad, is to skip the Prologue, 
and even to start as late as the beginning of Book 2 (meaning, 
the chapter Many Meetings). Later on, once you are quite into it, 
you can go back and reread the parts you skipped.  

I think it could be difficult for some readers, going from HP to 
LotR, given how different the books are in so many ways, while 
of course there are elements in common. HP is far more 
accessible, with more light and shade; LotR has a more 
complex and deeply layered universe which it inhabits, which 
takes a bit of getting used to for some readers (although for 
others, it is almost the best feature of the books - such as those 
who learn to write and speak Elvish, for example!). The mass of 
detail and the lengthy descriptive passages can be offputting on 
an initial read, so I would say you could skip a lot of the 
description of the journey, the countryside etc, with no loss. Later 
on, once you get into it, you may find you will want to go back and 
reread those parts, or the whole thing ( as I have, so many 
times!)

Good luck with your efforts and I hope you end up persevering 
Sofie.


Megan


-- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "sofie_elisabeth" 
<sofie_elisabeth at y...> wrote:
> Hi to all,
> 
> I've just (literally) started reading the fisrt book, as part of a 
> bet with my boyfriend (if I read Lord of the Rings he'll read Harry 
> Potter and then we'll go see both films...)but I'm finding it
really 
> hard to get into. Anyone have any advice on when it gets easier 
to 
> understand?
> 
> Sofie