Lord of the Rings - I finished reading the book and watching the three movies. The book was very good, and I was sorry to finish it and say goodbye to all the characters I had come to love. The movies were very well made. It is very difficult to remain true to a book like this, but the movies did a splendid job nevertheless. Watching the movie brought even more life into the characters. I also like the way the second and the third parts start unapologetically without a recap or an explanation, and just go on, expecting you to have watched the previous part/s. What an effort it must have been to make those movies!
LOTR is hardly the best book I have read, but it has been one of the greatest entertainers. It is an epic by itself, in size, detail and characters. I was in a completely different world while I read it. Somebody who discovers the Mahabharatha anew would probably feel this way. And the analogy wouldn't be too far off - I have read and heard that JRR Tolkien based this story on many existing myths and legends. A very clever book indeed.
It is a book about the perennial favourite - victory of good over evil. It is a book about friendship, courage, valour. About faith, determination and grit. It tells you that anybody, however small, can make a difference. It also shows you that the most unlikely person can come out a hero. There are kings, there are brave warriors, there are beings who are forced to be brave by circumstance, but the real hero of the story, in my eyes, is a supposedly slow-witted gardener - because of his devotion and belief and pure determination.
Anyway, like I said, I have been living in a different world until now. Here are a few anecdotes which will tell you how immersed I was in LOTR.
****
Me: Puttachi has a runny nose.
Mom: Oh, what are you giving her?
Me: Fangorn, err.. Aragorn... errr I mean, Phenergan.
[Fangorn - name of a forest, Aragorn - a leading character]
****
We were driving on the road and I spotted a shop which had displayed car tyre frames.
Me, half asleep, wondered "Why have they displayed shields here? Where are the spears?"
****
Road rage is now fun - we call the erring motorists Gollum, Wormtongue and Orc names.
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We were watching A History of Violence, starring Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in LOTR the movies.
Me: S~, I missed that dialogue.. what did Aragorn Son of Arathorn say?
S~: (Rolls his eyes)
****
S~: So you have finished the book. Shall I return it (to colleague)?
Me: Not yet!
S~: Why?
Me: (Sheepishly) Revision.....
Yes, I am reluctant to say goodbye to my friends Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin and Aragorn and Gandalf and most of all, Gimli and Legolas!
But I must. There are far too many books to be read, and life is too short!
14 comments:
Shruthi, If you read kannada books pls do read Annana nenapu by PoorNa chandra tejaswi, it will even make you feel the same(ishtu bega pustaka mugithaa).. If you have already read it, I guess you would agree with me!
The last line is indeed so true.
Isnt Sam absolutely lovely? :) He was (is) my favourite character - WAY more than Frodo. I found Frodo such a weak character, and Sam desopite his fears and whatnot, was so stubbornly courageous. Loved the guy who played him in the movie, too. Also Orlando Bloom as Legolas, as far as I'm concerned, his best ever role.
Yep, Gimli and Legolas are my favorites too. And I like Sam better than Frodo.
-Parijata
so, which is the best book you have read so far?
Gollum is the most menacing character I have ever come across---something worse than evil---something from the depths of the basest nature---shudder!I loved Legolas (Orlando Bloom )in the movie---in fact when talking of Troy, or Pirates of the Caribbean, I'd refer to him as Legolas!
lotr... classic trilogy.
full of unforgettable moments and dialogues...
the macho friendship between legolas and gimli.. their game on who kills the most.. in this particular breathtaking visual, legolas pulls out an stunning stunt and kills an elephant. the visibly disgusted/awestruck gimli utters - "i will still count it as one"
the royal aragon..
and above all, the immortal words of sam - "there is something good in this world... and it is worth fighting for"
absolutely brilliant.
Oh I dunno.. I'm surprised you found it entertaining.. I couldn't get past the first thirty pages or so!!
u a doc?[phenargin]..and ahve u read "if tomorrow comes" by sidney?
Ah.. i read your post just in time. I was just planning to order the three LOTR books and the prequel 'The Hobbit'. Ppl told me to actually read one book decide if you can continue and then buy the rest. So i was looking for some opinion on this.
It's rated as one of the best works... and didn't want my personal library to be without it and so now i can safely go pick the whole lot.... Then will watch movies..
It was good that i navigated to your blog in time.
Good posts btw!!!
My wife found Gollum to be cute in the movie, especially the way he speaks - in fact for a couple days after watching the movie she was talking that way...with all the "ssssssssss" at the end of every word! :)
LOTR is LOTR, unmatched and peerless...I can read it umpteen number of times without getting bored. Agreed the language in the book does get some getting used to. But once you are past that, you are hooked...for life.
I completely identify with you, Shruthi. And I have a suggestion for you - why don't you get your very own copy of LOTR. That way, you will have them with you forever!! Believe, its worth keeping with you.
I loved the books too.. ended up buying my own copies of both, the books, and the movies. :-) I was so into the books that I read them all the way on a 12-13 hour drive to NY leaving S to his own devices to stay awake (I was not driving at that point, so couldn't really help him).
The last line of this post is proof enough that there is no God!
Hi Shruthi,
I'm so glad you brought up the topic of Sam. I always wondered why Frodo was fawned upon so much by everyone while it is Sam who was so brave, so resourceful, loyal and determined..Can't say much about Frodo's character...I really think Sam was the Hero..
I'd also like to mention one of my fave lines..."Courage is not the absence of fear but what you do when you feel fear." or something to that effect...
I 'm not sure if the elephant was meant to count as one or all the men who died falling from the back of the beast was what the dwarf was refering to.
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