Books :: The Fellowship of the Ring

November 29, 2018

Books :: The Fellowship of the Ring

If you've known me for a while, you know that I grew up on Lord of the Rings movies. We saw each of the movies in theater on opening day... owned them all on VHS... then upgraded to DVD and Blu-ray. So much love for them. I still re-watch them at least once a year.

Because I grew up with just the movies as a young girl, I had never read the books: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. I've had plenty of time to do so. I think part of me didn't want to give them a shot because I was so in love with the films. Every book lover has been in this predicament! Usually it's the other way around: we don't want to go see the movie because we know it won't be as good as the book! This was the opposite for me.

Example: I had watched The Count of Monte Cristo in 2002 and LOVED IT. It was one of my favorite movies for a long time. Then I read The Count of Monte Cristo in 2015, and it just dulled the movie in my mind. It blew the movie out of the water! So many things switched up and left out (I get it ... the book is huge!). Still. I was disappointed in the movie after I read the book.

I did NOT want this to happen for my beloved Lord of the Rings films.

However, I am pleased to say that I bit the bullet and read The Fellowship of the Ring.

Wow.

I am obsessed. I am even more happy with the movies now that I've read the book and realize what a wonderful job the directors did. Sure, the books are long and packed full of description, so they had to cut some things out. The things they chose to leave out made sense. The sections they chose to leave in, they (usually) got spot on! Even many, many direct quotes from the pages.

What a wonderful surprise. It's the little things like this that make me happy. I am currently enjoying The Two Towers, and so far ... it is spot on as well!

For those of you who don't know about these books, it starts with The Hobbit. Read this book first! Some of what is said and referred to in the other three books is from The Hobbit. I am glad to say that I read this book first, right before the three current movies came out.

The Fellowship of the Ring is about the fight between good and evil - dark and light. The fate of Middle-Earth hinges on a tiny hobbit or "halfling." He was sent on his quest with three other hobbits by Gandalf the Grey (a wizard). From that point on, it's a struggle from Point A to Point B because all evil beings are drawn to the ring of power. Even the hobbit, Frodo, struggles to resist the temptations of the ring. In the land of the elves, a fellowship is formed: one wizard, two men, an elf, a dwarf, and four hobbits. The goal: take the ring to where it was forged (in the dark land of Mordor ... in the fires of Mount Doom) and destroy it.

If you're a fantasy lover or not, I feel that most anyone would enjoy this classic. I sure did! And after you read it ... watch the movie! You won't be disappointed.