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angie_98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jessamcelwain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a must-read for those who love Middle Earth's mythology and wish to delve deeper, but it's definitely...weird, to put it mildly. To be fair, it was published posthumously and Tolkien never had the time to flesh out his stories or characters, so if they seem overly grim or OOC for Middle Earth that would be why. It's definitely not as "fun" or light-hearted as LOTR or The Hobbit, and it can be a tedious read, but it provides a solid background for the world Tolkien created.
readcaffeinated's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
james2021's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rifmelody's review
3.5
Tolkien truly was a never-ending well of stories and the amount of characters he dreamt up is unbelievable. Each of the stories is so vastly different, that really is an accomplishment.
That said, not every story is interesting, truth be told. Sometimes I was just following the red line of a story so as not to get lost later but the details I didn't care much about because the story or the characters it centered around just didn't interest me. There are outstanding stories though, for me Of Maeglin was chapter that really gripped me. Beren and Luthien is one that a lot of people agree on is one of the stand-outs in the book and I'm no exception. Akallabeth as well - it's a story of greed but also of dreaming and it's hard to "pick a side."
Aside from the wildly different interest-factors of the stories, I have another problem with this book and that is the lack of female agency. The amount of men in this book who think that they "own" a female and can have a final say in who she does or does not marry or what she does or does not do - just no. I know this book is a product of its time but it's just hard to reconcile the might of the Valar (who only take male or female forms because they like it and no other reason, mind you, meaning they arent' male or female at all) with the complete overruling of female elves after, with only a few exceptions. The only female elf in the book who does something of her own volition that has nothing to do with a man is Galadriel. Other than Galadriel, every agency or action of a female in the book pertains to her husband (or husband to be, see Luthien) or son (Aradhel). It's a bit tiring honestly. Thank god Galadriel exists.
That said, not every story is interesting, truth be told. Sometimes I was just following the red line of a story so as not to get lost later but the details I didn't care much about because the story or the characters it centered around just didn't interest me. There are outstanding stories though, for me Of Maeglin was chapter that really gripped me. Beren and Luthien is one that a lot of people agree on is one of the stand-outs in the book and I'm no exception. Akallabeth as well - it's a story of greed but also of dreaming and it's hard to "pick a side."
Aside from the wildly different interest-factors of the stories, I have another problem with this book and that is the lack of female agency. The amount of men in this book who think that they "own" a female and can have a final say in who she does or does not marry or what she does or does not do - just no. I know this book is a product of its time but it's just hard to reconcile the might of the Valar (who only take male or female forms because they like it and no other reason, mind you, meaning they arent' male or female at all) with the complete overruling of female elves after, with only a few exceptions. The only female elf in the book who does something of her own volition that has nothing to do with a man is Galadriel. Other than Galadriel, every agency or action of a female in the book pertains to her husband (or husband to be, see Luthien) or son (Aradhel). It's a bit tiring honestly. Thank god Galadriel exists.
magicinavalon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
popolusdegroot's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0