A very enjoyable read. A fun, classic, adventure. There is quite a bit of info-dumping and the reading is dense, but the overall experience is great

The

Tom Bombadil

section was difficult to get through, but once we crested that hill I began to greatly enjoy the book. The first third was so slow though. I loved the details of history and little asides, it added depth to the world. Definitely recommend listening to  the songs for the full experience. 

Beautifully written, but a little too slow for my tastes. Clearly all the braincells of the Fellowship are shared by Aragorn, Gandalf and Sam (sometimes borrowed by Legolas and Gimli). It's increasingly hilarious when Frodo attempts to use his non existent braincells, but a bit frustrating too, as the story is told mostly from his perspective.

Frodo is a frustrating protagonist, not because he is afraid of his Quest (which is natural), but because he lacks the charisma his uncle Bilbo had in The Hobbit, and is also unfortunately not very good at picking things up on the fly and adapting like Bilbo. He repeatedly takes action contrary to what Gandalf and Elrond have advised.

That is not to say that Frodo is a bad protagonist. In some instances, his cleverness and quick thinking do benefit his companions, and he (most of the time) has the good sense to follow Aragorn or Gandalf when he himself is in doubt. He respects and listens to the opinions and advise of creatures much older and experienced than him, but still has the common sense to not take their words as gospel. He has good friends who are willing to follow him into death on his Quest.

Its an amazing book, deserving of its title of 'Classic', but maybe not exactly my cup of tea.

My gut says 3 ⭐️s so I am listening to her. I HAVE DONE IT. I HAVE DONE THE THING. This book has been on my TBR since at least 2014, realistically much longer. I listened to this on audio, since I could never seem to force my eyes to read it. It worked out well, although Rob Inglis singing to me will likely haunt my dreams for the foreseeable future. I didn't hate it. But I also knew all the plot beats from the movie, so who knows how I really feel about the book? I don't think I'm going to be continuing.