The audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis is a fantastic way to experience this story. The scene with Boromir towards the end gave me chills.

I think my main issue with the book is the pacing. Nothing much happens in the first half, but once the journey really starts I enjoyed it a lot more. This was a reread for me, but even when I read it the first time, I had already seen the movies, and I think that coloured my experience as well. But at this point it's very unlikely that anyone will pick this up without having that reference point.

It does give me a lot more appreciation for Sam as a character, though.