“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”

It feels as if the journey has just begun and now here we are, at the breaking of the Fellowship. This final section of The Fellowship of the Ring begins in tragedy and continues with a growing air of melancholy and despair. It is as beautiful and as touched with sorrow as the last days of autumn before the coming of winter. By my reckoning it has been at least eight years since I last read The Fellowship of the Ring (for the first time) and if I recall correctly I skipped large sections of the beginning because I was not connecting with it. That was not the case on this occasion. I have cherished every word from Tolkien’s pen and have gotten so much out of the reading, in part because I have been reading it with an eye towards discussing it with you dear folk.

For those who are unfamiliar with the story, the following discussion is filled with spoilers. For anyone who has read the books and/or seen the films, intense gushing will soon ensue. I do hope you will join in the conversation.

Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring Group Read: The End →

(art by the incomparable Alan Lee)

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.

The Road goes ever on and on, bringing us to week two of the group read of The Fellowship of the Ring. This week’s journey takes us from the eventful night at The Prancing Pony through the long and perilous journey to Rivendell and the home of Elrond. Rivendell was one of my favorite locations in the film and the Last Homely House is wonderfully described by Bilbo as:

“a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”

Is it possible to go on a long sabbatical there? Anyone? Someone call my travel agent.

I don’t know if the stars have all aligned or if the Fates are smiling on me or if it is merely serendipity, but each time I have picked up The Fellowship of the Ring over the past two weeks it has just felt right. The reading could not be more pleasant and I am reveling in the small details that make Tolkien’s work so very special to me.

Thanks again goes out to Andrea and Clint for the co-hosting duties. Please visit their sites to find links to others participating in this event. I am of the opinion that there are fewer spoilers present in my answers this week, however spoilers there are and The Lord of the Rings virgins are warned to read on at their own risk.

Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring Group Read, Part 2 →