The Two Towers (Review)
Title: The Two Towers
Series: Lord of the Rings (Book #2)
Author: JRR Tolkien
Publication: 1954
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary: The second part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure THE LORD OF THE RINGS
The Company of the Ring is sundered. Frodo and Sam continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin - alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.
Review: The Two Towers is definitely not my favorite Lord of the Rings movie. However, this book was so enjoyable, and I was surprised by how into the story I got, even though I already knew what was going to happen. It’s been such a long time since I’ve read this, that I was completely sucked in–especially the last half. I laughed out loud at times, and I cried at others, and Tolkien has truly, honestly, created a masterpiece for the ages. Everyone should read these books at least once in their lives.
What I Liked: Spoilers!
- This book went so much faster than The Fellowship of the Ring. It spent a lot more time focusing on the action and character development and continuing with the story than introducing the setting and getting everything set up, etc. I felt much more engaged in the story and characters than I did in the first book, and it was so much easier to read. Tolkien picked up the pace, and that was the one thing the first book was lacking. I didn’t get bored easily, and I stayed engaged.
- I love this cast of characters. I really do. The first half of the book, I was caught up with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin and celebrated the return of Gandalf. In the second half, I eagerly followed Frodo’s story, cried because Sam is just plain amazing, and even pitied and grew to care about Sméagol (before he reverted, that is). But let’s just focus on the last chapter or so. I was determined to finish the book last night, so it was about eleven-thirty. I wasn’t expecting the Shelob scene to appear in this book, as it happens in the last movie, but I was crying just thinking about it! When I got into the chapter, and Sam was freaking out and trying to avenge Frodo by getting at Shelob. And then Sam starts to cry, and he’s crying, and he’s shouting things like Don’t go where I can’t follow! Not without Mr. Frodo! and I just die inside. It was so emotional for me, even though Tolkien isn’t a very emotional writer. He tells it like it is, but I just felt my heart breaking. I’m trying so hard not to cry, but I’m failing miserably, and the ending just captured and left me wanting more. This is what really sent me on up to five stars for this book. I loved the feeling it gave to me, and I loved the way I cared about the characters.
What I Didn’t Like:
- To be honest, I can’t think of anything. There were a couple parts, like with Treebeard, that were just a little slow, but not enough for me to get seriously bored or want to skip passages.
Overall: I would never hesitate to recommend this series, as long as you’re old enough to have the attention span for it. It’s definitely worth reading, just to try it out. This is my favorite in the series as far as I’ve read, and it was just…flawless. I loved every moment of it, and the characters will just capture you and make you want to see how their stories end. It’s never boring, and it pulls you in to a point where you need to know what happens. Tolkien is a magician and he’s just created a masterpiece. There aren’t anymore words than that. It’s a masterpiece.
