Reviews

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

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_tamara_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I forgot so much about this book that I actually started considering the movies to be acceptable in ways I shouldn't have. Like making Denetor seem a cruel, unwise, frightened old man. Or leaving out The Scouring of the Shire (I get why they did it, but I would rather they left out the scenes where Legolas was acting like a one man circus show, or the army of the dead, or the elves at Helm's Deep, or most of the romantic "plot" with Eowyn...).

I also remembered why I loved the book so much. I cried again when I read about the death of Theoden King, and about Sam's bravery, and about Frodo's leaving for the Undying Lands. The whole book evokes such a mix of sorrow, and joy, and melancholy. I love it.

matthew_hough's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

5.0

karspetersen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

shavawnellsbury's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

voldemin's review against another edition

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4.0

Ich bin so stolz auf mich! Ich habe nach dem zweiten Band eine längere Pause eingelegt, aber nun habe ich die Reihe beendet und ich habe es wirklich geliebt. Die Charaktere, die Welt, die Geschichte - alles schreit nach meiner Kindheit, weil ich einen Großteil mit den Filmen verbracht habe, aber die Bücher habe ich jetzt zum ersten Mal fertig gelesen. Ich habe es geliebt mehr Hintergrundinformationen zu bekommen, was in den Filmen zu kurz gekommen ist. Ich werde die Reihe in Zukunft bestimmt immer wieder lesen. Womit ich mich immer wieder schwierig tue, ist Tolkiens langatmiger Schreibstil. Ich habe nichts gegen langatmige Geschichten, aber an einigen Stellen hätte ich mir hier und dort weniger und anderen Stellen mehr gewünscht.

amesmann24's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

jrudy's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Amazing conclusion to the series, I love the way the world is really fleshed out without the author explicitly telling us but rather through the characters' stories and experiences. I had forgotten how different the book ending is to the movies and it really is so much better.