I recall Tolkien was the most difficult-to-read fiction I’d ever read as a teen, and CS Lewis (outside of his fiction) could be a bit heady as well. It definitely helped me grow as a reader and a thinker. LOTR was one of the first books where I also needed to really focus hard on spatial visualization with the detailed maps and changing landscape.
I had a similar experience! I loved The Hobbit, so my teacher encouraged me to read LOTR—but I vividly remember slogging through Fellowship and not enjoying it at all. It's still one of my favorite books, but I wonder if my initial affinity for it was because of the satisfaction of having persevered.
I recall Tolkien was the most difficult-to-read fiction I’d ever read as a teen, and CS Lewis (outside of his fiction) could be a bit heady as well. It definitely helped me grow as a reader and a thinker. LOTR was one of the first books where I also needed to really focus hard on spatial visualization with the detailed maps and changing landscape.
I had a similar experience! I loved The Hobbit, so my teacher encouraged me to read LOTR—but I vividly remember slogging through Fellowship and not enjoying it at all. It's still one of my favorite books, but I wonder if my initial affinity for it was because of the satisfaction of having persevered.