I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t daunted by the prospect of reading The Silmarillion.
For years and years it’s been one of those books where the spine seemed to follow me round the room.
Are you ready yet?
The answer was always no. Nope. Absolutely not.
But I finally got tired of feeling like a wimp.
So down it came from the shelf and I tried to look/feel/actually be cool, calm, and collected as I headed off into this new old world.
It definitely wasn’t an easy read.
I went from understanding what was happening, to not understanding, to being almost sure I was keeping up, to definitely not keeping up, and back again pretty much everytime I picked up the book.
At first I found it frustrating and wished I’d never started it. It’s not great for your reading ego feeling left behind no matter how hard you try to keep track. But it’s just not a normal story. You’re witnessing a whole world and the creatures and people in it being created. Naturally it’s going to get a bit messy. (On that note I can wholeheartedly and unashamedly recommend looking up a few synopses to help make everything clearer. And make good use of the index!)
But as much as there are points where names whirl around in a blur and whole wars are over in half a paragraph, there are moments (and, dare I say, whole chapters) where everything is beautifully clear and all you can do is marvel at how Tolkien created such a complex but completely enchanting world.
I loved the story of Beren and Luthien. I loved recognising familiar characters and learning more about their origins. I loved the tangle of motives, the triumphs and the downfalls.
And for all the epic scale and formal language there are plenty of quieter moments that pack a heart-warming/terrifying/thought-provoking/disturbing/sombre/lightbulb-moment punch.
I’ll probably have to read it again. And then again. And after all that I’ll more than likely have missed something important. But overall the Silmarillion is definitely worth a read and I did actually enjoy it.
It’s also made me feel braver when looking at other daunting books on the shelf.
Because what’s the harm in trying?
Joanna Corbet 
This is a great review, it’s made me actually want to toe the waters of Tolkien again, it’s been many many years since I read The Hobbit! Challenging books are always a test of patience and determination. Well done for not turning back!
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Thank you. It’s funny, the first thing I thought when I finished The Silmarillion was that I need to reread The Hobbit soon! It’s definitely my favourite of Tolkien’s… probably because I didn’t have to use an index to keep track!
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