Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Goodreads Choice Award Winner 2013 - Poetry

The "story":
The world's first publication of a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells the extraordinary story of the final days of England’s legendary hero, King Arthur.

The Fall of Arthur recounts in verse the last campaign of King Arthur who, even as he stands at the threshold of Mirkwood, is summoned back to Britain by news of the treachery of Mordred. Already weakened in spirit by Guinevere's infidelity with the now-exiled Lancelot, Arthur must rouse his knights to battle one last time against Mordred's rebels and foreign mercenaries.

Powerful, passionate and filled with vivid imagery, The Fall of Arthur reveals Tolkien's gift for storytelling at its brilliant best. Originally composed by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1930s, this work was set aside for The Hobbit and lay untouched for 80 years.

Now it has been edited for publication by Tolkien's son, Christopher, who contributes three illuminating essays that explore the literary world of King Arthur, reveal the deeper meaning of the verses and the painstaking work that his father applied to bring it to a finished form, and the intriguing links between The Fall of Arthur and his greatest creation, Middle-earth.

Please use spoiler tags whenever appropriate. We wouldn't want to spoil the book for all the others!!

I'm excited to read this. I've always held a soft spot for tales of Arthur and Lancelot. I'm not really sure how this will read - I loved Tolkien's story of The Hobbit, but never enjoyed any of The Lord of the Rings series. Hopefully, it's good!

This is waiting for me at the library but I won't be able to pick it up until next week. I'm not sure what to expect either, Cherene, but I am excited to give it a go.

It's difficult to expect anything with POETRY. I can be so beautiful and forceful (you can say that in English, right?) :D

I am struggling with this one. I do like poetry, but I really have to be in a mood for it. With my busy schedule of late, my brain just wants a fun fictional escape, rather than having to work for it.

I just renewed my library loan, so I am going to try to find some time to give it another shot.

Sometimes when I struggle with poetry I read it aloud ( I feel very silly but it helps ) and after a bit it seems my brain gets into the language of the poem better.

LOL...one of my attempts was at the spa. I wonder what the other patrons would have thought??? Great mental image. :)

Valerie- that would be too funny. I would be laughing if I was a patron- not very relaxing but would make me smile....

I bought it...but don't know if I am going to read it yet. Being French I am just getting to grasp the English language, now if it is poetry I may get lost. I will be giving it a try for a few pages and see how it goes :)

I just picked it up at the library. Hope to get to it this week. I have issues with poetry. I should probably take a poetry appreciation course. But it's Tolkien, so that should help.

I thought it was good, but I did expect more. Tolkien usually amazes me, but this was obviously unfinished and needed additional editing.

I've finished the poem and am going on the rest of the book. The language and format makes it hard for me to understand. It is just too bad that he never finished it. I am glad his son has made it his mission and life's work to preserve his father's legacy.

I read it but can't say I enjoyed it. It didn't have the magic that I think of with J.R.R. Tolkien. I don't read much poetry so that could have something to do with it too.

Marnie, I had trouble with the language. But I really enjoyed the stuff after the poem. I love the Arthurian legend.

Still, I recently read Black Aperture which was also nominated for the Poetry prize, and was very moved. You might try that. Though it is dark and very bitter and angry.

I finished the book. I found it educational and fascinating when reading the sections that discussed the history of the poem and the Arthurian legend (which I've always been fascinated with). The poem was hard going. I only gave it 3 stars because the poem itself really wasn't that enjoyable. But the rest is worth 4 stars. I think I need more education in Old English poetry before I can truly appreciate it.