I re-read it after seeing the movies - which I loved. I though they did an excellent job of condensing the story into a manageable chunk.
But when I re-read the book, I was almost ashamed to say that I found it very slow. So much of it takes place in meandering observation and thought processes. The action parts of the book are never done in detail, they win a battle in two paragraphs and go on to talk some more about good tobacco, or tea.
I thought that it was probably a symptom of today’s fast paced world - that I didn’t have the time to sit and wallow in the sensuality of description. That I’d become so desensitised that I couldn’t appreciate the detail. I often have a go at my hubby for wanting to watch movies that are full of flames and blood and speed and nothing else. I was horrified to think that I coud be tarred with the same brush.
But on reflection, I don’t think I should feel that I let him down. I enjoyed reading the books when I was 12, and will always hold them dear. But times and writing styles change.