Well, The title did get me to jump in, even though the first post was a bit strong
Still Tolkein and LOTR has always been an emotional subject among fantasy fans, with emotions running strong on both sides.
I have to admit that while I'm in awe of what Professor Tolkein has done in creating such a complex and detailed work, the books can be though going at times.
In the past I had tried reading the Trilogy nearly a dozen times, but kept getting bogged down in the first 100-200 pages. At That time I was regularly reading other books 600-1000 pages long so it was not the size that was the problem, but the slow pace.
I finally managed to get through the whole series the night came back from seeing the Fellowship and just had to know what happened.
I've read it a few more times after that, and while the level of detail and the scope is great, I've come to expect and enjoy a faster pace, so rereads are not as often, and then too, just selected sections usually.
While I appreciate the influence LOTR has had on the fantasy genre which in turn influenced most of my favourite authors, I can't claim to consider it one of my all time favourites.