There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale

Title: There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale

Rating: 4/5

Author: Sean Astin with Joe Layden

Pages: 308

Genre: Nonfiction/Autobiography

Synopsis:

From the moment Sean Astin heard that he would have the chance to audition for a role in Peter Jackson's newest project, The Lord of the Rings, he knew that he absolutely had to be a part of it. He didn't realize just how life changing the experience would be.

Follow Sean Astin as he reflects on the road that led him to this amazing opportunity and what it was like to bring Tolkien's Samwise Gamgee to life.

My Reaction:

There and Back Again wasn’t 100% what I expected. Even so, it kept me interested and engaged. To be honest, I’ve been feeling like I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut. Even though I’ve given good reviews, and the books deserved it, I’ve also struggled to actually want to read and finish some of the recent books. It’s nothing against the books. Sometimes you just get into a rut. I felt like this book finally got me out of it. I was genuinely interested in reading again and wanted to sneak in a few pages whenever I could.

Overall, the book did appeal to my love for a glance at the behind the scene world of cinema that I mentioned in my last post. However, there were just a couple of small things that for me docked it a point. First of all, I’m not a fan of language in my books. There are a couple words I’ll let author’s get away with, but when they start straying towards more offensive language I’d rather that was left out entirely. I know not everyone feels that way, so this wouldn’t bother you in the least. It’s not like there’s profanity on every single page (there are 308 after all), but he definitely used the f-bomb far more than I appreciate—9 times to be exact. Granted, most of those times he was quoting other people, but I’m still not a fan. There was some other language in there, most prominently the use of the “s” word, but again, if that doesn’t bother you then this isn’t an issue.

The second thing that brought it down a point is the simple fact that I wanted more. You would think 308 pages would be enough to completely satisfy my inner Lord of the Rings fan; however, Astin’s book is more of a commentary and reflection of what it is to be an actor, Astin’s own personal insecurities and faults, with a little bit of specific experiences from the making of the films. I will give him some credit, as he made me realize that perhaps it’s a good thing I never pursued acting like I considered once upon a time as my own personal insecurities would probably have been quite the hardship for me. Essentially, even though the book was mostly compelling and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his firsthand account of the experience and what it was like to work with certain actors, the writing sometimes felt long winded or repetitive, and I really would have liked some more specifics about what it was like to film certain scenes. He does give some specifics, which were great, I just wanted more.

Overall, it’s still worth a read for any Lord of the Rings fan especially if you enjoy a look behind the scenes.

Reader’s Guidance:

As mentioned above, there is some language through out the book.

Similar Books:

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden

I absolutely loved this book. I read it before I started this blog, but I would give it a 5/5. If you're a fan of The Princess Bride then you definitely need to check this book out!

Next Book:

I'm one of those people who buys books faster than I read them. I have a bunch of unread books and yet I still buy more or get some from the library, and that's how I get books like There and Back Again which sat on my shelf begging to be read since 2004. Therefore, to choose my next book, I scanned my shelves for a book a haven't read. The book that begged to be read the loudest was The Mysterious Benedict Society. 

What is the Mysterious Benedict Society, and what makes it so mysterious? I have no idea! Let's find out together! Happy reading!