It seems people who have read the Silmarillion either love it or hate it. There seems to be no middle ground. Me, I love it. I read it when I was 13 or 14, and it just changed the way I look at the world. Heck, I've wanted to be one of the Noldor ever since!
One thing that bothers me for some reason is the "new canon" which was revealed in the Histories of Middle Earth series, specifically changing the parentage of Orodreth and Gil Galad. I'm on record stating that canon is overrated, but this one sticks in my craw. I think it's probably because the Silmarillion has been such a big part of my life that changing it doesn't sit well for me. So I'm going to keep it as my canon, later writings notwithstanding.
I don't want to leave the impression that I dislike the Histories series. I actually do like them, although I don't have the entire set just yet. I remember going to a bookstore asking if the store had The Lays of Beleriand. The clerk thought I was looking for some weird porn!
I love the Silmarillion. It's a more tedious read than Leviticus but it pays off when you finish.
Do people hate the Silmarillion? Haha. I think it is just a little more difficult to read, and it is definitely one for the more hardcore Tolkien fans. But I don't really know of anyone that has finished it, and not enjoyed it :)
I never found the Silmarillion tedious, but I guess it was mainly because I was a voracious reader. I was already familiar with Greek mythology and the Arthurian and Carolingian legends when I first heard of Tolkien.
the silmarilion has a special place, first the one who do read it probably have read the hobbit and lotr (havent met one who hasnt) and still not all who have read those books read the silmariolion.
To me it was a real pain to read, and i dont love it nor hate it (form the 3 my favorite is the hobbit) but man i almost never finish it there was a good amount of time that i didnt read the book. Though i read it translated so that may affect the effect overall
The Wayback Machine has a series of essays written by Tolkien scholar Michael Martinez. One of them talks about Middle-earth canon.
Is your canon on the loose?
For what it's worth, I'm still going to stick with The Silmarillion as part of my canon because it has been that way for decades, and I'm too old to change.
The nice thing about so much of Tolkien's writings coming to light is that you can pick and choose your canon.
I love the Silmarillion. It totally changed how I view elves. I usually read it once a year. I just finished up reading it during quarantine.
Elves in LOTR vs. Elves in The Silmarillion