Excellent Text Frustratingly Recorded

The text of this title is remarkable and the performance is also quite good, but for reasons that not clear the audible chapters do not correspond to the actual chapters of the book. This makes it very difficult to alternate reading and listening to the text. The chapters of the recording are seemingly random and are not connected to the subject at all. I find this makes for an incredibly frustrating listening experience. I have no idea why audible would insert the chapter divides this way, but I hope that they never do this again. I have been a member for almost five years and this is the only title I have encountered where this has been done.

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12 people found this helpful

Excellent biography!

Note: I decided to pair the physical copy of this book with the audio version and found reading and listening at the same time was very helpful in keeping my focus and helping me progress through this book without getting slowed down or distracted. The author of the book actually narrates the audiobook, which is something I always really enjoy.

An excellent read for this Tolkien fan!

This being non-fiction, and me not reading non-fiction nearly as much as fiction, I’m always a little unsure how to write my review. I guess I’ll start by saying that I thought it was very well-written, well-researched, well-paced, and interesting enough that I never once got bored or wanted to skip ahead even though I already knew some of the information being conveyed. There were some new things too, though, such as more details about the TCBS (a close-knit group of friends and writing critique partners Tolkien was a part of in his college days) than I ever knew before and enjoyed learning. I also loved that the author included excerpts of Tolkien’s poetry where appropriate to make points and show how Tolkien’s writings developed over time, and I very much enjoyed reading them and discovering his inspiration for them.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable non-fiction read for me and I happily give it 5 stars.

I would recommend this book both to long time Tolkien fans who are curious about his life, especially his experiences in WWI and their influence on his writings, and to people who are new fans, or maybe not even fans at all, but are still curious about this well-known person and his life. You don’t necessarily have to have read any, much less all of Tolkien’s works in order to get something from this book (though knowing at least some of his works will certainly add depth to what you learn here) as the author tells the audience just as much as is needed in order to show what he’s wanting to show.

Content advisory: I personally would recommend this book for ages 12+ simply because of how intellectual it is and the fact that, unless they were very curious and at an advanced reading level, children younger than that simply probably wouldn’t be interested in a book like this or be able to fully comprehend it to appreciate it. Otherwise, there is very little content of concern for younger readers.

Language: One instance of the word d****d in a brief quote from Tolkien. I don’t recall any other swear words.

Violence: There is talk of war and combat throughout, but the author keeps it very matter-of-fact, never going into icky detail, while still communicating what happened in various battles and such.

Worldviews: Again, the author simply reports the facts and doesn’t give his own opinion on things.

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7 people found this helpful

I enjoyed every minute!

Part biography. Part literary analysis. John Garth is a brilliant scholar. He has a deep understanding of Tolkien and his scholarship and literature.

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2 people found this helpful

I was fortunate enough to take an Oxford course from the author

I took a class at Oxford University ( the Oxford Experience 2017) on “ Tolkien & CS Lewis at Oxford “ taught by John Garth and can tell you he is an absolute expert on all things Tolkien ! He was a brilliant teacher and loved his subject , which made the class one of my favorite ever ( I go to Oxford usually every summer at least 2 classes .
I also recall he was much younger than most of my other tutors.
I learned so much that packed week! I was very glad to see he narrated this himself . ( I also saw he was planning to teach this same class next year at Oxford! ( google “ the oxford experience “ for info )
I also was much impressed that the Tolkien family had given their approval and cooperation to John Garth which is a truly rare thing bc they’re so protective ( rightfully so) of JRR Tolkien’s legacy etc. They trusted John Garth and I know he was friends w Christopher Tolkien who he interviewed during writing another book.

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1 person found this helpful

Finally understood Tolkien movie

Well written and researched for non-LOTR experts. Perspective on WW1 relevance today is critical for fans.

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1 person found this helpful

A masterpiece

This book is a masterful work on the life of Tolkien. I highly recommend it!

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1 person found this helpful

Riveting Detail & Analysis

Garth wins the award for being the first author to compel me to listen to the Epilogue and Postscript 3x over. This is wonderful biographical scholarship, amassing tantalizing detail, telling a profoundly gripping story, and showing its significance in the history of ideas. Lovely read.

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Exemplary literary biography

This is how you do literary biography. Blends historical event, author background, and literary analysis. Writingisao superb.

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Enlightening for anyone who loves Lord of the Rings

This book has a laser focus on JRR Tolkien’s youth, his early friendships and his service in World War I. The author examines those alongside his writings from that period, in which elements of the Rings saga begin to appear. He does not stray much beyond those topics, so if you are looking for an examination of, say, how Tolkien’s Catholic faith is subtly woven into the stories, you will need to look elsewhere.
This book goes into depth and detail on his early writings, an overview which could be overwhelming in places for those who are unfamiliar with the Silmarillion opus, but those readers should still find this book worthwhile. It delineates war experiences that profoundly shaped the worldview of TLOTR (and I found the insight on Sam Gamgee particularly interesting). It also looks at writings that are mostly unknown today, but that reveal a more whimsical fantasy universe than the one that ultimately emerged in the Silmarillion.
Although I have loved TLOTR since the 70s, I came across this book while searching for reading to prepare for a tour of World War I battlefields. I would commend it as a valuable introduction to anyone who wants to understand that experience from an ordinary soldier’s perspective. I found particularly valuable the author’s comparison of TLOTR with other post-war literature, in which he indicated that many soldiers were deeply offended by widely accepted view that there had been nothing heroic or redeeming in their service.
In short, this book makes a multifaceted contribution to understanding both Tolkien and the impact of World War I.

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Depth. Insight. Many thanks

This serious study helps me understand why Tolkien had such a huge influence on my generation. It capsulizes the view of the uselessness of war contrasted with the deep recognition that to live a good life one must fight evil. Reminds me of a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna.

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