Title: J. R. R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend
Author: Colin Duriez
Pages: 192
Year: 2012
Publisher: Lion
This book is about the life of John
Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the man who created the world of Middle-earth and wrote
books about this fantasized world that he imagined as a child. Tolkien was born January 3, 1889, to Arthur
and Mabel Tolkien in South Africa. The
imagination of Tolkien evolved with many eventful experiences that changed and
shaped his life. When he was still
young, John and his brother Hilary moved with their mother to England, where
she died a few years later. Their father
had died in South Africa during the Boer War. As he grew up, John became interested in
different medieval languages such as Gothic and Welsh, which he would use to
develop the Elf language in his books about Middle-earth. He would later write a series of stories (that
he never finished) about the creation and mythology of Middle-earth, called “the
Silmarillion”. When he was young man, he
married his high school sweetheart, Edith, and served in the British military
in WWI. This certainly shaped his
perspective about war and influenced his writing.
During the years that followed, he
went to Oxford where he met one of closest friends C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, as well several
other books. He continued to write “the
Silmarillion” and also wrote The Hobbit. Four children were born to John and Edith. Their names were John, Michael, Christopher,
and Pricilla. During WWII, Tolkien
served as an air-raid warden. During the
1950s, Tolkien published The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. These books
didn’t really become best-selling books until the 1960s and 70s. In 1971, J. R. R. Tolkien’s wife died and two
years later he died himself. On their
gravestones, the names Beren and Luthien were inscribed after the two lovers
Tolkien wrote about in “the Silmarillion”.
I thought it was very interesting
to read about this man who wrote these much beloved books that are now becoming
blockbuster movies. I kind of feel sorry
for this man because he lost both his father and mother when he was still a
child; this tragedy would continue to plague him for the rest of his life. He continued to suffer a lot of things up to
the time of his death. Yet, at the same
time, I thank God for Tolkien’s endurance and firm belief in Him. I thank Tolkien for writing these books,
especially The Lord of the Rings Trilogy that has influenced many with
Christian values in subtle ways. I’m
certain God is giving Beren and his wife Luthien an everlasting peaceful rest
from the darkness of Mordor. I look
forward to meeting them when I go to heaven someday.
My rating is 4 ½ stars.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this
book. The opinions shared in this review
are solely my responsibility. Other
reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/
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