12歳で孤児となったが、敬虔なカトリック信者にして優秀なオックスフォード学生、そして生涯の伴侶エディスとの結婚をまっとうする誠実で純粋な青年。3人の息子と1人の娘の慈愛あふれる理想的な父親、そして超一流でありながら学生にも人望の厚いオックスフォード教授。ページを追って読み進めていくと、こんなトールキン像が現れてくる。
あの豊かなファンタジー世界を創造した作家が、こんな模範的な人物であるのかと一瞬違和感を覚えるかもしれないが、それは違う。読者は逆に、こんな人物だからこそ、ビルボやフロドの産みの親であり、まさに『指輪物語』をつくった男だと、深く納得していくことになるだろう。(祐 静子) --このテキストは、 単行本 版に関連付けられています。
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After an introduction where Coren talks about the popularity of the book (and how much critics hate that it IS popular), Coren introduces us to Tolkien in his youth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in a turmoil-filled time, was orphaned as a boy, fought in World War I, and married and had four children. And, of course, he produced books -- the fantasy classic "The Hobbit" and the darker, more epic "Lord of the Rings," "Roverandum," a few other little tales, and the Bible-like "Silmarillion."
Coren does a good job with the book. Not a great job, but a good job. His tone is usually pretty conversational, but occasionally he gets a little too heated or gushy or cutesy. This book doesn't contain any new interpretations or information; it's pretty basic, he tells us what Tolkien did, where, and sometimes why. There are plenty of crisp black and white photographs of Tolkien, his buddy C.S. "Jack" Lewis, Tolkien's homes, his guardian Father Morgan, book covers, parts of Oxford such as Merton College, and even a few wide shots of all of Oxford.
Normally this book would earn four stars, but there are some basic errors in describing people and events in "Lord of the Rings." This is pardonable in the author -- everyone makes booboos -- but an editor should have caught those little items; that's what editors are for. It gives the book a rather rushed feel.
If you already know about J.R.R. Tolkien, his life and his works, then you won't get anything new from this book. But if you're a new fan, or never learned much about Tolkien himself, then this can be considered a good introduction to the basics.
I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who hasn't read LOTR at all, because the synopsis is totally wrong. I really wanted to learn something about JRRT, but I learned something else - Mike doesn't know what he's talking about.