JRR Tolkien: The Making of a Legend ~ Book Review

Have you ever wondered what made someone tick? Or, why someone was a certain way? No? Drat. I do it all the time.

Like when our son decides it's the perfect time to go feed the dog while he's supposed to be doing his math lesson. Yeah, it's times like those that I wonder what he's thinking. 

But, living with the little guy, I'm at an advantage. I can pretty much tell you why he's feeding the dog instead of doing Algebra ~ because he doesn't want to do it. Shocking revelation, wasn't it?
I didn't think so.

Be that as it may, there are just sometimes I want to know a little bit more about some of my favorite people ~ authors especially. Was so and so an instant success or did they have to struggle? Did they ever feel as though they had achieved something in their lifetime? What was their purpose in writing these things?

When I was offered a chance to review the book, J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend, I jumped at it. He's one of my favorite authors, so why wouldn't I, right?

They say, write what you know.

But what if you happen to write about things like Orcs, Hobbits, and Elves? Do you really know this enough to write about it?  In a way, yes, JRR Tolkien did write what he knew. Or, more like it, the way he saw the world. Overcoming tremendous odds, he gave us some of the best loved stories that still thrive today.

When you read this book, you're getting an intimate peek inside a complex individual that was molded by his fair share of life, death, loss, and love. Be prepared for emotional turmoil that followed him thru his life. Cheer for him when he finds his one true love, and pity him when he ultimately sets aside that love because of the wishes of another.

Not only will you meet the man behind the Hobbit, but the story of JRR Tolkien's perseverance through hardships will inspire you when you thought your hope was gone.

JRR Tolkien had a gift. He was a romantic. I know. Many a man would shudder to be labeled a romantic, but he saw life differently than most. When the regular person would see only an ordinary tower, JRR saw not a normal tower, but a different time and place with evil and good, fighting against one another and that tower, a pinnacle that holds it all in the balance.

Conjuring stories and poems on a whim, he was an immensely gifted man. A creator not only of worlds and words, but of entire languages. 

But why would he desire to write such stories as The Hobbit? To reignite a love for fairy tales to a new readership. 

He has succeeded in this and his stories live on and will continue to do so for generations of romantics to come.