Reviews

J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth by Tim Hildebrandt, Daniel Grotta, Greg Hildebrandt

hashtag_alison's review

5.0

In my opinion, one of the most important qualities a biography can have is to be written by a biographer that admires their subject but is still aware and unafraid of the subject’s faults. It gives the book balance and makes the story feel like a more complete picture, and this book has that quality. Biographies that are all praise or all fingerpointing are never fun to read. Of course, I read about people like Tolkien and Curie, so, you know, not exactly controversial figures in the first place. Anyway, this book does provide that balance and I enjoyed reading it very much both on the subject matter and the writing. I was expecting it to be a little hard to read because it was written in the 70s, but that is not so. If you enjoy Tolkien’s books, this is a good source for further research about his life.

whitehorse99's review

3.0

A short and fun if dated biography. The author did not have the approval or blessing of the Tolkien estate and family, which is evident, but this is still a fun read for any Tolkien fan who wants to read about their favorite author. Checked it out from my library and it is the only bio they have on Tolkien. Will probably suggest they acquire a better/more recent one.