Reviews

This short story is an allegory for Tolkien's own battles with perfectionism, procrastination and the distractions that kept him from publishing any of the Middle-Earth novels for years.

"At any rate, poor Niggle got no pleasure out of life, not what he had been used to call pleasure. He was certainly not amused. But it could not be denied that he began to have a feeling of-well, satisfaction: bread rather than jam. He could take up a task the moment one bell rang, and lay it aside promptly the moment the next one went, all tidy and ready to be continued at the right time. He got through quite a lot in a day, now; he finished small things off neatly. He had no "time of his own" (except alone in his bed-cell), and yet he was becoming master of his time; he began to know just what he could do with it. There was no sense of rush. He was quieter inside now, and at resting-time he could really rest."

A very important read for anyone who has struggled in the creative process.

spinnypinwheel's review

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4.0

Cute but powerful. Will probably need to sit down and read it again to gain a fuller understanding.

adelaz's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

maedae4's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This was a real pleasure to read, and I'm glad that my brother told me beforehand that J.R.R. Tolkien disliked allegory in all forms. That challenged me to try to understand the story as its own thing, even if it paralleled Tolkien's life in some ways or bore some resemblance to life and death and the creative process. I'm intrigued by the idea that apparently everyone is bound for the mountains in time, and Niggle just needed time to prepare himself for his arrival there. I also like that he had to let Parish into his creative process in order to really get perspective and flesh out his painting. I like the meandering approach he took to his work and that he wasn't striving for greatness or for a legacy--he just felt dedicated to this one image he had in his mind. It gives me hope as I struggle to work on my own creative things and balk and lose steam and worry. I think that Niggle has a good relationship with his work and a vexed relationship with time, which unfortunately keeps passing.

happysami's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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