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inesofia's review
3.0
“Pertencia ao tipo de pintor que pinta melhor folhas do que árvores. Costumava passar muito tempo com uma única folha, a tentar apreender-lhe a forma, o brilho e a cintilação das gotas de orvalho nas orlas. No entanto, queria pintar uma árvore inteira com todas as suas folhas no mesmo estilo e, simultaneamente, todas diferentes.”
evakonic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is an incredibly short story that stays with you for days, because you just think about it all the time. Loved it.
mimirtells's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 Stars (%75/100)
A short but very captivating story about a painter named Niggle. He is very passionate about painting but struggles to finish his masterpiece because he is also interested in helping other people. He works on the leaves in the painting very carefully but also needs to help his neighbour. He is a perfectionist (which I can relate) and the ending of the story is brilliant.
A short but very captivating story about a painter named Niggle. He is very passionate about painting but struggles to finish his masterpiece because he is also interested in helping other people. He works on the leaves in the painting very carefully but also needs to help his neighbour. He is a perfectionist (which I can relate) and the ending of the story is brilliant.
hybum's review against another edition
4.0
"He was kindhearted, in a way. You know the sort of kind heart: it made him uncomfortable more often than it made him do anything; and even when he did anything, it did not prevent him from grumbling, losing his temper and swearing (mostly to himself)."
So, basically Niggle is all of us.
Leaf by Niggle is a short story about a little man who just wants to paint, but he keeps getting distracted by his obligations to other people, particularly his neighbour. It is short, easy to read, and makes you think about life and the people in it (and how maybe we can be more kindhearted).
So, basically Niggle is all of us.
Leaf by Niggle is a short story about a little man who just wants to paint, but he keeps getting distracted by his obligations to other people, particularly his neighbour. It is short, easy to read, and makes you think about life and the people in it (and how maybe we can be more kindhearted).
schmauften's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Beautiful and thought provoking. A perfect read.
errantreads's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A dreamy parable about life and death and worth.
lucifer_the_cat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gageofthegoats's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
fae_noir's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a beautiful story about a painter who can't finish his masterpiece because of life's interruptions, and the journey he goes on that not only sees his work realized greater than he could have expected, but also in a way that repairs the lackluster relationship he had with his neighbor. There's a twist to all this that you have to read to find out, and it'll have you crying both happy and bittersweet tears.
Tolkien was famously not a fan of DIRECT allegory. I put that word in all-caps because Tolkien's works are all highly symbolic, he just hated it when something in a story was a 1-to-1 equivalent to something in the real world. (Probably the most famous example is that he wasn't thrilled his friend C.S. Lewis made Narnia a direct allegory of Christian theology.)
"I much prefer history – true or feigned – with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author." - Tolkien
Yet Niggle is arguably the most allegorical insight into Tolkien's personal struggle with perfectionism and his efforts to finish as much of the history of Middle Earth as possible before his death. He did manage to finish The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion (which LotR was meant to be a direct continuation of) eluded completion.
The most beautiful thing about Niggle is not just the insight into Tolkien's struggles with perfectionism and finding time to indulge his creativity, it's the applicability (to use Tolkien's own word) to the struggles of all artists, writers, and creators. We're all Niggle. All of us have grander visions in our heads than we find manifesting on the page or screen or canvas. All of us want more time to create, and groan at the interruptions. All of us dread running out of time to realize the vision that means so much to us. All of us struggle to balance that drive to create with investing time into the people and relationships we want to share our creations with.
I was so skeptical I was going to like this story, despite being a life-long Tolkien fan. For the longest time it just didn't appeal to me when I'd rather spend my time lost in Middle Earth. And yet I firmly believe that stories find people when they need them most, and this story definitely found me at a time when I've been in a really hopeless place with my writing. Thank you, Niggle. Thank you Professor, for putting this beautiful metaphor of a story onto the page.
Tolkien was famously not a fan of DIRECT allegory. I put that word in all-caps because Tolkien's works are all highly symbolic, he just hated it when something in a story was a 1-to-1 equivalent to something in the real world. (Probably the most famous example is that he wasn't thrilled his friend C.S. Lewis made Narnia a direct allegory of Christian theology.)
"I much prefer history – true or feigned – with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author." - Tolkien
Yet Niggle is arguably the most allegorical insight into Tolkien's personal struggle with perfectionism and his efforts to finish as much of the history of Middle Earth as possible before his death. He did manage to finish The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion (which LotR was meant to be a direct continuation of) eluded completion.
The most beautiful thing about Niggle is not just the insight into Tolkien's struggles with perfectionism and finding time to indulge his creativity, it's the applicability (to use Tolkien's own word) to the struggles of all artists, writers, and creators. We're all Niggle. All of us have grander visions in our heads than we find manifesting on the page or screen or canvas. All of us want more time to create, and groan at the interruptions. All of us dread running out of time to realize the vision that means so much to us. All of us struggle to balance that drive to create with investing time into the people and relationships we want to share our creations with.
I was so skeptical I was going to like this story, despite being a life-long Tolkien fan. For the longest time it just didn't appeal to me when I'd rather spend my time lost in Middle Earth. And yet I firmly believe that stories find people when they need them most, and this story definitely found me at a time when I've been in a really hopeless place with my writing. Thank you, Niggle. Thank you Professor, for putting this beautiful metaphor of a story onto the page.
fistofmoradin's review
4.0
While I disagree with the very Roman Catholic theology, it is a great story about the eternal value of every day things and how even the most mundane work is part of a larger Gospel work.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.