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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
medium-paced
This is the sort of thing I only recommend reading if you are already into the author’s oeuvre, because otherwise these are two short stories about completely average English village life and fairy tales.
Smith is printed first but was composed later, towards the end of his life; Farmer Giles is pre-WWII and shows it. Smith is very much interested in the same sorts of issues as Leaf by Niggle, or at least in the same genre of it, whereas Farmer Giles is a just-so story, more or less, and working out some thoughts about dragons that are pretty easily linked to Smaug.
Apparently Farmer Giles is in The Tolkien Reader, which I’ve also read and reviewed but cannot be arsed to find the review now. Not super positive that I didn’t remember it, but I enjoyed it on re-read. Smith has a lot of interesting thoughts that I’ll be unpacking for a bit.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This two story collection includes Farmer Giles of Ham, which is included in The Tolkien Reader, but it also includes a new story--Smith of Wootton Major. Smith of Wootton Major, like many of Tolkien's stories is based around English tales of faerie and that other realm. Tolkien was a great lover of the faerie and maybe, even a great believer. I don't have much else to say, other than that the stories are charming and a recommended read.
I read Smith of Wootton Major here and it was so interesting to see how Tolkien created his fairy tales. I liked it a great deal.
Two rather short (about 50 & 100 pages, respectively, with illustrations), whimsical tales in one volume. Recommended for younger readers who may not be quite ready for Tolkien's most famous work, or just anyone who enjoys a good yarn. I also think they'd be fun to read aloud.
inject fables and fairy tales directly into my veins
Love these short tales from Tolkien. They really show the depth of his writing and craft as as a storyteller. Very different in content and feel, they are both stories of magical happenings; one somber and almost sad and the other filled with raucous humour. I loved these as a child and loved even more reading them to my kids.
These stories are soooooo different and such fun. :-)
Very cute fairy tale, meant for children at the time but the language now lends itself to a more advanced age, I'd say middle school age and older. Very cute and a quick read!