Book Review: Beren and Luthien by JRR Tolkien

 


Beren and Luthien - JRR Tolkien - 4 Stars

The story of Beren and Luthien itself would be 5 stars for me, but this book had a lot of excess commentary I was not personally invested in from the editing Christopher Tolkien did. It appears from other reviews the story of Beren and Luthien is from The Silmarillion - but this book would be worth purchasing if you are someone who would love to see the details behind Tolkien's writing from his son's point of view and the artwork throughout the book is worthwhile. The version in The Silmarillion is very straight to the point from what I have seen in another review but this one is closer to "normal prose" where it's the same story told again in a different way in verse. I think since I am not really a poetry or verse person, I prefer the original story. 

The Story of Beren and Luthien is reminiscent of Arwen and Aragorn in that this is the story of a mortal man who fell in love with an immortal elf. Beren has the quest to steal a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth. Also, Aragorn in LOTR is a distant descendant of Beren and Arwen is a distant descendant of Luthien - so interesting to me!

I think the best thing about this book is the love sotry set against the backdrop of the First Age of Middle Earth, during a great time of strife and conflict. Beren is driven by his love for Luthien and takes on what seems like an impossible tasks to win her hand in marriage. Luthien is there to help Beren with her abilities and together they face trials. I also love that this love story is celebrated as one of the greatest love stories in Tolkien's mythology, illustrating themes of sacrifice, courage and the power of love to overcome even the greatest obstacles. You can also see, as someone who has already read The Hobbit and LOTR trilogy, how this plays a significant role in shaping the history and fate of Middle Earth, as their descendants are a critical component to future ages.

Overall, glad I read through it, even if there are some parts I don't fully understand in the verse and notes from Christopher. I would like to go back one day and see what I missed.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6236455472
Amazon: https://amzn.to/42P4FcY

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