Rating: 
Summary: A thoughtful look at a remarkable man
Review: "J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography" by Humphrey Carpenter is a remarkable look at the life, and particularly the mind of one of the most admired authors of the twentieth century. What it is not, is a discussion of his literature, and its merits and meaning. Off course, as one would expect, "The Lord of the Rings", et al. , loom large, but they are not the primary focus.Rather, this is a surprisingly personal look at Tolkien the man. The reader follows him from South Africa, to being an orphan in early industrial England, to the trenches of France in WWI, and to an academic life in Oxford. As one follows this arc, one truly begins to appreciate what drove Tolkien to write his masterpieces. His deep loves of nature, language, family and, most surprisingly, religion all reveal themselves as key elements in his writing. Most interesting, perhaps, is the very thorough examination of his career as a philologist, his actual profession. One cannot truly appreciate the enormous depth of his work, without first appreciating his fascination with this rather arcane field, and how it drove him to create a whole new world. What started as an exercise in linguistics evolved into what is, arguably, the most beloved book ever written. Carpenter has done a great service to Tolkien's literary tradition. By presenting him as a whole, remarkably complex person, he has done much to dispel the stereotype that has come to surround him. Moreover, by exploring his truly outstanding academic credentials, one might hope that the ignorant perception held by many, that his writings are merely glorified fantasy, might be dispelled. This is truly a critical work for anyone who seeks a better understanding of this remarkable man and his remarkable works.
Rating:
Summary: every chapter is Bombadilicious!
Review: (1) Tremendous skill as a biographer. (2) Almost unlimited access to primary source material. (3) Actually meeting the man, J.R.R. Tolkien. These three points combine to make Humphrey Carpenter's work a benchmark in the ever growing sea of books about Tolkien. The third point, (meeting Tolkien) actually makes for a very amusing first four pages... Carpenter describing exactly what it was like to find himself standing before this Ent-like genius of a man... "Again I struggle to think of an intelligent remark, and again he resumes before I can find one." I picked up Carpenter's book directly after my second reading of The Lord Of The Rings (reading Tolkien is definitely hobbit-forming), and I was not disappointed. It spans a timeframe of around 82 years, and we learn all about Tolkien's ancestry, early years, his life-long love of languages, his lengthy courtship and marriage to Edith Bratt (both were lengthy), his service as soldier in WWI, his devoted fathering of four children,the development of his mythology and struggles with procrastination, the creation and publication of his stories and subsequent fame, the accolades, and the quiet return to Oxford after the death of his wife. Never does this book falter, and never will the thought "oh, get on with it already" enter the mind of the reader. I've just finished the book tonight, and I am now convinced that Tolkien was a hobbit. At one point he confesses, "I am in fact a hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees, and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome); I go to bed late and get up late (when possible). I do not travel much." Tolkien was profoundly acquainted with his subject matter. He only wrote about things he "knew". This biography shows that Carpenter follows in that tradition. Perfectly.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful subject; adequate treatment
Review: A simple biography of a man who did not believe in them, nor want one for himself. I expect that by now, twentyseven years after his death, there is as least one critical biography which attempts to delve into the meaning and source of Middle Earth, the Silmarils, hobbits, and the rest of Tolkien's mythology; Carpenter's is not, nor does it make any attempt to be that biography. In this book Carpenter has given the basic, at times dry, facts of his subject's life. In fact, rather amusingly, the facts are so simple that Carpenter has had to flesh them out with invention: The description of a "typical day" in the late twenties/thirties ~ Tolkien's fourth and fifth decades. There is not as much as we could hope for about the Inklings, about C.S. Lewis, about the other friendships of Tolkien; they are mentioned, of course, and much is made of the fact that they were important to Tolkien, important enough that this book is "Dedicated to the memory of 'The T.C.B.S.'" ~ the earliest male grouping Tolkien formed ~ but never do we really gather a picture of them, other than the hazy one of a group of non-homosexual (important enough to mention at least a couple of times) men gathering. I would have liked more, especially as Carpenter is very carefully not delving into the meanings of the myths embodied in, above all, "The Sillmarillion". I enjoyed this book, but i want more, and expected more from it. NB: I read the 1977 edition of this biography; Carpenter's new edition may be radically different.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Biography
Review: A wonderful book that captures the essence and life of Mr. Tolkien, Rhythmically paced read as well as extremely informative. More focused on the man rather than his works. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Biography
Review: A wonderful book that captures the essence and life of Mr. Tolkien. Rhythmically paced literature as well as extremely informative. More focused on the man rather than his works. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Biography of a Great Man.
Review: After I completed "The Lord of the Rings" (the Fourth time though) I thought to myself, how can I possibly read anything after that? (Well anything with some merit.) So I took up the Biography of Tolkien by Humphrey Carpenter and I was very muched surprised by what I found. This biography tells it like it is of the author and his works. To be honest it dosen't read like it's non-fiction. No! It is a great pleasure read. It is a great read and I belive that it would make a wonderful gift to any one who loves the magic of "The Hobbit" and/or "The Lord of the Rings."
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Summary: The fifth essential book
Review: After reading The Hobbit and the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings, get this book to complete the experience. Carpenter is an excellent writer and biographer, getting to the heart of Tolkien's work and personality. His description of Tolkien's years as a child in Sarehole and then Oxford are especially memorable and provide valuable insight into the genesis of Middle-earth. Tolkien's middle and later years are also presented superbly. For true Tolkien fans, however, the experience of reading this book can be a sad one. By the end, and Tolkien's death, we realize the immensity of the gift he gave, which we can never thank him for.
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Summary: Genius, thy name is Tolkien..
Review: Alright, so I'm a bit biased being a huge Tolkien and Middle-Earth fan. I'll go a bit farther than the reader from Farmer's Market, CA and say this is the sixth essential book. Houghton Mifflin also recently published "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien" and it makes a great companion volume to this one. There's not much more I can add to the three reviews before mine, they summed it all up quite nicely. This is a well written and detailed book and a must read for any Tolkien fan. It's not that long either, clocking in at just over three hundred pages. Tolkien is an inspiring man who chronicled (I won't say created as Tolkien himself said he only transcribed the works of Middle-Earth) one of the best loved sagas ever written. With the new Hobbit and Lord of the Rings box set, the Letters and this biography HMC is doing him justice and producing beautiful renditions of each that should be on everyone's bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: A model of the biographer's art.
Review: As long as people are interested in Tolkien, this biography will be read. It is not so much succint or econmonical as distilled. In the age of the thousand page biography, Carpenter accomplishes a perceptive and compassionate potrait in a brisk 300 pages. There is a particularly thrilling moment recounted, when Tolkien, the soulmates of his youth struck down in the Great War, commits to carry the flame for them, and sets himself no less a task the the construction of a new mythology for his time and people. The long and arduous trek from there to the embarkation for the Grey Havens is movingly told by a biographer worthy of his subject. This biography shall live as long as Frodo continues to wend his way through the imaginations of those who suspect that myth is the road to truth.
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Summary: An Ordinary Life? I Don't Think So...
Review: Carpenter's biography of Tolkien is a wonderful look at the life of the man who introduced us to the wonderful world of Hobbits, dwarfs, elfs, dragons, monsters, and much more. Readers will learn of the early influences in Tolkien's life, his relationship with his mother, his struggles in writing and his friendship with C. S. Lewis. For many reasons it was not easy to get "The Lord of the Rings" into print. The work has a very interesting history, which is all revealed here in an entertaining and captivating way. Very enjoyable.
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