Roverandom: Difference between revisions
(Added a "Reviews" section, expanded "See also" and infobox) |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{book | {{book | ||
|title=Roverandom | | title=Roverandom | ||
|image=[[Image:Roverandom.jpg|225px]] | | image=[[Image:Roverandom.jpg|225px]] | ||
|author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] | | author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] | ||
|editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]] | | foreword= | ||
|publisher=[[HarperCollins]] | | introduction= | ||
|date=[[5 January]] [[1998]] | | editor=[[Christina Scull]] & [[Wayne G. Hammond]] | ||
|format=Hardback | | contributors= | ||
|pages=106 | | translator= | ||
|isbn=0261103539 | | illustrator=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]] | ||
| publisher= | |||
| publisherUK=[[HarperCollins]] | |||
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]] | |||
| date= | |||
| dateUK=[[5 January]] [[1998]] | |||
| dateUS=[[15 April]] [[1988]] | |||
| format=Hardback | |||
| pages=106 | |||
| isbn=0261103539 | |||
| noisbn= | |||
| issn= | |||
| series=[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]] | |||
| precededby= | |||
| followedby= | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Roverandom''''' is a story written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], originally told in [[1925]]. It deals with the adventures of a young dog, [[Rover]]. In the story, an irritable wizard turns Rover into a toy, and Rover goes to the moon and under the sea in order to find the wizard again to turn him back into a dog. Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his son, [[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)|Michael]], to amuse him upon the loss of his favorite toy — a little lead dog. The work is in tone a children's story, but contains many allusions and references in the manner of ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''. | '''''Roverandom''''' is a story written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], originally told in [[1925]]. It deals with the adventures of a young dog, [[Rover]]. In the story, an irritable wizard turns Rover into a toy, and Rover goes to the moon and under the sea in order to find the wizard again to turn him back into a dog. Tolkien wrote ''Roverandom'' for his son, [[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)|Michael]], to amuse him upon the loss of his favorite toy — a little lead dog. The work is in tone a children's story, but contains many allusions and references in the manner of ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''. | ||
It was submitted for publication in [[1936]] after the success of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but was not published for over sixty years — finally being released in [[1998]]. | It was submitted for publication in [[1936]] after the success of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', but was not published for over sixty years — finally being released in [[1998]]. | ||
==Reception== | |||
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar [[David Bratman]] praised ''Roverandom'' saying "Mum is not the word for ''Roverandom'': this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves ''The Hobbit'', from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."<ref>{{webcite|author=[[David Bratman]]|dated=April 1998|articleurl=http://www.mythsoc.org/reviews/roverandom/|articlename=Reviews: Roverandom|website=[http://www.mythsoc.org/mythprint/ Mythprint]|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Jessica Yates, writing in ''Books for Keeps'', pointed out the connections between ''Roverandom'' and both ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that ''Roverandom'' is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".<ref>Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in ''Books for Keeps'', March 1998</ref> | |||
Writing for ''[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]'', David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particular a "sense of awe" - of ''Roverandom''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.januarymagazine.com January Magazine]|author=David Grayon|articlename=A Forgotten Tolkien Tale|articleurl=http://www.januarymagazine.com/fiction/roverandom.html|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.sfsite.com SFSite]|articlename=Roverandom|articleurl=http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rov76.htm|author=Trent Walters|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
Daniel Offer of ''[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]'' offered cautious praise of ''Roverandom'' giving it a 7/10 score: "While Roverandom will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk Fantasy Book Review]|author=Daniel Offer|articleurl=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/JRR-Tolkien/Roverandom.html|articlename=Roverandom by JRR Tolkien|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
Adam Mars-Jones, writing in ''[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]'', mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.theguardian.com The Observer]|articleurl=http://www.theguardian.com/books/1998/jan/01/jrrtolkien.classics|articlename=Hobbit forming|author=Adam Mars-Jones|dated=1 January 1988|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> A review in ''The Telegraph'', titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,<ref>"Completists always prove willing buyers" in ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk The Daily Telegraph]'' 9 May 1998, p. A4</ref> whilst ''[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]'' offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.kirkusreviews.com Kirkus]|articleurl=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jrr-tolkien/roverandom/|articlename=Roverandom|dated=1 February 1998|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
Average readers' scores for ''Roverandom'' are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On [http://books.google.co.uk/books Google], average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://books.google.co.uk/books Google Books]|articleurl=http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Roverandom.html?id=cmGw_3eMv8gC&redir_esc=y|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> and the average score at [http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads] is 3.83/5 (7.66)<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.goodreads.com Goodreads]|articleurl=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23617.Roverandom|articlename=Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> which was mirrored by users on [http://www.amazon.com Amazon] who have given ''Roverandom'' an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).<ref>{{webcite|website=AM|articleurl=http://www.amazon.com/Roverandom-J-R-R-Tolkien/product-reviews/0395957990|articlename=Customer Reviews - Roverandom|accessed=26 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[Mr. Bliss]] | *''[[Mr. Bliss]]'' | ||
*[[ | *''[[Letters from Father Christmas]]'' | ||
*[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]] | *''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'' | ||
**''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' | |||
**''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]'' | |||
**''[[Leaf by Niggle]]'' | |||
**''[[Smith of Wootton Major]]'' | |||
*''[[The Orgog]]'' | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
*[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom''] | *[http://www.hammondandscull.com/addenda/roverandom.html Addenda and Corrigenda to ''Roverandom''] | ||
{{references}} | |||
{{perilousrealm}} | {{perilousrealm}} | ||
{{title|italics}} | {{title|italics}} | ||
Revision as of 14:16, 26 May 2014
| Roverandom | |
|---|---|
| File:Roverandom.jpg | |
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Editor | Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond |
| Illustrator | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins (UK) Houghton Mifflin (US) |
| Released | 5 January 1998 (UK) 15 April 1988 (US) |
| Format | Hardback |
| Pages | 106 |
| ISBN | 0261103539 |
| Series | Tales from the Perilous Realm |
Roverandom is a story written by J.R.R. Tolkien, originally told in 1925. It deals with the adventures of a young dog, Rover. In the story, an irritable wizard turns Rover into a toy, and Rover goes to the moon and under the sea in order to find the wizard again to turn him back into a dog. Tolkien wrote Roverandom for his son, Michael, to amuse him upon the loss of his favorite toy — a little lead dog. The work is in tone a children's story, but contains many allusions and references in the manner of Farmer Giles of Ham.
It was submitted for publication in 1936 after the success of The Hobbit, but was not published for over sixty years — finally being released in 1998.
Reception
Most reviews from the general press offered modest praise, with more enthusiastic acclaim from Tolkien aficionados; reviewers particularly lauded Tolkien's descriptive ability. Tolkien scholar David Bratman praised Roverandom saying "Mum is not the word for Roverandom: this book can be enjoyed by anyone who loves The Hobbit, from the most abstruse Tolkien scholar to intelligent children of perhaps age 8 or 10." Although admitting that this was a less-polished work by Tolkien, Bratman did confirm that "Some of the best writing is in lyrical descriptions of the moonscape and seascape."[1] Jessica Yates, writing in Books for Keeps, pointed out the connections between Roverandom and both The Silmarillion and other children's stories from the 1920s. Yates concluded that Roverandom is "a jolly good children's tale" with a "scholarly and most useful introduction".[2]
Writing for January Magazine, David Grayson also praised the descriptions - particular a "sense of awe" - of Roverandom's world and felt this would be a good book to introduce children to Tolkien. However, Grayson also made clear that this was a "mediocre tale".[3] Trent Walters felt that the editorial content was "tastefully done" and summarised the book: "Whether Roverandom will become a classic or not is up to the future generations of young readers and what they remember loving and what they choose to read to their own kids. But, if you're just looking for an unalloyed, unmolested good time to read aloud to your children (or your make-believe children), call up this book."[4]
Daniel Offer of Fantasy Book Review offered cautious praise of Roverandom giving it a 7/10 score: "While Roverandom will probably never be listed among the great classics, this theme rings true, making the book a valuable addition to any library." But Offer did caution that "The book is probably not so compelling that you will be unable to put it down, and it probably won’t be one that you reread every year. [...] The doggy protagonist seemed rather flat, and was much less interesting than the things he saw and the things he did." Offer summed up the book as "charming".[5]
Adam Mars-Jones, writing in The Observer, mirrors Bratman's praise of Tolkien's descriptions: "In his descriptions Tolkien brings off the occasional effect worthy of epic". However, Mars-Jones was overall more scathing as he criticsed the book for being edited "to within an inch of its life" whilst the characterisation was "rudimentary" and that the flat-Earth cosmology was unsatisfactory. He concluded that "most admirers of Tolkien will want to turn down this chance".[6] A review in The Telegraph, titled "Completists always prove willing buyers", argued that the story might not be strong enough in its own right,[7] whilst Kirkus offered the most strident warning: "The story was rejected by Tolkien's publisher in 1937 and has lain neglected ever since. With good reason. [...] Even for Tolkien scholars, these are awfully thin bones to pick over."[8]
Average readers' scores for Roverandom are fairly consistent in moderate praise. On Google, average readers' scores are 4.12/5 (8.24/10),[9] and the average score at Goodreads is 3.83/5 (7.66)[10] which was mirrored by users on Amazon who have given Roverandom an average score of 3.87/5 (7.73/10).[11]
See also
External links
References
- ↑ David Bratman, "Reviews: Roverandom" dated 1 April 1998, Mythprint (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ Jessica Yates, "Review: Roverandom" in Books for Keeps, March 1998
- ↑ David Grayon, "A Forgotten Tolkien Tale", January Magazine (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ Trent Walters, "Roverandom", SFSite (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ Daniel Offer, "Roverandom by JRR Tolkien", Fantasy Book Review (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ Adam Mars-Jones, "Hobbit forming" dated 1 January 1988, The Observer (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ "Completists always prove willing buyers" in The Daily Telegraph 9 May 1998, p. A4
- ↑ "Roverandom" dated 1 February 1998, Kirkus (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ "Roverandom", Google Books (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ "Roverandom", Goodreads (accessed 26 May 2014)
- ↑ "Customer Reviews - Roverandom", Amazon.com (accessed 26 May 2014)
| Tales from the Perilous Realm | |
| Farmer Giles of Ham · The Adventures of Tom Bombadil · Leaf by Niggle · Smith of Wootton Major Roverandom (since 2008) · On Fairy-Stories (since 2008) | |
