Review of 'Letters from Father Christmas Centenary Edition' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This is a collection of stories that J R R Tolkien wrote for his four children from 1920 to 1942. Some are very short, but others are quite long. The letters depict life at the North Pole, Santa's home, and the various denizens of the North Pole such as Polar Bear, the bear cubs Paksu and Valkotukka, the elves, the red gnomes, the goblins, etc. Sometimes very little happens, but other times there are mini-disasters (usually caused by the clumsy and accident-prone Polar Bear) and the occasional fighting with goblins. Some critics believe there is a link between these stories and Tolkien's later novels. The Letters were not published until 1976, three years after Tolkien's death.
Though charming and amusing, these stories never become overly sentimental. There are strong hints of the real world in the letters - references to the Great Depression and even World War II. The volume …
This is a collection of stories that J R R Tolkien wrote for his four children from 1920 to 1942. Some are very short, but others are quite long. The letters depict life at the North Pole, Santa's home, and the various denizens of the North Pole such as Polar Bear, the bear cubs Paksu and Valkotukka, the elves, the red gnomes, the goblins, etc. Sometimes very little happens, but other times there are mini-disasters (usually caused by the clumsy and accident-prone Polar Bear) and the occasional fighting with goblins. Some critics believe there is a link between these stories and Tolkien's later novels. The Letters were not published until 1976, three years after Tolkien's death.
Though charming and amusing, these stories never become overly sentimental. There are strong hints of the real world in the letters - references to the Great Depression and even World War II. The volume ends on a wistful note, as Priscilla, the youngest Tolkien child, has "grown too old for stockings," but there is hope for future as the Tolkien children marry and have children of their own.
