Tasting Notes: Beren And Luthien
Rich and earthy notes of creation myth balance well with the ever present creamy notes of poetry to create a novel that’s light on the tongue while lingering in flavor.
Pairs well with Bell’s Brewing Oktoberfest and shepherd’s pie fresh from the oven
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In all severity, I find this book to be enjoyable for a multitude of reasons (and would, in fact, recommend any student of literature, aspiring author, or Tolkien fan to pick it up immediately). First and foremost you get more Tolkien mythos in your life and you can never have enough of that. Secondly you are able to watch the story evolve through several iterations, seeing Tolkien’s “rough drafts” of his poetic saga evolve into the final version.
As a Tolkien fan it’s a must have, I think, to see a glimpse into the godfather of fantasy’s thought process. Not to mention the importance lore-wise of the two protagonists (if you’ve read The Lord of the Rings or watched the extended editions you know what I’m talking about)
For book fans it’s a must have because of it’s sheer rarity (I can’t name too many poets that could have their rough drafts published and have me go “well, I’ll be needing to add that to my wish list!”)
And for aspiring authors? Well, it’s a must have because it shows even titans revise, and that refining a manuscript can be pretty gosh darn rewarding if you stick with it!