The Wisdom of the Shire

September 15, 2012
How to live long and prosper, Hobbit-style. Tolkien fans breathlessly awaiting Peter Jackson's upcoming three-part feature film will be pleasantly satiated with this self-help guide channeling the effervescent spirit and timeless morality of the much-loved Hobbit population. Playwright Smith calls Tolkien the original "alternate reality historian" and confesses to decorating his room as a boy in Hobbit-hole style. The author's many comparisons between the "safe, warm, comfortable" facets of Hobbit life and contemporary reality lived outside Middle-earth are creative and satisfyingly good-natured. Smith issues challenges for readers to rediscover their inner artisan with handmade crafts and to appreciate the benefits of a good night's sleep, invigorating exercise, monogamy, friendship, birthdays and "foraging" for farm-grown organic comfort foods. The author suggests that the Hobbits' egalitarian society, courteous demeanor and simplistic, bucolic lifestyle are admirable and should be emulated. Interwoven throughout the text are factoids about Tolkien's life as an outspoken youth, a soldier in World War I and the writer of a beloved body of work that began with a published poem in 1915 at age 23. The final chapter, though brief, pleasantly condenses Smith's clever analogies and interpretive symbolism. The book also includes a humorous Hobbit test and practical instructions for creating a sustainable, "Hobbitish" vegetable garden. A life-affirming, must-have morsel for Tolkien's colossal fan base.

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February 1, 2013

Smith, a playwright and film producer, shrewdly connects spiritual writing to the popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy work, likely to crest once again with the release of the first of three movies based on The Hobbit. While charming, the book falls somewhat victim to the dangers of spirituality-from-a-book thinking: since Tolkien's book was not (explicitly not, since Tolkien was a devout Christian) scripture, but a narrative, it occasionally strains credulity to draw conclusions from the hobbits' adventures. Nor does Smith present especially deft literary criticism. VERDICT A sweet offering unlikely to stand up to careful analysis, this is nonetheless a fine companion to the Hobbit movies for the fantasy reader or spiritual seeker.

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