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Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of The Lord of the Rings Audiobook
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(4.01) - 220 listener ratings
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“As I get older and learn more of what sort of person I am, and continue sojourning to the rich soil of the Shire and the high tower of Minas Tirith, I discover that many of my notions of what is good and right and noble in this world have their source in that one.”—from the author
The Lord of the Rings offers us essential lessons in living. Here we discover ordinary virtues like generosity, pity, hospitality and rest. We meet extraordinary people like Bilbo, Gandolf, Tom Bombadil and Glorfindel. We learn about the roots of destruction in pride and betrayal. And we find the ingredients for success, such as community and sacrifice.
Each of us, even the most simple, is called to a journey. We may be asked to leave behind everything we have grown dependent on. And when this is the case, the tale of Frodo and his friends offers hope that we will be given the strength and the help we need to overcome every obstacle and defeat every foe. This book will help you find the way.
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"The Lord of the Rings is one of my books. As a Christian I saw many themes interwoven throughout, however, Smith does a wonderful job in pointing out the virtues and how they were written as not only part of the story itself but the Characters as well."
— Christine (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Contains…original ideas.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“With insight, humor, and a good deal of personal passion for his subject, Mark Eddy Smith offers glimpses into the deeper spiritual meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“Mark Eddy Smith’s gentle account of Tolkien’s ordinary virtues gets to the very quick of the great storyteller’s vision.”
— Colin Duriez, author of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings and The Inklings Handbook -
“Writing in graceful, easy prose, Smith invites us to admire Tolkien not only for the epic scope of his imagination but also for the depth of his spiritual insight.”
— David C. Downing, professor of English at Elizabethtown College and author of Planets in Peril and The Most Reluctant Convert
Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues Listener Reviews
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" This is a quick read, but full of profound statements! My copy is full of highlights and underlines and comments. "
— Ruth, 8/6/2013 -
" Absolutely incredible commentary! Marvelous insights and inspiration! "
— Kailey, 7/15/2013 -
" An extraordinary look at the theology of Tolkien's work, page by page analysis of its virtures. "
— Bill, 7/3/2013 -
" Some books are profound precisely because of their simplicity. This is such a book. It is throughly insightful and draws the reader into deeper reflections of his own. "
— Vincent, 2/17/2013 -
" Simon Vance narrated this entertaining and insightful study of one of my very favorite works, The Lord of the Rings. This is one I will listen to again, and now I'm ready to track down an audible version of the actual books and give them a listen. "
— Amanda, 2/4/2012 -
" Interesting book, but I thought Finding God in the Lord of the Rings was much better, especially because this one seemed to lack critical research. You need to do the research to write a good book, especially if it involves LotR "
— Kyle, 2/8/2011 -
" We are called to be faithful despite circumstances. God refuses to surrender this world to evil. He seeks redemption even for irredeemable evil. "
— Meg, 10/9/2010 -
" It was a good read, not a page turner, but makes you think about your life with great examples from LOTR. "
— Sue, 8/3/2010 -
" This is a quick read, but full of profound statements! My copy is full of highlights and underlines and comments. "
— Ruth, 12/31/2007
About Mark Eddy Smith
Mark Eddy Smith, a writer who grew up in rural New Hampshire (which is not so different from the Shire) has read The Lord of the Rings more than a dozen times. He works as a graphic designer at InterVarsity Press and currently resides in Oak Park, Illinois.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.