Presenting Lloyd Alexander

by Jill P. May

Recounts the life of the Newberry Award-winning author, and discusses each of his works in detail, including the frequently neglected non-fantastic stories

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Scott]

May's book provides useful insights into Alexander and his writing process, which is what I was hoping for. It examines his writings in light of his life, and describes both audience and critical responses to the books.

Although it sometimes feels somewhat dry and academic, the book held my interest and helped me to better understand an author I enjoy.

If you read this and haven't yet read all of Alexander's work (as I haven't), be aware that there are spoilers throughout. May's book assumes you know the stories. If you skip the chapters about books you have yet to read, you miss discussions about Alexander's goals and methods, though, so it's best to read the whole thing, whether you know the books being discussed or not. Though you can't avoid plot spoilers, you might also gain insights that help you get more out of the books when you read them.

[Rick Stuckwisch]

I enjoyed this literary analysis of Lloyd Alexander's books and found it both interesting and helpful. It is modest in length and not difficult to read. I appreciated the biographical information, both for its own sake and because it contributes to an understanding of Lloyd Alexander's writing. Having been a big fan of the Chronicles of Prydain since my childhood, I was captivated by the discussion of those books, in particular. But the consideration of prior and subsequent works was also worthwhile. The book was published in 1991, so it obviously does not cover the latter works of Lloyd Alexander, but it does discuss his several series (Prydain, Westmark, and Vesper Holly).