From the Bookshelf of J.R.R. Tolkien…

The Children of Húrin

J.R.R. Tolkien,

Christopher Tolkien (Editor)

Start date: September 1, 2012

Finish date: November 30, 2012

Discussion: The Children of Húrin

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 2 topics — 100 comments total

The Children of Húrin

The Children of Húrin
By Jenna · 48 posts · 471 views

last updated Sep 27, 2023 06:04PM

Tolkien Group Read September-November 2012: The Children of Húrin
By Michael · 36 posts · 152 views

last updated Nov 11, 2012 03:41AM

showing 1 of 1 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jan 24, 2008 Aldean rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: tolkien, possessions

As a general rule I try to write my reviews "in a vacuum" as much as possible, that is, before I read through the other reviews already here. I am not going to be able to do that here. I have spent more than twenty years with this story (since my mother first read the Unfinished Tales version aloud to me when I was eight years old), and if Christopher Tolkien had not put this volume together, I might have eventually had the hubris to do so myself.

Let me start by making a couple of points. First As a general rule I try to write my reviews "in a vacuum" as much as possible, that is, before I read through the other reviews already here. I am not going to be able to do that here. I have spent more than twenty years with this story (since my mother first read the Unfinished Tales version aloud to me when I was eight years old), and if Christopher Tolkien had not put this volume together, I might have eventually had the hubris to do so myself.

Let me start by making a couple of points. First: this is not a new book in any sense of the word, other than it is now standing on its own between two covers and without visible editorial apparatus for the first time. Second: Christopher Tolkien cannot be said to have written any portion of the narrative of this book, despite many reviewers intimations to the contrary. The bulk of this text appeared in Unfinished Tales, with significant gaps; Tolkien the son has filled in these gaps using the relevant sections from the (much more concise) version that was used in assembling The Silmarillion, as well as framing material at the beginning and end of the current volume, also from The Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien has done little more here than the literary equivalent of very carefully stitching a few patches to mend the gaping holes in an otherwise noble and beautiful garment.

On to the story itself, then. This is, as so many others have already noted with varying degrees of enthusiasm, a very dark tale. If you don't like very dark tales, well then, you will quite likely not like this. It is also in a prose style, as is the vast bulk of Tolkien's work, that is very susceptible to being called "stilted", because compared to contemporary prose, it is. But as at least one reviewer here has wisely noted the tone is in keeping with the tone of the Nordic sagas of which Tolkien was so fond of and inspired by. And like so many ancient sagas and myths, this tale is about an entire family haunted by a doom they cannot escape.

Or is it? I think that Tolkien has done a wonderful job here of subverting the curse of Morgoth and the doom of Húrin and his kin with another motif: free will. Tolkien, who strenuously avoids almost any hint of allegory throughout his vast imaginative work, nevertheless imbued almost every corner of that world with reflections of his own deeply-held Catholic convictions and sensibilities. The core of the story is the tension between doom/fate on the one hand and free will on the other. Túrin makes decision after decision that invariably lead to tragic consequences. But does he do so because he is doomed to do so? Or because he is a man of haughty pride who stubbornly refuses to consider any viewpoint but his own, using his considerable gifts (natural charisma and rightfully-legendary physical/martial prowess) to charge willfully forward regardless of even foreseeable consequences to anyone and everyone around him? I believe that it is very much the latter, but without necessarily completely repudiating the former.

The malice of such a being as Morgoth is a very real force in the tale of the Silmarils, and such malevolence bent upon a single family, and largely upon a single individual as Túrin rises to prominence, can be understood to have tangible effect on individuals and events. And even on a more mundane level, the incursions and aggressive actions of Morgoth's forces, both the marauding armies of Orcs and the Easterlings who occupy Túrin's childhood homeland, can be understood to push Túrin in a particular direction in his life that he might not have gone had circumstances in his life and in his world been otherwise. So there is some range to the senses in which Morgoth can be said to have cursed the children of Húrin.

But Túrin has also grown up the proud child of a proud mother; effectively orphaned from the age of nine, he receives ostensibly every advantage, yet the pride instilled in him from the earliest age tragically unravels every opportunity he is presented with from his youthful fostering in the halls of Thingol onwards. It is his human choices, not the supernatural force of an evil will, that guide him on his tragic path, and this complex narrative thread is what makes this, to my mind, one of the greatest of all of Tolkien's tales. ...more

82 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2007 Joe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Children of Hurin will make you cry--it made me cry, and that's saying something. I cry rarely, and only when something is as touching as the movie "Cool Runnings".
If you love the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit but have not been able to muster the patience and dedication it takes to read the Silmarillion, this book will inspire you to delve deeper into the ancient, tragic and glorious history of middle earth.
The story is one of Tolkien's "Great Tales" and the text was compiled from previou ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2007 Poppy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: editing-works, scifi-fantasy

Of course I already know the story since I've read the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales but this complete length of 'Narn i Hin Hurin' is amazing! Christopher Tolkien did a great job compiling fragments from old manuscripts and taking bits from Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. 'Narn' is my favorite story alongside the story of Beren and Luthien from the history of Middle-earth. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2007 Elanor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tolkien holds a unique place in my own personal literary hierarchy. Part scholar, part historian, and part priest. It's difficult to be impartial to the man who crafted the best story ever told. Having gotten that out of the way, I really don't gush over all of his work. Some of what has been published posthumously from 'notes' really should have remained in that state. So when I heard about this project, I was skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised at just how narrative the structure was. The ta ...more

Like · see review

May 07, 2007 Peter DiCicco rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A much expanded version of what was previously told in the chapter Of Turin Turumbar in The Silmarillion, this tragic tale mostly concerns itself with the life of Turin and to a certain extent Nienor, the titular children of Hurin, Elf-friend and lord of Men. And when I say tragic, I'm not kidding. From the Battle of Unnumbered Tears (perhaps the most chilling name for a battle ever), to Hurin's capture by Morgoth through Turin's growth into adulthood, things go consistently from bad to worse i ...more

Like · see review

Oct 25, 2007 40 Forte rated it liked it · review of another edition

Basically just a further "flush out" of the tale of Turin from the Simarilion.

Turin's tale from a purely plot perspective is amazing, and if Tolkien had lived the span of two lifetimes, Turin and the tales of the Eldar days probably would've been more compelling and popular than the LOTR trilogy.

Unfortunately, even this longer version of Turin reads more like an outline than a complete story-I guess JRR's son only felt comfortable adding in so much from scattered notes.

It's worth a read if only ...more

Like · see review

Jan 13, 2008 Josh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The story is a lot different than LOTR. It's not really uplifting at all. But it was great being in Middle Earth again. If you're a fan of Tolkien (and if you're not, you should be) then I think you'll like this book. ...more

Like · see review