Leaf by Niggle is one book that isn't very known I don't know when Tolkien wrote it but it's only about 10 or 15 pages long. It's a nice little story but very, very strange. I don't know what inspired him to write it or why; his kids, wife or just because he felt like it. Any comments on the book or and information about it is most welcome. My personal review was it really was a sweet story, strangely eerie and you don't think much of it while but when your done you sit there and say "It's over" in a pitiful little voice and close the book.

i absolutely love this story. i know tolkien hated allegory, but this does seem to represent his attitude towards his own work - like niggle with his tree, he spent years going over the details of his mythology, fearing that his work would never be complete but hoping that somehow somewhere it really existed. that's how i read it, and from the criticism i've read, that's the standard reading of it. significantly, it was read at tolkien's funeral - it was evidently something very close to his heart.

i must say, i disagree with what you said about not thinking much of it as you read it - it always felt like something really special to me. i think i might read it now, actually...

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**MY BOOK**

~ proud to be a shieldmaiden for christ ~</center>

I didn't know it was read at Tolkien's funeral.
It definitely deserved it though. I really love that story. I just sat down and enjoyed reading it sooo much.

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I really would have liked to ask him about. I wonder what he would have said?

I think there's a lot more to Leaf by Niggle than you realise when you first read it. I think you you have to read it several times to get a lot of the deeper content out of it. (this post isn't responding to any posts by the way... not that I'm confusing anyone..)
When I read it for the first time I found it a nice story, but at the same time I also thought "What does this mean?". So I read it a few times more to be able to concentrate on the details.

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