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There's a Hole in my Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers by [Royd Tolkien]

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Royd Tolkien

There's a Hole in my Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers Kindle Edition

by Royd Tolkien (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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An inspirational, life-affirming memoir from the great-grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Having grown up on their great-grandfather’s stories, Royd Tolkien and his brother, Mike, have always enjoyed adventures. So when Mike is diagnosed with motor neurone disease, also known as ALS, the brothers decide to use the time they have left to tick off as much as possible from Mike’s bucket list, from remote camping in Norway to travelling through Royd’s beloved New Zealand.

Yet, when Royd loses Mike, he discovers his brother had been writing another kind of bucket list: fifty things he wanted Royd to do after his death. His first task? Mike wants his mild-mannered brother to trip up on his way to the lectern to deliver his eulogy. What follows is a set of emotionally charged tests that will push Royd firmly out of his comfort zone.

This is the story of Royd’s journey to accomplish a challenging, humorous, and often heartbreaking list of unknown tasks that chart the brothers’ lives from childhood to adulthood. But above all, it is a story of the sibling bond, of grief—and of treasuring every moment.

Print length

347 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Little A
Publication date

1 Aug. 2021
File size

8054 KB
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Product description

From the Publisher

Royd Tolkien is one of those people who you know is full of brilliant stories as soon as you meet him—his huge smile, genuine warmth, and larger-than-life personality are sure giveaways that this man has truly lived and can tell you all about it. I have no doubt that this innate storytelling ability is in part inherited from his great-grandfather J. R. R. Tolkien, but There’s a Hole in My Bucket is no fantasy novel—it is a memoir about a part of Royd’s life that is very real. When his brother sadly passed away, Mike’s last wishes sent Royd on an incredible journey of discovery and adventure.

It is with great strength and generosity that Royd chose to share his journey through grief, and the moment I opened the first page, I was bowled over by this uplifting book, that a story with such sadness at its core was so full of joy and life and (surprisingly) laughter. Mike’s bucket list of activities for Royd ranges from the heartfelt (revisiting places special to their family) to the hilarious (dressing as Gandalf and blocking tourists’ walking routes, shouting, “You shall not pass”)—but each task gives you a peek behind the curtain at the depth and feeling of the bond between these two very different brothers.

Royd has so eloquently explored his journey through grief, aided by Mike’s bucket list, and it is a book full to the brim with warmth and kindness. This memoir left me feeling hopeful and ultimately grateful for the power of family and love. It is a story I will treasure for years to come, as I hope you will.

- Victoria Haslam, Editor

About the Author

As the great-grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, Royd grew up on a diet of storytelling and entertainment, with the characters of The Hobbit firmly entrenched in his imagination.

Following acting roles in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Royd was inspired to become a producer. He went on to produce two films and was developing more when, in 2012, his younger brother, Mike, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Royd put everything on hold to care for Mike until he passed away, on 28 January 2015.

Since then, Royd has completed There’s a Hole in My Bucket, a feature length documentary that follows his journey around New Zealand fulfilling the bucket list bequeathed to him by Mike. He lives in Wales.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08MZRKQPP
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little A (1 Aug. 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 8054 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 20,005 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 12 in Living with Disabilities Biographies
- 19 in Adventurer & Explorer Biographies
- 57 in Siblings & Sibling Rivalry

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6,099 ratings

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Royd Tolkien

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As the great-grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, Royd grew up on a diet of storytelling and entertainment, with the characters of The Hobbit firmly entrenched in his imagination.

Following acting roles in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Royd was inspired to become a producer. He went on to produce two films and was developing more when, in 2012, his younger brother, Mike, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Royd put everything on hold to care for Mike until he passed away, on 28 January 2015.

Since then, Royd has completed There’s a Hole in My Bucket, a feature-length documentary that follows his journey around New Zealand fulfilling the bucket list bequeathed to him by Mike. He lives in Wales.

www.roydtolkien.me

@roydtolkien

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Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		24%
3 star		11%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Prlo58

Not actually written by Tolkien...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2021

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I started this book with some interest, intrigued (as I'm sure many would be) by the writings of a Tolkien descendant and also by the journey this man would go on in honour of his brother. And although there were some irritations as I went along (all the name dropping, the self effacement which stopped feeling genuine early on, a growing sense of this being all a bit... Well, self indulgent...) I thought: "well at least it's well written"...

Turns out Royd Tolkien did not write this book. And I cannot escape the sense that this is a man riding in the merits of his great grandfather. My wider reading suggests he reverted to his mother's surname as an adult and the book suggests he turns this surname to his advantage at every turn. Perhaps he will say this is done to raise awareness of his brother's devastating illness (and I am in no way trying to downplay this) but even here the book is off key. I appreciate that as a healthcare worker I likely have a greater insight into the illness but I cannot help but be concerned at the way in which this family are described as handling the diagnosis and journey of MND. The treatments they were considering overseas sounded harmful at best; what a tragedy that they were unable to hear what the NHS professionals were trying to tell them. I was heartbroken reading about Mike's death which sounds to have been without the peace and dignity that he deserved.

If you want to read about a man going on an adrenaline ride through New Zealand whilst frequently referring to his famous great grandfather and how Peter Jackson is a personal friend BUT bearing in mind that he got a mate to actually do the work of writing the book for him yet putting his own name as author... You might still do better to skip this one.

23 people found this helpful

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Ms. J. Carpenter

Not my cup of tea.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2021

Verified Purchase

I really struggled to finish this, I know I sound like a miserable old bat but the navel gazing, wittering on by a man who endlessly reminds you that he is JRR Tolkien great grandson, doesn’t really do it for me. Just by virtue of being someone’s great grandson should not give him the right to bore us all witless, for what seemed endlessly. I have never read his great grandfather’s books or ever watched the films either, I did date, many years ago when I was a student nurse, someone who was pretty obsessed with these books. I think life is too short to be so wrapped up in some kind of fantasy land. Many people have really nasty conditions, but they live with them, I thought the revered Mike sounded like a nasty piece of work with a really cruel streak. Maybe it’s a man thing?

14 people found this helpful

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Nikki

Wonderful book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 July 2021

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Beautifully written and straight from the heart.
I couldn't recommend this book anymore if I tried.
From the Great Grandson of the late, great JRR Tolkien is a heartbreaking, funny and honest story of two brothers.
All true, raw and emotional.
If you buy one book, make it this one.

14 people found this helpful

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Lucy-Bookworm

An interesting read, but I look forward to seeing the film ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 July 2021

Verified Purchase

When Mike was dying of Motor Neurone Disease, he left behind a “bucket list” for his brother to complete after he’d gone – With the bucket list encompassing everything from a terrifying bungee/zipwire experience to painting pictures, there are some that he knew Royd would find amusing (or terrifying!), some that would have an interesting twist and some that would bring back memories of times shared.
The book basically tells Royd’s story of how he completed that bucket list & what he learnt along the way, interspersed with memories of their childhood & dealing with Mike’s illness.
As the great-grandsons of the famous JRR Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there is a definite sense of privilege when his travels take him onto the film set of The Lord of the Rings. Whilst I cannot fault the fact that Royd is using his famous name to gain publicity around Motor Neurone Disease, there is a side to this that I disliked.
Overall, both Royd & his ghostwriter/cameraman Drew are good storytellers, but they are not great wordsmiths. This is an entertaining book that will have you chuckling and cringing at various times - parts dealing with Mike’s illness are honest and a bit tough to read but the positive, funny & uplifting moments far outweigh those. As a film-maker, it is inevitable that Royd’s journey would be well documented and Royd raised money to produce a documentary that tells the story of how he completed the list – indeed I feel that the story is better suited to a film than a book, and the writing style is more suited to this. I look forward to seeing this in due course.
I am sure the book will appeal to adventure seekers as well as those who will like the Tolkein name.

This was my Amazon Prime First Reads book for July

4 people found this helpful

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Evans

Missed the mark

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 August 2021

Verified Purchase

This book just didn't do it for me, I was relieved when I had finished it (which was a struggle). Probably more interesting for Tolkien devotees, but whilst obviously aware of them, I haven't read any of the books and therefore found huge portions of the book incredibly tedious.
I found the author dislikeable, which also made it a difficult read, it seemed at times that he was trying too hard to be self effacing and it just didn't strike a genuine chord with me. Mike's bucket list was something else, how many people could afford the time or money to carry out all of the activities specified? The fact that Royd, by virtue of his famous name and connections was able to do this didn't make it easy to empathise with him.
I have absolutely no doubt that he loved his brother to an extraordinary degree and I hope that his efforts to raise both money and awareness for MND continue to be successful, but I think he should stick to film making in the future and leave the writing alone.

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There's a Hole in my Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers Kindle Edition

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Royd Tolkien

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