J. K. Rowling A Biography [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Sean Smith (Author)

Book Description

She is the creator of probably the most famous - and certainly the best-loved - character in contemporary fiction. She is also the author of her own escape from an existence on the brink of poverty, with no job and few prospects. On the one hand there is J.K. Rowling, who wrote, and continues to write, the Harry Potter novels,a literary phenomenon. O the other, there is Joanne Rowling, a quiet, dreamy, rather shy woman whose brilliance in translating her dreams into prose transformed her own life. JK - The Story of J.K. Rowling details her life from her childhood and schooling in the West Country; the effect upon her of the wasting illness that struck down her mother; her time at Exeter University; her long-term relationship and her career and marriage, which collapsed after thirteen months, leaving her to return to Britain with her baby daughter. The Harry Potter novels are more than fantasy: there is a toughness to the writing, a sense of realism and a questing morality that go beyond mere adventure, magic and the battle between good and evil. How those books came to be written, and the influences that shaped both them and their author, form the core of this inspirational biography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Smith has contacts with a number of J.K. Rowling's friends and former classmates, and much of the book will be based on exclusive interviews with these and others who knew her. A former national newspaper columnist and now a freelance writer, his books include the international bestseller Sophie's Kiss, a biography of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books; illustrated edition edition (December 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854798200
• ISBN-13: 978-1854798206
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sean Smith has spent approximately 20 years in full-time ministry, including ten years directing campus outreach ministries. Sean has now been launched into full-time evangelism, conducting outreaches and crusades all over the States and overseas. Sean s services witness the Holy Spirit s supernatural release to meet people with a heart of compassion and to touch their needs. In addition to his evangelistic ministry, Sean has served as the Director of Spiritual Life at Bethany College in Scotts Valley, California. Sean received a Masters in Ministry from the Wagner Leadership Institute, and his writings have been published in several nationwide publications. The Smith family currently resides in San Ramon, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting!, October 22, 2001

By 

Anne Jacobs (Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: J. K. Rowling A Biography (Hardcover)

I've read all the HP books and am a big fan so I was pleased to find a good biography of JK Rowling as Marc Shapiro's from last year was too thin and not very enlightening. This one is much more interesting and follows JK's life through from when she was little girl all through her education and the subsequent creation of Harry Potter on a train up to the present day. It's a pleasure to read a good rags to riches story - and in case you've read all those articles about her writing in cafes you can find out here that there is a lot more to JK Rowling than that! I recommend this book if you're a Harry Potter fan, especially if you like the game of spotting where all the inventive names in the books come from - you might not agree with Sean Smith but it's fun to play!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Former Rowling Teacher Approves of First Biography, May 6, 2002

By 

Dale L. Neuschwander (USA

St. Joseph, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: J. K. Rowling A Biography (Hardcover)

Sean Smith's brilliant biography of J.K. Rowling was a must read for me. Joanne Rowling was a gifted and talented writer in one of the English classes I taught as a student teacher abroad at Wyedean School in the late seventies. Naturally, I wanted to learn as much as possible about what she had been doing in the intervening years. Smith's book did not disappoint. He tells the story of the development of this major talent much in the way J.K. Rowling hooks and holds the reader's attention. He combines a compelling subject with his clever and very readable prose to produce a book that is sure to satisfy Rowling's legion of fans at home and abroad. His tireless research and intelligent insights into connections between his subject's life and the mythology she creates in her fiction are highly credible. There are many surprises here, even for those already familiar with Rowling's amazing rise to the top of the publishing world. Smith's writing entertains without sensationalizing. He remains true to his subject just as she maintains fidelity to the workings of the adolescent imagination which informs her writing. Ultimately this literary jewel sparkles like J.K. Rowling eyes on the cover photograph. Smith describes her in the conclusion as a woman who looks rich. I would add that Smith's writing feels rich in its detail and insights into the formative experiences and major events of J.K. Rowling's inspiring life. Just as with a Harry Potter book, I was saddened to find the last page come all too soon. Fortunately, there is much more to come from J.K. Rowling, which should make for further updates to her biography. Smith will remain my biographer of choice.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of interesting facts...., February 13, 2004

By 

Antonio Howell "Antonio R. Howell, M.D." (Harker Heights, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: J.K. Rowling A Biography (Paperback)

I always wondered why someone would use a name that started with initials. This and other interesting facts are explained in this book by Sean Smith about the life of JK Rowling. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter series this book would be an enjoyable read.