The Hobbit
By J.R.R. Tolkien
Ballantine Books 1973
305 pages
From my shelves
The Hobbit is the prequel or prelude to one of the most beloved fantasy series of all time. J.R.R. Tolkien has created a world populated by wizards, dwarves, and terrifying monsters. Our hero in this tale is one Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who would much prefer staying in his lovely hole and smoking his pipe to any sort of adventure. But his tranquility is interrupted when the wizard Gandalf appears at his door and sends him off on a quest with a group of noisy, hungry dwarves. The unlikely band sets off to defeat the fearsome dragon Smaug and recover lost treasure.
I am one of the rare people who read this book for the first time as an adult. It seems like there is little to add to the conversation. This story has been beloved by generations of readers, both children and adults. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest adventures ever written. So what can I write in the face of all that?
Well...I was surprised by this book. I went in with very little knowledge of the plot or characters. For an adventure story, the pacing is not particularly quick. There is a lot of meandering to this tale, filled with descriptions of scenery or food. It takes a long time for our fearless band to get...well, anywhere. It would be easy to say that Tolkien could have benefited from a stricter editor. But this is the charm of the novel. This author and these characters invite you to get comfortable and really experience a story without worrying about the time it takes to read it. You are invited along on the adventure. It's going to take a while, but all good adventures do.
Bilbo Baggins is indeed an unexpected hero going on an unexpected journey. There is a lot of character growth that happens along the way, but Tolkien also expertly illustrates that the journey does not end with the completion of the mission. How do you return home after a life-changing adventure? Can you return home and resume life just as it was?
I'm glad I finally read The Hobbit. I enjoyed it, maybe more than I thought I would. But I have to say that I'm not itching to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. So what do you think, fellow book lovers? Should I give the trilogy a chance too or just revel in having experienced Tolkien and his magical world in The Hobbit?
I am one of the rare people who read this book for the first time as an adult. It seems like there is little to add to the conversation. This story has been beloved by generations of readers, both children and adults. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest adventures ever written. So what can I write in the face of all that?
Well...I was surprised by this book. I went in with very little knowledge of the plot or characters. For an adventure story, the pacing is not particularly quick. There is a lot of meandering to this tale, filled with descriptions of scenery or food. It takes a long time for our fearless band to get...well, anywhere. It would be easy to say that Tolkien could have benefited from a stricter editor. But this is the charm of the novel. This author and these characters invite you to get comfortable and really experience a story without worrying about the time it takes to read it. You are invited along on the adventure. It's going to take a while, but all good adventures do.
Bilbo Baggins is indeed an unexpected hero going on an unexpected journey. There is a lot of character growth that happens along the way, but Tolkien also expertly illustrates that the journey does not end with the completion of the mission. How do you return home after a life-changing adventure? Can you return home and resume life just as it was?
I'm glad I finally read The Hobbit. I enjoyed it, maybe more than I thought I would. But I have to say that I'm not itching to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. So what do you think, fellow book lovers? Should I give the trilogy a chance too or just revel in having experienced Tolkien and his magical world in The Hobbit?
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