The Hobbit

it's a classic and i always fare terribly when i try to rate them because nostalgia plays a big role in it and i can't help but give this 5 stars.

I won't lie and say that I didn't skip the poems or the painstaking descriptions of the surroundings, but hey, that's what makes this book what it is

This is definitely a comfort read. The story was cozy and just plain sweet. I loved the book from the beginning to the end. If this is sort of a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, then I think I will love it as well.

A good introduction to the Lord of the Rings universe. The story is fluid and we feel that it was written for children. We might perhaps regret the somewhat hasty resolution of certain situations even if it fits with the audience originally intended by the author and the way he wrote it.


Une bonne introduction à l'univers du Seigneur des Anneaux. L'histoire est fluide et on sent qu'elle a été écrite pour les enfants. On pourrait peut-être regretter la résolution un peu hâtive de certaines situations même si ça colle avec le public visé à l'origine par l'auteur et la façon dont il l'a écrite.

I think this book is very good. Great, actually! It's perfect for any age (although younger readers could have a little trouble understanding the old-fashioned dialect). Although the language and descriptions qualify for a solid 5-stars, The Hobbit loses 1.5 stars due to its slight lack in plot development and lots of constant repetition. Sometimes, it can be hard to encourage yourself to finish the book when the scenes are stretched out. The characters stay mostly the same throughout the book, and it's a little disappointing if you read it after the rich character development, personalities, humor, and plot development in the [b:Lord of the Rings|3263607|The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486871542l/3263607.SY75.jpg|3204327] series. Especially towards the end, when everything seems especially stretched out. Just like Bilbo Baggins, says in Lord of the Rings , to me this book feels “thin, sort of stretched... like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.” And instead of singing “The road goes ever on and on,” I felt more like muttering “The plot goes ever on and on” under my breath. Although it's definitely worth the read when paired with The Lord of the Rings , it does not do as well as a stand-alone book.

Very nice story with more dept to it than I imagined, contrasted by the very fairy-tale like style of telling the story/writing

5 stars

Cheerful, lighthearted, like a common fairytale in a way, but with way more weight and substance behind it. The legendary journey of the hobbit Bilbo and the dwarves to the lonely mountain, to take back what rightfully belongs Thorin Oakenshield.
About the movies - it???s crazy how they managed to stretch the book???s material to its breaking point, for example when comparing the thickness of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Recommended to everyone, young and old, adventurous and not, you cannot miss this classic piece of literature, which serves a rightful introduction to the finely crafted world of Tolkien???s literature.

The Hobbit has always been my least favorite book about Middle Earth, and the story hasn't changed after this re-reading. The graphic novel might make it more approachable for certain people, but I'm not blown away by it, either.

An excellent book! As the prequel to the greatest fantasy work of all time, I was eager to read it, despite it being billed as “children's fantasy,” and it didn't disappoint me. It definitely fits the bill as a work aimed at kids, with contemporary comparisons for children to understand certain things, along with outright shattering the fourth wall, using “I” and “you” quite liberally in addressing the reader. Despite this, I enjoyed it. Perhaps this is because I knew this going in that it was aimed at children, unlike the later books. And Tolkien was able to stuff the story very well into 300 pages. I have seen the three movies and wondered how all the stuff that was in some 9 hours on screen would be squeezed into 300 pages - knowing that there was quite a bit in the movies that wasn't in the book. He didn't disappoint, even when the book got short and the Battle of the Five Armies still hadn't happened.

Overall an excellent book! While I'm not sure what specific ages I would recommend this book to, it does fit for kids. That being said, some parts of it do seem to be aimed at different aged kids from other parts, and I'm not just referring to the events, but also the sentence structure and interjections. The later sections seemed to be slightly more rushed and yet serious, which is part of why I can't decide what specific age this book seems to be aimed at. I also, however, suspect that different books would have been aimed at kids in 1937 than would be today, or even back when I was little. But definitely, something parents could read with their child.

Optei por este livro para iniciar a minha caminhada na ficção científica e posteriormente ler o Senhor dos Anéis caso me agradasse.
Tinha imensas expectativas pois é adorado por todos (apesar de eu não gostar das modas) e acabei por dar 2,5 estrelas a esta obra uma vez que existe muita descrição e a acção é demorada.
Gostei da história, exceptuando a parte das canções e considero que o Tolkien tem uma grandessíma imaginação.
Trata-se de um livro infanto-juvenil que poderia ser uma leitura fácil se não tivesse as características supracitadas.
Contudo, pretendo dar uma nova oportunidade a este escritor.

Going forward, the only acceptable way to consume this story is via audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis.

I'll be honest. I didn't get it at first. I was so bored the first time I read this story. I barely would've given it 3 stars. My second reread was better, but not by much. Solid three star. I didn't love how Tolkien addresses the reader. It pulled me out of the story and stopped me from connecting with the characters. Then I tried the audiobook narrated by Rob Inglis, and that was a flop for me (though I enjoyed him for LotR for some reason). But eventually I came to love the story for how it set up the world in LotR, and The Hobbit was officially a four star read for me. My humor also developed over the years, which helped me with Tolkien's writing a lot.

Then the disaster that is 2020 came along and Andy Serkis bestowed upon us the most wonderful gift to ease our suffering: Hobbitathon. He read the whole book straight through, live on YouTube. I woke up at 3 AM and watched/listened to the whole thing. He brought this story to life for me in a way I had never experienced, as cheesy as that sounds. Seriously, he made me absolutely LOVE The Hobbit. Teenage me would never believe it. Anyway, I love the journey, the characters, the writing, and I still can't get over ‘Gollum' reading Riddles in the Dark.

A classic story with great thoughts about life and the challenges of life. Add to that a top notch narrator and you get a winning combination.

I did have some struggles. There is so much detail in the journey and long songs. There are parts that feel like reading parts of the Bible. Inglis did a fantastic job of reading the characters with voices in a way that I could keep them straight—a heroic feat in itself. Still, some of those passages caught my mind wandering and, at times, I found myself drifting off.

So, I rated the audiobook as a 4 star overall because of my challenges in holding my attention. That being said, this has a permanent spot in my library and I plan to listen again in the future.

This was just a perfect adventure/fantasy book, which I will surely read to my kids.

I read while I was in college about 40 years ago. I think I enjoyed it more this time around. Now to finally watch the movies.

A quick, fantastic read with a multitude of familiar characters. It reads as a novel would for children with the intention set in stone, but still has a lot of lessons adults could afford to learn from.

Think I read this one in jr high!

To all of my friends' surprise, this was the first time I'd ever read Tolkien. I liked The Hobbit, but it wasn't as great as I expected (albeit - high expectations). My favorite part was riddles with Gollum and the discovery of the ring's powers.

Good story and a quick read, but I won't be continuing with the LOTR books.

.

a friend of mine recommended I read this so I did. I am glad I did I actually think I may continue the series and maybe try the movies. as far as a review I am not sure what to say other then I enjoyed it

WHAT
Experience Middle Earth as you travel from Hobbit Land to the mount of Dorin in this adventure quest. Find your way through the dark Mirkwood, see if you can acquire the aid of the elves in that forest, encounter great treasures to aid in your quest, make new friends along the way. Oh yes, don't forget the preeeciousss! Tolkien's magical prose shines trough on this tale that starts as a children's book but quickly heads towards, but does not quite reach, LOTR levels of epicness.

PLOT

Gandalf enlists the help of an unlikely ally, a hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins, in order to help Thorin Oakenshield and his 12 dwarven warriors in order to reclaim the mountain of his ancestors who fled from the wrath of the great dragon Smaug.

ANALYSIS
The real magic in Tolkien's books is in his writing style. He pulls us into his stories with powerful words that fills us with a sense of heroic deeds and joyful friendship. The world is beautifully brought to life with vivid descriptions, the characters are brimmed with personality. His locations are memorable, and depicted in endearing (the “hobbit hole”) and terrible (Mirkwood) ways.

The book chronicles how gradually Bilbo wins the trust and friendship of the dwarves through his deeds of luck and courage, but ultimately it is his good nature that seals the deal.

In this story, Tolkien shows exactly why elves are not fond of dwarves. When confronted with all the harm he has caused, Thorin refuses to give up any of his new found wealth to help those in need. He is also the perfect example of dwarven stubbornness, choosing incarceration for an undetermined time in the hand of the elves instead of revealing to them his purpose while crossing their woods.

SIDE-NOTE: ABOUT THE MOVIES
Like many, I did not enjoy the movies too much because of the overly stretched content and the many unnecessary subplot insertions. Turiel and Legolas are the the prime example of these.

However, I was impressed by how faithful to the book the movies were. It is what I would have expected from Peter Jackson due to his previous works. I did not like the first parts of the movie (like an hour or so in the extended version) and all the music, but those were a perfect reflection of the book as well.


SYNOPSIS (a bit rough and not too precise )

SPOILERS AHEAD

- Bilbo meets the Thorin and the other dwarves. They eat, drink and sing all day long, hire the help of Bilbo on bequest of Gandalf, that describes him as a burglar, something he is definitely is not, as himself likes to point out.

- Unsure and afraid, but slightly curious, Bilbo is goaded into accepting this dangerous adventure, forsaking the peace and comfort of his home, something unheard of for a hobbit.

- They seek aid and council with Elrond of Rivendell, who provides them shelter and advises in the best course to their destiny.

- Their first obstacle are a few trolls in their way. Bilbo is sent to spy on them, but as he tries to live up to the burglar expectation, he fails his steal check while stealthily trying to rob one of them. Eventually the dwarves come to his aid, but one by one they are overthrown. Luckily Gandalf comes to save the day. He manages to trick them into arguing among themselves as to who to eat first and in what manner should he be prepared. He stall them long enough until the day breaks in and turns them into stone. They found many treasures within the Troll's lair, including the sword Bilbo would name Stinger.

- Next, they need to cross a fierce mountain, where giants of the storm play throwing balls of ice on each other. As they seek shelter from the tempest and also a place to sleep, they enter a cave that appears to be safe at first. However, during their slumber, a concealed door opens in the back of the cave, letting through a troop of goblins. Bilbo was having trouble to sleep and spots them, but not long enough to prevent him and the dwarves to be captured. But that gave Gandalf time enough prepare and to resist the goblins, later rescuing his friends.

- While fleeing the goblins, Bilbo falls from a precipice and too late the dwarves notice he is not with them. During the days that he is lost inside the goblin mountain, Bilbo finds Gollum and wins a trivia contest to escape with his life, else he would have been eaten by the creature! However, when Gollum finds out Bilbo got his ring, he lounges at him, forgetting his promise and not caring weather the hobbit is dangerous or not.

Luckily for him he is not, and Bilbo slips on the ring and run away. Gollum makes chase, but the ring makes the hobbit invisible. He becomes desperate as he cannot find Bilbo, and inadvertently leads him to the exit of the cave.

- Bilbo them is once again reunited with his friends, but eventually they are caught up by a pack of vicious wargs, which usually serve as mounts for the goblins. They climbed up some trees to escape them, as the wargs could not scale up the trees themselves. But soon they were joined by the goblins.

- Gandalf shoot fire into some of the wargs, and that started a fire in the forest. The goblins decide to wait them out while their trees were burning, but when all hope seemed to fade, the Eagles show up (iei Eagles!) and save the day. They grab each one of the party and lead them away to the tops of the mountain where they make their lair, inaccessible to humans in any other way.

- It turns out that the Lord of the Eagles owed Gandalf a favor, an he agrees to aid them in their quest, flying them as far as they deemed safe to go towards their final destination. As they leave the Eagles, Gandalf seeks the help of a “skin-changer” by the name of Beorn, who lives in solitude in that region and only abides the company of animals. Gandalf cleverly manages to get his help by telling a compelling tale that keeps Beorn entertained and invested in the story. So the party gets food and shelter for a few days.

- The next part of their quest is a difficult one. They need to cross the treacherous forest of Mirkwood, and Gandalf is forced away to attend in more pressing business (the Necromancer). Bilbo and the dwarves spend many days in the woods, they ran out of food, and after a few days without eating, they are faced with evil spiders, which captures the dwarves, but Bilbo escapes with the help of his ring, and latter rescues his friends.

- But now they are captured by the elves of Mirkwood, who demand to know their business and why they have trespassed his domain. Fearing the Elf King would demand a part of his treasure if he knew of his quest, Thorin keeps silent, and for many days him and the dwarves are kept captives there. Eventually Bilbo saves them, after a carefully planned escape.

- Now they arrive at village of Lake-town, where prophecies told of the return of the rightfully King of the Mountain. They agree to help the party with food and supplies, and now the final part of the journey begins as they walk toward the mountain.

- There they are faced first with finding a backdoor door, and then opening it, because they would not dare to come through the front gate where Smaug may be watching for intruders. Bilbo again prevails in both matters after a trialing few days.

- Once inside the mountain, Bilbo is finally charged with the task which he was originally hired to. He is to spy on the dragon find any weakness he may in order to defeat him. As the party devise a plan to kill Smaug, a task that seems impossible, the dragon awakes and tries to kill them all. Failing to do so, he angrily flies towards Lake-town, with plans to exert his vengeance upon their inhabitants for the insolence of the dwarves.

- With an unintended help of Bilbo, Smaug is defeated by Bard son of Gilleon, but the town is destroyed, and many of its people are dead.

- They started to rebuild with the help of the Elves of Mirkwood, and believing the dwarves to be dead, both man and elves march towards the mountain to reclaim its treasure.

- Thorin gets a hold of the news that two armies are marching towards his new found home, aiming to steal his gold. He sends word to this cousin for help. Meanwhile, the goblins also heard the news and send an army of their own.

- When Bard and the Elf King arrive at the mountain, they try to reason with Thorin for a fair share of the treasure to help to rebuild the Lake-town, but Thorin would have none of this. He awaits his cousin to arrive and soon a battle between the elves and humans against the dwarves breaks out. Gandalf is there to by now, and right before the battle starts, he points out the army of goblins and wargs coming in.

- Elves, humans and dwarves join forces against the goblins, but they are too many for them. When all seems lost, they died. No, just kidding. The Eagles and Beorn with some beats shows up and saves the day. Later this would be recalled as the Battle of the Five Armies (goblins, wargs, men, elves, dwarves).

- Thorin and two of the dwarves of his party dies in the battle. Bilbo travels back home with Gandalf.

This is awesone. I thought I list my copy from childhood but found it today in a cookie jar in my parents basement (no clue he it got there). Oh Happy Day!

Loved it... such an epic adventure through a gorgeously described universe.

4.5.
Más tarde reseña.

I still prefer LOTR to The Hobbit more than a little, and I don't expect that will change. But the fact remains that, like all of Tolkien's work, this is a masterpiece in its own right and cannot be forgotten.

Pretty good.

Tolkien è Tolkien.
Letto adesso può non fare impazzire i lettori del fantasy abituati ad altri canoni, ma se consideriamo che è stato pubblicato nel 1937 e quasi un secolo dopo lo leggiamo vuol dire che il suo perché ce l'ha :)

Scorrevole e condito da un filo d'ironia è adatto a tutte le età. Personaggi come Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, Thorin e Bombur entrano nel cuore.

È molto interessante leggere i riferimenti di Tolkien e sapere che Lo Hobbit affonda le sue radici nei poemi islandesi e norvegesi (Edda e Beowulf in primis).
Altrettanto importante è sapere che Tolkien era un grande filologo e ha compiuto svariati studi sul norreno, sulle rune e sulle traduzioni :)