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The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

J.R.R. Tolkien

Start date: May 1, 2019

Finish date: May 31, 2019

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Discussion leader: Altariel

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What Members Thought

Mar 04, 2013 Jess rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, 2007-thru-2017, owned-audio, re-read, part-of-series, adapted-to-film, 2024

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 03, 2014 Meg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-classics, boxall-1001, guardian-1000, bbc-big-read-200

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit..."

When I was six years old, my dad gave me my first 'proper' book, with a note in it to say "Now we can read one of my favourite books together". My copy of the Hobbit is now battered, dog-eared and has a cracked spine, but - after many readings - the story inside is remains of my favourites too.

Apparently, one of Tolkein's favourite fairy-tales was 'The Ugly Duckling', and Hans Christian Anderson's moral is retold by Tolkein (both in 'The Hobbit' a "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit..."

When I was six years old, my dad gave me my first 'proper' book, with a note in it to say "Now we can read one of my favourite books together". My copy of the Hobbit is now battered, dog-eared and has a cracked spine, but - after many readings - the story inside is remains of my favourites too.

Apparently, one of Tolkein's favourite fairy-tales was 'The Ugly Duckling', and Hans Christian Anderson's moral is retold by Tolkein (both in 'The Hobbit' and the epic 'Lord of the Rings'). Stay-at-home hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, certainly discovers that there is much more to him than meets the eye - he is cunning, courageous and adventurous (it's that wild Took streak, you see).

And then there's Gandalf... In my opinion, the greatest wizard in literature (yeah, take that, Merlin and Dumbledore!). Yes, he may not cast lots of magical spells, but he is wise, mysterious and witty. His power is only used in dire need, but he is always ready with sage advice to help Bilbo and co.

There are so many fantastic sections in this book: the gate-crashing dwarves, the trolls discussing what to do with their victims, Beorn's house, the attack by giant spiders (which still gives me shivers, ugh!), the conversation with Smaug...

I will admit, the ending (Battle of Five Armies) was slightly disappointing for me (not enough to lop off a star, but still). It just felt slightly rushed, in contrast with the rest of the book. Maybe I'm just not keen on battle scenes. Which brings me to:

The Films: oh god, these are awful. Admittedly, I only saw the first two (I couldn't bear to watch the final part), but they're just bloated, bombastic nightmares. WHY did Peter Jackson feel the need to pad it out, with utter nonsense about giant rabbits, horrific CGI creations, and elf love stories?! If you go to Wolvercote Cemetery and listen hard, you can actually hear Tolkein ~~turning~~ spinning in his grave.

Friends of this Book: if you enjoyed 'The Hobbit', I'd definitely recommend 'The Lord of the Rings' (and, if you're really pushing the Tolkein boat out, 'The Silmarillion'). For a similar feel, you could also try T.H. White's 'The Once and Future King' - about King Arthur and Merlin. ...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Erika rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have really fond memories of this book, since my father read this to me as a VEEEEEERY young child. I couldn't really remember it, so I went back and read it this week. As a writer, I can appreciate the massive world that Tolkien built, but frankly, he's a linguist, not a writer. I think this book is best read aloud.

All and all though, I enjoyed it. ...more

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