The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
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Should I read it?
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Nov 25, 2012 08:43PM
I have never read any books by Tolkien. I haven't read the Lord of rings; however, I have watched a movie but I got extremely bored and I turned it off about half way through the film. I will read anything as long as its good. So do you guys recommend me to read the Hobbit?
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The Hobbit is more of an adventure where as LOTR is a long and epic journey to save the world from evil. The Hobbit is a very entertaining story filled with all kinds of fantasy elements and settings. However, if you were bored with, I assume the first movie, I'm not sure if you will like it or not. My best advice is to check it out and give it a shot.
Out of all of Tolkien's works The Hobbit is by far my favorite. We may not have the same tastes, but I can say it's worth a try. One of my English teachers always said never give up on a book until you read at least thirty pages. I've made that my rule as well, and can say that many times I hate the book on page 5 and end up not being able to put it down by page 30. The Hobbit, for me, was a great read. If you can keep up with Tolkien's world and enjoy reading his language it should all be peaches and cream. I agree with Mark. The Hobbit = recommended.
I tried to read The Hobbit as a kid and could never get into it. I just finished it, and I have to say that if you like a fantasy novel, this one if for you. I'm also happy to say that my daughter who is 10 has picked it up and seems to be enjoying it. I tried reading LOTR about 11 years ago and couldn't get into that. I think that the Hobbit is much better, more of a story whereas the LOTR is more like one long battle sequence.
Like Wendy, I tried LOTR but couldn't get into it so gave up. However, I LOVED "The Hobbit". So by all means, definitely worth a shot! And Kelsey's advice is great: at least read up to page 30 to give it a good go. If you're not hooked by then, there are other great books to read. So many books, so little time!
I agree with Wendy. I first read The Hobbit when I was 9, and not gonna lie my mom probably read most of it to me. I loved it for the adventure. It was much easier to get into and easier to understand. Reading LOTR wasn't so appealing to the middle school me and hence I waited until college to try again and love them. Hobbit is still my favorite though. Just don't pressure yourself to read it before the movie comes out. If you see the movie first it might help you know where Tolkien is going and make the read easier for you. Besides, a movie can never ruin a book.
I actually prefer LoTR to The Hobbit but agree that The Hobbit is a good introduction to Tolkiens writing style - plus the story wraps up pretty easily whereas LoTR really is an epic fantasy novel.I would recomend trying it, it took me a few attempts to get into it (each spaced a few years apart) so if you don't like it now you may well do in a few years!
I highly suggest that you read The Hobbit and if you do you might want to read it quickly cuz there is only 18 more days till the movie comes out.
YES!!!!!!!!! Can't wait for the movie!!
Yes and read it before the movie. It is a much easier and faster read then the LOTR trilogy, I read it on a whim when i was younger and home sick from school. Loved every minute of it!
The Hobbit is one of the first books I read and still remains my favourite. I think it's fast paced and will hold your attention throughout. I recommend it!
Well, if you got bored by the LotR movies, I don't think you will be able to sit through this book.
I really enjoyed The Hobbit and found it a nice introduction to Lord of the Rings.
Yes, read the books. Don't go by the movies. The movies are boring, but the books are not.
My go-to answer when someone asks if they should read a book is always "YES!"
If you're not familiar with how Bilbo Baggins steals the sinister and magical ring from Gollum, this is a MUST read. It is a prequel to The epic Lord Of The Rings series and gives fascinating information that enhances the reader's understanding of the ring. It is a gripping and sometimes terrifying fantasy into another realm. The Hobbit, for me, was the most easy to read and follow of all of Tolkien's works. YES, read it!
I loved the book as a kid, coming to it after I'd seen the cartoon, and I have to say it was far better. But the books usually are. Its a great adventure story, I don't know that the movie trilogy will be as good, but it really works as a book.Lord of the Rings did take me a lot of time to get through, but I mostly blame that on the really slow beginnings of The Fellowship of the ring, once I got past the first book, the next two flew by.
But the Hobbit, thankfully, does not suffer from any such slow beginning. It starts up and goes right into the story.
I really think you should. It's only about 300 pages, so it's not as long and descriptive as LOTR but its still a wonderful adventure story. Definitely give it a try.
I read it in a day when I was eleven and have been a fan of Tolkien ever since. The Hobbit is the most fun and engaging of Tolkien's books, I would certainly recommend reading it!
And if you hate it, at least you can brag about having read it! : )
And if you hate it, at least you can brag about having read it! : )
yes, for sure! its a good book, and i loved the characters. plus when the movie comes out, you can be an expert on it.
this probably sounds child-like & naive, but i always preferred this over the trilogy - & i'm not daunted by long or difficult reading - i simply think it's a more well-written & concise book(!)..
Yes, unless you can get someone to read it to you.
If you can't watch the lord of the rings movies because you find them boring, I see no way you'd like the Hobbit book.
I am not sure why the LOTR movies bored you so it is difficult to say if you would like to read the Hobbit. Perhaps you don't care for the genre. However, I would suggest reading it as I enjoyed it.
Honestly, the first 50 pages or so of The Hobbit are incredibly hard to get through, especially for someone who has never read his style before. You kind of have to accept that all the dwarves are going to merge into one person, and that it doesn't really matter. After you get into the book though it is wonderful, and you start to find his style to be unique but rather lovable. The Hobbit was written with a much younger audience in mind the LOTR was so the plot is simple and much more care free making it an easier faster read. I would recommend it as it is one of my favorite books, but if you are not willing to just barrel through some parts such as the beginning then don't bother.
Yes, without a doubt. It's years since I read it and (if I'm honest) I don't remember much of the detail - but it creates the most incredible other world with the most wonderful characters. I read the Lord of the Rings many years later - thinking I was the only person in the world not to have read it. (But then everyone I met told they hadn't read it either!) It was a real chore - and boring in many places - but by the end (and on reflection since) it was a masterpiece too... though one that could probably have done with some editing back on the "road-trip" detail! What I do know is that I never got that sense of things dragging with The Hobbit.
I read The Hobbit first and found it fantastic and very entertaining. (I do love the Lord of the Rings movies but the extended edition only not the theatrical cut. It leaves some things unexplained.)
YESSSS!! YOU SHOULD. (Especially if you enjoy fantasy/adventure books.) The Hobbit was a great descriptive read, though I did find it hard to follow on the names of the dwarfs... and some of the fighting scenes were really oddly imaged in my head xP But over all I enjoyed the story!! Way more then I expected. (I expected it to be kind of boring.) I especially enjoyed the narration... By the first chapter I was hooked!! Loved it!! Hope you did too!! :-P
Just to throw my 2c worth in. When I was a kid and young adult, I loved the Tolkien books, now not so much. Possibly I have become jaded by the passage of time, or maybe I read them to much, or maybe it was seeing the movies?
it is the best book i have read in my life and i have read in my life and i have read 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 in my life
also read narnia books
I read this book, the first book and half of the second of the Lord of the Rings. In my opinion, the Hobbit was the best. The other two...slow as heck! I actually prefered the movies. I know, I know...HERESY!
Yes you must read this book I read as a kid its one you had to be able to read by the time you got to ten years old.
I think you should read this book. It has likable characters and a very good story, with a very read-aloud-at-night feel. The beginning is a little slow, but the book in general is short enough that you should at least try it out.
The Hobbit made me smile already in the first chapter since the interaction between Bilbo and Gandalf is really great. Plus, it gradually prepared me for Tolkien's writing in the Lord of the Rings books. Sure, The Hobbit is written in an "easier" way but an author can't still their voice. I guess I'll eventually also read the Silmarillion which is probably a lot more difficult than Lotr. :')
you should read the book before you go to the movie.
The Silmarillion is like wading through thick treacle, and is mostly epic, covering thousands of years without pausing to look at actual characters much.
@OP Absolutely NOT if you can manage to read LoTR instead.I at least was thoroughly disappointed by it (esp. after reading LoTR). If it helps let me say that Movie was actually much better than the novel for a change! Hopefully that helps make up your mind. :-)
The Hobbit is a pretty easy and quick read, so if you happen to not enjoy it, well not much time wasted. I for one loved it, and now love the movie as well.
I just finished it last night, after seeing the movie I just had to read the book. You should read it. It's an adventure story and has a lot of interesting fantasy elements, plus it's not very long.
I saw the film last night and really did enjoy it. Not such grotesque violence as Lord of the Rings (violent enough though!)I found the book a slightly easier introduction to The Lord of the Rings, not so time consuming or heavy!
it is also not as dark
No. If you can't sit through a movie than you'll surely fail at having to put effort into reading the book.
well thats discouragement
No one has typed in sooooooooo long.
The Hobbit is an easier read than Lord of the Rings (plus it's only one book, as opposed to a trilogy), and it's a little more light-hearted, although not entirely comical. The writing style is a little more casual, too. Plus the movie is much more like the book than the Lord of the Rings movies are (although they were as close to the books as they could be, given the length of the books), except for the plot-point with Azog. So if you see or saw the movie and liked it, you should like the book as well.
I would read the hobbit it is no as complicated but still hard to interpret. Great adventure but i got bored sometimes still loved it. It will give you a different way of seeing the Lord of the Rings. If you loved that series you will love this adventure.Peace to the Maker
Anita wrote: "I have never read any books by Tolkien. I haven't read the Lord of rings; however, I have watched a movie but I got extremely bored and I turned it off about half way through the film. I will read ..."
READ IT !
READ IT !
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