The Hobbit

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

This is our 1001 book for December. Sorry for everyone who has read it already but you can feel free to chip in with comments!

[Kyle]

Since I read this book nearly 15 years ago, I think it warrants a re-read. :)

[Kate]

I've read this book (more than once :)) but can't wait to read it again!

[[deleted user]]

I have never read this book!! I really want to!

[Diana]

Perfect! This is on my December to read list. What to read it before I see the movie.

[Brit]

So excited to read this :D Gonna start Wednesday or Thursday :)

[Keith]

Just made into a film opens on the 15th December my precious !

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

Keith wrote: "Just made into a film opens on the 15th December my precious !"

Depending on which nation you're in. Some places have had it open earlier. Australia gets it December 26th...

[Lesley]

Jonathan wrote: "Keith wrote: "Just made into a film opens on the 15th December my precious !"

Depending on which nation you're in. Some places have had it open earlier. Australia gets it December 26th..."

Wellington, NZ had the world premiere on 28 November and it opens in cinemas here midnight next Wednesday, 12 December. I'm not going to that session since I have work the next day. A group of us from work do have tickets to the 6pm session that day though.

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

Ella's Gran wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Keith wrote: "Just made into a film opens on the 15th December my precious !"

Depending on which nation you're in. Some places have had it open earlier. Australia gets it December..."

Lucky for you! Although it will make a good birthday present for my Dad on boxing day :P

[D.J.]

I've never read the book. I can't wait to read the book before seeing the movie.

[David]

I knew Bilbo before he was a superstar.

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

I posted similarly about A Christmas Carol but what do you think about the opening line. I think opening and closing lines are fascinating to look at this is a great opening line: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." It's a fairytale opening right off the bat!

[Kyle]

Jonathan wrote: "I posted similarly about A Christmas Carol but what do you think about the opening line. I think opening and closing lines are fascinating to look at this is a great opening line: "In a hole in the..."

Yeah. In the foreword of the edition I'm reading, it says that Tolkien had written that first line a long time before he had even started writing the novel. Apparently, he was grading papers or something at the school he was teaching at, when suddenly out of the blue, he writes "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" on a side piece of paper. Then he continued grading papers, and left that line alone for a long time.

Seemed like a kinda quirky story to me :). It works though!

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

Kyle wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "I posted similarly about A Christmas Carol but what do you think about the opening line. I think opening and closing lines are fascinating to look at this is a great opening line: ..."

I've heard that a lot of 'famous' books started with a single opening line or a concept. Like Narnia began with the image of a faun. Twilight began with a dream about a sparkly vampire. A Game of Thrones began with what became the first chapter, the idea of wolves being found...

[Kyle]

Jonathan wrote: "Kyle wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "I posted similarly about A Christmas Carol but what do you think about the opening line. I think opening and closing lines are fascinating to look at this is a great o..."

Interesting. Perhaps that's what I need to do in order to actually start writing a book. Write a sentence down, then wait a year or two...

[Brit]

I'm not sure if this is just me, but I find the begining very slow. I'm at about chapter 7 and it seems like the pace was just starting to pick up in chapter 6. (Side note, I got really excited when Gollum appeared.) I've noticed that it's quite descriptive, almost over-descriptive. Which is good for the movie producers, hopefully they won't disappoint!

[Michael]

Brittney wrote: "I'm not sure if this is just me, but I find the begining very slow. I'm at about chapter 7 and it seems like the pace was just starting to pick up in chapter 6. (Side note, I got really excited whe..."

Yeah, I totally agree with the slowness. When there is action, I am captivated, but when he is describing them just standing around I find myself getting bored, even though the storytelling is very clever.

My other main criticism is the dearth of female characters. I knew it was going to be like this going in, but seriously? 15 men on an adventure and everyone they've met is male? Even the animals are male!

[Lesley]

Jonathan wrote: "Ella's Gran wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Keith wrote: "Just made into a film opens on the 15th December my precious !"

Depending on which nation you're in. Some places have had it open earlier. Austra..."

Just arrived home from seeing the Hobbit. Won't tell you too much but I think your Dad will very much enjoy his birthday present Jonathan.

I read the Hobbit when I was about 10/11 years old and liked the book, but I had difficulty getting enthused about reading LOTR yet really enjoyed those movies. Well, I had a great night tonight and liked the movie more than the book - it was a very different movie experience too.

[Katie]

I tried reading this book years ago and I ended up putting it down because I couldn't get passed the first few chapters which dragged along. I picked it up again yesterday thought and I am enjoying it =)

[Booknut]

Katie wrote: "I tried reading this book years ago and I ended up putting it down because I couldn't get passed the first few chapters which dragged along. I picked it up again yesterday thought and I am enjoying..."

That totally happened with me and the LOTR trilogy - sometimes taking a break from the book and coming back is a great idea!

[Michael]

I've been thinking more about the pacing and I have two comments. First, I think that the pacing is necessarily slower because a) it was written a while ago when stories had slower pacing, even movies were slower in the 60's, and b) he is telling it like a story around a campfire, where he is trying to fill the time with grand descriptions, and creating the sense of an epic tale.

However, I agree that it can get boring at times, and I can see why people might have trouble getting into it or needing to come back to the book later. Which is my second comment. Tolkien seems to have a somewhat dry writing style, which I find curious because he is so good at creating vivid images. There are scenes in this book that really stick with me: (spoilers from first half of the book) (view spoiler)[being lifted from the trees by eagles while the fire burns the trees down and wolves and goblins rage all around, battling spiders while 12 dwarves hang upside down cocooned among the trees, gollum in the underground lake eating fishes and goblins while his long-insane brain talks to himself. (hide spoiler)] At the same time, Tolkien spends an inordinate amount of time talking about how glum they all are, and how many provisions they have, and how much the hobbit wants to go home. Amusing, but slow. To contrast, I remember a scene in the Mirkwood that I found quite compelling: They slept all closely huddled together, and took it in turns to watch; and when it was Bilbo's turn he would see gleams in the darkness round them, and sometimes pairs of yellow or red or green eyes would stare at him from a little distance, and then slowly fade and disappear and slowly shine out again in another place. And sometimes they would gleam down from the branches just above him; and that was most terrifying. But the eyes that he liked the least were horrible pale bulbous sort of eyes. "Insect eyes," he thought, "not animal eyes, only they are much too big." I remember thinking, wow, he could write quite a horror story with just descriptions like that while they sat in the darkness of the woods. In that case his slow pacing would be an asset. I think it is the long stretches in between these vivid descriptions that take away from the excitement, at least for me.

For folks who have read the Lord of the Rings, how do you think the pacing compares? I'd be interested in trying to read those books if it was about the same, but if it is even slower and more epic, then I might give it a pass.

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

It's about similar, though the language used is more elaborate I would say. There are also more poems and songs than in The Hobbit.

As for why Tolkien uses a slower pace I would argue that it's because he's trying to draw everything out for the reader. I actually find slow pacing can work with books really well to get the reader into an alternate world and sort of dislike books which are too rushed. I think of Tolkien as writing a sort of literary slow cooker meal, trying to get his substance tender and juicy!

[Michael]

Jonathan wrote: "It's about similar, though the language used is more elaborate I would say. There are also more poems and songs than in The Hobbit.

As for why Tolkien uses a slower pace I would argue that it's be..."

That's a good point. I am just realizing that it has been six months (midsummer to start of winter?) since they started the quest and I'm not even done with the book yet. The slow pacing has definitely given the adventure more weight, otherwise you might not realize how much time they have invested in this.

[Katie]

I'm having trouble with the slow pacing. I'm on chapter 4 and I feel like nothing interesting had happened at all!

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

Michael wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "It's about similar, though the language used is more elaborate I would say. There are also more poems and songs than in The Hobbit.

As for why Tolkien uses a slower pace I would a..."

Yes, with faster 'Tolkienesque fantasies' I find that I lose track of the timing in the world and only words like years and months remind me haha!

[[deleted user]]

I read this book several times, and find it filled with fantastic storytelling and great messages. I recommend this.

[Brit]

I'm stuck in the middle... Just a bunch of more descriptions :/ hopefully it will pass again. On a side note, I think they did an excellent job on the movie!

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

I still am waiting for the movie. Might have to wait till the 1st of January with all the business and the fact it doesn't open until the 26th over here.

By the way anyone interested I recommend: The Hobbit Companion as a light read to accompany this book. It's got good info (and artwork) about the sources of inspiration for characters in The Hobbit.

[Katie]

Haven't seen the movie yet, I'm waiting till I finish the book but I'm finally getting into it. Goodreads says I'm about 40% through and I'm finally enjoying it =) I really hope this turns out to be a good read

[Cathie]

I loved the book. One of my all time favourites. I went and saw the movie last night and it is very good. Very True to the book with a little The Silmarillion

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

Yes I loved the movie too. There was a hint of Silmarillion but it was more just appendices info they'd drawn out.

[Kyle]

I had a lot of mixed feelings about the movie. I don't think I support their decision to draw it out into 3 movies. I think they could have done it one, but I would have been OK with 2. 3 full Peter Jackson-length movies is just too much, and for me it damaged the pacing and feel of The Hobbit.

[Cathie]

Yeah, I was wondering how they were possibly going to drag it out to 3 movies, but after seeing the first one, I know how...they are staying true to the book and not omitting anything. I can at least now see that the 2nd movie is a definite and probably at the end of that one I'll think the same thing about the 3rd. I loved the way they ended this Hobbit movie. So stoked for the second one already! :-)

[Jonathan , A dream within a dream]

Kyle wrote: "I had a lot of mixed feelings about the movie. I don't think I support their decision to draw it out into 3 movies. I think they could have done it one, but I would have been OK with 2. 3 full Pete..."

I agree that I thought 3 movies was going to be too much but having seen it, so long as the second it good I think I'll like the thing in the end...

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

A favourite, I can't wait to read this one to my kids!