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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Full of whimsy and adventure, this book moves at a consistent pace. I like the imagery that Tolkien creates
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
adventurous
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
My dad read this to me as a kid - incredibly nostalgic and a beautiful piece of writing.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
7,5/10 - 3,75/5 liked this book and had a decent time with it but I'm definitely not the target audience.
I think this is a great children's book to read together as a parent with a child. And a child alone as well of course.
It's an older book and this shows. Both positively (the prose and writing is stunning) and negatively (the pacing is much slower than modern books and there's less tension).
-Writing-
I love Tolkiens way of writing. It's funny, witty and beautiful. The imagery is very descriptive.
It feels like you're sitting before a fireplace in the 1950s listening to someone telling you about a story that occurred.
The story has an omniscient narrator who is clearly speaking from a different world and time than the story is set in. They also make references to the future events in the book, one time even spo6iling the ending (slightly).
A thing I definitely did NOT enjoy were the jokes about bombur's body and weight. He was the butt of the joke soo many times and even the narrator makes fun of him. I know that this is an old book but it just was unfunny and uncomfortable to read.
-Worldbuilding-
Middle earth is based on england so the landscape feels similar as a european. The places themselves are sufficiently described to paint them beautifully. Some places though I find to be a bit lacking in descriptions, particularly rivendell and the inside of the lonely mountain. This is more apparent when you have the movies to compare to (sorry, I feel bad for saying a positive thing about the movies…).
Still, I think this is part of the book being for children. They often don't have the patience to read (or listen to) lengthy descriptions of places. Doesn't stop me from wanting a little bit of a deeper insight into those places.
All the different species are different and have their own culture and customs. Here you see Tolkiens background shine through. The little bits where he meanders and goes into the lore of the things happening are sooo good. I think this was done well for a children's book. You know enough about the world to get along in the plot but there clearly is more to it and the politics of Middle earth.
-Characters-
My main problem with the characters probably is that I didn't get deep enough into their inner life. Except for Bilbo, we don't get to know the characters very much. Even bilbo is only surface level characterized.
I think this is because Tolkiens way of adapting the characters to a children's book is making them all a bit silly and stupid. Especially the dwarves are walking caricatures and honestly I didn't like them very much.
They are shitty to bilbo right from the start (not without reason but still) and they nag at him even when saves their asses constantly and has earned their respect.
They are also almost always just the group and rarely individual characters, except for a few situations, where the individuals are pointed out. Most notably thorin, balin and bombur.
Bilbo himself gets a decent character development, which I really liked. I also like him as a character. A bit stubborn and principled.
I do forgive this, as again, this is a children's book and often characters don't need to be deep for them. The characters are funny and entertaining, and that's what matters. The character development bilbo has is also a big positive for a children's book.
-Relationships-
As I've stated, I don't like the dwarves very much. The relationship between them and bilbo suffers too, though.
He does work himself into being respected by them but he never fully feels like he's part of the group. It's always “the dwarves and bilbo” and they end up not siding with him after he “betrays” thorn.
On one hand I get that they are two different species, of different ages and have lived totally different lives. While the dwarves view thorin as their king, bilbo doesn't. In that way i understand why they can't fully connect. But for me as a reader that always made me sad. I wish there had been more of a comradery there.
We see bilbo not abandoning the dwarves and risking his life for them and the opposite is also true (sometimes) but the lack of emotional connection is a problem for me and honestly this bothers me for a children's book. Children need these kinds of connections.
-Plot/Pacing-
It's a steady medium paced book. There's always something happening.
The pacing is different from modern books, as it's often the case with older books. Somehow, while something is always happening, the tension is always quite low. I never felt an urgency to continue on reading to find out what was going to happen next.
This made for an enjoyable reading experience but I definitely didn't find myself thinking all day about it.
-Conclusion-
I'm having a difficult time judging the aspects I criticized. I am aware that this is a children's book and it doesn't have to meet my needs exactly. Hence, I'm going to rate it only partially on my personal enjoyment and more on how I think a child would enjoy it.
It's a pretty decent book with a mystical world and whimsical characters. Tolkien's prose is wonderful and perfect for this kind of story.
I think this is a great children's book to read together as a parent with a child. And a child alone as well of course.
It's an older book and this shows. Both positively (the prose and writing is stunning) and negatively (the pacing is much slower than modern books and there's less tension).
-Writing-
I love Tolkiens way of writing. It's funny, witty and beautiful. The imagery is very descriptive.
It feels like you're sitting before a fireplace in the 1950s listening to someone telling you about a story that occurred.
The story has an omniscient narrator who is clearly speaking from a different world and time than the story is set in. They also make references to the future events in the book, one time even spo6iling the ending (slightly).
A thing I definitely did NOT enjoy were the jokes about bombur's body and weight. He was the butt of the joke soo many times and even the narrator makes fun of him. I know that this is an old book but it just was unfunny and uncomfortable to read.
-Worldbuilding-
Middle earth is based on england so the landscape feels similar as a european. The places themselves are sufficiently described to paint them beautifully. Some places though I find to be a bit lacking in descriptions, particularly rivendell and the inside of the lonely mountain. This is more apparent when you have the movies to compare to (sorry, I feel bad for saying a positive thing about the movies…).
Still, I think this is part of the book being for children. They often don't have the patience to read (or listen to) lengthy descriptions of places. Doesn't stop me from wanting a little bit of a deeper insight into those places.
All the different species are different and have their own culture and customs. Here you see Tolkiens background shine through. The little bits where he meanders and goes into the lore of the things happening are sooo good. I think this was done well for a children's book. You know enough about the world to get along in the plot but there clearly is more to it and the politics of Middle earth.
-Characters-
My main problem with the characters probably is that I didn't get deep enough into their inner life. Except for Bilbo, we don't get to know the characters very much. Even bilbo is only surface level characterized.
I think this is because Tolkiens way of adapting the characters to a children's book is making them all a bit silly and stupid. Especially the dwarves are walking caricatures and honestly I didn't like them very much.
They are shitty to bilbo right from the start (not without reason but still) and they nag at him even when saves their asses constantly and has earned their respect.
They are also almost always just the group and rarely individual characters, except for a few situations, where the individuals are pointed out. Most notably thorin, balin and bombur.
Bilbo himself gets a decent character development, which I really liked. I also like him as a character. A bit stubborn and principled.
I do forgive this, as again, this is a children's book and often characters don't need to be deep for them. The characters are funny and entertaining, and that's what matters. The character development bilbo has is also a big positive for a children's book.
-Relationships-
As I've stated, I don't like the dwarves very much. The relationship between them and bilbo suffers too, though.
He does work himself into being respected by them but he never fully feels like he's part of the group. It's always “the dwarves and bilbo” and they end up not siding with him after he “betrays” thorn.
On one hand I get that they are two different species, of different ages and have lived totally different lives. While the dwarves view thorin as their king, bilbo doesn't. In that way i understand why they can't fully connect. But for me as a reader that always made me sad. I wish there had been more of a comradery there.
We see bilbo not abandoning the dwarves and risking his life for them and the opposite is also true (sometimes) but the lack of emotional connection is a problem for me and honestly this bothers me for a children's book. Children need these kinds of connections.
-Plot/Pacing-
It's a steady medium paced book. There's always something happening.
The pacing is different from modern books, as it's often the case with older books. Somehow, while something is always happening, the tension is always quite low. I never felt an urgency to continue on reading to find out what was going to happen next.
This made for an enjoyable reading experience but I definitely didn't find myself thinking all day about it.
-Conclusion-
I'm having a difficult time judging the aspects I criticized. I am aware that this is a children's book and it doesn't have to meet my needs exactly. Hence, I'm going to rate it only partially on my personal enjoyment and more on how I think a child would enjoy it.
It's a pretty decent book with a mystical world and whimsical characters. Tolkien's prose is wonderful and perfect for this kind of story.