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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and War
rensreading's review against another edition
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
i finally understand why it took me 2 years to finish this book: i liked the movies better.
now, before you all pull out your knives on me, let me explain. the way tolkien wrote the characters in this story was boring and not thought out. bilbo is a blustering homebody who decides to go on this quest with the dwarves without giving a reason why. tolkien both wrote disparaging things about the dwarves which truly showed his racism. the dwarves, in my mind, felt like poc that bilbo was helping because he was bored. all of it was very white savior and it was a pain to push myself through to the end. also, for a story about bilbo helping the dwarves, there is very little depth to the company. you would think as bilbo supposedly gets closer with the company as the journey progresses that he would have more insightful things to say about them, but that isn’t the case at all. the plot is promising but the characters? bland.
and so i must give this 3 stars, though i might come back and rate it like 2.5 stars instead, maybe. we’ll see.
now, before you all pull out your knives on me, let me explain. the way tolkien wrote the characters in this story was boring and not thought out. bilbo is a blustering homebody who decides to go on this quest with the dwarves without giving a reason why. tolkien both wrote disparaging things about the dwarves which truly showed his racism. the dwarves, in my mind, felt like poc that bilbo was helping because he was bored. all of it was very white savior and it was a pain to push myself through to the end. also, for a story about bilbo helping the dwarves, there is very little depth to the company. you would think as bilbo supposedly gets closer with the company as the journey progresses that he would have more insightful things to say about them, but that isn’t the case at all. the plot is promising but the characters? bland.
and so i must give this 3 stars, though i might come back and rate it like 2.5 stars instead, maybe. we’ll see.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Confinement, and Alcohol
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: War
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
i think this is the type of book i would’ve enjoyed when i was younger. i tried to love this book, and eventually failed. i neither loved it or hated it; it was just ok.
i have wanted to read this series since i was 8, and just picked it up now. the plot was amazing. there were few plot holes, but plot holes are pretty visible in any book. the characters, on the other hand, weren’t as lovable. if it wasn’t for bilbo, i would’ve rated this book a star. he carried the book. the slow pace was also unnecessary. i found the overly descriptive sentences unnecessary. taking almost the whole page describing an apple was not it for me.
i don’t know why there are several dwarfs— i don’t think eleven dwarves were necessary. up until now, i still don’t know their names one by one without checking them again. in addition, there were zero females in this book. i was expecting at least one, and i didn’t get any. that part really bugged me.
however, i’ll still read the next book because i’ve heard better things about it.
i have wanted to read this series since i was 8, and just picked it up now. the plot was amazing. there were few plot holes, but plot holes are pretty visible in any book. the characters, on the other hand, weren’t as lovable. if it wasn’t for bilbo, i would’ve rated this book a star. he carried the book. the slow pace was also unnecessary. i found the overly descriptive sentences unnecessary. taking almost the whole page describing an apple was not it for me.
i don’t know why there are several dwarfs— i don’t think eleven dwarves were necessary. up until now, i still don’t know their names one by one without checking them again. in addition, there were zero females in this book. i was expecting at least one, and i didn’t get any. that part really bugged me.
however, i’ll still read the next book because i’ve heard better things about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Fatphobia and Blood
Minor: Animal death and Alcohol
writtenbydnicole's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fatphobia, Murder, and War
frostking's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
sleeping_mutie's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood
josefinceh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was my first time reading any Tolkien, so without any reliance on nostalgia I can confidently tell that I enjoyed every page.
From what I've heard of the Lord of the Rings books, the hobbit definitely seem like the lighter option. I had been warned that Tolkien has a habit of getting to into the details, no matter how insignificant. However, I did not find that to be an issue at all. Any insignificant detail was only briefly mentioned and helps make the world feel more well-rounded and interesting. I got incredibly invested in the characters and their motivations for this journey.
It has most likely been said many times, but the one wish I have for this book is for just a few female characters in the mix.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Violence, and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal death
Warning for the f-slur. In this context it means a bundle of stick used for a fire. It pops up in a song in chapter three.rileyeffective's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Confinement
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