Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

5 reviews

kreglow's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

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squinnittowinit's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A delightful and charming story, made better by Andy Serkis as the narrator. Definitely a "product of its time", as women are barely even mentioned, despite the number of locations the main characters travel to, and the book contains fatphobia. 

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orchidlilly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted slow-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? No

4.0


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asipofcozy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I finally did it. After years of saying "I will pick up the Hobbit" or "I will pick up Lord of the Rings, I have finally read both, and dare I say, shame on me for taking so long to pick either of them up. One thing I am glad that I did was read LOTR first before reading The Hobbit. It was beautiful catching moments, quotes, actions, and situations that would transpire in LOTR. It made the world so much grander. 

I am looking for someone to share in adventure that I am arranging.

Tolkien knows how to write a grandeur adventure that is both whimsical and epic. I fell in love with his writing in Lord of the Rings, and reading the Hobbit is no different. I felt transported to a world of adventure, quests, meandering hobbits, and a looming war. This isn't a read you can sit down in one day and devour (though try I did). This is a book you savor over tea with the fireplace going and the Fall rain hitting the window (which may have been how I read this).

I could see myself rereading this many times in the future, just as I have Lord of the Rings. There is just something about the aesthetic of the book, the poetic writing, and the adventure that draws me in. 

(p.s. - if you are picking this book up AFTER the movie, please be aware that you will see many differences and things that did not occur in the book.)

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rensreading's review

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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.

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