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m4rtt4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Such a heart-warming story with an important lesson about greed, happiness and what's important in life. Tragic and sad at times, but overall a cozy experience despite the violence :D
but what did poor Bombur do to be treated like that, other than he was just bigger than everyone else? I felt bad for him :(
but what did poor Bombur do to be treated like that, other than he was just bigger than everyone else? I felt bad for him :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Fatphobia, and Confinement
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Death
Moderate: War, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Minor: Emotional abuse
Starvationbeckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was gifted to me before I was big reader. When I first got into reading, my uncle bought me this book and said every great reader and writer should read this book. It will make them a better person and a better reader and writer. My uncle passed the year I started reading which was 2015. This book has been sat on my shelf since then, it was the third book I ever owned, and I have been wanting to read it but have also been terrified to read it because of the expectations my uncle has put in my head.
This book follows Bilbo Baggins, who lives a quiet, peaceful life in his comfortable hole at Bag End. He lives in a hole because he is a hobbit – they are a race of small, plump people about half the size of humans, with furry toes and loves good food and drink, Bilbo is quite content at Bag End, near the bustling hobbit, until he means a wizard. He is named Gandalf and he persuades Bilbo to set out on an adventure with the thirteen dwarves that make up Thorin Oakenshield’s company who is on a quest to reclaim the dwarves’ home and treasure from a dragon named Smaug. Bilbo’s journey takes him from his peaceful rural surroundings into a much more sinister territory. This book is set in Middle-earth.
This book took me a while to get into and I don’t know if it was the world building, or the old words used or the storyline, but I struggled with this book. I don’t think I was really into it until about chapter 10 and there is 19 chapters in the whole book. I loved the relationship between Bilbo and Gandalf. Gandalf acting like he knows what right for Bilbo and then just showing up every single time he needs saving and is like “I’m here oh sweet one.” I think what helped this book was the illustrations that broke this book up, I think it would help with the younger audience, I mean – it helped me.
I don’t think if I will carry on with this series, but this book will always be cherished by me due to the sentimental reasons behind it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Animal death
rinsin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Fun read. Was unimpressed and bored in some parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
razzberry_pi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.25
Pretty good and holds up quite well to what I remember as a kid enjoying. I really enjoyed the sort of overview narration of the book, skipping over the monotonous parts of the journey as compared to the films
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
fications_clari's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
At long last, I've finally gotten around to reading the Hobbit--and it was not what I expected it to be. I was expecting adventure, lovable characters, the ring (of course), and a magical, light-hearted introduction to Middle Earth. I got all of this except the last one.
This is not a bad thing! There is part of me that's still kind of trying to wrap my head around it.
I didn't expect it to be so...nuanced, is maybe the word I'm looking for. Not all the antagonists are villains. Perhaps the real villains are the sins buried in the hearts of our friends in the journey. Perhaps the biggest battles are the ones you fight alone in the dark. All these are messages in what I was continuously told is a children's novel, and it IS a children's novel (a wonderful one, and the best ones always have a little bit of darkness in them) except--
I think maybe CS Lewis set my expectations little. I remember when reading this that it was so reminiscent of me reading Narnia as a kid for the first time, and because of that a false sense of security wrapped itself around me. In the Narnia books, nothing truly terrible happens during adventures. Terrible things do in the in-between (of the adventures, of the things Lewis chooses not to expand on) and yes, arguably, in the end, but for the most part you know the heroes will emerge whole and victorious.
Here's the thing about the Hobbit. You believe that the entire adventure story is over, that it's starting to wrap up and head towards the falling action, and then it doesn't. It whiplashes into something darker, with more terrible consequences, and yes, something arguably more profound, but it's a shock. And I don't feel like Tolkien really dealt with it. A happy ending is just attached in the end, but there was heartbreak that was never stared fully in the face. Maybe that really is what it was, considering Tolkien's background. Either way, it hurt my heart without truly showing me a way to fix it, and that, in particular, was just not what I was expecting when I finished this novel.
Other small things that bothered me: 1) Considering the antagonists-are-not-always-villains thing Tolkien laid down, there was part of me that felt kinda sad for the trolls? They just weren't as convincingly evil as the goblins were, and come to think of it I'm sure there's a lens of analysis I can put on that would make me feel sympathetic towards the goblins and wargs and Smaug, too. At the same time, I get it, these aren't meant to be 'full' characters but representations of evil. Still! Many characters who I thought would just be outlines became far more complex than I thought they would be, and it was kind of strange that on one hand an entire race of creatures are dismissed as complete monsters because they hinder our main cast, and then the elves, for as example, characterized as 'generally good people' even though they lock them up for weeks. I think it's the generalization that bothers me. 2) Bilbo increases in guile and daring throughout the story which I found awesome, but I don't think there's getting around that much of this begins with an act of violence (him killing). I guess I've just gotten less fond of what feels like justified violence in children's stories. I am glad (and maybe Tolkien intended this to be a counterpoint) that Bilbo spends the rest of the novel trying to be a peacemaker for the most part.
Make no mistake, though: I recommend this book to anyone willing to bear both the light and dark of this story. It was lovely. Above all, I loved Bilbo's willingness and longing to be brave, which was paired with his adoration and joy of being home. I loved how those desires fought and coalesced. It was both fascinating and beautiful, and did, in a childlike imitative way, made my homebody self feel like I can yearn for adventure too without denying any part of me. I can go out there, live my stories, and sigh continuously for my airy, sun-filled living room. Doing this doesn't make anyone less of a hero. It may at times me be just the thing that helps them save others.
This is not a bad thing! There is part of me that's still kind of trying to wrap my head around it.
I didn't expect it to be so...nuanced, is maybe the word I'm looking for. Not all the antagonists are villains. Perhaps the real villains are the sins buried in the hearts of our friends in the journey. Perhaps the biggest battles are the ones you fight alone in the dark. All these are messages in what I was continuously told is a children's novel, and it IS a children's novel (a wonderful one, and the best ones always have a little bit of darkness in them) except--
I think maybe CS Lewis set my expectations little. I remember when reading this that it was so reminiscent of me reading Narnia as a kid for the first time, and because of that a false sense of security wrapped itself around me. In the Narnia books, nothing truly terrible happens during adventures. Terrible things do in the in-between (of the adventures, of the things Lewis chooses not to expand on) and yes, arguably, in the end, but for the most part you know the heroes will emerge whole and victorious.
Here's the thing about the Hobbit. You believe that the entire adventure story is over, that it's starting to wrap up and head towards the falling action, and then it doesn't. It whiplashes into something darker, with more terrible consequences, and yes, something arguably more profound, but it's a shock. And I don't feel like Tolkien really dealt with it. A happy ending is just attached in the end, but there was heartbreak that was never stared fully in the face. Maybe that really is what it was, considering Tolkien's background. Either way, it hurt my heart without truly showing me a way to fix it, and that, in particular, was just not what I was expecting when I finished this novel.
Other small things that bothered me: 1) Considering the antagonists-are-not-always-villains thing Tolkien laid down, there was part of me that felt kinda sad for the trolls? They just weren't as convincingly evil as the goblins were, and come to think of it I'm sure there's a lens of analysis I can put on that would make me feel sympathetic towards the goblins and wargs and Smaug, too. At the same time, I get it, these aren't meant to be 'full' characters but representations of evil. Still! Many characters who I thought would just be outlines became far more complex than I thought they would be, and it was kind of strange that on one hand an entire race of creatures are dismissed as complete monsters because they hinder our main cast, and then the elves, for as example, characterized as 'generally good people' even though they lock them up for weeks. I think it's the generalization that bothers me. 2) Bilbo increases in guile and daring throughout the story which I found awesome, but I don't think there's getting around that much of this begins with an act of violence (him killing). I guess I've just gotten less fond of what feels like justified violence in children's stories. I am glad (and maybe Tolkien intended this to be a counterpoint) that Bilbo spends the rest of the novel trying to be a peacemaker for the most part.
Make no mistake, though: I recommend this book to anyone willing to bear both the light and dark of this story. It was lovely. Above all, I loved Bilbo's willingness and longing to be brave, which was paired with his adoration and joy of being home. I loved how those desires fought and coalesced. It was both fascinating and beautiful, and did, in a childlike imitative way, made my homebody self feel like I can yearn for adventure too without denying any part of me. I can go out there, live my stories, and sigh continuously for my airy, sun-filled living room. Doing this doesn't make anyone less of a hero. It may at times me be just the thing that helps them save others.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
There is a character that does low-key get continuously fatshamed. It was an unpleasant surprise, though not a very big aspect of the story.pipn_t's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
cavallonee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Fatphobia, and Animal death
finnfork's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
I really loved this book, I loved the adventure and I loved all 13 of the dwarves. Although the characters weren't very built and all kind of blended together, I did enjoy them all the same and I found myself relating to Bilbo in multiple instances. I think the story and the world-building was very well-done and the only thing i found myself wishing for was more character development and more greif over the death at the end. although Thorin's death did make me sad, it didn't impact me as much as I wished it would. I saw these movies in theatres when they first came out and the death of Thorin, Fili, and Kili still makes me cry because they were a lot more dramatic in the film than it was in the book and i just found myself wishing i felt closer to the characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail