Oh, Bilbo, how many times have I read your adventures? Admittedly though, the time before this was at least 20 years ago, maybe even in high school, when my grade 12 English teacher selected it as one of the books for the class to study. I found this odd given the intended age level, but it gave me another chance to read it and I am not complaining. In the interim I at one point played the 2003 Playstation 2 video game based on this book (predating the Peter Jackson films, it stayed quite true to the text). It was an adequate game.

I tried once to read this to my children, but it starts off very slow and I could not engage them with it. Will try again! But, it is very different from contemporary children's books. As a lingering pastoral fantasy it doesn't quite match current literary sensibilities. I admit to finding myself bored on occasion, during the quiet times that too often broke up the key moments of the book. I may want to skip some of those for a second read-aloud attempt. Children were clearly very bored in the 1930's.

There is no denying the enduring classic appeal of this seminal work of fantasy. Trolls! Goblins! Smaug! Spiders! Elves! Beorn! War! Eagles! A dinner party! It all weaves together wonderfully, with great little moments of foreshadowing peppered throughout. I was not terribly impressed with the character of Gandalf. He was an awful grump. The dwarves too were decidedly unheroic. The text addressed this directly late in the book, giving them a greedy nature that has been overshadowed by their battle prowess in later adaptations.

I have not yet watched the full Peter Jackson trilogy based on this but I intend to now, if only to lament all the things that he butchered or expanded unnecessarily.

I was fortunate to acquire this beautiful slipcase collector's edition. I love the runes. I have not taken the time to translate the full front border text yet, aside from "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again", and "Bilbo Baggins" down the right side. I will save that for when I re-read the Lord of the Rings in the near future and have the appendices open.



****************************

I’ve now read this aloud to my son at bedtimes. I prepared him for the fact that the beginning is boring, which he agreed it was. But he had no complaints along the way, despite parts that, to me, I thought could have lost his interest. By contemporary literary standards it’s not the most skillfully written; many important story elements are added late; subject pronouns (specifically “he”) is frequently used sloppily, i.e. making it hard to immediately track which “he” each “he” refers to; always discernible from context clues, but it forces one to stop and consider to keep it straight.

Gandalf was not a grump. I’m not sure why I thought that on my last reading.

Riddles in the Dark . . . now there’s a chapter to read aloud.

I had not read The Hobbit since I was 12, and all I remember is that I had skimmed through a lot of the parts that I had deemed “boring”. God knows why. Coming back to it nearly 15 years later, it was like being wrapped by a blanket. You know what I remembered? Not the previous act of having read the book, first coming to the famous hobbit, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Nothing book related, if I’m being honest. I remembered the first few years of strengthening my brotherhood with my best friends in early high school. Taking long walks in the rare Toronto sun, early May, school almost out for the summer, walking through the closest thing to green, rolling fields that we could find. I would play Howard Shore’s Concerning Hobbits and we would walk around until we found a nice and warm spot on the grass to sit. Even now the melody squeezes my heart with that confusing, pleasurable and yet painful feeling of nostalgia - harps and fiddles and mandolins. In the back of it all, an archetypal and fatherly voice: “My dear Frodo…”

This isn’t really a review, but then again, none of my “reviews” are - I just come here and type out a bunch of shit vaguely related to how I felt, then I go back and do it all over again. I think this is a world that stands by itself. If you are lucky enough to have formative memories with it, I salute you. It’s such a privilege. I’ll be in LOTR territory soon.

Is there an optimal reading experience? I’m not sure, but I have always been a fan of the editions that contain Alan Lee’s wonderful drawings of Tolkien’s world. This time around, I also listened to the audiobook along with the book. I would give the audiobook 25 stars out of 5 if I could, for it was read by none other than Andy Serkis. The voices imparted to each character were so on-point, but there was one character whose voice was the most most most most on-point. It made the following meeting worth the Audible credit.

OMG! I die a little inside every time Smug,Thorin, Killi and Fili die :(
This book and movies are art.

I'm not going to say much about this book because i'm sure plenty of people are familiar with it.

Bilbo Baggins is adventurous (not that he agrees to it initially), honest, jolly and very helpful. He loves to live in his hobbit hole, drink tea and eat as much as he desires.

His life changes when Gandalf, the wizard, his father’s friend comes to visit him along with the Dwarves. The Dwarves wanted to find their treasure which Smaug the Dragon took from them and has been sleeping on it in the mountain. Bilbo was selected as the burglar on Gandalf’s recommendation, though initially he declined but nonetheless went on the journey. While they were on their way, they met with Trolls who would have killed them all had Gandalf not used his trick to turn them into stones with the help of sunlight.

From the Trolls' cave they found food which they ate and then continued on with the journey. In the forest, they met with Elves who helped them with food, directions and gave Gandalf a pony as his horse was not suitable for the mountains. After some rest, they started off again but unfortunately came across Goblins who took them as prisoners. Bilbo somehow escaped from the Goblins and went into a cave where he found a Ring. He tricked Gollum into his riddles and vanished into thin air with the help of the Ring. He didn’t tell anyone about the Ring, not even to Gandalf.

Finally they reached their destination, as expected out of Bilbo, he went inside the mountain to look for the treasure with the Ring on. He stole the Arkenstone from the treasure and gave it to Bard who killed Smaug with his sword so that he could bargain with Thorin, the leader of the Dwarves. In the The Battle of Five Armies Thorin was killed. Before dying he made peace with Bilbo, as Bilbo stole the stone and gave it to Bard. Once they were done with the war, Bilbo returned to his hobbit hole with all his promised treasure and the Ring.

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Buddy read with Fares and I could not be more excited!

Edit after finishing: So I'm bawling right now. Every time I have to say goodbye, I just can't bear it. Full review to come.






Since this is a buddy read with the awesome Fares , my review will be chapter by chapter, accompanied by appropriate gifs and quotes every two days.

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party. This is giving me such nostalgia!

Underrated quote: The hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses have lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mine, and most people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected; you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is the story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected."



Chapter Two: Roast Mutton



Tolkien's humour is really underappreciated: "Thorin and Company to Burglar Bilbo greeting! For your hospitality our sincerest thanks, and for your offer of professional assistance our grateful acceptance. Terms: cash on delivery up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of total profits (if any); all travelling expenses guaranteed in any event; funeral expenses to be defrayed by us or our represented, if occasion arises and the matter is not otherwise arranged for.

Or another gem:

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" said Thorin to Gandalf as they road along
"To look ahead." said he
"And what brought you back in the nick of time?"
"Looking behind."



Chapter three: A short rest



What I love about this chapter is that it establishes my favourite ship, Bilbo X Rivendell. All jokes aside, it is the chapter where Bilbo discovers a lifelong connection with Rivendell, a place that will ultimately provide him with respite and comfort in his late years.

They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. Bilbo would gladly have stopped there for ever and ever.

Chapter 4: Over Hill and Under Hill



When he peeped out in the lightning flashes, he saw that across the valley the stone-giants were out, and were hurling rocks at one another for a game, and catching them, and tossing them down into the darkness where they smashed among the trees far below, or splintered into little bits with a bang,

Chapter 5: Riddles in the dark



Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him. Or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up within Bilbo's heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts passed in a flash of a second.

If it weren't for Bilbo's empathy at that moment and he had decided to kill Gollum, Frodo and Sam would have had Gollum to help them make it to Mordor on a more secret path. Bilbo's empathy saved Middle Earth. Think about that. Deep stuff.

Chapter 6: Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire



Unpopular opinion time: I love the Hobbit movies with all my heart. This chapter is one of my favourites in the movie (even though there's a lot of Bilbo/Thorin drama - alright, I love the drama. That bromance is the best).

This chapter has some great lines by the dwarves, especially underrated ones like Dori and Balin. There are wargs, goblins and of course, Eagles in this one. The Eagles are cool and neutral assholes as usual. You know, as the saying goes, don't risk a feather for a mortal. I totally made that up, but that's how they are

What did I tell you?" said Gandalf laughing Mr Baggins has more about him than you guess." He gave Bilbo a queer look from under his bushy eyebrows, as he said this, and the hobbit wondered if he guessed at the part of his tale that he had left out.

Chapter 7:Queer Lodgings



I love this chapter so much. I love Beorn. I can relate to him - he's a vegetarian who loves nature, animals and plants. And he's a bee keeper! It's as if Tolkien predicted our bee crisis and rise in vegetarianism. Beorn is the Tom Bombadil of the Hobbit - he doesn't care for shiny things, rings and gems. He just loves his nature.

I love how Gandalf introduces the hobbits! We get spoiled by Gandalf's sharpened-by-a-whetstone-wit and Beorn's hilarious sense of humour!

There are some tantalising parts of this chapter where Beorn wants to know the story of the company's journey thus far. However, there are some weird bits like the dogs serving food on their hind legs and Bears dancing outside in the moonlight. This is the whimsical side of Tolkien I love!

Gandalf leaves the dwarves to journey through Mirkwood alone. AND THIS is where things get awesome!

Some of my favourites quotes:

At any rate he under no enchantment but his own. He lives in an -oak-wood and has a great wooden house; and as a man he keeps cattle and horses which are nearly as marvellous as himself. They work for him and talk to him. He does not eat them; neither does he hunt or eat wild animals."

So they all went to breakfast with him. Beorn was jolly for a change; indeed he seemed to be in splendidly good humour and set them all laughing with his funny stories; nor did they have to wonder long where he had been or why he was so nice to them, for hetold them himself. He had been over the river and right back up into the mountains - from which you can guess that he could travel quickly, in bear's shape at any rate. From the burnt wolf-glade he had soon found out that part of their story was true; but he had found more than that: he had caught a Warg and a goblin wandering in the woods. From these he had got the news; the goblins patrols were hunting with Wargs for the dwarves and they were angry because of the death of the Goblin King.
Side note: I wanted to share something special with all my reading buddies. This is the exact copy of The Hobbit my aunt gave me ten years ago for my 11th birthday. I've read it about eight times. It is the book that got me into reading and eventually got me two Tolkien tattoos and a lifetime of love.



What I love about The Hobbit is that the protagonist isn't some young person with strength and energy to boot - he's a middle-aged guy who finally lives a life of adventure. It's a message that anyone out there can have an adventure despite their age.

The Hobbit is probably my favorite book of all times. I should meditate a bit more, but for sure it is between my three favorite books! :D I think the Hobbit is a tale rather than a novel, a tale for adults. I love the contrast between the quiet, comfortable and almost boring life of Bilbo against the adventure full of dangers that he will live with the dwarves. For me, The Hobbit is a metaphor of life, with a strong and clear moral that we all learn at the end of its reading. I encourage everyone to read this fantastic book, with agile reading and exquisite narrative.

Spanish version:
El Hobbit es probablemente mi libro favorito de todos los tiempos. Tendría que meditarlo bien pero seguro que está entre mis tres libros favoritos! :D Creo que el Hobbit es un cuento más que una novela, un cuento para adultos. Es una de esas historia que te gusta leer antes de ir a dormir. Adoro el contraste entre la vida tranquila, cómoda y casi aburrida de Bilbo con la aventura llena de peligros que los enanos le obligarán a vivir. Para mí el Hobbit es una metáfora de la vida, impregnada de una moraleja muy fuerte y evidente que todos aprendemos al final de su lectura. Animo a todo el mundo que lea este fantástico libro, de ágil lectura y de exquisita narrativa.

4 ⭐

Hobbit Review No.345,000,029 in D Major [1.Tolkien Dedication] as performed by the Oakenshield Orchestra and the Rivendell Children’s Choir:

“It matters not what one thinks of ‘The Hobbit’.
Another review? Dios mio, please stop it!
Everything now is pre or post-Tolkien,
Don’t act so shocked, Macaulay Culkin!

n  n

Negative reviews are fake news says ‘The Donald’,
John's given kids more joy than Ronald McDonald!
Ya Hey! Ya-Harri-Hey! Ya hoy!
Goblins, Wizards, Elves; oh boy, what a joy!

Tolkien’s the pillar that all other’s stand on,
There’s not a trope, good or bad, that hasn’t his stamp on.
I’ve heard it expressed as a general Reuel,
Most authors don’t equate to Tolkien’s Bristol stool.

Tra-la-la-lally! Fa-la-la-lally! Fa-la!
This wily motherfucker really set the bar!
So, thank you, Mr.Tolkien, for your contribution to the genre,
I’m having an old friend for dinner, that’s a double entendre.

It’s clear by now that I’m no poet,
I’ve exposed myself! Now everyone will know it!
So goodbye for now, adios y au revoir,
I’m off to spend an evening in Galadriel’s boudoir

May your beard grow longer
and your virility stronger,
May a thrush land upon your shoulder,
May you live to be a great deal older.

Break it down now!
I said a hib-hob, the Hobbit, the Hobbit
To the hib, hib-hob you don’t stop the rockin’….” [Fade out]

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again may be, along with Charlotte's Web, one of the first stories I was conscious of. Published in 1937, I ate up the animated television film produced by Rankin/Bass in 1977 when I was four years old. I wore out a record album children's book of the soundtrack and even took it to school for Show and Tell. My father read each of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy but we agreed that the excitement of The Hobbit was superior to the political machinations of the trilogy. Cracking open the literary source for the first time, I was often carried away to other worlds like a child while finding much to be critical of like an adult.

Tolkien's tale begins with a map of Wilderland and one of the better opening sentences I've read in a novel: In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Akin to man in all respects save their diminutive four foot height and hairy feet, the hobbit lives in fine homes burrowed in hills or under the ground. They get up for food, drink and festivity among their hobbit neighbors and avoid adventure any way they can, residing in Hobbiton far from marauding goblins or ferocious wolves. Other than their stealth, hobbits possess nothing in the way of magic. They reminded me of Munchkins from Hawaii.

Our title character Bilbo Baggins, bachelor, is enjoying life just fine when he's visited by the wandering wizard Gandalf, a family friend who Bilbo has not seen since he was a wee hobbit. Gandalf is intent to send Bilbo on an adventure, the type the hobbit's grandfather Old Took was said to have been partial to. Bilbo refuses this overture until tea-time the next day, when the first of thirteen dwarves pay him a social call: Dwalin, then Balin, the Kili, then Fili. Soon, the hobbit-hole is filled with beer drinking, cake gobbling, pipe smoking and singing, with Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin and Gloin. Then Bifur, Bofur, Bombur and the dwarves' leader Thorin Oakenshield, Gandalf joining in.

Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. He looked out of the window. The stars were just out in a dark sky above the trees. He thought of the jewels of the dwarves shining in deep caverns. Suddenly in the wood beyond The Water, a flame leapt up--probably somebody lighting a wood-fire--and he thought of plundering dragons setting on his quiet Hill and kindling it all to flames. He shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, Under-Hill, again.

The dwarves are lighting out for Wilderland, over the goblin infested Misty Mountains and through the deadly forests of Mirkwood to Lonely Mountain, where their reward for surviving the trip will be a meeting with a dragon named Smaug who has plundered an Oakenshield family fortune within the mountain fortress, as well as terrorized the inhabitants of the River Running region. Seeking Gandalf's counsel for a burglar to join their party, the hobbit has been recommended, despite showing none of the backbone or knack for adventuring that will be required on the journey. Pushed out the door by Gandalf on a June morning, Bilbo is not seen by his neighbors for a year.

Landscape familiar to Bilbo with good roads, comfortable inns and friendly men, elves or dwarves segues into the unfamiliar until the party must camp in the wild. They first encounter death in the clutches of three trolls, who capture Bilbo and the dwarves one at a time and debate too long on how to eat them. Relieved to finally be on the doorstep of Lonely Mountain, Bilbo is notified they've only reached the foothills of the Misty Mountains, where the party is put up in the elvish town of Rivendell by their warrior king Elrond, an ally of Gandalf's who despite a historical distrust of dwarves, interprets the map leading them to Lonely Mountain and the key to getting inside.

Making the trek over the Misty Mountains, the expedition is beset by terrible thunderstorms and rock giants hurling boulders down the slopes. They seek shelter in a cave, but bad turns to worse when the refuge turns out to be the front porch of a goblin enclave. All but Gandalf are captured and taken to the Great Goblin, who is overcome with fury when he examines the goblin-killing swords that the dwarves are armed with. The wizard rescues them, but in the melee to escape in the dark tunnels, Bilbo becomes separated. The hobbit ends up in a subterranean lake, where he recovers a mysterious ring and comes to face to face with its owner in what is by far the best chapter in the book:

Deep down here in the dark water lived old Gollum. I don't know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum--as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes. He had a boat, and he rowed about quite quietly on the lake; for lake it was, wide and deep and deadly cold. He paddled it with large feet dangling over the side, but never a ripple did he make. Not he. He was looking out of his pale lamp-like eyes for blind fish, which he grabbed with his long fingers as quick as thinking. He liked meat too. Goblin he thought good, when he could get it; but he took care they never found him out. He just throttled them from behind, if they ever came down alone anywhere near the edge of the water, while he was prowling about. They very seldom did, for they had a feeling that something unpleasant was lurking down here, down at the very roots of the mountain.

Like many timeless children's stories, what struck me about The Hobbit is how thrilling much of it is. Tolkien's writing is crisp, exquisite and fanciful, but it also has a nightmare's edge. The author keeps his foot on the gas, graduating the readers from redneck trolls to angry goblins to one of literature's great villains in Gollum, who plays a central role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and whose consuming greed ultimately permits Bilbo to escape. Unless you've been living in a mountain, the qualities of the ring Bilbo steals are known to you and in the employ of a burglar, leads to many tense and exciting scenes later in the book.

Once the dwarves escape the Misty Mountains, the story's momentum slows. The least compelling chapters of the book cover the dwarves' recuperation with yet another familiar of Gandalf's named Boern, a bear-man. Their descent into Mirkwood is eerie and rather than have Gandalf appear to keep saving the party, Bilbo rises to the occasion, combating giant spiders and engineering an escape from the dungeon of the Elven King's hall. Bilbo's final burglary exam in Lonely Mountain and his face-off with Smaug is a high point, but Tolkien, in one of many goofs, robs the reader of a showdown between the two.

From a cartography standpoint, Tolkien maps the journey out supremely well, but forgets to bring along some essentials. I had questions about his story development the longer I thought about it. Other than the fat dwarf Bombur, he dwarves operate as one indistinguishable blob. Their expedition sets out without considering how to dispose of Smaug or truck their treasure back home if they made it that far. There appears not one single female character in the entirely of Middle Earth, bizarrely, not even a wench serving ale at the inn. In the climactic battle, Bilbo disappears, literally. If written for today's market, it's hard to imagine Gollum appearing in only one chapter.

The strength of The Hobbit apart from the epic world-building that Tolkien makes look so effortless to put to paper are his motifs: the open road and the life less ordinary. There's something very compelling about a character leaving the safety and comfort of home for an adventure and finding both an external reward as well as something unknown about themselves. As John Steinbeck discovered talking to Americans in Travels with Charley, I think all of us dream to get away, no matter where it is to, and Tolkien's ardor for maps and legends and strange beasts and death defying ordeals fashioned those dreams into a timeless adventure story.

Special effects technology finally caught up with the popularity of Middle Earth and in 1996, New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh pitched a live-action trilogy that would have began with The Hobbit and condensed the Lord of the Rings trilogy into two films. With an assist from the massive wizard mania generated by J.K. Rowling at the time, New Line Cinema ultimately agreed to finance a Lord of the Rings trilogy from Jackson, the massive global success of which in 2001, 2002 and 2003 led to him expanding the slim volume of The Hobbit into a bloated, coolly received trilogy that hit screens in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Maybe one day soon I'll write a proper review of The Hobbit.

In the meantime, I want to say this:
If you are a child, you need to read this for Gollum's riddles.

If you are an adult, you need to read this book to children (if you don't have children, rent borrow some) for at least one opportunity to roleplay Gollum.

Becuz n  GOLLUM ROOOLZ!!!!!n




n  See here, he even won an award!!n
(PS. Since Gollum features so strongly in this review, n  heren is an interesting video on the acting and CGI genius that went into the making of the screen Gollum.)

Of course the most compelling reason to add this to your reading list in haste is that it's coming to the MOOVIEZZZ!! (Update: commentary on the moviez below).

Btw, if you like kickass fighting elves, not to mention pretty kickass she-elves and some sizzling elf/dwarf romance--well, then you might like the second Hobbit movie more than the book... ahem!


Part 3 coming to a cinema house near you soon(-ish). My PRECCIOOOUUSSSSS!
...and soon I'll have a copy of the all the moviez, and they will be me MINE, all mine, just like my precciousss illustrated copies of the novel.

Ha, you didn't think one copy would be enough did you??


If you get around used bookstores a lot, do look out for an illustrated version of the book!








Update: About the 3 films by Peter Jackson: I didn't find the first 2 films very memorable. He seemed to draw it out almost unbearably, and it also felt to me as if he was embellishing the original story a bit.

The whole thing seemed like actiony rubbish, though I personally actually quite enjoyed the swinging, shooting, swordfighting ninja elves and the bit of romance.

But the THIRD film, The Battle of the Five Armies , now -that- was a good one. I almost missed it on the big screen because of the mediocrity of the first two films. But I was glad, oh so glad that I actually did go and see it. The cinematics, acting and editing was all very well done, but it was the screenwriting and directing that really shone.

Here we saw a story of courage and cowardice; of generosity; of greed and avarice; of greatness of soul and of smallness of soul; of love; of selflessness; of brotherhood; of hatred; of humanity; of pain; of sacrifice; of struggle; of moral and spiritual victories; of sadness and loss, but above all, of triumph of the soul.

Yes, The Battle of the Five Armies is certainly something that does Tolkien justice at the very least, and what a joy it was to behold on the big screen. :)

PS. The movies also taught us that dwarves CAN be hot!

The Plot  القصه
The Action  الاحداث
The Settings  الاماكن
The Characters  الشخصيات
But.. The Oscar Goes to.. J.R.R. Tolkien for BEST STORYTELLER

فعلا لعل اكثر ما اعجبني في رحلتي مع الهوبيت ..تلك الرحله غير المتوقعه لي
هو اسلوب روايه جي ار ار تولكين للقصه
فله اسلوب مميز بالفعل في الحكي, كانه يروي وهو يجلس معك أنت شخصيا

الهــوبيت هي حجر الاساس والبدايه في واحده من اهم الروايات في العالم "سلسله ملك الخواتم" "وكانت السلسله الاعلي مبيعات حتي اطاحت بها روايه الساحره الانجليزيه جي كي رولينج عن قصه حياه هاري بوتر" , وحتي الكتاب منفردا قد حقق مبيعات عاليه ونسبه قراءه اعلي


لم اكن انتوي ابدا البدء في قراءه عالم فانتازي من اوله لاخره..فهذا لم يكن ابدا نوع القراءه المفضله بالنسبه لي "فلا الخيال العلمي مثل حرب النجوم او الهوبيت هو النوع المفضل لي في القراءه واحيانا الافلام ايضا"..فانا افضل الخيال الذي يحدث في العالم الحقيقي الواقعي,الفانتازيا التي تحدث في البلد المجاور والشخصيات الحقيقيه حتي وان كان لها قدرات خارقه..ولكن عندما تعج روايه بشخصيات غريبه كاقزام وغيلان وهوبيت وجن, بل وتدور في ارض خياليه فهذا كنت اعتبره كثيرا جدا لمخيلتي الي علي قدها :)

ولكني اتذكر جيدا ان اول مشاهده لفيلم "ملك الخواتم" 2001 اعجبني قصه الجزء الاول نوعا ما الا ان يكون "الهوبيت" هذه الشخصيات الخياليه مع الاقزام مع الجن والغيلان والترول والصقور العملاقه, كل هذا في اراضي غير حقيقيه وعالم اخر تماما اربكني جدا ولم يجعلني استمتع بالاجزاء التاليه

وتشأ الظروف ان اشاهد بعد اكثر من 10 سنوات النسخه الممتده من الفيلم, وشعرت ان الشخصيات لها عمق والسيناريو الممتد افضل بكثير من مجرد الاكشن والحروب التي ضجرت من طول مدتها خلال الاحداث

ومن هنا شعرت ان بالتأكيد الروايه نفسها وشخصياتها لها عمق غير الاكشن ولها تاريخ ايضا..وبعد صدور الفيلم الذي خرج عن روايه "الهوبيت" بعد اخر جزء بعشر سنوات واعجابي فعلا برسم الشخصيات قررت ان ابدا في دخول عالم الارض الوسطي ,عالم تولكين كما رواه بنفسه وكما "اختلقها" بقلمه وريشته ايضا..ومن البدايه

********* الاحداث *********
------- The Plot ------
فكره الرحله وطريقه تقديمها اعجبتني جدا, وجود خريطه المسيره في غلاف الكتاب الداخلي بريشه تولكين امر اكثر من رائع وافادني كثيرا لتخيل الرحله

الا ان العيب الوحيد هو تسرب الملل في بعض اجزاء الرحله نفسها..ربما -واقولها مره اخري- هو ملل مقصود ادبيا لكي نشعر بمدي الملل الذي يعانيه البطل "فالبطل كان متمللا جدا طبعا ولايحلم الا بفراشه الوثير" ولكن مازالت بعض الاجزاء كانت اطول مما ينبغي ولم ترق لي كثيرا

وهنا يأتي جمال الفيلم والذي اعتبره مكمل للصوره الكامله التي رسمها تولكن, بيتر جاكسون فعلا منح الحياه البصريه للروايه بشكل رائع ويستحق فعلا ترشيح اوسكار اخر

بيتر جاكسون منذ بدايه الجزء الاول من سلسله ملك الخواتم قام باختيار اجمل مواقع التصوير التي يمكن جعل بها الارض الوسطي حقيقه مرئيه وليس في الامكان اجمل مما كان
وهذا ما استخدمه هنا بطريقه اقوي في "الهوبيت" وحتي ان كان هذا الجمال اكثر بكثير من الروايه نفسها في وصف الاماكن

كما قام في مغامره تحسب له بحذف بعض الاحداث الممله بالروايه "كالدوران مرارا وتكرارا في ممرات الغيلان بالجبل او الغابه المظلمه" ولكنه اضاف بعض الاحداث الاخري الاكشن والتي ربما زادت من الملل قليلا بالنسبه لي مثل جعل مطاره الغيلان للاقزام تأخذ مساحات اطول واحيانا في اوقات لم تكن بالروايه

كما اضاف في الفيلم احداث تدور بين جاندلف وبين النكرومانسي والتي تم ذكرها عابره في احداث الروايه ولم نشهدها او نعرف عنها اي شئ..وهي اضافه في هذه الحاله تحسب له جدا وفعلا اتمني ان اقرأ عنها في روايه اخري

وان اشفق الراوي الرائع علينا ويلات الحرب الاخيره -وهذا من حسن حظي اني غبت عن الوعي مع بيبلو "طبعا وكل من قرأ الروايه- لعدم تطويل الاحداث في وصف الحرب فاني اعتقد انها سيخصص لها نصف الجزء الثالث من الفيلم تقريبا, وربما يكون الامر مشوقا وقتها

ولكن كما قلت جمال الطبيعه والتصوير الذي قام به الفيلم يشفع له التطويل
ولكن الاجمل فعلا كان في تصوير
********* الشخصيات *********
-------The Characters--------
Dwarf فعندما يكون هذا ...قزم

تعرف انك امام فيلم يعشق شخصيات الروايه ويريد ان يقدمهم في اجمل صورهم
وقد كان.........حقا


فتصوير الشخصيات بالفيلم قدمه بيتر جاكسون باروع مايمكن ,وحتي ليس بصريا فقط بل وبناء الشخصيات نفسه وتطورها كان مشابهه للروايه ويعلوه في بعض الاحيان"بالطبع لطول فتره الفيلم باجزاءه"
فسموج التنين مثلا كان رهبته افضل بكثير "بصوته" وهيئته في الفيلم الجزء الثاني, وان كان هناك اختلاف طفيف بين الحوار بين الروايه والفيلم الا انك تجد ان كلاهما مكملين لتصويره الرهيب...ولكن يظل توليكن يتفوق بالتأكيد وبدون اي شك او حتي معارضه في تقديمها
اتذكر شخصيه "بوروين" الرجل الدب اني قرأت بدايه هذا الفصل وتقديم الشخصيه نفسها قبل نصف ساعه من دخول الفيلم الجزء الثاني..روح الدعابه في روايه القصه كان واضحا جدا وكان من اجمل الفصول فعلا, ولكنه تحول في الفيلم الي مشهد اكشن فحسب فلم يكن رائعا مثل الروايه

فالحوار بينه وبين جاندلف كان في غايه الطرافه فعلا...وشخصيه جاندلف بالاخص اعشقها "صارت شخصيتي المفضله الجديده" لاني اشعر ان بها الكثير من
********* الـرواي *********
----- The Storyteller -----

تولكن , والذي منحناه الاوسكار في اول الريفيو كان له اسلوب اكثر من رائع في الحكي...في وصف العالم الذي يعشقه والشخصيات وماضيها وتاريخها ونفسيتها وعائلتها

لغته المحببه في الروي وروح الدعابه واشعارك بانه يحكي لك الروايه خصيصا هو اكثر ما شدني لاستكمال رحلتي الغير متوقعه فعلا معه
انجليزيته المحببه سواء في اللغه او حتي تصرفات شخصياته جعلتني اعشق اكثر الادب الانجليزي "فلا ننس ان جي كي روليج كاتبتي المفضله انجليزيه ايضا"

جندلف انا متأكد انه شخصيته المفضله.."ربما سأبحث في هذا الامر فعلا" وقد اعجبني جدا حواره منذ اول مشاهده والتي حافظ عليها بروحها ونصها المخرج بيتر جاكسون

“Good Morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.

"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

"All of them at once," said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain.
...

"Good morning!" he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water." By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.
"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off.”

n
ستشعر فعلا بتلك الروح المرحه في الروي سواء من الراوي او من جمله جندلف نفسها

"هل تتمني لي صباح سعيد ام انك تعني انه صباحا سعيدا سواء شئت انا او ابيت , او انك تعني انك تشعر بالسعاده هذا الصباح , او انه صباح لتكون فيه سعيد؟"
“Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”

n

في النهايه
********
فعلا هي رحله غير متوفعه
Unexpected Journey

لم اتخيل انه سيعجبني عالم خيالي وشخصيات خياليه الي هذا الحد..ربما تظل لاحداث القصه بعض الاجزاء التي مللت منها الا ان روح الراوي وتعبه في هذا العالم وتاريخه سيجعلك متشوقا لمعرفه المزيد من الاحداث

النسخه التي لدي
Paperback -Movie Tie in
كان بها اخر 25 صفحه بخط اصغر من الخط الصغير اساسا اخاص بالروايه اول فصول ملك الخواتم, في البدايه عندما كانت اضجر احيانا من الملل اقول اني لن اقرأه وسيكفيني الفيلم بنسخته الممتده
الا ان بعد النهايه وجدت اني اريد المزيد , وفعلا شدني جدا الفصل الاول وسيكون لي رحله اخري للارض الوسطي ومدنها وجبالها وجمال طبيعتها وحتي طرقها الوعره

مع الهوبيت..مع جاندلف..والخاتم..وحتي بيتر جاكسون وفوقهم
الرائع
جي ار ار تولكن

محمد العربي
من 12 ديسمبر 2013
الي 29 ديسمبر 2013

★★★ /5

This was interesting and a little bit boring at the same time.
For a long time, I wanted to read this book, but sadly I didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would.
This was definitely well written, but sometimes hard to follow. Where were a lot of characters and not all were necessary to the story, they didn’t add anything meaningful. In addition, where was a lot of buildup so the story dragged.
This was a fine book, I just expected more.

I wish I could count this among my childhood nostalgia books.

I remember trying to read this book in grade-school and stopping because there was too much boring scenery and background. I must've been too young because it isn't boring at all, and there isn't all that much scenery as I'd thought and hardly any background. But as I kept reading, this flipped into a feeling that I'm reading this far too old, not young. The voice of the narrator is odd, generally the vague omniscient overlooking tone but occasionally slipping into a confiding 1st person; are you, the reader, the narrator or an accomplice in this tale-telling? This is a book intended to be read out loud* with funny voices (cranky hobbit, grumpy dwaves, grumbling wizard, dumb trolls, merry and suspicious elves, sneering goblins, howling Wargs, roaring dragon) and dancing eyebrows, with blankets shaped into terrain. I wish this had been read to me.

Thinking about reading and childhood - my parents read out loud to us, sometimes. I think between about 4-6yo, Mom chose to read Bible stories usually in the middle of the day when us kids were at our most active and wiggliest, so that didn't work out too well. Lots of whining, tears, orders to sit and listen which had the opposite effect. Booooooring; poor Mom, in her choice of reading material. Dad was also in the middle of the day, but this was a few years later, maybe between 8-10yo, when we would bring a book to him and beg him to read. My father has never learned to speak or read English fluently, so the books were from a set of Korean folktales.** My brother and I could barely understand the words but we were fascinated by the sound of his voice. I don't know if anyone is familiar with traditional Korean music, but it features extremely heavy vibrato (I think?), these extended ends of a note with an earthquake shaking in the throat; Dad has a gorgeous voice when he choses to use it, all ragged and fuzzy, which made his readings mesmerizing. I think he lulled us with it, my brother and I nearly swaying as we peeked over his shoulders at the brightly colored illustrations. The least successful reading sessions had him interrupting himself to try to explain the story in broken English. It was only a few weeks before he became impatient with this whole practice and refuse to read to us.

I wish there had been more reading to us as children, before bedtime instead of in the middle of the day. I wish my dad had been more patient. I wish he had learned better English, found The Hobbit, and read that to us. I wish I wish I wish.

This silly book has made me nostalgic for a childhood I never had. Is there a word for that?

I guess I should type about the book itself, since there're enough weepy couch confessions masquerading as book reviews out there (not really! love the non-book reviews, want more). A pacifistic creature known as a hobbit (a little man with big hairy feet) has adventures, makes friends, becomes stronger and proves true to his friends, then goes home. It's a great story.

Since my only exposure to Tolkein (Tolkien?) before this has been the LotR movies, I was suprised at the lighter tone of this book. Much less grim and grand but still great. I wonder if the Necromancer is Sauron. There's brief mention of Gollum remembering his grandmother - do we learn more about her later?

Since I've lost the chance to have this read to me as a kid, I have the urge to read this to a kid myself. Can I borrow someone's child?

------------------

*And now I'm wondering how much I've been influenced by Ceridwen's review, where she recommends having babies just to read aloud to them. Also, from Richard's review, it doesn't sound like children sit as still as I imagined for this.

**I thought Dad had given these away! Turns out, he gave away a different set of books, just as treasured...oh well. Just recently found that these are still tucked into a corner of the parents' house. I'm going to rescue them from give-away happy Dad.