Sono così contenta di aver finalmente letto qualcosa di Tolkien! Lo Hobbit é stato un ottimo inizio e l'ho trovato meraviglioso. L'avventura che ha vissuto Bilbo mi ha talmente rapita che sembrava stessi vivendo tutte le loro spiacevoli e, a volte, piacevoli vicende. Inoltre Bilbo l'ho decisamente amato come protagonista, si è rivelato parecchio coraggioso pur essendo un Hobbit! Il finale mi ha lasciato una forte nostalgia dentro perché, ovviamente, c'è dell'amaro nelle ultime pagine e non si può restare indifferenti. La prossima tappa è La compagnia dell'anello!

Kako napisati review za najomiljeniju knjigu ikada? Nikako, zato ovo i nije klasičan review.


Već nekoliko godina, sestra i ja imamo običaj da pred kraj godine čitamo baš Hobita, to je naša mala tradicija kojom obeležavamo kraj jedne i početak nove godine.
Knjige dolaze i prolaze, ali samo za pojedine možemo da kažemo da su nas oblikovale kao čitaoce.
Hobit je jedna od tih knjiga za mene.
A evo kako je sve počelo:


Znate ono čuveno pitanje: Koje 3 knjige biste poneli na pusto ostrvo? E pa, ne znam koje bi bile preostale dve, ali Hobit bi bio moj prvi izbor.
Često nailazim na komentare kako je Hobit knjiga za decu, kako je tek uvod u mnogo kompleksniji i kvalitetniji svet (naravno, misli se na Gospodar prstenova), ali ja sam oduvek mislila da u Hobitu čuči mnogo više od onoga što se na prvi pogled čini ;)
I budimo iskreni, zar ovakav početak ne obećava jednu nezaboravnu čitalačku avanturu?


Ah, i kako da završim ovo pisanije, a da ne pomenem mog voljenog Torina <3
Iako knjigu skoro znam napamet, i dalje mi zastane knedla u grlu, a oči me zapeckaju svaki put kada dođem do poslednjih 50-tak stranica. Mislim da taj kraj nikada neću preboleti...

P.S. Da ne zaboravim, ekranizacija Hobita je jedno od najvećih skrnavljenja u istoriji Holivuda, i ono trodelno čudilo nikada neću oprostiti Džeksonu!!

Not much more needs to be said about The Hobbit than that it is excellent! Great storytelling, fun characters, humor, action – it has it all. Tolkien is rightfully one of the (if not THE) founding fathers of modern Fantasy. If you are already into the Fantasy genre and you haven’t read him, you need to. If you are looking to get into Fantasy, The Hobbit is a great place to start.

One of the great things about The Hobbit is that I think it is easily accessible to a wide audience. The Lord of the Rings is a much larger and more daunting commitment which might be too much for the casual Fantasy fan. Then, if you are really into lore and world building, I hear people talk about The Silmarillion as a great but very dense history of Middle Earth. So, Tolkien has it all: Fantasy-101 or master’s thesis level Fantasy – you can decide how you want to approach his works.

One thing that has been bugging me about other Fantasy novels I have been reading lately is that there is a lot of wandering around without much action or story progress. And, this wandering around can stretch for several books. With The Hobbit, there is adventure, and “wandering”, but it moves quickly and gets to the point. Large chunks of progress are made without pages and pages of rambling dialogue. I appreciate how well The Hobbit gets to the point but does not leave you feeling cheated by it going too fast.

Another thing that I love about this Fantasy book is that it does not bog down with complicated names, location terminology, odd magic systems, etc. This is another thing that has been turning me off to other Fantasy lately because I cannot just escape and enjoy the book. Instead, I have to keep a notebook and a flowchart to keep everything straight! With The Hobbit, it was very organic and easy to follow – perfect for a relaxing Fantasy getaway for the brain.

I did not yet see the recent movies they made from this book but was surprised at first that they made it into three movies. After rereading this, I think I can see how they could expand on certain parts to make a movie trilogy. I will have to go and check it out now.

The Hobbit – read it!

Second read (2021) - 5⭐️ freaking delightful. Will read every year.

First read (2020) - 4⭐️ I loved the ending of this book! I was a little more generous with the rating because it’s middle grade. The middle of the book got a bit repetitive and drug by, but the ending was so perfect.

Some books are almost impossible to review. If a book is bad, how easily can we dwell on its flaws! But if the book is good, how do you give any recommendation that is equal the book? Unless you are an author of equal worth to the one whose work you review, what powers of prose and observation are you likely to have to fitly adorn the work?

'The Hobbit' is at one level simply a charming adventure story, perhaps one of the most charming and most adventurous ever told. There, see how simple that was? If you haven't read it, you should, because it is quite enjoyable. At some level, there is little more to say. Enjoy the story as the simple entertainment it was meant to be. Read it to your children and luxuriate in the excitement and joy that shines from their faces. That's enough.

But if it was only simple entertainment, I do not think that it would be anything more than just a good book. Instead, this simple children's story resonates and fascinates. It teases and hints at something larger and grander, and it instructs and lectures as from one of the most subtle intellects without ever feeling like it is instructing, lecturing or being condescending.

At its heart, the complaint I opened the review with is just a variation on one of the many nuanced observations Tolkien makes in 'The Hobbit' when he complains that a story of a good time is always too quickly told, but a story of evil times often requires a great many words to cover the events thereof. How often has that idea fascinated me.

Consider also how the story opens, with Bilbo's breezy unreflective manners which are polite in form but not in spirit, and Gandalf's continual meditation on the meaning of 'Good morning.’ How much insight is concealed within Gandalf's gentle humor! How often do we find ourselves, like Bilbo, saying something we don't really mean and using words to mean something very unlike their plain meaning! How often do we find ourselves saying, "I don't mean to be rude, but...", when in fact we mean, "I very much mean to be rude, and here it comes!" If we did not mean to be rude, surely we wouldn't say what we say. Instead we mean, "I'm going to be rude but I don't want you to think I'm someone who is normally rude...", or "I'm going to put myself forward, but I don't want you to think of me as someone who is normally so arrogant...", or even, "I'm going to be rude, but I don't want to think of myself as someone who is rude, so I'm going to pretend I'm not being rude..."

I think that is what makes this more than just a good book, but a great one. Tolkien is able to gently skewer us for our all too human failings, and he does so without adopting any of the cynicism or self-loathing so common with those that seek out to skewer humanity for its so evident failings.

We fantasize about heroes which are strong and comely of form, and we have for as long as we've had recorded literature. Our comic books are filled with those neo-pagan mythic heroes whose exaggerated human virtues always amount to, whatever else may be true of them, 'beats people up good'. These modern Ajaxs, Helens and Achilles dominate the box office, and I would imagine dominate our internal most private fantasy lives as well. Oh sure, the superhero of our fantasy might have superhuman ethics to go along with his superhuman ability to kick butt, attract the opposite sex, and enforce their will upon others, but it is always attached to and ultimately secondary to our fantasy of power and virility. How different is Tolkien's protagonist from Heracles, Lancelot, Beowulf, or Batman - short, small, mundane, and weak. Of all the principal characters of the story, he possesses probably the least of that quintessential heroic attribute - martial prowess.

And yet, he is not actually merely an 'average Joe'. Bilbo is just as much an exaggerated idealized hero as Heracles, it's just that those attributes in which Bilbo is almost transcendently inhuman isn't the sort of attributes we normally fantasize about having ourselves. Bilbo is gentle. He is simple. He is humble. Power and wealth have little attraction for him. He is kind. He takes less than his share, and that that he takes he gives away. He is a peacemaker. Though wrongly imprisoned, he bears no grudge and desires no vengeance for the wrongs done to him. Rather he apologizes for stealing food, and offers to repay in recompense far more than he took. Though mistreated, he harbors no enmity. He never puts himself forward, but he never shirks when others do.

How often do we fantasize about being this different sort of hero, and yet how much better we would be if we did? How much better off would we be if we, like Thorin could declare in our hearts, "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." How often is it that we hunger after all the wrong things? What profit would we really have if we had in great measure the power to 'beat people up good'? What real use could we put it too? How much better off would we be individually and as a people if we most desired to be graced with Bilbo's virtues, rather than Achilles speed, strength, and skill with arms? How much less mature does this mere children's book of a well lit-world cause our darker fantasies to seem?

Now, I admit I am biased in my review. I read this book 36 times before the age of 16. I broke the spines of three copies of it with continual reading. Yet in my defense I will say that I'm considered only a moderate fan of the book by many. I've known several devotees of the book who, like the protagonist of Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451', can recite whole chapters from memory - ensuring that this would be one of the few books that would survive the sudden destruction of all the world's technology if only the world's story tellers survived. If you are inclined to think no book can be that good, and that my review overhypes it, so much the better. Go in with low expectations so as to be certain that they will be met or exceeded. Forget all I have said save that, "If you haven't read it, you should, because it is quite enjoyable."

3/5

I'm definitely glad I gave this a fourth chance (lol). There's no way this is a 1 star novel like I previously rated it; however, there's no way it's five stars either.

When I started my fourth "re-read," I could immediately tell I was going to enjoy the story more this time than I had previously. The writing grabbed me and I wanted to know where the journey would go... It was all great.

Somewhere in the middle I started getting tired of the whole "journey" thing. The writing never wavered, but I suppose I got bored of reading about their travels. I don't know. I felt as though I wanted more to happen, but not in an adventurous way.

So, am I glad I finally enjoyed this? YES. Am I upset it wasn't a four or five star rating? Not really. I don't think I ever expected to like it that much. Especially since it took me four times to get into it.

Now, it's off to giving the actual series a chance!
_________________________________
Original Review:
1 Star
Guess I'm going to be one of those few people who hate this book. Oh well. In my defense, I didn't enjoy The Lord of the Ring's either, so I didn't really expect to like this...

I wanted to come back and put up a review for the Hobbit.

I read this before the Lord of the Rings and it did make me want to read the rest of the story I had heard so much about. I picked this up in my early 20s. This was before the movies came out.

I loved the little hobbits and the world that Tolkien created. Elves were mentioned at the beginning as something rarely seen. I also was fascinated how a hobbit could hide from a human. They were sneaky and good at hiding.

I thought the adventures were great. I was not well read by this point in my life and this simple adventure seemed amazing to me.

One reason this is not my favorite story, yes, I do like it, is that I’m not the biggest fan of dwarves in the Middle Earth world. Little people are wonderful, but in Tolkiens world Dwarves are a little greedy and possessive and very hairy. I love in the movie when Gimli was talking about their women and he said there are plenty of dwarf women, they have long beards like a man so you might not notice them. That was funny. I guess I’m just an Elf person. They are romantic and artistic and more like me. They also live among the trees and talk with trees and if you know me a little, you know how that would appeal to me. Dwarves live inside mountains and under ground and they love mining. I don’t relate to that as much.

So, the story starts mysteriously with a group of dwarves walking in. They aren’t my favorite characters. So, this is my bias. It’s one of the reasons I don’t love this more.

I love Bilbo and Gollum in the bowels of the mountain and how the ring was found. It’s a brilliant bit of storytelling setting up an entire series. I love the eagles saving the day. I was also enraptured by Bilbo figuring out how to get inside the lonely mountain. The thief is pretty amazing.

It truly was a groundbreaking story setting up a larger world. I kept wondering what else was in the map at the front. What other people’s.

Another ingenious idea Tolkien had was to make the intro into the story as a middle grade book. The reader gets older and now the more mature series of the Lord of the Rings is there to move the story forward. That is a brilliant bit of marketing/storytelling.

I do wish he had been more forward thinking in his use of female characters. In the Hobbit, there is hardly a woman anywhere. I am glad that Peter Jackson added a few of them.

I know we don’t need another review of these works, but I wanted to write down my thoughts on this classic.

I was never really into fantasy when I was younger. I loved mysteries, biographies, historical fiction, and gothic classics. My sister and brother read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I picked up The Hobbit once and was bored to tears. I put it away without finishing it, thinking it just wasn’t a book for me. When The Fellowship of the Ring movie came out, I decided I should read the novels. I devoured Fellowship and quickly followed it with The Two Towers and The Return of the King. I fell in love with the world of hobbits, men, elves and dwarves. The mythology Tolkien had created was much better than I had previously thought. Oddly enough, I still didn’t read The Hobbit until now. My husband I decided to do a buddy read, which is so much fun. It’s great to be able to read a book with a loved one and to hear their thoughts on the characters and writing style. Bonding time!

I did enjoy reading about the adventures of Bilbo. I’ve seen the cartoons (hated them mostly because of the terrible musical score) and Jackson’s movie trilogy (although it really was quite the cash grab and not as faithful to the novel as it should have been). Reading the novel, I had more insight into events that I had only read about in other novels or seen portrayed incorrectly in cinema. It was nice to see the real version.

Bilbo is adorably sweet, kind, brave, and the best friend any of those dwarves could have asked for. I feel quite like Gandalf feels about him - exceedingly fond of the brave little hobbit who left his home for a once in a lifetime adventure. Bilbo really is the most important character. You see the interesting and mysterious qualities of Gandalf, but the dwarves are a bit of a two-dimensional group. Some characterization of a few but mostly they are just a list of rhyming names. It made me long for Gimli. The elves are a weird version. Having read LOTR, I was a bit put off by the elves in The Hobbit. I definitely wished to have Galadriel and Legolas show up. The spiders, goblins and wargs are very nasty, as they should be. Beorn was a great addition - a werebear is a very good friend to have on your side. The characters definitely make the novel. Couple these with the setting and you have a wonderful mythology.

The tale itself is fun but it almost feels like just a series of tiny adventures. I thought the Desolation of Smaug and the Battle of the Five Armies would have been more developed scenes. Sadly, these are told by the narrator as afterthoughts since Bilbo doesn’t get to witness all the events. I would have placed those scenes as the climax had they been done differently. At this point, I’m not sure what constitutes as the climax but that’s okay. I did enjoy the little tales held together with the traveling of the merry band of dwarves and their master-thief hobbit.

This is not Tolkien’s masterpiece, but it is a prelude. It’s a tale meant for young readers. It’s a practice run as he started his world-building. The Hobbit is a must-read for anyone who wants to read LOTR. I would suggest trying it first. I didn’t and it made me sometimes feel critical of the tone and writing differences. I had to remind myself that this was a different tale for a different audience. I am so glad I gave it another chance, but I wish I had done so years ago.

A true classic, if aimed more at children than one would think of the predecessor to The Lord of the Rings
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

A well known story, full of delightful humor, starting with the visit of the dwarves and the meeting with the trolls.

Some funny things that I noticed while listening to The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, this time brilliantly narrated by Andy Serkins, were amongst other:
- Bachelor Bilbo being a bit queer, something that was just waiting to come out, had me laughing out way too loud

There are some days when I actually think that the humble Hobbit is superior to it's bohemoth brother, n  The Lord of the Ringsn. It's a much tighter story, and Bilbo is a much more appeal character than is Frodo. I also just love this poem, from The Hobbit

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
The dragon's ire more fierce that fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled their hall to dying fall
Beaneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him

This book?
Precious.

I'm not remotely ashamed to name The Hobbit no-contest my favourite book of all time.

Really it's just a fairy tale for children - it doesn't even try to weave a grand mythological epic such as the Lord of the Rings or Silmarillion did - but as fairy tales go, it does pretty much everything as well as it possibly could. It's simply written, easy to get into and follow, carries strong morals for children and even some adults to learn from, and is of course filled to the brim with fantastic locations and landscapes, dark and twisted tunnels and creatures and perils, and in the end there waits the dragon.

Most fairy tales probably would've ended the story at that, but The Hobbit does go out on its way to examine the whole premise and the genre conventions a little more, namely by telling us what is bound to happen AFTER the treasure is claimed. Just about everybody involved has a believable and relatable motive for their share of the gold, and there's little to nothing a single small hobbit can do to prevent what happens in the end. I didn't think of such things much as a child, simply taking it as an exciting (and ultimately tragic) climax to an already amazing book... but I think it well demonstrates that there's something here for adults as well.

Not much else to say. It's funny, and tense, and exciting, and sad, and then funny again. Bilbo's adventure from his little hole in the ground is forever burned into my memory, and has influenced my own writing more than its fair share. If the very thought of reading fantasy or fairy tales doesn't make you break out in hives, you should read this. Everyone should read this.