The Hobbit
• Adventure, FantasyBilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day, to whisk him away on a journey ‘there and back again’.
Thoughts
The Hobbit was my introduction to Tolkien’s writing and also the first book I picked up in many years. I used to read non-stop when I was a kid, but it has become harder to make time for it as an adult. The COVID lockdowns gave me the chance to get back into it.
I’m glad that this was my first Tolkien book, as I found it very entertaining and easy to follow. It also made me fall in love with his beautifully descriptive writing, although I must admit that it had me looking up many words in the dictionary.
Compared to its three movie adaptations, the book is more fast-paced and is driven by Bilbo’s fantastic journey, rather than epic battles against enemies that I learned were not even part of the original story. This allowed me to focus on Bilbo’s personal growth and character development without getting sidetracked by the distractions found in the films (if you’ve watched them, you’ll hopefully understand what I’m talking about). Personally, I believe this was the original intention of the story. Rather than an epic tale, it reads like a long character arc.
Although Tolkien’s writing can become slow when he describes landscapes in incredible detail, I honestly think that this is a story that anyone can enjoy. I especially appreciate the way the author sometimes addresses the reader and makes them feel part of the narrative. I picked up the edition of this book that contains illustrations by Alan Lee, and felt they complemented the writing very well.
The Hobbit inspired me to pick up The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed it as much.