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[Tizoc]

So I FINALLY finished reading this, been trying to finish reading this during my work shifts which I recently just done, but all in all I enjoyed it.
Well mostly when the characters are speaking. Tolkien really liked describing the settings, but on the one hand I appreciate his writing style.

I personall liked the movies for what they are and I find myself enjoying both in their own way as is.

If there is one issue i HAD WIth the book it would be the final chapters:
Bard is introduced unceremoniously and Smaug gets GGPO-ed in 1 chapter. In a way it feels anti climatic but hey his kickass lines to Bilbo are timeless, and were his weakness not known we could've seen him go in for an epic battle against the Dwarves.

For that matter, Smaug was an OG:
"Revenge! Revenge! The King under the Mountain is dead and where are his kin that dare seek revenge? Girion Lord of Dale is dead, and I have eaten his people like a wolf among sheep, and where are his sons' sons that dare approach me? I kill where I wish and none dare resist. I laid low the warriors of old and their like is not in the world today. Then I was but young and tender. Now I am old and strong, strong, strong, Thief in the Shadows!"

Another one of my favourite parts is when Gandalf and Bilbo go to Beorn and Gandalf recalls their adventure with the Goblins to him as a way to have all the other Dwarves be allowed into Beorn's halls. That one is pure genius.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

It's such an entertaining book. I think I prefer it to the LotR.

 

[JeffZero]

I like it alright. I can see why it's beloved to so many, but... eh.

I vastly prefer the LOTR trilogy, for a whole host of reasons, including but not limited to: characters I prefer, a tone I prefer by a landslide, me being a sucker for larger scope storytelling/war stories in particular, and just the general whimsy in The Hobbit not really doing it for me.

 

[SpaceWolf]

I don't believe there's a single female character in the book, primary or secondary, which is pretty interesting.

 

[butalala]

It's a fantastic book, and Bilbo's badassery is unparalleled among Hobbits (except maybe for the one that invented golf).

I agree that the Bard stuff is strange, but it fits with the episodic structure of the story, and when you re-read it, you realize that Smaug isn't really the primary obstacle of the story. The true obstacles are Bilbo's resistance to grow and become an adventurer and Thorin's greed.

That scene with Beorn is really great! I'm so mad they cut that from the movies.

Have you read LOTR?

I don't believe there's a single female character in the book, primary or secondary, which is pretty interesting.

Isn't the Saxeville-Baggins woman in this book?

Either way you're right. That's probably part of the reason why they had to invent the Elf lady for the movies.

 

[joelseph]

I recently reread it after many many years. Sure feels more like Harry Potter than LOTR. Not bad but definitely not the same style as LOTR.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Isn't the Saxeville-Baggins woman in this book?

Either way you're right. That's probably part of the reason why they had to invent the Elf lady for the movies.

According to Google, there are only three references to women throughout the entire story:

-Belladonna, Bilbo's mother.
-The Mother and Fili and Kili.
-The Wife of Girion of Dale.

However I don't believe any women make a physical appearance throughout the actual story itself. If I'm wrong, someone correct me.

 

[Fancy Clown]

I haven't read it in a long time but I loved it when I did. I really should get around to reading Lord of the Rings soon.

 

[butalala]

According to Google, there are only three references to women throughout the entire story:

-Belladonna, Bilbo's mother.
-The Mother and Fili and Kili.
-The Wife of Girion of Dale.

However I don't believe any women make a physical appearance throughout the actual story itself. If I'm wrong, someone correct me.

According to this citation from an LOTR wiki, Lobelia shows up in the last chapter. Not a great example of female representation, but there it is.

 

[SpaceWolf]

According to this citation from an LOTR wiki, Lobelia shows up in the last chapter. Not a great example of female representation, but there it is.

I bow to your superior research skills, Sir.

 

[Loxley]

Glad you enjoyed it!

Funny enough, The Hobbit was the second-to-last of Tolkien's Middle-earth works that I read. My order was LOTR --> The Silmarillion --> Unfinished Tales --> The Histories --> The Children of Húrin --> The Hobbit --> Bilbo's Last Song. Going from The Children of Húrin to The Hobbit was quite a shock. It's hard to believe they're even from the same author. It actually took me a while to appreciate The Hobbit for what it was since I was used to Tolkien's more adult prose in his post-Hobbit works.

The graphic novel adaption by Charles Dixon and David Wenzel is also worth checking out.

 

[Tizoc]

Glad you enjoyed it!

Funny enough, The Hobbit was the second-to-last of Tolkien's Middle-earth works that I read. My order was LOTR --> The Silmarillion --> Unfinished Tales --> The Histories --> The Children of Húrin --> The Hobbit --> Bilbo's Last Song. Going from The Children of Húrin to The Hobbit was quite a shock. It's hard to believe they're even from the same author. It actually took me a while to appreciate The Hobbit for what it was since I was used to Tolkien's more adult prose in his post-Hobbit works.

The graphic novel adaption by Charles Dixon and David Wenzel is also worth checking out.

I never heard of this but thanks for recommending it!

Will get to reading lord of the rings in due time :3

 

[Loxley]

I never heard of this but thanks for recommending it!

Will get to reading lord of the rings in due time :3

The art by Wenzel is gorgeous too, it's all hand-painted watercolors.

 

[veloxStrix]

According to Google, there are only three references to women throughout the entire story:

-Belladonna, Bilbo's mother.
-The Mother and Fili and Kili.
-The Wife of Girion of Dale.

However I don't believe any women make a physical appearance throughout the actual story itself. If I'm wrong, someone correct me.

Gollum's grandmother is mentioned as well. When he is trying to solve the Bilbo's egg riddle.

Speaking of which, the usage of music, poetry, and riddle to reveal details and contrast the different races and characters in the Hobbit is beautiful. The Elves and Goblin songs (from the chapter "Over Hill and Under Hill") reflect each other by ending each stanza with laughter - the elves' being jovial while the goblins' are harsh and mocking - yet being direct opposites of each other in the complexity of the rhyme and syllables used. The contrast shows how directly opposite they are as a race, but hints at the connection they have as the goblins were created by the corruption of elves themselves.

Similarly, the goblin song also brings to mind another song sang earlier in the book - the song the dwarves sing as they merrily toss Bilbo's plates and cutlery around Bag End. Each reflect a desire to break and harm at the expense of others, the only difference being the perception of what "good fun" is between the two races. Dwarves and goblins being very similar in many ways - both being created by a god other than Illuvatar, both craving riches and being content in the deep, dark places of the world, and the desire for vengeance they both share.

I could go on and on forever, but I didn't even mean to go on as long as I did. When I first noticed how important the poems and songs were within the story, it really changed my outlook on the book though.

I recently reread it after many many years. Sure feels more like Harry Potter than LOTR. Not bad but definitely not the same style as LOTR.

You're closer than you might realize since The Hobbit was written for the sole purpose of being entertaining to his children. He showed the manuscript to some of his colleagues - C.S. Lewis and one of his students whose name I forget - and from there it eventually made it's way to George Allen & Unwin, the original publisher of the Hobbit. It was also a lot MORE whimsical in the first edition release - especially in the scenes with Gollum - but was later changed before LotR was released.

...I have a lot of worthless knowledge.