Tea is at Four (The Hobbit – A Book Review)

The Hobbit

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Published: 1937

On Goodreads

My Rating:

20/25

 

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, in The Shire, is visited by a group of dwarves and Gandalf the grey. They seek a burglar for their travels to take back the Lonely Mountain from the dangerous dragon, Smaug. Gandalf assures the dwarves that Bilbo is the one.

Bilbo wants no part of this adventure. He likes his way of life just fine with his books, garden, and tea. However, convinced, he joins the dwarves on an unexpected journey he’ll never forget.

 

This book marks 20 out of 25 authors, from my New Year’s resolution, that I’ve never read from before. I’ve always meant to read this book as well as Lord of the Rings. I’m glad to finally get the chance.

 

Where to begin!

I really enjoyed this. This is a classic for a reason. Light and humorous. Adventurous and filled with friendship. Non-stop action too. This truly was a journey I was not ready to get to the end of. From dumb trolls to escaping cunning elves and defeating the terrifying dragon, Smaug. The action was non-stop. This wasn’t the kind of story that had me holding my breath, but reading faster, eagerly.

I have seen the movies and they were good. They even left me with that longing at the end with the beautiful score of music, but they don’t compare to the book. I am still surprised they made one book into three movies though. The book was beautiful in the way that it was simple rather than complex. It swept me away so easily.

The setting was brought to life with incredible imagery. Vivid in color and action. This is only a piece of Middle Earth, but it’s still stunning. And music. The songs in the book were so colorful and added to the story, making it lively and even joyous. Plus, it’s not a road trip without some tunes.

I was thrown a little bit by the dwarves’ strong dislike for Bilbo. It’s worse than in the movies. They really thought of him as useless and a burden and it was heartbreaking. Although, it did make for great satisfaction when Bilbo proved them wrong even though he’s very honest about how afraid he is. As I’ve said before, it’s okay for the hero to be afraid. That’s when courage comes into play. Courage is when you push through those fears to the other side.

The dwarves were an interesting bunch. Quite lazy too. LOL. While a joyous bunch most of the time, they relied on Bilbo for nearly everything. Who knows what they would’ve done without him.

And Gollum! A lot creepier in the book. For sure. And I felt an even deeper pang of pity for him.

 

Overall

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to get started on Lord of the Rings. Such a fantastic read that tickled my inner adventurer. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did.

 

Quotables:

“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.” (p. 51)

“Why, O why did I ever leave my hobbit-hole!” (Bilbo, p. 66)

“Third time pays for all.” (p. 233)

 

More to come soon…

-K.

 

P.S. Song today? Long Time Traveller by The Wailin’ Jennys.

 

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