Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Hobbit

The hobbit is such a cosy adventure story. The audiobook read by Andy Serkis was one of the finest I've listened to and he was perfect for it especially since we got to listen to his own character, Gollum. Little Bilbo was so adorable and I loved his dialogue and thoughts. The illustrations were also useful in picturing how middle earth looked. I really like how Tolkien wrote this for his children as it proves to be a great story for all ages. I find it astonishing that this was published in the 1930s yet it's still read and loved today. Tolkien truly is a master storyteller.

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rensreading's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

i finally understand why it took me 2 years to finish this book: i liked the movies better.

now, before you all pull out your knives on me, let me explain. the way tolkien wrote the characters in this story was boring and not thought out. bilbo is a blustering homebody who decides to go on this quest with the dwarves without giving a reason why. tolkien both wrote disparaging things about the dwarves which truly showed his racism. the dwarves, in my mind, felt like poc that bilbo was helping because he was bored. all of it was very white savior and it was a pain to push myself through to the end. also, for a story about bilbo helping the dwarves, there is very little depth to the company. you would think as bilbo supposedly gets closer with the company as the journey progresses that he would have more insightful things to say about them, but that isn’t the case at all. the plot is promising but the characters? bland.

and so i must give this 3 stars, though i might come back and rate it like 2.5 stars instead, maybe. we’ll see.

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erinwolf1997's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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rosita's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I cant recommend the audiobook read by Andy Serkis enough, it is great.

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sonoma's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

i think this is the type of book i would’ve enjoyed when i was younger. i tried to love this book, and eventually failed. i neither loved it or hated it; it was just ok.

i have wanted to read this series since i was 8, and just picked it up now. the plot was amazing. there were few plot holes, but plot holes are pretty visible in any book. the characters, on the other hand, weren’t as lovable. if it wasn’t for bilbo, i would’ve rated this book a star. he carried the book. the slow pace was also unnecessary. i found the overly descriptive sentences unnecessary. taking almost the whole page describing an apple was not it for me.

i don’t know why there are several dwarfs— i don’t think eleven dwarves were necessary. up until now, i still don’t know their names one by one without checking them again. in addition, there were zero females in this book. i was expecting at least one, and i didn’t get any. that part really bugged me.

however, i’ll still read the next book because i’ve heard better things about it.

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