Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Hobbit

It's easy to think of the grand Lord of the Rings trilogy and be overwhelmed, and wonder where to start. The movies did not do the book justice and the key thing to remember about The Hobbit is that it is written for children. This is not a hard read, it is child friendly, and it just the thing for a little one's bedtime story.

You don't need to read this book to know the trilogy, but this is an excellent introduction to Middle Earth for anyone 6 and older.

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madamenovelist's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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squinnittowinit's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

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

4.25

A delightful and charming story, made better by Andy Serkis as the narrator. Definitely a "product of its time", as women are barely even mentioned, despite the number of locations the main characters travel to, and the book contains fatphobia.

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strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I listened to it on audio and read it between the second and third Lord of the Rings.

I remember being in 6th grade and my friends had to read this for their book group and they all said it was boring. I guess if you are a 6th grader I could see it, but I was scared ever since of reading it. Now that I have, I have determined my classmates were crazy. This book is great and I recommend it.

Quotes:
“What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not, or that you feel good this morning, or that it is a morning to be good on?” -Gandalf

Wizards after all are wizards

Then there was a gorgeous row

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

May your beard grow ever longer

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finnfork's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

I really loved this book, I loved the adventure and I loved all 13 of the dwarves. Although the characters weren't very built and all kind of blended together, I did enjoy them all the same and I found myself relating to Bilbo in multiple instances. I think the story and the world-building was very well-done and the only thing i found myself wishing for was more character development and

more greif over the death at the end. although Thorin's death did make me sad, it didn't impact me as much as I wished it would. I saw these movies in theatres when they first came out and the death of Thorin, Fili, and Kili still makes me cry because they were a lot more dramatic in the film than it was in the book and i just found myself wishing i felt closer to the characters

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katie_345's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful medium-paced

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

3.0

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asipofcozy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I finally did it. After years of saying "I will pick up the Hobbit" or "I will pick up Lord of the Rings, I have finally read both, and dare I say, shame on me for taking so long to pick either of them up. One thing I am glad that I did was read LOTR first before reading The Hobbit. It was beautiful catching moments, quotes, actions, and situations that would transpire in LOTR. It made the world so much grander.

I am looking for someone to share in adventure that I am arranging.

Tolkien knows how to write a grandeur adventure that is both whimsical and epic. I fell in love with his writing in Lord of the Rings, and reading the Hobbit is no different. I felt transported to a world of adventure, quests, meandering hobbits, and a looming war. This isn't a read you can sit down in one day and devour (though try I did). This is a book you savor over tea with the fireplace going and the Fall rain hitting the window (which may have been how I read this).

I could see myself rereading this many times in the future, just as I have Lord of the Rings. There is just something about the aesthetic of the book, the poetic writing, and the adventure that draws me in.

(p.s. - if you are picking this book up AFTER the movie, please be aware that you will see many differences and things that did not occur in the book.)

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allisonshewfelt's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

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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