144 pages
English language
Published June 19, 2011
It was fun to read this in a language I can just so read. It gives the prose a more archaic feel. And maybe the nordic sound of Danish is a good fit. The book itself is enjoyable even for a non-Tolkien fan and only occasional fantasy reader like myself.
Loved it - best not spoiled by watching the movie (which makes it a much more 'Lord of the Rings' serious story, and much less for it...).
This seems to just not be my cup of tea, at least for now.
Having already watched all Jackson movies, it's hard to make a fair assessment of the book. Would I have found the worldbuilding and so and so silly if I hadn't? Would I be unimpressed if I had no knowledge of the greatness in it's future? I don't know. I like to think not so. Cause I'll say this, I had incredible fun. And little of that came from the richness of Middle-earth or the little clues here and there of this and that and what not. It was the prose and storytelling bringing most things leaping alive. It was the characters, Bilbo and Thorin and Gollum and Smaug, and what characters they are. It was the incredibly successful humor. It was the songs I'd heard so much about and was not expecting to like. Well, the last third is not like the first two. It's not perfect by any means. …
Having already watched all Jackson movies, it's hard to make a fair assessment of the book. Would I have found the worldbuilding and so and so silly if I hadn't? Would I be unimpressed if I had no knowledge of the greatness in it's future? I don't know. I like to think not so. Cause I'll say this, I had incredible fun. And little of that came from the richness of Middle-earth or the little clues here and there of this and that and what not. It was the prose and storytelling bringing most things leaping alive. It was the characters, Bilbo and Thorin and Gollum and Smaug, and what characters they are. It was the incredibly successful humor. It was the songs I'd heard so much about and was not expecting to like. Well, the last third is not like the first two. It's not perfect by any means. But it's a down right engaging good time and that will always be enough.
I actually preferred this to Lord of the Rings
I just completed reading the Hobbit for about my 10th time. I guess that pretty much says all there is to say about what I think of the book. I have been reading it (off & on) since 1968, only 49 years. I can tell you it remains wonderful. I am preparing myself for the 'big read'- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (later this year).
EDIT: I just completed my 11th reading of the book.
A fine book that deserves its place as one of the foundational pieces of fantasy literature!
Tolkien è Tolkien.
Letto adesso può non fare impazzire i lettori del fantasy abituati ad altri canoni, ma se consideriamo che è stato pubblicato nel 1937 e quasi un secolo dopo lo leggiamo vuol dire che il suo perché ce l'ha :)
Scorrevole e condito da un filo d'ironia è adatto a tutte le età. Personaggi come Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, Thorin e Bombur entrano nel cuore.
È molto interessante leggere i riferimenti di Tolkien e sapere che Lo Hobbit affonda le sue radici nei poemi islandesi e norvegesi (Edda e Beowulf in primis).
Altrettanto importante è sapere che Tolkien era un grande filologo e ha compiuto svariati studi sul norreno, sulle rune e sulle traduzioni :)
I first read this when I was 7 and have re-read it many times in the intervening years. It's definitely written for what would now be called a young adult reader, but still a great story.
What can I say. It's a classic. And I know some of you will lose it, but I liked it way better than Lord of the Rings.
