Frizz reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Still the best
5 stars
A classic. I find new things every time I read it.
Paperback, 389 pages
English language
Published Aug. 14, 2014 by HarperCollins Publishers.
4 stars
(139 reviews)
This is the story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected...
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep to whisk him away on a journey "there and back again". They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...
The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century. --back cover
Tingenek reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Best by far
5 stars
The absolute best of all his books. The LoTR may get all the attention, but this is a beautifully written and paced.
Dustywhite7 reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Best with kids
4 stars
I like the book myself, but it was even more enjoyable when I read it with my daughter. Had to buy her a separate copy so she would stop stealing mine!
Gossamerchild reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Review of 'The Hobbit' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Towards the end I started ignoring the annotations because I got so wrapped up in the story. For the 19th time. Thereabouts, anyway. I will never stop rereading this book.
Soh Kam Yung reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A wonderful tale about a Hobbit.
5 stars
(Note: this review is about one of my many numerous re-reads of the book.)
"In a hole in the ground there lived ...", well, you probably know who.
A story that started out scribbled on the back of a piece of paper being marked by J.R.R. Tolkien has grown in the telling and now supports a whole mythology set out in the books "The Silmarillion" and "The Lord of the Rings" as well as a multi-billion dollar entertainment industry.
The story of Bilbo Baggins and how he got involved in a quest involving dwarves, a Wizard, elves, men, goblins, wargs (wolves) and, of course, a dragon, is set out in this tale that has been read multiple times by me.
The most important event in the book, almost trivial in its treatment (which it was, at the time) was the discovery of a seemingly innocuous magic ring by Bilbo deep …
(Note: this review is about one of my many numerous re-reads of the book.)
"In a hole in the ground there lived ...", well, you probably know who.
A story that started out scribbled on the back of a piece of paper being marked by J.R.R. Tolkien has grown in the telling and now supports a whole mythology set out in the books "The Silmarillion" and "The Lord of the Rings" as well as a multi-billion dollar entertainment industry.
The story of Bilbo Baggins and how he got involved in a quest involving dwarves, a Wizard, elves, men, goblins, wargs (wolves) and, of course, a dragon, is set out in this tale that has been read multiple times by me.
The most important event in the book, almost trivial in its treatment (which it was, at the time) was the discovery of a seemingly innocuous magic ring by Bilbo deep in the mountains which was to have an impact well after the telling of this tale.
Light-hearted in tone, the story skips gaily from Bilbo's home at Bag End to Rivendell, from the Misty Mountains to Mirkwood, from the Elven King's halls to its final destination; the Lonely Mountain far to the east. It is there that things turn grim as Bilbo finally performs the tasks he was hired to do; to be a burglar.
A good tale and best considered as a stand-alone tale, rather than a 'prequel' to Tolkien's major work, "The Lord of the Rings".
If you want to know more, also consider reading "The Annotated Hobbit" by Douglas A. Anderson and the two volume "The History of The Hobbit" by John D. Rateliff.
John Pettigrew reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A classic for a reason
5 stars
It's hardly worth reviewing The Hobbit - it's been done so many times. But for those who only know it from the movies, prepare for a very different experience. This is more child-friendly but more epic, more philosophical but more realistic.
Madebypaul reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Uh yah this one’s good
5 stars
I mean it’s a classic. How could you hate on it?
comfy hak reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Four stars
4 stars
I would be great if I could give ratings without saying anything.
deejoe reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit
4 stars
What's to be said about this that hasn't already been said? I guess my personal experience was that I saw the Ralph Bakshi animated treatment of this before ever reading it. Then, I got this huge coffee-table style book out of the library with the story but printed around cels from the animation. So, my experience of the whole thing was very colored from the beginning that way. Eventually I got a box set of the paperbacks on loan from an uncle of the LOTR and struggled through them with long periods where they just sat on the shelf. Probably my first experience of executive dysfunction/guilt around something I felt I should read but just hadn't gotten around to yet and often didn't feel like wanting to read it. The Jackson movies are fine and a welcome visual palate cleanser for the Bakshi images. I don't think I've seen all …
What's to be said about this that hasn't already been said? I guess my personal experience was that I saw the Ralph Bakshi animated treatment of this before ever reading it. Then, I got this huge coffee-table style book out of the library with the story but printed around cels from the animation. So, my experience of the whole thing was very colored from the beginning that way. Eventually I got a box set of the paperbacks on loan from an uncle of the LOTR and struggled through them with long periods where they just sat on the shelf. Probably my first experience of executive dysfunction/guilt around something I felt I should read but just hadn't gotten around to yet and often didn't feel like wanting to read it. The Jackson movies are fine and a welcome visual palate cleanser for the Bakshi images. I don't think I've seen all of his Hobbit movies yet, though.
Manu Monroy reviewed El Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Review of 'El Hobbit' on 'GoodReads'
4 stars
Bilbo es un personaje entrañable. No es difícil darse cuenta por qué es tan menospreciado de primera instancia, siempre. Sin embargo, tal como el Mago lo hace notar, su valor se muestra en aumento. Siendo Tolkien católico y considerando el conocimiento de la tradición cristiana y de la Biblia, viene a la mente ese proverbio "la senda del justo es como la luz del sol, que va en aumento". Así es Bilbo. Me sorprendió la sencillez con que se narra y los pasos esenciales que están resumidos, pero esto puede significar que lo profundo viene con El señor de los anillos. Confieso que mi forma de llegar a esta saga fue porque adquirí Shadows of Mordor... El mérito de los videojuegos.
Jonathan Arnold reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Review of 'The Hobbit' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Some interesting parts intertwined with too many "do this, do that" parts.
Debbie reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Review of 'The Hobbit' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It only took me about 15 years to get past the first chapter of this book, and I'm glad I gave it another shot a few days ago because once past that first chapter, I sped through the rest of the book.
nicknicknicknick reviewed The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Review of 'The Hobbit' on Goodreads
4 stars
1) ''Very slowly he got up and groped about on all fours, till he touched the wall of the tunnel; but neither up nor down it could he find anything: nothing at all, no sign of goblins, no sign of dwarves. His head was swimming, and he was far from certain even of the direction they had been going in when he had his fall. He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it. He put the ring in his pocket almost without thinking; certainly it did not seem of any particular use at the moment.''
2) '''Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it …
1) ''Very slowly he got up and groped about on all fours, till he touched the wall of the tunnel; but neither up nor down it could he find anything: nothing at all, no sign of goblins, no sign of dwarves. His head was swimming, and he was far from certain even of the direction they had been going in when he had his fall. He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it. He put the ring in his pocket almost without thinking; certainly it did not seem of any particular use at the moment.''
2) '''Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it for ever!'''
3) ''It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait. At any rate after a short halt go on he did; and you can picture him coming to the end of the tunnel, an opening of much the same size and shape as the door above. Through it peeps the hobbit's little head. Before him lies the great bottom-most cellar or dungeon-hall of the ancient dwarves right at the Mountain's root. It is almost dark so that its vastness can only be dimly guessed, but rising from the near side of the rocky floor there is a great glow. The glow of Smaug!''
Subjects
- Gollum (Fictitious character)
- Hobbits (Fictitious characters)
- Middle Earth (Imaginary place)
- Fiction