The Hobbit

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Summary: The Hobbit
Review: The Hobbit is a must read classic because of its deep story line and interesting characters. I would recommend it for readers over thirteen that are in to adventurous books. Readers might find it particularly interesting because the story The Hobbit precedes The Lord of the Rings. The book gives readers a little bit of back ground to the three Lord of the Rings movies.
The story is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. One morning in his Hobbit hole he awoke to a loud banging on his round wooden door. In came a wizard and twelve dwarves for what Bilbo thought was breakfast. He was surprised to find that they were planning to take him along with them on a journey to reclaim their lost gold from a dragon in the depths of a distant mountain. The journey to the mountain makes for an interesting story. They encountered goblins, great wolves, eagles, wood elves, and of course the dragon. They have very high times and low times along the journey, coming to near death on several occasions. As I read this book I almost felt sorry for all the little things that Bilbo was dragged into. By the end Bilbo becomes the hero, which was pleasing to compare his hero status to how he started the journey.
JRR Tolkien uses his knowledge of the rural environment and his imagination to create an enticing piece of writing. Tolkien uses foreshadowing countless times to make the reader find the book irresistible. He has an interesting way of talking to the reader about the story by using "you". It is almost as if he is telling his tail directly to the reader.
I thought this book was very entertaining and well written. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good piece of literature. I rate it a nine out of ten.

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Summary: The Hobbit review
Review: Geoff M
May 19, 2003

I read the book called The Hobbit. I was very interested in reading this book after I watched The Lord of the Rings movies that came out in theatres. I feel that this book had an ideal audience ages 12 and up. The concept of the book is made for a younger audience but there are some things in the book that make it for an older audience. The book references drinking and smoking which to little kids is not a big deal but some may think that younger kids are not suited for that kind of stuff.
This book was full of literary techniques; the first example is imagery. Imagery is found throughout the book and in fact is on the first page of the book. The author does a great job of describing the characters traits and it paints a picture in the readers mind. Imagery is also used when the main character Bilbo is walking through the forest, the author paints the pictures of the forest through the use of imagery. Even though imagery is good in a book sometimes the author put to much detail in little things such as spending two pages describing the pony. The other literary technique used by the author was the use of personification. The author seemed to make everything in the book come to life. The best example I can thing of was when Bilbo met the little creature named Gollum. Gollum lived in the cave and when he ran from Bilbo he jumped into the water and the author described the water as running away from the shore. As we all know, water can not run thus the author was using personification to give the water human traits.
This book had me so caught up in the rich plot; I couldn't even put it down. My emotions were mixed when I was reading it. At first I thought it was an adventure and then the book took my emotions and changed them because the characters ran into so many different challenges. My reactions to the book were good, but I thought that the whole story line was too quick. What I mean is that the stories plot seemed a little to quick to seem real. My overall impressions of this book were good. I liked the story line and I loved how the book ties in close with The Lord of the Rings movies. Before reading this book I was a little worried because it was a classic book and I thought right away that the book would be boring. I recommend this book to anyone who likes the fantasy world type of stories and people who liked The Lord of the Rings movies. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and I feel that everyone needs to read this classic.

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Summary: The Hobbit Book Review
Review: The Hobbit combines an immense amount of creativity and imagination with a magnificent skill of conceiving such a storyline. Those who like all sorts of fictional novels probably enjoyed reading this book, however, it may have not been all that great for the trekkies who are more into sci-fi.
JRR Tolkien has a distinct way of describing the characters and environments in his books. Since he is very descriptive, the scenes are fairly easy to get a handle on despite the fact that the book was written more than seventy years ago and that he writes with a unique European dialect, as does JK Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter book series. Both books are of British origin.
The author of The Hobbit also has a knack for symbolism. The gold that the main characters are after represents happiness, and all the obstacles they have to face, such as the evil goblins, Mirkwood Forest, and of course, the dragon at the very end, represent the many hardships and barriers we all must face in our pursuit of happiness. On the other hand, there are also many things that help us along that path, like Beorn the skin-changer, or the elves of the Last Homely House.
To sum up, this was an all around great book. By reading this, you can escape to a world where you have a good idea of how it all ends, but not down to every last detail. Those parts are up to the author. Nevertheless, every good book has those usual twists and turns.

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Summary: The Hobbit
Review: Bilbo Baggins, a small, unimpressive creature called a hobbit, embarks on an adventure that will change the world of Middle Earth forever. In The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien begins to weave the greatest fantasy story in literary history. Blibo lives in his cozy little hobbit hole, far away from any danger, in a place called the Shire. Life is peaceful for the Hobbits, especially Bilbo, but his peace won't last. When Gandalf and Thorin and Co. pay the little hobbit a visit and offer him the adventure of a lifetime, Gandalf goads the little hobbit into joining the dwarves' adventure. The dwarves (Thorin and Co.) plan to march to the Lonely Mountain where they will smite the dragon Smaug and reclaim their ancient treasure under the mountain. Gandalf had told the dwarves that Bilbo would go as their burglar, when in fact Bilbo was far from a burglar. As the group of fourteen treks towards the Lonely Mountain, Tolkien uses the timid hobbit, in various adventures, to convey how even the smallest being can become a hero to all. Tolkien made a comprehensive history to his stories, which makes the story feel real, like it actually happened. By never switching characters and always concentrating his writing on the hobbit, Tolkien creates a story that flows exquisitely. It captivates the mind, and Tolkien's descriptive writing makes the reader feel like he or she is actually there with the hobbit on his marvelous adventure.

By: Joseph Hill

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Summary: Hobbit
Review: "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, or even gruesome may make a good tale, and take a great deal of telling anyway."
In The Hobbit, Tolkien has created his own world independent from our own. The fictitious Middle Earth is complete with its own history and family trees. Set in a time before Men are the reigning species, The Hobbit is unlike any other fantasy novel. The main character, Bilbo Baggins, is employed by a wizard with a questionable reputation called Gandalf. He's hired as a thief to travel with a band of dwarfs to steal back their long-lost treasure. Throughout his treacherous journey through Middle Earth, Bilbo battles fantastic Middle Earth creatures as well as his own fear. This book is a masterpiece no one should miss.

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Summary: Bob's Thoughts on The Hobbit
Review: The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, chronicles the travels of Bilbo Baggins and his troop of dwarves. The overall setting is in the fictitious world of Middle-Earth. The story begins in the Shire at Bilbo's home and journeys through opaque labyrinths and inscrutable wilderness. The wizard, Gandalf, directly foreshadows the role of Bilbo in this book, and why he was included on this perilous quest, with the statement, "Bilbo is stronger than you or he knows." Bilbo, while skeptical of his abilities, proceeds to prove his worth and valor again and again. Throughout the book, the virtues of courage and intelligence are shown to greatly influence the outcome of any predicament. Bilbo, an unlikely representative of good, triumphs over evil. Hordes of mythical beasts, such as goblins, trolls, evil wolves, giant spiders, and mischievous elves all oppose Bilbo and company in their quest for the Lonely Mountain. The areas of the journey in which there is darkness are always associated with evil. In the end, it is Bilbo all alone, and he is forced to demonstrate a courage previously unknown to him as he faces the personification of evil, the great dragon Smaug, guardian of the Lonely Mountain. One of the few grievances I have with this novel is the lack of complexity in the characters. Understandably, Bilbo is the only dynamic character, however we know very little about the dwarves that accompany him throughout this adventure.

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Summary: A Hobbits Tale
Review: I thought this book was an okay book. I was reading it for quite a while because I never really "wanted" to read it. Then when I got to chapter 6, it got a little better. I give this book a "C" rating.

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Summary: Great story, great pictures
Review: I read this book years ago, in junior high. I had heard about it before, and had been interested in reading it, but had not had a chance. I enjoyed the story immensley, even though it was below my reading level at that point, it was a great background when I read The Lord of the Rings later. If you plan on reading The Lord of the Rings, read The Hobbit first. You will understand a lot better where Bilbo got the ring, and how he knows Gandalf, the elfs, and the dwarfs.

This edition of The Hobbit is one of the most beautifully published books I have ever seen. Every page is thick, high quality glossy paper with wide margins, and MANY MANY illustrations. In addition to occasional colour illustrations on their own pages, there are smaller, half page or so, grey illustrations scattered throughout the chapters. If you are a fan of Tolkien, this is the edition of The Hobbit to buy.

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Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: This is the unabridge verison of the book very enjoyable to listen to particularly because the songs are all sung instead of just read. My 4th grade daughter has reading problems but wanted to read the books after having seen the movies and this was a way to let her enjoy it without stumbling over pronunciations.

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Summary: The Hobbit (Leatherette Collector's Edition)
Review: I have just finished reading The Hobbit for the seventh time. The first time was after my freshman year in college in 1965, the next four times during the ensuing ten years, and the sixth time with my children in 1990. After so much time spent with this book, reading it was more like remembering than discovering.

With all the hype surrounding the release of the movies, I decided to revisit Middle Earth. Since my dog-eared paperback copy disappeared long ago, I decided to purchase the "Leatherette Collector's Edition" published by Houghton Mifflin, and I am glad I did. This very nice edition contributed to my enjoyment of revisiting my old friends. The heavy paper, nice green line at the top of each page, and beautiful typography definitely enhance the overall experience.

The only negative I found with the book was the illustrations, which are "by the author", who was a much better author than illustrator. The drawings and watercolors have historical interest, but do little to add to the experience.