The Hobbit

Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Novel Ever Written
Review: Only C. S. Lewis can come close to J. R. R. Tolkien in creating exciting mythincal worlds and believable characters and still have room for plot. Of the four "Lord of the the Rings" books, "The Hobbit" is truly the best, and is, in my opinion, the greatest fantasy tale ever told. The Trilogy is splendid, but Tolkien is able to put all of the adventure and granduer from the other three books into this one, outstanding novel. This book is the paramount novel of fantasy epics and it shall be remembered throughout history as one of the greatest stories ever told.

Rating:
Summary: Alright...
Review: With The Lord of the Rings comming out I picked up The Hobbit about three weeks ago and tried to read it. I thought I would be able to at least get to The Fellowship of the Ring so I could try to go see the movie this Christmas break (I'm a pretty fast reader for a fourteen year old girl). However I'm just reaching page 250 in this book and though everyone promised me it would get interesting I'm still waiting.

I find Bilbo an interesting character but quite frankly he didn't pull at me like characters such as Harry Potter and Novalee Nation. And Gandalf annoyed me more than I can express. Though I'm not finished with the book, I must say I hope that The Fellowship of the Ring is plenty better.

Rating:
Summary: Charming.
Review: If you are going to shell out heavy coin for a hardcover edition of this wonderful book I recommend you go with the version illustrated by Alan Lee. It is a beautiful book with wonderful illustrations and very readable print (no 7 pt grainy characters smeared across porous paper will be found here).

As to content, little can be said that has not already been said. Be aware that much of the charm of The Hobbit is derived from the cheerful homeliness of hobbits. They sing songs, smoke pipes and tell stories. They are hardly candidates for action-adventure heroes, but when duty calls they rally to the challenge.

So if your reading palate leans toward episodic Harry Potter tales where each chapter calls the characters to brave the gaping maw of death, or Steven King-esque cliff-hanger chapter endings that propel the reader into the next daring adventure, then this book will put a little needed variety into your diet. It contains action and adventure, but these things are tempered by a comfortable quietude.

So give it a shot and I think you will find the slower parts of the book are as, if not more, enjoyable than those more adventurous portions.

Rating:
Summary: The Hobbit: Collector's Edition review
Review: My first memory of my father is him reading me the first page "The Hobbit" when I was a small boy. The book has remained a favorite of mine over the years, and I've read it and re-read it again and again. Finally, I decided to buy this handsome collector's edition, bound in green leather, slip-cased and containing JRRT's full color and two tone illustrations.

The high quality book -- the paper it's printed on is THICK -- and illustrations just add to the story, and make it easy to slip into the fantasy world he's created.

Not cheap, but definitely worth it for lovers of hobbits and "The Hobbit."

Rating:
Summary: The Hobbit
Review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a book meant for those who have an imagination, or those who whish to enter the world of dragons, magic, treasure, goblins, gloomy figures, but most of all adventure.
I thought a big reason that the book is great is that it's so great, is that its so vivid it feels like you are in the book, that you are seeing the characters right there, facing danger. The whole story of going to take back what is theirs even though they must face impossible odds, they themselves spoke that they wouldn't make it, the book is also written in some old English to make the characters seem older and mature. Though the book does a good job in letting one know what the characters are thinking and feeling, one cannot get a good grasp of what the characters are like. I believe the book lacks in this, because the characters are in such extreme emotional and physical conditions. I liked the message of I got from the book which was the underdog taking a stand, and not going out without a fight no matter the odds.
This book makes you feel what the characters are because like I said it feels like you are right there in the middle of it all. It also does a good job of guessing you do not know whether something is going to pop out or where the must go next. It left me impressed with the way it was written; the vividness of the book is something one must read.

Rating:
Summary: The Hobbit Review
Review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was an excellent book. I really like all imagination and creativity the author put into it. It is a book about a creature called a hobbit. The hobbit is named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo goes on an adventure with some elves to reclaim a stolen treasure. They must retrieve the treasure from the dragon namd Smaug who gaurds it. Along the way there are many adventures and exciting things the travelers encounter.
This book is for young teens to young adults. It has a good theme that kids can relate to. Bilbo is different than everyone else and he doesn't think he is much of an adventuror or hero. In the end though he realizes that even though he may be small an different he can use those things to his advantage. All he needs is to believe he can do it and then he can. Kids can relate to that and realize that if they believe in themselves they can achieve anything.
This book stirred many self motivating emotions. It made me feel courageous. If there was something I needed to do and I was scared of it, I should just be brave and face it. I'm sure it would make many younger kids feel the same way.
I thought this book was a very interesting book. Some parts were less interesting and exciting than others but there were really exciting moments which made up for the dull ones. I would definetly recommend reading this book if you are looking for some action and adventure. I would also recommend it if you are looking for a book with a good plot, lots of fantasy, and a good message in it.

Rating:
Summary: Hear me out...
Review: Okay, I know I'm setting myself up for a lot of flack by giving "The Hobbit" only three stars, but I don't think these reviews are worth much unless you're willing to be perfectly honest about your opinions...even if those opinions happen to be different than those of everyone else on the planet, or in the solar system. So here goes.

I'm twenty-eight, and I've been a huge fan of horror and sci-fi books and movies since I was about 12. I haven't read much in the way of fantasy fiction, however, even though it's such a closely related sibling to the two genres I love so dearly. As a kid, I loved the Narnia books, and I recently enjoyed the Harry Potter series quite a bit. So with the new movies based on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy coming out, I decided it was time to dig into these pillars of the fantasy genre.

I decided to start with "The Hobbit," since I'm the kind of person who always reads forewords and afterwards. I had heard so many people talk about it over the years, that I felt like I had already inhaled most of the characters and plot points like second hand smoke.

Okay, let me start with some of what I liked: I think "The Hobbit" is an original, often charming and fun-to-read story with some great thematic floorboards holding it all up. I like that Bilbo Baggins has some roguish family blood in his veins causing him to crave adventure in a most unhobbit-like manner. It is inspiring that Bilbo is unafraid to follow his own path. His actions and his unbending courage to be himself make him a role model for anyone. In addition to Bilbo, most of the other hobbits, dwarves, and elves that inhabit this book are also quite likable.

It's generally a fun quest story that appeals to the imaginations of all ages. There's a dragon guarding some stolen treasure, and a series of fortunes and misfortunes along the way that keep the reader vested in the group's concerns.

But there were also a couple of major shortcomings to "The Hobbit" that, in my view, kept it from being a great book. Now here's the part where my opinion will probably veer off from most anyone else's. But like Bilbo, I feel compelled to be my own self.

I felt that the style of the narration was overly intrusive; it made me feel less than involved in the story most of the time. I've read the complaints that "The Hobbit" reads too much like a kids' book. I didn't feel that exactly, but rather, that the point of view was just too off-putting. There's an omniscient narrator who sweeps in on invisible wings from time to time, taking you away from characters and events you've invested large chunks of pages following.

Also, despite a pretty decent set up and first half, I felt that the book's ending just wasn't very well constructed. The writing isn't actually bad, but the dramatic momentum is often lacking. With less than a hundred pages left to go, a huge inter-race war breaks out, taking you away from the story you've spent most of the book following. When you finally get back to the end of the original quest, the role of hero and dragonslayer is unceremoniously taken from Bilbo by a character that we hardly know.

I just felt that there was way too much narrative gear-shifting throughout this book. It felt like I was taking a ride with someone who's just learning to drive a stick.

I don't mean to offend anyone with this review. I just felt it was best to be honest. I know lots of people who love this book, people whose opinions I greatly respect. I'll just have to live with a differing opinion on this. In my view, "The Hobbit" is a pretty good story with some major structural flaws that detract from the pleasure of reading it.

If you grew up with "The Hobbit" as I did with "Star Wars" or the stories of Ray Bradbury, you probably have the urge at this moment to poke my eye out with a key or to do something equally terrible. So I'd like to extend a peace offering of some kind. I don't think "The Hobbit" is a bad book, and I think if I had first read it as a young kid, I might have loved it. The same way that if I hadn't seen "Star Wars" until I was an adult, I might have only criticized its bad acting and been blind to the bottomless ocean of magic that swells hypnotically under its surface.

Rating:
Summary: Good vocal performance
Review: My 11-year-old daughter liked this performance. She and I listened to it together once a week over a month or so. The actor's performance is very good. The elements of the story are terrific--it's quite an adventure that Bilbo goes on. The prose itself is rather plodding, I thought, especially since we just finished the Harry Potter books. At times, Tolkien's narrative reads like a legal brief. But overall, it was mostly entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: absolutely amazing
Review: The prologue to Lord of the Rings was an excellant novel filled w/ all the elements that a true fantasy reader loves and respects: magic, sword-play, dragons, treasure, and a variety of different characters ranging from hobbits and dwarves to orcs and goblins. However it takes a while for the book to actually pull you into it and become genuinely hooked. If you really enjoyed this novel then you should definately finish out the story w/ The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the remainder books on Middle-Earth.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun and fulfillment
Review: As a child, reading this book was a true pleasure.
I can vividly recall the simple pleasures of Bilbo's life, how he liked his food and warmth. I can see even now how his world got turned upside down and what amazing adventures awaited him. He was the quintessential reluctant hero, who delivered grandly in the darkest hours. What an amazing story!
What really tickled me later was to realize all the minor ways and passages that Tolkien created in this masterpiece were but gates that lead to entire worlds. Each of those little plot offshoots would yield millenia of history, entire sagas, in the later books.
Back then who would have known, least of all I, how far and wide the world was. I don't think Tolkien himself knew, and the biographer's may agree with me.
The Hobbit is forever enshrined as a classic children's book, but to me it carries a greater significance. It is essential reading to be weaned into the stupendous world Tolkien created, to journey through the agonies and bliss of The Lord of the Rings, and finally to flood the senses and overload the emotions in Silmarillion.
But to begin the voyage, one must read the Hobbit.
To not complete the voyage, one must forever wonder, to what depths and heights of genius did Tolkien's mind travel?