REVIEW: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

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 one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...

I read The Hobbit because I loved the movie, but I thought having seen the movie would take away from my enjoyment, but it didn't at all - I loved it! It's an absolutely fantastic book. Tolkien is an amazing author, and it is written brilliantly. With endearing characters, an exciting and eventful storyline, and flawless writing, The Hobbit is impossible to fault.

The Hobbit is quite a long book, and it took me over three weeks to read! Admittedly it does contain a few lengthy descriptions of certain scenes which could be tiresome to read, but most of the time the descriptions are wonderful and they are one of my favourite elements of the book. Tolkien's writing is simple, yet so beautiful, which is one of the reasons why this book is so appealing to both adults an children!

The world Tolkien creates is amazing! I don't think the name of the world is mentioned in The Hobbit, but I know from hearing about Lord of the Rings that it's called Middle Earth. It is great though! Wizards, dwarves, elves, orcs, dragons and men that can turn into bears are just some of the creatures that feature in the book. Middle Earth is so fun to read about, and The Hobbit is the perfect book to escape from reality with!

There was a lot of characters, and most very likeable. I ,f course, very much liked Bilbo! He was a cute little hobbit, and I liked the way even though he wasn't very happy to be on this cold, wet adventure, he was still brave and clever and a great leader when the dwarves needed him. There was lots of dwarves, and my favourite was definitely Balin - there isn't much to be said about him, but he was lovely, and really kind to Bilbo even when the others weren't.  Thorin was quite infuriating mostly , but he was alright sometimes! Gandalf was great - he was the character that always swoops in at the right time and saves the day, and I'll admit I have a soft spot for those characters, Gandalf being no exception!

I just wanted to note one thing - it's not a complaint, purely an observation, - I don't think there was a single female character in the whole book! Not even a minor one. Hmm.....

The illustrations by Alan Lee were beautiful, they were a great addition to the novel!

The Hobbit is definitely worth a read and the movie is fantastic too - I don't usually say this about books and movies, but for The Hobbit, I think it's better to see the movie before you read the book. The movie is great (in my opinion) and it is quite different from the book, so if you read the book first, of course you will be critical of the movie (as anyone does when they see a book they love adapted into a film!) and it will take away from your enjoyment, but the two are quite different, so having seen the movie first won't take away from your enjoyment of the book. That's just what I think anyway! Whichever you choose to do, definitely try and both read the book and watch the film, because they're both great.

I was disappointed to get to the end of The Hobbit because it really is unlike any other, and I knew I was going to miss reading it every evening! It has taken it's place among my list of favourite books, and I know it's one I'll be coming back to read again and again

                                                      Rating: 5/5

Source: Gift

Pages: 400 

Age group: 8+

Official Publication Date: 21st September 1937, this edition: 1st April 2008
Publisher: Original Publisher, George Allen and Unwin, this edition: Harper Collins