Goodreads Review - The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I gave this book four stars based on when I read it as a teenager. Now that I've read it again, it gets to keep its stars, but some of that is through nostalgia. There's no question this is a classic in the way it is written. Of course, having read the Lord of The Rings Trilogy, some of the story lacks the novelty it had upon a first reading. In fact, I was amazed to see how much this story is a trial run for many of the adventures Tolkien chronicles in greater detail in the trilogy. One thing that struck me is how the ring of power (you know, precious) is treated almost as a gimmick and used primarily as a plot device that allows a small and weak character like a Hobbit to accomplish amazing things. The other striking thing from the book is the almost complete lack of emotional relationships. Tolkien's attention to geographic details is almost neurotic and seemingly at the expense of much emotional character interaction. I was also surprised to find how completely useless and unkind the thirteen dwarfs are portrayed until the very end of the story. For those interested in the movie coming out next year, I recommend a read or re-read. If you're excited about the movie, you have doubtless read this story already, and probably several times.

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