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Petrik's Reviews > The Hobbit
The Hobbit
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by
2.5/5 stars
The Hobbit probably would’ve been more enjoyable if I were reading it at least 15 years ago.
I have an odd relationship with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings due to my feelings of the movie adaptations. For Lord of the Rings, I haven’t been able to finish Fellowship of the Ring because I loved the movies so much and I ended up finding the book incredibly boring; I will try again next year. As for The Hobbit, I was reluctant to read the book because I disliked the movie adaptation. After finally reading this for the first time, I can safely say that I still dislike the movies, and I felt more or less indifferent about the book.
This will be a short review; I have nothing new to offer. The Hobbit is a book targeted for kids and, in my opinion, it certainly read like one. As I said, I most likely would’ve enjoyed this book so much more if I were younger and weren’t acquainted with other modern high-fantasy yet. Reading this for the first time, it felt like there was a complete lack of tension throughout the entire book. I also immensely disliked the storytelling voice implemented into the narration; it’s so distracting to my immersion and rather than reading it felt to me like Tolkien was telling the story to me. I prefer seeing events unfolds from the character’s perspective. That being said, I will also admit that I wasn’t bored with it because the accessible prose made the book very easy to read.
The Hobbit is a classic and I can totally understand why it became one. I will definitely consider reading this to my kids one day. I have no idea whether the decrease in enjoyment of the book was caused because of me watching the movies first or not, it might be. But overall, I just felt more or less indifferent about The Hobbit, which I guess is arguably even worse than disliking it. Honestly speaking, around 30% through the book, I ended up reading through it just for the sake of completing my bingo challenge rather than because I was having a good time with it. Thankfully, this was a short read.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
The Hobbit probably would’ve been more enjoyable if I were reading it at least 15 years ago.
I have an odd relationship with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings due to my feelings of the movie adaptations. For Lord of the Rings, I haven’t been able to finish Fellowship of the Ring because I loved the movies so much and I ended up finding the book incredibly boring; I will try again next year. As for The Hobbit, I was reluctant to read the book because I disliked the movie adaptation. After finally reading this for the first time, I can safely say that I still dislike the movies, and I felt more or less indifferent about the book.
This will be a short review; I have nothing new to offer. The Hobbit is a book targeted for kids and, in my opinion, it certainly read like one. As I said, I most likely would’ve enjoyed this book so much more if I were younger and weren’t acquainted with other modern high-fantasy yet. Reading this for the first time, it felt like there was a complete lack of tension throughout the entire book. I also immensely disliked the storytelling voice implemented into the narration; it’s so distracting to my immersion and rather than reading it felt to me like Tolkien was telling the story to me. I prefer seeing events unfolds from the character’s perspective. That being said, I will also admit that I wasn’t bored with it because the accessible prose made the book very easy to read.
The Hobbit is a classic and I can totally understand why it became one. I will definitely consider reading this to my kids one day. I have no idea whether the decrease in enjoyment of the book was caused because of me watching the movies first or not, it might be. But overall, I just felt more or less indifferent about The Hobbit, which I guess is arguably even worse than disliking it. Honestly speaking, around 30% through the book, I ended up reading through it just for the sake of completing my bingo challenge rather than because I was having a good time with it. Thankfully, this was a short read.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
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Reading Progress
March 13, 2019
– Shelved
July 17, 2019
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Started Reading
July 18, 2019
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Finished Reading
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Audrey
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Jul 18, 2019 02:07AM
Like somes cult movies cult books are cult because they are the founding of something new back then but their spark don’t last forever. Wish too I read the lord of rings when I was a kid but I didn’t know fantasy books in my country lost in South America 😂😂😂
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Hahahha oh no Petrik. Hope you have better luck trying again with LOTR next year 😂 if you listen to audio, the audio for LOTR is really good imo
Same here. I love the movies with passion, so I thought I would love the books. I have tried three times reading them, and I have never been able to finish The Two Towers.
Audrey wrote: "Like somes cult movies cult books are cult because they are the founding of something new back then but their spark don’t last forever. Wish too I read the lord of rings when I was a kid but I didn..."Hahaha I agree with this so much. I think I would've loved The Hobbit & LotR much more when I was younger. This apply to WoT too!
Jenia wrote: "Hahahha oh no Petrik. Hope you have better luck trying again with LOTR next year 😂 if you listen to audio, the audio for LOTR is really good imo"Thank you so much, Jen! I hope this time it will work out for me. It seems like Children of Hurin is the only book by Tolkien that has worked really well for me! :/
Marlon wrote: "Same here. I love the movies with passion, so I thought I would love the books. I have tried three times reading them, and I have never been able to finish The Two Towers."At least you got to Two Towers. I found myself putting the book down every time before they even left the Shire... xD
Lol, I read this book in preparation for the first movie. Then first movie came and I forgot I didn't finish the book and internet spoiled the ending for me. But I found it to be a cozy read :)
Maja Ingrid wrote: "Lol, I read this book in preparation for the first movie. Then first movie came and I forgot I didn't finish the book and internet spoiled the ending for me. But I found it to be a cozy read :)"Maybe I should've approached it as a cozy read... That said, I still dunno whether it would work for me or not. The way the story was told really annoyed me sometimes xD
Petrik wrote: "Maybe I should've approached it as a cozy read... That said, I still dunno whether it would work for me or not. The way the story was told really annoyed me sometimes xD"Hah, maybe. It was like 7 years ago I read it and honestly only remember it vaguely. Tried the trilogy when I was ten or eleven and gave up on the two towers. But I was just a wee little thing then and will give it and honest chance at some point.
Maja Ingrid wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Maybe I should've approached it as a cozy read... That said, I still dunno whether it would work for me or not. The way the story was told really annoyed me sometimes xD"Hah, maybe..."
Good luck! I shall give it an honest chance next year! Isn't it odd that LotR is actually the only books by Tolkien that I haven't read yet xD
Petrik wrote: "Maja Ingrid wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Maybe I should've approached it as a cozy read... That said, I still dunno whether it would work for me or not. The way the story was told really annoyed me somet..."Lol, maybe a little. I'm slowly collecting the pretty hardback editions from harper collins with the intention of reading them (but I will likely just have them for display and buy cheap paperbacks for reading tbh). Got the hobbit, silmarillion and the lotr trilogy so far.
I found The Hobbit incredibly boring! I can't imagine a kid nowadays finding this fun, I really can't. Maybe when I was little, and cellphones and computers were a luxury, and not a common item. LotR on the other hand, I loved and still love. It was the first epic fantasy I read when I was a kid, and it's what got me reading in the first place! So I'll always love it, I guess. Different experiences for sure. Hope you enjoy it the next time around, Petrik!
Ah yes, the Hobbit. I totally get why you didn't like it. It has never been one of my favorites (my rating is kind of a nostalgic 'because it's Tolkien' -rating, haha). Tbh I don't think the Hobbit has a lot to offer to a modern adult fantasy reader. Since I read a lot more fantasy I've been thinking about wether Tolkien's work still passes the test of time. In terms of worldbuilding, certainly yes (and that's the main reason why I love his work) but besides that? Debatable, in my opinion. And yes, I'm saying that as a fan, even though other fans would probably kill me for it 😅
Ah! Literally reading the illustrated version of this (thanks to BookWol's recommendation) to my babies! Haha! I LOVE the Hobbit, but I was a good deal younger when I first read it, and I *do* see what you're saying. It's a perfect read for my little guys right now!
Maja Ingrid wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Maja Ingrid wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Maybe I should've approached it as a cozy read... That said, I still dunno whether it would work for me or not. The way the story was told really a..."The pretty hardback edition are so worth collecting imo; they look super gorgeous! Good luck collecting and reading them! :)
Matías wrote: "I found The Hobbit incredibly boring! I can't imagine a kid nowadays finding this fun, I really can't. Maybe when I was little, and cellphones and computers were a luxury, and not a common item. Lo..."EXACTLY! That's my thought as well. And I'm not even a huge fan of Tolkien work to begin with... So i guess that makes it worse xD
I read the first half of LOTR and really didn’t like it. I stopped reading it but gave it ago about a year later and ended up really liking the series. (fellowship of the ring does pick up a bit lol). Would recommend giving it ago again, listening to the soundtrack whilst reading makes it better! :)
Bea wrote: "Ah yes, the Hobbit. I totally get why you didn't like it. It has never been one of my favorites (my rating is kind of a nostalgic 'because it's Tolkien' -rating, haha). Tbh I don't think the Hobbi..."
Yeah... I think nostalgic feeling is a huge factor on how people still manage to love The Hobbit... Tolkien's worldbuilding are awesome, I won't deny that. But the rest, other than Children of Hurin, I foudn them to be very disappointing so far. It's always scary to give a low rating to Tolkien books... The fanatics are on another level xD
Barbara wrote: "Ah! Literally reading the illustrated version of this (thanks to BookWol's recommendation) to my babies! Haha! I LOVE the Hobbit, but I was a good deal younger when I first read it, and I *do* see ..."Thank you, Barbara! I'm so glad you loved the book! As you said, I think it would be a great book to read to your kids! And I think I will do it in the future! :D
If you decide to read The LOTR trilogy, I recommend the audiobooks, I flew through The Fellowship of The Ring while listening to it. Tolkien's writing is very heavy and descriptiv and I think that's why not many people can get in to his books.
The Hobbit was a great children’s book for it’s time! I enjoyed it as a boy however I don’t think I’d read it again for the same reasons now I would compare to more current fantasy! But I can still see why today young readers still give it a read!
OMG I’m so glad someone else was bored with it too!!! I couldn’t finish it. I might try again later cause the hobbit is a classic. We’ll see
I haven’t read this since I was 13 (30 years ago) – I need to re-read it!
Couldnt agree more to be honest. I struggle to get through the hobbit.
Oh wow! I actually really liked the narrator voice. I felt like it made it a bit unique. Haven't read it in a while, but I always find it easier to re-read than LoTR!
Stefana wrote: "If you decide to read The LOTR trilogy, I recommend the audiobooks, I flew through The Fellowship of The Ring while listening to it. Tolkien's writing is very heavy and descriptiv and I think that'..."Arghh I wish I can do audiobook, Stefana. I still haven't any audiobook that I can listen through! :/
Brandon wrote: "The Hobbit was a great children’s book for it’s time! I enjoyed it as a boy however I don’t think I’d read it again for the same reasons now I would compare to more current fantasy! But I can still..."Yes! I agree with you, Brandon! I think reading The Hobbit for the first time would be more suitable for younger audience or maybe readers who haven't read a lot of epics in the genre! :)
Maria wrote: "OMG I’m so glad someone else was bored with it too!!! I couldn’t finish it. I might try again later cause the hobbit is a classic. We’ll see"Hahahah glad you agreed, Maria! If you can do audio, it seems like a lot of readers recommend it highly. Good luck! :)
Audrey wrote: "I haven’t read this since I was 13 (30 years ago) – I need to re-read it!"I hope your reread will still be as good! :)
Stephen wrote: "Couldnt agree more to be honest. I struggle to get through the hobbit."Yeah... it was so flat. My emotion was -_- throughout the entire book.
Noor wrote: "Oh wow! I actually really liked the narrator voice. I felt like it made it a bit unique. Haven't read it in a while, but I always find it easier to re-read than LoTR!"it seems like a lot of readers have recommended the audio, maybe one day I'll give it a go again with the audio! :D
I agree with you Petrik, I really was waiting for you to review J. R. R. Tolkien, what ever we say about his works, the language alone was a work of art, sad to read that you were not awed by this masterpiece, The Hobbit for me was a real page turner, although some of the descriptions could have been lessened, that is Mr. Tolkien for you flowery descriptions..............
Oh no, it’s a shame that you didn’t like it, though I can totally see why. I do agree that it is targeted towards a younger audience.
Hanzel wrote: "I agree with you Petrik, I really was waiting for you to review J. R. R. Tolkien, what ever we say about his works, the language alone was a work of art, sad to read that you were not awed by this ..."It's a shame really. I truly want to love Tolkien's books too. But so far majority of them just doesn't work for me. Come to think of it, maybe classic fantasy is not for me in general... So few of them worked for me! xD
Zitong wrote: "Oh no, it’s a shame that you didn’t like it, though I can totally see why. I do agree that it is targeted towards a younger audience."Yeah... it's indeed a shame!!! But oh well, here's hoping to LotR books working out better for me! :)
Petrik wrote: "Bea wrote: "Ah yes, the Hobbit. I totally get why you didn't like it. It has never been one of my favorites (my rating is kind of a nostalgic 'because it's Tolkien' -rating, haha). Tbh I don't thi..."
Yeah, the Tolkien fans are the worst (not all of them, obviously, just the fanatics!), even worse than the Malazan fanatics if you ask me. I've seen comments online that went like "Tolkien is a saint and all other fantasy authors are just a*holes who have zero creativity and talent and because of that every fantasy book is a Tolkien rip-off" Wtf??!
Bea wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Bea wrote: "Ah yes, the Hobbit. I totally get why you didn't like it. It has never been one of my favorites (my rating is kind of a nostalgic 'because it's Tolkien' -rating, haha). ..."
I have to agree with you on this. I thought Malazan fanatics were the worst, nope... Tolkien fans win this round imo!
Petrik, have you tried reading Silmarillion?
Try wrote: "Petrik, have you tried reading Silmarillion?"I did, Try. It was difficult but good. Definitely better than this book. I really enjoyed Children of Hurin.
This has to be the shortest review I've read from you Petrik. Sorry that this was a dull dissapointment. Makes me not want to read it as I kind of liked the movies. Haha. Hope your next read is a 4/5 star.
Petrik wrote: "Try wrote: "Petrik, have you tried reading Silmarillion?"I did, Try. It was difficult but good. Definitely better than this book. I really enjoyed Children of Hurin."
We are definitely in the same boat then!
I recall that The Hobbit was on the syllabus for a Children’s Literature course I took in university. A pity you didn’t like but we all have our individual tastes. Better luck with your next book and despite our differing opinions of this book I enjoyed the review.
♔ Dark Lordette Jennymort ♔ wrote: "This has to be the shortest review I've read from you Petrik. Sorry that this was a dull dissapointment. Makes me not want to read it as I kind of liked the movies. Haha. Hope your next read is a 4..."Thank you, Jen! It's not often I write a review this short but I just didn't have any inclination to write more for this book somehow... xD
C. John wrote: "I recall that The Hobbit was on the syllabus for a Children’s Literature course I took in university. A pity you didn’t like but we all have our individual tastes. Better luck with your next book a..."Thank you, John! And wow, really? I knew that this is written for children but I totally didn't expect it to appear as a Children's Literature course! :)
I wouldn't have either if you say it's as dry as the sahara desert. *eish* No thanks. Haha.
"it’s so distracting to my immersion and rather than reading it felt to me like Tolkien was telling the story to me. "He wrote the Hobbit down after it being a bedtime story he told his children, so you picked up on that without realizing it, haha!
Bea wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Bea wrote: "Ah yes, the Hobbit. I totally get why you didn't like it. It has never been one of my favorites (my rating is kind of a nostalgic 'because it's Tolkien' -rating, haha). ..."
Every fantasy book *IS* a Tolkien rip off. He, along with Hope Mirlees and Lord Dunsany and Mervyn Peake, created the nascent genre. But it really found it's footing with Tolkien. Sorry you're mad about it, but it just is facts.
Also, read some *other* genres. You will discover that Fantasy authors by and large are terrible, embarrassingly bad writers (you know, prose) and Tolkien was not. So another reason to love him. He raises the genre to better heights and earns it respect.
Jennifer wrote: ""it’s so distracting to my immersion and rather than reading it felt to me like Tolkien was telling the story to me. "He wrote the Hobbit down after it being a bedtime story he told his children,..."
Yeah I guess so. xD Not for me, I probably would've enjoyed it when I was younger.
Jennifer wrote: "Bea wrote: "Petrik wrote: "Bea wrote: "Ah yes, the Hobbit. I totally get why you didn't like it. It has never been one of my favorites (my rating is kind of a nostalgic 'because it's Tolkien' -rati..."I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree with practically everything you said. It's not all true. Tolkien didn't create the fantasy genre; he popularized it in the Western market. The fantasy genre has existed for many years before even Tolkien was born in several countries around the world. And not EVERY fantasy book is a Tolkien rip-off. I've read plenty of fantasy books that don't show any sign of resemblance to Tolkien's books. I also have read some other genres, but in my opinion, plenty of fantasy writers are better in terms of prose. That's the thing about prose, there are a lot of criterias, and they're often measured by subjectivity.
I will, however, agree with you that Tolkien absolutely deserves its respect. But not up to the "godhood" status that many think him to be. I won't change your opinion, though. This is a debate between Tolkien fans and the fantasy fans as a whole that has happened countless times, and every time it happened, there's no agreement. So let's agree to disagree. :)
well the book was written in the 1920's please give it some slack
