The Hobbit (1937), by J. R. R. Tolkien

This was my third and only successful attempted at completing the Hobbit, having found myself board with just 10 pages to go, twice, as a child. But this time I persisted, now having a little more experience finishing books. Overall I enjoyed it.

Tolkien paints a colourful world full of magic and adventure and the simple pursuit of the dragon guarded gold follows our band of heroes though chapters each with their own clearly defined story points. It meant that I could read a chapter on its own and feel satisfied.

Although the story was simple, Tolkien passionately adds considered details that build an immersive world. Tolkien however never goes over the top with the lore building, noting this is a children’s book. On this point, I enjoyed some of the ambiguity, like the origins of Golum and the ring, but I also got frustrated at some of the ambiguity, like Gandelf’s unexplained disappearance and lack of practical support in situations which clearly called for it.

The writing style itself was enjoyable and I connected well with it despite it being almost 100 years old. It probably helped that again, this was written for kids. I enjoyed skimming through this and not taking it too seriously. A fun little adventure.


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