Literary Review of The Book 'The Hobbit': Personal Views and Recommendations

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or as he is better known, JRR Tolkien was an English writer wrote 27 books, with his most famous being ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series, both of which had movie adaptations. He has won 13 awards for his writing. Tolkien was born in 1892, on the 3rd of January and died on September 2nd, 1973. As well as being a writer, he taught English language and literature, specialising in Old and Middle English at the University of Leeds. This writing style is obvious in many of his publications.

George Allen and Unwin published the first copy of The Hobbit in September 1937. It was an illustrated version with black-and-white drawings by Tolkien himself. The 1500 copies originally published, sold out by December. The Hobbit has since been translated into countless languages and become a timeless classic worldwide.

In the fantasy world of the Middle Earth, the Hobbit follows the lives of the hobbits, an imaginary group of people similar to humans but marginally smaller. In particular, it follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins along with his wizard friend, Gandalf. Bilbo Baggins was never interested in going on any adventures, he much preferred his peaceful life of day-to-day actives, especially gardening. So, when approached by Gandalf to discover the treasures guarded by a dragon called Smaug, Bilbo was not the least bit interested. However, after much convincing and an insight into what these treasures may behold, Bilbo’s curiosity and interest lead to a page-turning adventure.

As Bilbo works his way through hardships he encounters, he discovers a new side of himself. His newly discovered bravery and confidence saved him on countless occasions as he preserved to finding the legendary treasure. As troubles arise, Bilbo finds something perhaps more ‘precious’ than the treasure he was sent to find, defeating it’s guardian to obtain it. However, this doesn’t deter him from fulfilling his task and he continues on the treacherous journey. The book symbolises how people can and will change but also emphasises the importance of keeping true to oneself and one’s morals.

Characters are built, mysteries unfold and danger lurks behind every page. Although it might prove to be a difficult read for less mature audiences (probably the book’s only downfall), The Hobbit takes the audience on a whirlwind of a journey, through mountains and forests, with wizards and dragons, amongst friend and foe. However, it certainly tells an unforgettable fantasy without the (sometimes intimidating) detail and complexity of some of Tolkien’s other books.

The book’s highlights are endless, from the morals and meanings behind the characters and journey, to the pure joy, interaction and engagement between the audience and the book. Personally, I find the connection formed between the audience and the text to be the best aspect of the book. Just through reading, one finds themselves not only part of the action but craving to be the action. Readers don’t just read The Hobbit, they yearn to be the hobbits and travel with Bilbo Baggin. Like any well-written book, The Hobbit ‘shows but doesn’t tell’ making it a one of the most engaging and interesting, yet not overly descriptive, books I have ever read.

In my opinion, the only downside to the book, as mentioned before, would be the writing style that was at times more difficult to understand, especially for audiences who have not fully developed their reading and comprehension abilities. This also made it a relatively longer read compared to other books popular amongst teenagers (the hunger games trilogy and divergent trilogy etc).

In conclusion, I would recommend the book for secondary schoolers and above interested in fantasy and adventure who take pleasure in slowly enjoying every word a book has to offer. I would give it a 9 out of 10 purely because, at times, I found it rather tiresome to read due to the slightly unnecessary (but extremely well-written) avid descriptions that, I found, slowed the story down in places. However, this could also be considered a good aspect of the book because it forces the audience to read the book thoroughly and keep a keen eye open for small changes in the plot and scenery. 

Works Cited

1. Carpenter, H. (2002). J.R.R. Tolkien: A biography. HarperCollins.
2. Chance, J. (2004). Tolkien's art: A mythology for England. University Press of Kentucky.
3. Day, D. (2017). Tolkien: A dictionary. Skyhorse Publishing.
4. Flieger, V. (2014). Splintered light: Logos and language in Tolkien's world. Kent State University Press.
5. Fonstad, K. W. (1991). The atlas of Middle-Earth. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
6. Foster, R. (2012). The complete guide to Middle-Earth: From The Hobbit to The Silmarillion. HarperCollins.
7. Shippey, T. A. (2005). The road to Middle-Earth: How J.R.R. Tolkien created a new mythology. HarperCollins.
8. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). The Hobbit. George Allen and Unwin.
9. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The fellowship of the ring. George Allen and Unwin.
10. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955). The return of the king. George Allen and Unwin.