The Hobbit

It's taken me some time to finish reading this book, but that's because I wanted to savor it. It is a re-read. I first read it when I was young, and now this is my third or fourth time. I adore the Lord of the Rings films by Peter Jackson though I haven't read those books. In reading The Hobbit I became more interested in the Tolkien lore and looked up random histories, such us that of Wormtongue. I think I will soon read the Lord of the Rings books, but not right away.

I can't really give a critical review of this book since I love the Tolkien stories so much. They're so grand to me, and I guess personal since my father loved them and passed them on to me and my sister in a way. Perhaps it's because I encountered them as a child. Perhaps it's because they're simply wonderful.

The Hobbit is a very straightforward adventure with lots of obstacles, some quite violent, getting in the heroes' path. But the subtitle is There And Back Again, and even without that, we know the ending will be a more-or-less happy one. What makes this particular story something to return to is the deep qualities and senses of each character and the richness of the physical world around them. If we took away the great breadth of the mythology of Middle-earth, this one little book is imaginative and fun, and profound in describing the significance of simple things like home and comfort. I will always return to it.

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