The Hobbit Week 7

"It is an ill wind, all the same, that blows no one any good."

I am participating in the "The Hobbit" Read-a-Long instigated by Unputdownables.  As I previously mentioned, this is my first time reading The Hobbit! Some of my observations may seem like no-brainers, but I hope you can forgive my naive perspective.

This week we read chapters 13-15.  Full disclosure, I am writing this post ahead of time, because I went ahead and finished the book a while ago.  The pace was too slow for me, plus I wanted to see the movie the weekend it came out.  Towards the end I'll probably review the movie as well!

This section is the action the entire book is building up to - acquiring the treasure alongside an unexpected multifaceted struggle with elves, eagles, goblins, wolves, and even more dwarves.  Townspeople and Gandalf also figure into the story again.  I admit to skimming parts of this section.  I will feel the same way in the movie(s), I'm sure, since battle scenes are always in the category of yawnworthy for me.  There is also a lot of posturing between Incredibly Stubborn Thorin, the Elvenking, Bard, and Gandalf.  Nothing is fully resolved, and we leave the story with Bilbo grumbling about food again, tired of the mountain, tired of cram, and I think he's going to do something drastic!
 
There are a lot of little peppy quotes in this section, and I was the annoying reader who kept turning to her husband and reading them out loud.

"While there's life there's hope!"
"Third time pays for all."
"It is an ill wind, all the same, that blows no one any good."