The Hobbit, Final Week

"So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending!"

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.

Now we have come to the end, and I am writing this weeks in advance since I finished the book in early December.  I have loved this reading experience.  I have valued the words, the storytelling, the song, and the feedback of friends in reading communities who have offered their own thoughts as they journey with me through this book that seems to be a favorite of many.  Oh how I wish I had read this as a child.  It feels like a book that has nostalgia built-in.  The songs, the poems, the characters, the lands, the descriptions, the way action builds - these are clearly geared towards a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it very much.

I was surprised at what Bilbo did with the Arkenstone of Thraine.  I suppose I thought the battles and Gandalf's return would have enough momentum to resolve the story line, but I love that the Hobbit's actions prove central to the resolution of the story of the same name.

I'm not sure it does enough for Bilbo, who still just wants to go home, but he clearly earns the respect of Gandalf:

"'Well done! Mr. Baggins!' he said, clapping Bilbo on the back. 'There is always more about you than anyone expects!'"

Thorin has an excellent last-words speech to give to Bilbo, somewhat of an apology really:
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

I will end this experience with this very poignant moment between Gandalf and Bilbo as they are close to the Shire:
"There is a long road yet," said Gandalf.
"But it is the last road," said Bilbo.

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."

Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I don't normally review movies here; I don't really see many movies.  I thought it would make sense to review The Hobbit in the middle of posting about reading it, so I copied my thoughts that I posted to the Sword and Laser forum.  This will contain spoilers. 

Things I loved:
-How Smaug was portrayed in the back story at the beginning. A horrific presence too large too fit on the screen. Not a copout since you see the eye at the end and know he's coming, but a great exercise in scale.

-The landscapes. The inside of the Lonely Mountain, the high rock where the eagles left them, Rivendell. Just gorgeous.

-Perfect casting for Bilbo and Thorin. I hadn't paid attention to who had been cast, so it was a perfect surprise.

-The songs. Lighthearted in some instances, mournful in others. I wish they'd included more.

-Riddling scene, yeah, that was great.

Things I feel confused about, wonder if I missed in the novel or if they were changed/added and want to check on:
-Everything at Rivendell. I know Tolkien glosses over scenes by saying people have a conversation but it isn't central, but I don't remember it at all. And oh hey, that's the Cloud Atlas guy!

-The other wizards... I suspected they'd add more Necromancer bits in, and I'm curious about these other story lines.

-Stone giants. Was this in the book? How did I miss it?

-I remember thinking the dwarves in the trees bit was funny in the book, not scary, and to part of a personal revenge story. Maybe I missed it.

Things I wasn't partial to:
- The length of time at Rivendell... Although I suspect this has to do with setting up for the Necromancer/Gandalf storyline that they've clearly decided to tell

-The battle scenes. I never like them, and that is what stops me from rewatch img LotR too. It also is the pacing that is effected, without one overall battle climax it starts to feel tedious. That's the issue with spreading it out over multiple movies.

-You only really know Bilbo misses home from what the dwarves say. I wish we could have seen more of his internal conflict, but this was more of an action movie. He is heroic but not very tortured.

The Hobbit Week Six

"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations."

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 XI-XII.  Chapter XI details the dwarves and Bilbo finding their way into the mountain where the treasure they have been journeying towards is said to lie.  Chapter XII shows Bilbo venturing into the mountain to seek out the treasure and the dragon.

Place names mentioned in this section: Long Lake, River Running, Lonely Mountain, Ravenhill

Now that all the dwarves are back in their community because of the wine barrel escape orchestrated by Bilbo, he is an outsider once again.  At the same time, he is still in somewhat of a leadership role.  While the dwarves seem content to forget about the treasure and the mountain, he is eager to move forward:

"[Mr. Baggins] would often borrow Thorin's map and gaze at it, pondering over the runes and the message of the moon-letters Elrond had read. It was he that made the dwarves begin the dangerous search on the western slopes for the secret door."

 And still they complain. What is the burglar for? Why isn't he spying?

Bilbo's poor-me response: "It is always poor me that has to get them out of their difficulties, at least since the wizard left. Whatever am I going to do? I might have known that something dreadful would happen to me in the end."

Later on there is a funny scene after Thorin declares it is time for Bilbo to earn his reward. He protests that he has already saved them twice, which is above and beyond his charge. I liked how he talked himself around into helping them, and talking himself down from being afraid.  He has pretty well-developed emotional intelligence, for a hobbit.
 

The Hobbit Read-a-Long Week 5

"A pretty fine burglar you make, it seems, when the time comes."

I am participating in the "The Hobbit" Read-a-Long instigated by Unputdownables.  (I know the two the's seem redundant, but the title has one!)  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 9 and 10, from where the spiders leave off, to the wood-elves taking the dwarves hostage.  This is where Bilbo learns to be the leader.  I didn't expect this to happen.  When Thorin disappears, the dwarves look to him, and he is the one to figure out how to escape and what to do.  Not too shabby for a breakfast-loving hobbit from the shire!

I feel a little nervous for Bilbo though.  I'm taking mental note of how much he has been wearing the ring, and knowing the effect it had on Frodo, I'm practically holding my breath for something negative to happen.  After all, in chapter 9 he wears it the entire time the dwarves are imprisoned, sometimes not even sleeping in order to keep his location a secret.

However being invisible allows him to be the voice at the keyhole, carrying messages from Thorin to the other dwarves and lifting everyone's spirits.

After the wine barrels reach the mountain, they come into view of the Long Lake.  You may remember my fascination with the fairytale place names in this book, and this description does not disappoint:

"Only from the map did Bilbo know that away up there, where the stars of the Wain were already twinkling, the Running River came down into the lake from Dale and with the Forest River filled with deep waters what must once have been a great deep rocky valley. At the southern end the doubled waters poured out again over high waterfalls and ran away hurriedly to unknown lands."

Once the dwarves clear the barrels, we discover that Thorin is "Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror King under the Mountain."  It took me a while to figure out that he actually was this legendary creature, and wasn't just telling a story to get some food to eat. The dwarves are cared for in the Lake-Town by the Master, who isn't sure if he believes their story but indulges them (to his loss).  By the time chapter 10 ends, the dwarves are healthy and energetic and ready to return to their adventure.  Tolkien ends with this sentence: "The only person thoroughly unhappy was Bilbo."

Poor Bilbo.

The Hobbit: Week Four

"There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over
the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go."

I am participating in the "The Hobbit" Read-a-Long instigated by Unputdownables.  (I know the two the's seem redundant, but the title has one!)  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 were to read chapters 7 and 8.  This sees the adventurers coming to Beorn's Hall, parting ways with Gandalf, and dealing with forest spiders.

Of course, the journey actually begins with the eagles transporting them to a great rock.  Luckily, Gandalf knows the proper response to the eagles' formal parting words:

"'Farewell!' they cried, 'wherever you fare, till your eyries receive you at the journey's end!' That is the polite thing to say among eagles.
'May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks,' answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply."

Manners and proper etiquette seem to figure into The Hobbit repeatedly.  Missing them creates conflict, while following them seems to yield the best results.  All I can think is, how very English!

It figures in again when Gandolf brings the group in to meet Beorn.  He is conscious of what will threaten him, and has the dwarves arrive in small groups.  Anything not to make him angry. 

Tolkien introduces another type of creature in this chapter - the "skin-changer:"

 "He changes his skin: sometimes he is a huge black bear, sometimes he is a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard."

Beorn ends up being a huge asset to the travelers, as he sends them off with supplies and food.  I found a few recipes for twice-baked cakes that I might try making eventually, just for kicks.

We learn more about Gandalf in this chapter, how clever he is, particularly in his storytelling.

 "The interruptions had really made Beorn more interested in the story, and the story had kept him from sending the dwarves off at once like suspicious beggars."

All I could think when I read this, is that Tolkien is Gandalf.  Or Gandalf is Tolkien.  Either way, they both seem to understand how to keep us listening, even if they are intentionally doing so.

Gandalf just can't wait to leave.  "After all this is not my adventure," he warns them as they approach the Carrock.  Still, the dwarves protest when he leaves them at the edge of Mirkwood, the greatest of the forests in the Northern world.  It becomes clear by the end of chapter 8 that this is largely because the dwarves need a leader outside of themselves.  Against all expectations, they start looking to Bilbo for answers and direction, especially after Thorin is kidnapped by wood-elves, which is how this section ends.

The Hobbit: Week Two

"We must not miss the road, or we shall be done for."

As a participant in the "The Hobbit" Read-a-Long instigated by Unputdownables, this week we read chapters three through five.

I am so glad I'm listening to this in audio.  Even though I can read the eBook much more quickly, being told the story seems to be the ideal experience.  Chapter III has a lot of great place names that add to the appeal of the storytelling - the edge of the Wild, the fair valley of Rivendell, the Last Homely House, the Misty Mountains... it makes me feel nostalgic despite never reading this as a child.  Maybe I am also remembering my summers spent playing in the woods and mapping out my own kingdom.

Another thing I love about the storytelling is the obvious foreshadowing.  It builds my anticipation as a reader that something exciting is certainly going to happen, and soon.

"That, of course, is the dangerous part about caves: you don't know how far they go back, sometimes, or where a passage behind my lead to, or what is waiting for you inside."

What is even better about that tiny little statement is that the reader may think that it was resolved when the goblins attacked, but chapter V has Bilbo Baggins meeting Gollum for the first time, far deeper into the caves.  The goblins seem inconsequential by the time this happens, because everyone knows the ring and Gollum are the root of the story.

I did end up with a few questions/observations about the creatures in The Hobbit, and I'm hoping the few readers of my blog can help me out.

1. What is the difference between a troll and a goblin?  Trolls threatened early on, talked about eating the dwarves, and they got past them.  The goblins seemed similar.  I don't see a difference in fear, although the goblins seem to be smarter or at least act more rapidly.  Any insight?

2. I was surprised to read Gollum described as "dark as darkness" since the movie version has him pretty much pale as snow.  I wonder if people who were avid fans of the book were bothered by this change.  Maybe it doesn't matter.  It is clear that Tolkien describes him this way to make him practically invisible in the cave, even without the powers of the ring.

3. Gollum is scarier than I expected.  He eats goblins, after all.  Chomp.  I always found him a little pitiful in the movies, rather than threatening. 

The Hobbit: Week One

I am participating in the "The Hobbit" Read-a-Long instigated by Unputdownables.  (I know the two the's seem redundant, but the title has one!)  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.

For those of you interested in exactly how this is going to go, we are taking two months and posting discussion posts on a weekly basis.  There are set chapters to read for each week, and this week was chapters I-II.  If you are curious about my Whispersync experience, I listened to the audio entirely, and every time I checked in on the Kindle app, the page had switched to wherever I was in the audio.  Cool.

One of the most important details I learned in these chapters is that hobbits do not crave adventure.  My only exposure to their world is from watching the movie versions of The Lord of the Rings, where of course all we see is hobbits going on adventures.  There is some nostalgia for their lives back at the Shire, of course, but I didn't know what a "typical" hobbit was like.

"'Very pretty!' said Gandalf. 'But I have no time to blow smoke-rings this morning. I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone.'

'I should think so - in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them,' said our Mr. Baggins...."

I'm just now noticing the lack of commas in the dialogue, seeing as I listened rather than read the text.  It is a little disturbing, isn't it?  Sidenote: I keep hearing Bilbo in Jim Broadbent's voice.  Maybe it is the naivete and generosity that makes me think of some of Broadbent's roles, that wide-eyed open face.

The first two chapters do an excellent job of introducing us to Bilbo Baggins and contrasting him to the other types of characters.  Gandalf brings the dwarves in, and they require so much food, the hobbit housewifes around after them, cooking and cleaning while they tell stories and sing.  (By the way, the reader of the audio, Rob Inglis, does a great job with dwarf voices, even in song.)

It is clear that Bilbo Baggins is going to have a major experience.  The dwarves are skeptical, but Gandalf has his reasons:

"'Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you... There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.'"

And we are off on our adventure!

The Hobbit Read-a-Long

Reading confession - I have never read The Hobbit.

Another reading confession - I have never read The Lord of the Rings.

Eep.  I know, right?  How can any self-respecting science fiction or fantasy reader have committed such great offense to her reading heritage?

I'm not sure.  I was handed The Chronicles of Narnia as a child, and A Wrinkle in Time, but most of my reading otherwise was taken up by the Mandie books and old Bobbsey Twin books, at least, when I wasn't practicing the piano.  Hours and hours of Suzuki later, I'm a better reader than pianist.

I know that The Hobbit is coming up in December for the Sword and Laser Book Club, of which I've been a longtime member.  I would have read it during that month, but in Twitter today I came across a post (a tweet) about the read-a-long over on Unputdownables.  I love reading in community, and am always looking for more book blogger buddies, so I signed up immediately.

The reading schedule, which you can see at the aforementioned site, only requires a pace of 58 pages a week for two months.  This is something I can do while participating in NaNoWriMo and slogging through other books. 

I need to track down a copy of the book.  I will take any suggestions for editions, but I'm thinking of following Veronica Belmont's lead:

Veronica is wise, plus I have not yet had the opportunity to try out the Whispersync shindig.  The audio version of The Hobbit that just came out in Audible last month is the version set up for this, which makes it even more appealing!

So tell me... what are your book confessions?