The Hobbit

The Hobbit (1937) by J.R.R. Tolkien. A beloved book which is nevertheless not quite what I remembered it to be. As an introduction to hobbits, it is fine, but it's not a seamless narrative. Instead, it is episodic, and Tolkien goes to the well one too many times when he places the party in danger and has the eagles come to the rescue twice. Readers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy will know that the eagles frequently come to the rescue when all seems hopeless, and clearly it's a flaw in Tolkien's style to rely so heavily on one device like this. As for the rest of the book, it has not lost its charm. This is the crucial book in which Bilbo Baggins finds the One Ring and "steals" it from Gollum. We are also introduced to Gandalf and some of his wizardly ways. Altogether, a thoroughly enjoyable book. Grade: B+