Customer Reviews
this is a good book but it is for kids - By: C. Burrows, 27 Oct 2008 
jrr Tolkien wrote this book for his children. if you are expecting more lord of the rings just be mindfull that this is a kids book it does tell you alot about bilbo & how he found the ring. i like it & i am going to read it to my children. you cant give this book one star because it was not what YOU expected
Read it to your children or just before you start the Lord of the Rings - By: Christine Knew, 18 Aug 2008 
This book was a very ancient candidate on my "to read list" & I always planned to read it just before the Lord of the Rings. So far, things have worked out & I have started Lord of the Rings the same afternoon I finished the Hobbit.
I don't think I would enjoy Lord of the Rings as much as I do, had I not read the Hobbit just beforehand. The Hobbit really provides the reader with a lot of background information, which is an advantage when you get started with the trilogy.
Nevertheless, I still feel that, as a stand - alone story, the Hobbit is a book aimed at children. Tolkien's fluid writing style & the wayin which he addresses his readers, often gave me the impression that the author was right next to me, lecturing about hobbitsin a style suitable for primary school children. The Hobbit is thus the perfect book to read to your children before bedtime or even one of the first novels they might read themselves.
When evaluating the Hobbit as a prelude to Lord of the Rings, things look a little bit different. Currently reading Lord of the Rings, I am thankful to have followed the chronological path, as the Hobbit prepares the setting for Lord of the Rings,in which Tolkien has adapted his very scholarly writing style to an audience of grown ups.
Apart from the obvious highlights of the story, i.e. Bilbo's encounter with Gollum, The Hobbit, even though the plot was neat & perfectly paced, sometimes felt dragging as the story meanders from one perilous situation to another. However, the aspect I enjoyed most was the author's typically English humour, which often shines through when Bilbo interacts with the other characters.
A stand-alone classic - By: C. Bowden, 16 Aug 2008 A children's classic, but the beginning of a world created by the author. The Hobbit introduces the reader to the mystical land of Middle Earth. A stand-alone classic, The Hobbit is also the prequel to the mighty Lord of the Rings & does not fail to impress...
A good story for children and grown-ups, too - By: Alexandru Baicoana, 05 May 2008 "The Hobbit" was publishedin 1937 for the first time, & it was because of it that "The Lord of the Rings" came into existence. It's funny & entertaining, & it shows Bilbo Baggins' most important adventure of his lifein an appealing manner. One should clearly understand that this book was at first intended for Tolkien's own children, & only later was published. One should therefore not expect the powerful & often deadly serious narrative of "LotR". As a trivial example, Sauron is not namedin "The Hobbit", but appears under the name "the Necromancer", & is of no importance other than keeping Gandalf away from the party of Dwarves for a while, thus allowing for more breath-taking adventures.
I recommend this book if you are parents of young children (Rayner Unwin, the first reviewer, was 10 when he approved for it & convinced his father to print it), since it is an easy reading, that can develop a taste for Tolkien & deeper novels, such as "LotR" or "The Silmarillion". Also, if you've read "LotR", give "The Hobbit" a try - it's not at all a bad story.
a nice suprise - By: P. Adams, 28 Apr 2008 
I bought this book having loved the Lord of The Rings Trilogy films. I had attempted to read Tolkiens LOTR novel years ago, before the films , & found I couldnt get into it at all. Being a 43 year old male who loves action/adventure,crime/thrillers etc.. I bought this book with some trepidation but since I loved the films so much, I thought Id give it a go.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.Yes it is a childrens book, but like the Harry Potter series(which I also suprisingly enjoyed), I found it very entertaining & fairly timeless.I would recommend it to anyone.
