"The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien
One day, as I was sitting bored out of my mind waiting at the airport in Costa Rica, I decided to get up and take a walk. I had already finished both books I had taken with me on the trip, and did not feel like playing 2048 on my phone. I wandered into a small candy and coffee shop, and on the wall to the right, there was a small little shelf with books for sale. After looking for no book in particular, I came across "The Hobbit." After some internal debate, I decided to buy the book for two reasons. First of all, because I am a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings movies, and realized that I always get angry at people that watch movies based on popular books, but never read the books; I did not want to be so hypocritical. Secondly, because I am a massive Song of Ice and Fire fan (seriously, my world revolved around those books for several months), and George R.R. Martin's works are often heavily compared to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and I decided that I wanted to make those comparisons for myself.
I must say, buying this book was a great decision. The writing is incredibly beautiful, poetic, and elegant. Though the character's dialogue clearly reflect that this book took place in the distant past, you can find yourself laughing with them, arguing with them, thinking with them all the same. After having watched the first two Hobbit movies as well, I can tell you that I much preferred the book. I was also very surprised by how different the book was from the movies. Not that I do not like the movies anymore, but I understand why the Tolkien family did not sell any more of his work for movie rights. While the plot of the book and the films are the same, there is a shift of focus, and the movies focus on completely different matters when compared to the books, and it takes away from the beautiful poetry and piece of art Mr. Tolkien created entitled "The Hobbit."
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves reading about fantasy or adventure. Even if you have already seen the film adaptations of the book, it is worth your while to read it. Let me put it this way; it took Hollywood three multi hour movies to adapt 306 pages of written text. It is a fast paced, captivating book that is a great read for any time of day.
Golden Line: "There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after."
I must say, buying this book was a great decision. The writing is incredibly beautiful, poetic, and elegant. Though the character's dialogue clearly reflect that this book took place in the distant past, you can find yourself laughing with them, arguing with them, thinking with them all the same. After having watched the first two Hobbit movies as well, I can tell you that I much preferred the book. I was also very surprised by how different the book was from the movies. Not that I do not like the movies anymore, but I understand why the Tolkien family did not sell any more of his work for movie rights. While the plot of the book and the films are the same, there is a shift of focus, and the movies focus on completely different matters when compared to the books, and it takes away from the beautiful poetry and piece of art Mr. Tolkien created entitled "The Hobbit."
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves reading about fantasy or adventure. Even if you have already seen the film adaptations of the book, it is worth your while to read it. Let me put it this way; it took Hollywood three multi hour movies to adapt 306 pages of written text. It is a fast paced, captivating book that is a great read for any time of day.
Golden Line: "There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after."