So it was with some trepidation and also a bit of excitement that the Husband and I settled down to watch The Hobbit not too long ago.

We were baffled by how this story could be turned into a trilogy. I remembered reading this as a kid. Or a preteen. Teenager? Well let’s just say it was long enough ago that I can’t quite remember. But I do recall borrowing the book from Queenstown library in Singapore and the librarian checking it out for me. This would almost never happen for kids these days in Singapore as all the checkout happens via machines. Efficient yes, impersonal too.

But anyway, I remembered enjoying the book but never rereading it again. Then LOTR and Peter Jackson happened and Tolkien fever hit pretty much everyone I knew. How many times have I seen the trilogy I do now know. But The Two Towers has the distinction of being the only movie I’ve seen in the cinema twice.

Back to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It started out slowly and I was appalled by the dwarves’ singing and thrilled to find Richard Armitage (whom I adored in the BBC North and South miniseries) in a lead role. Ok so I could do without all that facial hair!

And so while I was trawling Scribd for something new to read, The Hobbit popped into view. And oh how perfect it was. It was a rousing exciting adventure. Dwarves and elves, a wizard and a hobbit. Eagles! Goblins and wolves and a cunning dragon. Ah and what a treasure hoard too. What an exciting read for any kid and kid at heart. Except of course for its lack of female characters. I suppose that’s why Galadriel makes an appearance in the movie version.

The Hobbit was such a fun romp of a read! I was rather sad that it was over. Oh well guess I’ve got two more movies to watch. 

 

 

I read this book for the Back to the Classics Challenge – A 20th Century Classic