The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

I read this as a child and have gobbled it up again. Tolkien’s incredible scenery descriptions leave distinct impressions in one’s mind without being drawn out or boring. I was struck by the number of smooth-talking trickeries there are – people tangling others up in their words. Is that an admirable trait if one uses it for good? It’s definitely not when it’s used for ill.

The many characters and places are fun to think back on, each as unlikely as the next, yet all fitting comfortably within the story. Hague's illustrations were a delightful inclusion.

I must admit that it was less than I remembered it being as a child – less suspense, less hunger, less time and travel and want and waste (I think this is due to me reading it more slowly as a child, and thus drawing out each situation in a more realistic time frame) – and yet the adventure was as great. I must admit I was disappointed in Thorin’s inflexibility at the end. Truly he did not owe the people for damages caused by the dragon – the dragon was not his responsibility. It seems Thorin’s character held tightly to the stereotypes dwarfs are set with (greed over friendship, unfortunately), and could not see the forest for the trees. While he was tasked with the almost impossible job of protecting the treasure (formerly protected by a dragon, and he had only a dozen dwarfs!), he also could have handled it better.

From my reading as a child I remembered the goblins, good elves, dragon, and dwarf’s cave. I had forgotten the great bear, spiders, Elves of the Wood, and the people of the lake-town of Esgaroth. The clever escape from the Elves of the Wood was my favorite portion of the book, made all the better (in my view) by Bilbo’s forgetting to plan a way to save himself!

It was interesting to watch Bilbo grow and become so much more than what he had been, then on the return journey within sight of his home, Gandalf says “Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were,” making it sound as if the changes were not for the better. (Wink, wink.) And of course, “He had lost his reputation,” for no decent hobbit goes on adventures. And so we see that in becoming well traveled, versed in many other cultures, and having solved problems of every sort, he has become less of a person in his home town.  His adventures lead to the adventures of his nephew, Frodo, in which the entire Shire (hobbit-land) is saved; thus Frodo “looses” his reputation also. 

Who can see with true vision? He is despised, tho he saveth us all.

Matched and Crossed, by Ally Condie

     

I finished Matched feeling as if it were a cross of the Hunger Games and 1984, with a little of Brave New World mixed in, but not as compelling as any of them. I think part of the reason I didn’t enjoy this book as much was because I chose one guy for the main character, and she picked another. I kept waiting for Cassia to come around and get it, but in the end, I had to come around. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for me.

The pacing didn’t particularly suit me, but the story line was interesting. The way the society uses the things people love to break their citizens was cruel. (For example, Cassia’s father loves books, but his job is to destroy any from the old society that are found.) Ally Condie conveys her love of poetry, art, and the written word throughout the novel. The way this society suppresses the written word (and thus elevates its importance in our eyes) is food for thought.

The three pills (green for calming, blue for nutritional sustenance, and red for only-the-society-knows-what) don’t add up – I thought the author hadn’t thought those through completely. Not so, but you have to read the other books. 

That I didn’t find much compelling in this book made it a loss for me.

I wanted to give the series a second chance because there were so many good reviews of the second novel, Crossed. I really enjoyed it – I found many philosophical questions that drove me to deeper thinking and that will make for good discussion with others who have read the book or enjoy dystopian discussions: the pros and cons of believing or not believing in the power of resistance. The choice between trying to change everything or just making the most of whatever time we have. The question “Is it worth it… to have no choice but to [get incredible, life-changing benefits]?” The problems that come with allowing those we love to make choices for themselves. And then the ultimate choice for Cassia: being able to do the things she always thought she would, or being able to do things she never thought she could.

I’m looking forward to the third novel in the series, which is slated to come out in November.

Just David, by Eleanor H. Porter

 

David is a boy of 10 who has spent the last six years on the top of a mountain with his father, meeting only the milk boy and occasionally someone in the distant town. His sheltered life has allowed his father to train him up in his own way: David’s father himself says that David “knows only that which is good and beautiful. He knows nothing of sin nor evil.” David and his father are both violinists of the highest caliber. “Always, when [David] was moved, he turned to his violin. Always in its quivering strings he found the means to say that which his tongue could not express.”

And so it is that once David is under the care of another man who has sent him to gather wood, David gets distracted by the faces of pansies and is found some minutes later “playing” the pansies on his violin, with the wood box empty. David’s journey from innocence about life to understanding of work and pain is one that readers will treasure. With child-like thoughts and wording we learn with David about the beauty of the world around us. We can see it too, if only we will take the time to be still and see.

This book was recommended to me by ChocolateOnMyCranium@blogspot.com. Go to the blog and search for “Just David” to see her own reviews and experiences with the book.