Warning: If you’re a die-hard Tolkien fan, proceed with caution! I know The Hobbit and LOTR have some serious fans, and this might ruffle a few feathers. Just know it’s all said with love—or at least, with the best intentions.

Much like Bilbo and the dwarves trudging through endless forests, mountains, and spider-infested woods, it took me 70 days to finish The Hobbit. Seventy! I thought their journey was long, but my own quest to the last page felt like an epic in itself. Maybe I should have packed more snacks like Bilbo did…

To be honest, I’d tried to read The Lord of the Rings before and didn’t even make it past the first song. Yup, the songs. I was stopped in my tracks by Tolkien’s musical interludes. But I’d heard The Hobbit was supposed to be easier to get into, and I was craving an adventure, so I decided to give it a go.

We’re off on an adventure!

Things started off great! Bilbo being whisked away on this unexpected adventure? Yes, please. But then… then came the singing. The singing! I had flashbacks to my LOTR attempt and felt my enthusiasm drop a notch. What is it about Tolkien and his songs? Am I the only one who finds they slow everything down? Still, I powered through this time, determined to see what all the hype was about.

Then came the middle part: Mirkwood forest, spiders, and elves—oh my! But that’s where things started to drag for me. The group faced setback after setback, and it all started to feel repetitive. The pacing slowed down a lot, and it felt like the adventure lost its momentum. I kept waiting for something big to happen, but every exciting moment was followed by more slow stretches.

There were definitely times when I wondered if I’d even finish it, but I pushed through, knowing Smaug was waiting at the end. When we finally got there, things did pick up! But… even the big dragon reveal didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Maybe I’d built it up too much in my head, but it just wasn’t the thrilling moment I’d hoped for after all those pages.

An Unexpected Trilogy

After finishing, I thought, “Maybe I should watch the movie?” But then I realized it’s not just one movie—it’s three. Three. For a book that didn’t even feel long enough to need one epic movie, let alone three. How did they manage to stretch this story into three films? The Battle of the Five Armies is maybe 10% of the book, and yet that’s a whole movie? I mean, I enjoyed the original LOTR movies, but after sitting through the extended versions because I liked a boy who loved them, I swore I wouldn’t sit through another Middle-earth movie again. And that’s why I never bothered with The Hobbit films.

In the end, I’m glad I read The Hobbit. I get why it’s a classic—the adventure is fun, the characters are memorable, and there’s something charming about Tolkien’s world, even when the pacing doesn’t work for me. I honestly can’t imagine this book being written any other way. Even when I didn’t love how the story was told, it feels like this is how it had to be. Maybe that’s part of the charm? I can’t say I’ll be picking up The Lord of the Rings anytime soon, though. Maybe someday, but for now, I think I’m good on Tolkien.