I was watching The Hobbit with my youngest son, over the course of a few snow days this winter. I hadn’t read the book in about 12 years, and as we were watching I had several questions enter my inquisitive brain. Question such as: Was Thorin such a big jerk in the book? Were the orcs even in the book? Was Thranduil as heartless as they portrayed him in the movie? There were probably more that I just don’t recall at this moment. So I decided I would just read the book again and find some answers. Now, I need to give you a little background about my love of reading. I used to read all the time! I probably went through 12-20 books in a year. I thought I would always love reading and use it as a way to travel to distant places and live in a little dream world for a little while every day, then I went to college………Reading became a little bit of a chore. Even when I was taking literature classes and literary analysis classes, it just wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved those classes and learned so much, but it really did taint my sanctuary of reading. So, when I picked up the Hobbit and started to read after having just watched the movie, I thought the story dragged on a bit in places. (Curse you Hollywood)  But, I did enjoy visiting the Shire, and Rivendell, and all the other places of Middle Earth.

Let’s get to the questions. Was Thorin a big jerk? Not really. He was much more jovial in the book, knew how to laugh and really liked Bilbo.  He was affected by the dragon sickness, but not as extensively as they portray in the movie.  Thranduil, on the other hand, was pretty spot on. He just wants to live in the middle of Mirkwood and let the rest of the world alone. Of course, the book doesn’t mention Legolas by name so we don’t see their relationship, but I can imagine that they weren’t too far off in writing it the way they did for the film. The Orcs only come into play during the battle. There was no chasing of the Hobbits, but they were nasty competitors in the battle. Bard was a character that was written so differently. In the book he is a well respected citizen of Lake Town. The mayor is still a putz, but he doesn’t have his grips on the city as he does in the movie. The people were much more free and less oppressed. Of course the battle is much shorter in the book than in the movie. I think the book is more about the journey than the destination.

Now, I’ve always wondered if Gimli still lives in Erebor when he travels to Rivendell for the council about the Ring. His father, of course, was Gloin, and after the battle of five armies he stays in Erebor. I’ve done a bit of research and yes, Gimli does come to Rivendell from Erebor. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship shows him enter Rivendell with Gimli.

The next novel, I have on my stack is the last Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites book. I’ve owned it for many years, and haven’t picked it up yet. I think it’s about time!