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REVIEW of Mr. Bliss by J.R.R. Tolkien
Mr. Bliss opens when the main character wakes up and decides to buy a motor car. His pet girabbit (a rabbit with a giraffe’s neck) tells him that it will be a good day. He bikes down to the shop and purchases a motor car with yellow paint and red wheels. He forgets his purse, so the owner of the shop keeps his bicycle until the bill for the car is paid. On his drive, Mr. Bliss picks up some unexpected passengers–Mr. Day, and Mrs. Night, plus their cabbages and bananas and donkey–on his way to the Dorkineses.
When Mr. Bliss drives through the forest, he is stopped by the bears Archie, Bruno, and Teddy. The playful bears take the cabbages and bananas and donkey and join the group. They drive down the hill too fast, crash into a wall, and fly through the air into the Dorkinses and their soup. The Dorkinses forgive them for this disaster and let them stay. The bears eat all the Dorkinses’ food, so they get chased out by the humans all the way to the bears’ home in the woods. Mr. Bliss gets scared by the bears and runs through the town and takes his bicycle back in the dark. Everyone else feasts at the bears’ house.
The following day, the bears, the Dorkinses, and all of Mr. Bliss’ unexpected passengers join with the shop owner and the constable to confront Mr. Bliss at his house. The broken car, the lost bananas, lost cabbages, and spilled soup need someone to pay for them. The bears just tag along to have some fun. The girabbit, whom Mr. Bliss has forgotten to feed, has escaped to cause even more havoc. In the end, Mr. Bliss makes it out with not so much money as he had before.
Mr. Bliss was a wonderful children’s story–a good narrative, both exciting and funny. The most interesting character to me was the blind girabbit. It was a creative and funny character to have in the story. This book is a good way to introduce younger children (and adults too!) to the wonderful writings of Tolkien.
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REVIEW of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit begins when a most respectable hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, receives an unexpected visitor, and this visitor, Gandalf the Grey, engages him against his will for an adventure. The next day, a band of thirteen dwarves arrive at his home, devour his pantry supplies and cellar stores, and make him join their quest to reclaim their ancient gold from a diabolical dragon named Smaug.
They journey over hills, through woods and mountains; they encounter trolls, goblins, wargs, spiders, elves, and men…and many unexpected friends. Bilbo discovers a magic ring when he is separated from the dwarves in the goblin caves which enhances his stealth by making him invisible. The ring had previously belonged to a possessed hobbit-like creature named Gollum. Bilbo obtained the ring by playing a game of riddles, overcoming Gollum, and escaping to find his friends.
They finally reach the mountain which is occupied by the dragon Smaug. Enraged by their burgling attempts, Smaug flies off and destroys the nearby Lake Town but is felled by Bard the bowman with the help of a thrush. Next, the dwarves and Bilbo have to defend the gold against elves and men–who would later join them against the greater threat of goblins and wargs. Bilbo makes it out in the end with a great amount of gold, but not so much respect at home from his fellow hobbits.
“We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!”
The Hobbit does a wonderful job developing Bilbo’s character arc. It starts with a timid, home-loving hobbit who has to overcome the corrupt Gollum in the dark, the evil spiders of Mirkwood, and many other foes. He must later defy Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, when Thorin is driven to insanity by the dragon-sickness of greed that lay upon the gold. Bilbo ends up showing great bravery and loyalty by giving up Thorin’s greatest treasure to the elves in order to end the conflict.
One of the most intriguing parts is when Bilbo is alone in Mirkwood and must save the dwarves from the spider infestation. This book is for all ages, from five to five hundred, because every time you read or listen to it, you enjoy it more.
enjoying the books of Tolkien, Lewis, and beyond!
Inkling Investigation 