Review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read "The Hobbit" after the "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) trilogy, and I was surprised that it had a lot more magic than LOTR – more magical creatures, more magical feats, a much more fantastical feel to it! LOTR, in comparison, is much more of a war book. It felt a unbalanced too, with a lot more detail spent on some misadventures in the first half of the book, and very little time spent on the more epic parts of the story (the Desolation of Smaug, the Battle of the Five Armies). Still, it was a fun book, and a must-read if you liked LOTR.

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Review: No Exit and Three Other Plays, by Jean-Paul Sartre

No Exit and Three Other Plays by Jean-Paul Sartre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a collection of four plays by Sartre, and it is an interesting read. The first play, No Exit, is by far the best. It has a great premise, and the conclusion is both funny and deep. It was also great learning that this is the origin of the saying "Hell is other people"! I give this whole book a 4/5 rating just because of this play; if it was only the others, I would give a 3/5 at best.

The second play, The Flies, is a retelling of a Greek myth, and it is very weird.

The third (Dirty Hands) is interesting, it's about revolutionaries during a war (write what you know, I guess ;) ), with a lot of discussion about whether it's ok to commit murder in the name of the revolution. There is a lot of navel gazing, and the women are written weirdly, but it is till interesting.

The last story, The Respectful Prostitute, about racism and racial crimes in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, is disturbing and sad.


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