2005 Logos Bookstores Award winner for Best Youth Book The author of “Walking with Frodo” takes readers on an adventure of faith with this devotional that relates themes from J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” to living the Christian life. Unlike the fateful quest Frodo was asked to carry out, Bilbo’s journey came as an unexpected adventure. Readers will be reminded that God chooses us to be unlikely heroes in the adventure of life.
Walking with Bilbo by Sarah Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It has been years since I read “The Hobbit,” and I did read most of the “Lord of the Rings” series in addition to seeing the trilogy of films. I knew that there was spiritual significance in Tokien’s books, but I sometimes have struggled to find it. I was excited to get the chance to read through this devotional.
While I believe that author’s intentions were fantastic, I think she may have either bitten off a little more than she could chew or tried to do what Tolkien never intended. Don’t get me wrong-the devotional is fine. She has a quick chapter for different sections of Bilbo’s journeys. She carries the theme through well and always backs it up with Scripture. You can also dig deeper with her thought-provoking questions and Bible readings. I just felt that it kind of missed the mark. I would have preferred a series of devotionals that dealt with just one of the books in the series. And I would have even preferred using this as a companion read to Tolkien’s original texts. But for the true “Tolkien” fanatics, this is a pretty good read.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
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