This book was good, maybe even a great one, but I made the mistake to read the Lord of the Rings first and the later had so much more depth that the former seemed like a badly thought short story made too long.

I do get the fact that it's the first (or one of the firsts) published by Tolkien and it was targeted at his own son. I have children myself and understand there isn't always a need for them to understand everything, quite the opposite. That's why I forgive the flaws I found in The Hobbit.

Now with the second part of the movie adaptation just out, I've come to see it in a new light. There are still some parts for which the explanations are shaky at best, especially compared to the average in Tolkien's global work. I think it suffers mostly in comparison to the rest of Tolkien's work, but it still may be a good start for a younger audience into his massive and incredible universe.