My favorite stories, either in novels or movies, are ones where the storyline parallels life in a way that sheds perspective on my own life circumstances and relationships. Jim Ware calls this “the sweet spot”, the spot where story and daily grind come together shining vibrant light and truth. He shares these sweet spots from J.R.R. Tolkien’s story of the hobbit in this book Finding God in the Hobbit.
Each chapter begins with a scene directly quoted from The Hobbit, two pages or so quoted from the tale, so if it’s been years since you have read the book, you can orient yourself to where he takes his reflections on the following pages. After a few pages of mulling over a central idea he drew from the quoted scene, he provides a summary statement at the end of the chapter for reflection.
Jim Ware knows that J.R.R. Tolkien never intended his stories to be allegories or to teach or moralize, but rather, to just weave a well-told tale while reflecting on universal principles and eternal realities. He warns in his introduction that he may stretch a point or turn a scene into a springboard for something totally unrelated to the tale, but he is merely allowing his thoughts to interact with the imagery of the story to lead him to a lesson to draw from it. He designed this book to be about life and feelings in relation to God and Christian spirituality that he draws from the story of the hobbit.
I found this book to be both entertaining and thought-provoking, inspiring me to reflect more on life not just from this story but the stories that surround me. Fans of The Hobbit would find this book’s devotional style enjoyable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
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