So: Deathly Hallows
Those of you paying attention to the Twitter will have noticed that I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Given that I read it all (except for the few pages I managed to squeeze in between going to bed and zonking out after Tuesday’s adventures) in about 11 hours (less the time I took blogging over my morning tea), I hardly need to tell you that I enjoyed it, it’s just that I don’t really have anything to say about it. I think what it is is that when the last one came out I read all of them in a row before reading it, and that was two years ago. So there were one or two people around the beginning who I wasn’t totally sure about (but couldn’t Wiki it for obvious reasons), plus I read it so fast that I think I need to go over it again, to really let everything sink in. So, basically, I need to read at least Half Blood Prince
But there is much to discuss so if anyone wants to, the comments are open and, presumably, spoiler-full.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:51 am
I re-read both OOP and HPB in the two weeks before DH came out; it helped me out a lot. I also went back and read the last few chapters again the day after I finished it, and gained even more appreciation for it. The main reason I liked it was that Harry finally beat Voldemort through skill vice luck. Over at my place, I complained that it appeared that Ginny didn’t get any input to the kid’s names, specifically that Fred wasn’t honored. Jo Rowling has since come out and said that George’s first son was named Fred, which makes sense.
August 16th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Yeah yesterday when I finished it I went back and read your review. See, the thing is, is that there’s about six dozen Weasleys, all procreating, whereas Harry’s just the one, he’s all that’s left to honour his parents, which was also why I was so convinced he wouldn’t end up dead.
I saw what you said about the epilogue, too. I just sort of thought it was strangely written. Trying to neatly tie up all the ends but more through dialogue rather than narration or monologue, so I think that’s where people thought it was “too neat”, just because it wasn’t quite as elegant as the rest of the books. But that’s such a small thing…
One thing I did notice is the way you have no idea what happened to the Dursleys. They went into Ministry protection, so they wouldn’t be tortured and killed over Harry, but then like a week later the Ministry falls, so what happened to their protection? Obviously Jo Rowling wasn’t a fan of the Dursleys, so I didn’t expect her to put them in the happily-ever-after epilogue, but I did think it strange the way she kept tabs on a whole world full of people and what happened to them (have you seen the size of the characters entry on wiki?) but not the Dursleys.
I thought Hermione was great in it, though. And the way Ron walked off and then came back and got laid into by her. I always thought Ron was the weak link and I’m glad JR noticed too. It drives me crazy when authors give characters flaws but then act like it’s just part of what makes the different and not that it causes real problems. But she’s always done that so yeah. And I’m glad about Snape. He really was acting in character, then. If he was evil, he wouldn’t have been, and if he was good he wouldn’t have been really either but she wrapped that up nicely.
I think I just have to read it again. Maybe during the weekend. I can’t spend another day on the (new!) couch.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:42 am
I’m glad it all worked out OK then. Not that I’ve read any of it (don’t do novels) but it seems to matter to people I like and I’d hate them to be miserable. RC2 seems to have got the bug quite badly. Though not as badly as she’s got the B16 bug, of course.