ping to a few who might want to chat.
What happened?
Quick synopsis.
Must...Not...Look...
Knocking off Fred was more than a bit frustrating, it was almost like she was pulling names out of a hat to decide who died. I’m also rather unclear - wasn’t the sorting hat burned? And if it was, what does the sorting at Hogwarts now? But Harry tells him that the hat listens, so, hey, guess they got someone to fix it up?
Best ‘blip’ appearance in the book - Former Divinations teacher and Hogwarts Resident, Trelawney, tossing crystal balls from her bag at the death eaters. Really, really got a kick out of that mention.
Most frustrating death: Fred, without a doubt. Come on, could have given Percy a chance to save his brother and redeem himself for being a twit.
Overall, it makes up for the previous two books, but I really would have liked to have read about this year from the perspective of one of the Hogwarts students.
It was only second stringers that died, so none of them had the impact that killing Albus did, she played it safe.
Minor Political Correctness moments:
“bonded for life” instead of “husband and wife”
Bible verses on tombstones, but nothing to indicate the quote was from the Bible.
The Malfoy’s were nearly absent, they didn’t really redeem themselves or continue as before, they just kind of sat around sulking mainly. Should have done more with them.
I agree the non-search was very boring, should have gone to Hogwarts to keep things interesting, show Snape in action, make us wonder what he was up to.
So shouldn’t Harry have been raising Teddy since he was his godfather?
Somewhere out in the UK, Rupert Grint is very happy about getting to snog Emma Watson.
The elves were underused, killing Dobby just seemed contrived, just a way to keep things hard for Harry.
Overall, very good, not great.
Awesome! Thanks for starting this thread.
I read the book online, and am now re-reading my hard copy. Who is the muggle who does magic? I thought one did, and I swear I don’t remember any such muggle in the book.
I was most taken by the explicit bible verses on the grave stones, the description of the sword as a silver cross in an icy pool of water (which then led into what I can only describe as a baptismal experience, complete with the starting of a process of sanctification.)
The clear Good Friday imagery as Harry went to his death was pretty overt.
But the most obvious Christian imagery to me was the whole “King’s Cross” Chapter (now there’s a title ‘eh?). The conversation between Harry and Dumbledore is basically the Patristic version of the Doctrine of the Atonement (ala Gregory of Nyssa).
Now that Rowling has tipped her hand to my mind as an explicit member of the Inklings, I think I understand the Pilgrim’s Progress flavor of the whole series. And why it was such an important thing that Harry played “Seeker” on the school team.
Amazing. Loved the book. Especially since it so clearly puts the whole series into the traditions of Lord of the Rings and Narnia.
BTW, when I saw the ‘readciton’ I was drawn immediately to the thread. Sounds like a Potteresque word. I love to ‘create’ new words. ‘SinkEmperor’ for bj clinton is one of mine.
MEGA SPOILERS INSIDE!! CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK!
(Sorry if I left anyone off the ping! I’m on a different computer then normal)
I have to say my favorite part- Molly v. Bellatrix.
“Stay away from my daughter, you b——!” had me rolling!
That and I loved when Neville stood on the Hogwarts steps and yelled, “Dumbledore’s Army!” right in front of all the deatheaters. And he got to kill a horcrux! I love that guy.
Bookmarked for later....after I pry the book out of my wife’s hands and read it myself.
I enjoyed it thoroughly but it was bittersweet knowing that there will be no more adventures to follow. It’s going to make a really, really good movie!!
I thought it did drag a bit, it could have been tighter but I’m glad it wasn’t “too short” because that would have been a disappointment.
It turned out exactly as I predicted, Snape good, Harry victorious and alive, couples matched as predicted (I would have liked to see Luna in the epilogue, however) and several hard but necessary deaths. Hedwig, Dobby, Fred and Lupin and Tonks were sad, but I’m glad she didn’t kill Harry, Ron, Hermione or Neville. I would have liked a little more Draco redemption but I think Jo handled it well with Narcissa saving Harry and we did catch a glimpse of him in the Epilogue.
I wonder who she decided to “reprieve”. Now maybe she’ll tell, since the book is out!!
The Scholastic website has a clip of Jo Rowling reading the first chapter of the book at Friday midnight in London. A friend of ours attended. You can see it if you go to the site, I believe it is still up. The kids and I came home from the bookstore Friday night (I had pre-ordered through Amazon to receive it in the mail Saturday) and we watched the clip so we went to bed with the first chapter read by Jo ringing in our ears!
But all in all, it was a great book. Now I can get back to my painting project!!
I loved the book, it was the best by far, but like a lot of people, I feel like the epilogue wasn’t complete....No mention of Luna? Of Mcongell? George etc?
Other than that..great book, worth the wait..
If you honor his memory. You must return with them to Vulcan. Only there can they both find peace.
Er.....
It is perfectly possible to produce further adventures without going beyond the basic set. Eventually there will be books in between, although by other authors of the authorized kind.
I still don't know what to think. I'm awfully surprised at the number of characters killed off, since JKR herself had said that two would die. Seemed more like two per chapter. The deaths of Hedwig, Dobby and Fred were the most emotional for me. The deaths of both Lupin and Tonks just p!ssed me off.
I'm pleased to say that I was right about a whole lot of things. Proof of Snape as a good guy being passed along through a memory was something I have asserted would happen as soon as I was done with HBP. I knew Dumbledore was really dead, and I knew his rantings and ravings while drinking the Horcrux's protective potion would be explained. As soon as it was mentioned that Ravenclaw had a tiara, I knew it was the one in the Room of Requirement, NOT the Weasley heirloom. I was right about the locket.
I was WAY off about HP being a Horcrux, I insisted (rightly, as it turns out) that LV could not have had the time to turn HP into a Horcrux through spellwork. I accept JKR's explanation of how that happened, primarily because it's her story. Would I have written that differently? Probably, but it doesn't matter.
So what do we read now?
Was up until four this morning, finishing Book 6 and starting this one. Got up against 11.
Am up to page 536 now. OMG.
bump