Article Contributed on: 7/23/2007 11:17:01 AM
SPOILER ALERT: I've read up to chapter 32 of this book and don't plan on holding back too much of what I know ...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Scholastic, 2007
Grade: A+
"It's got the best beginning to any of the books in the series," I told my boyfriend,
Alex, on July 21. "Or maybe I just don't remember the other ones enough."
He grinned.
I'd been waiting to start reading the final installment in
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series for years. All I cared about was seeing Ron and Hermione kiss, being entertained by twins Fred and George again, and (some of you will hate me for this) the death of Harry Potter.
Two of those desires have been fulfilled, and I have about 220 pages left to read.
I've spent these 600-odd pages very much engrossed, impressed with the author and sometimes gasping over the text, rewarded for having followed the books. And I have wiped away a number of tears.
Not, exactly, because of any of the characters who have died, but for those who have grown, for how Rowling has evolved her creations -- places and house elves and goblins and wizards ... and I knew I was in for a treat when Dudley finally showed a bit of compassion for his cousin Harry at the beginning of the book.
I wonder if Rowling will show us what becomes of the Dursleys if I get my wish and Harry dies in the end.
Why do I want Harry to die? Why?
Well, I can't say it's all down to the initial jealousy I felt when I first learned about the popularity of his first couple of books when Rowling had established herself on bookshelves worldwide. I remember hearing about her stories of a wizarding school, thinking, "I could have done that! It's not that different from
ALL the stories
I had written, for years and years ..."
The first movie had to be on DVD for a good spell (ha ha) before my longtime friend and fellow Potter fan,
Julie, sat me down with another friend to view the film. It was the first time I allowed myself into Rowling's world and I was won over.
I began to fall in love with Ron, with Hermione, with the Weasleys in general ... and began to despise the Malfoys, grow disgusted and curious about Snape ... and ...
I don't know if Rowling wanted her readers to feel this way about her protagonist, but I never really liked Potter. Yes, I'm glad he saved Ginny's life. I felt for him and his relationship with Diggory. I haven't been entirely indifferent to him.
But I'm not all that sympathetic (OK, I have gained sympathy, after a scene he had with professor Lupin ... maybe I haven't gotten over my jealousy and that's why I want him dead, after all?).
Maybe it's because I'm a writer and know you have to kill off some characters. Having killed off one or two of my own, I'm curious. Hogwart's is now a battleground and I've seen a lot of characters die in the book. I wonder how I'll react when/if Harry dies.
I've never really liked Harry. I've never exactly sought him out in scenes. He hasn't been a bad friend or a stale character, really. It's just. It seems most of what's kept Rowling's audience interested in Potter lately is his impending battle with Voldemort. I'm not terribly invested in his relationships with Ginny, Hermione and Ron ...
It seems to me it's almost everyone else in Potter's world who give the epic tale its depth and its flash. And Rowling brings details from all the books together in this one, far as my memory serves.
I've loved every page.
There's not been a dull moment. I keep thinking Rowling's genius ... I'm still wowed by her love of language (her great names for spells and characters is just a start).
I've not found myself invaded by my own thoughts about the book like I recall doing in the last ones. Well, that looming question of when Ron and Hermione would finally kiss has finally been answered (though more questions about them certainly remain!).
I don't want to see Ron go. Hermione would also be a tragedy, but I carry a torch for Ron Weasley, even if, and do you hear my heavy sigh?, even if I don't especially approve of how Rowling had the couple kiss.
I just have to wait to read the ending to see how I really feel about her use of so many beloved characters. If she does kill off Harry, which I think she will, she blocks off the potential, in some respect, of over people using her protagonist, adopting him as their own. As a creator, too, I can understand a desire to block others from picking off where you left off ... so many that's why I want his death ...
to finalize it all.
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I found a site featuring Harry Potter poems. I feel obligated to share them, so please
click here. And for something poetic I really like, the wisdom of Hogwarts:
Harry Potter haiku.