Deathly Hallows, finished
Jul. 22nd, 2007 12:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
weewarriorFirst, a brief history of my relationship with Harry Potter: The first book I read was Prisoner of Azkaban; I had just fallen in love with my then-boyfriend a few months before and I had a raging fever when I got the book, so I might have been more than a little out of my senses when reading it. To this day, it remains my favourite of the books, and the one I consider to be the best-written of the lot.
Ever since then I have been fond of the books, without being completely obsessed with them - I like talking about them, and I watched - and will continue watching - the movies, but I'll neither get into fights about their content, nor am I bitterly enraged that there are certain aspects of the series I don't like or feel uncomfortable about (except the house elves. I'm comparatively enraged about them).
In that vein, my dealings with the books could be described as benign, if somewhat shallow, deliberately seasoned with a severe portion of eye rolling. I have never been particularly attached to any of the main trio, most of the Weasleys, Dumbledore or the more popular bad guys; my allegiance has shifted from the Marauders to Neville and Luna, has always been firmly with the Weasley Twins and Percy, and was granted, if reluctantly, to one house elf, namely Kreacher.
Apart from them, I mostly enjoy the small, every day details of the wizarding world, and minor minor characters like the Whomping Willow or Aberforth Dumbledore and Mundungus Fletcher.
As for this, the last book: I liked it. There were some parts that dragged, but mostly it was fast-paced; the high level of carnage made it somewhat difficult to care who died after a while - and I am afraid I was more torn up about Hedwig than Dobby, although he certainly died a very heroic death - but the head-count alone gave a sense of how costly Voldemort's return really was.
As always, the trio behaved somewhat more stupid and vapid than entirely necessary, and quite often I would have preferred to read of Neville's resistance in Hogwarts or even Voldie's tour of death than of Hermione and Harry sitting around and waiting for the next clue to be handed to them via pure coincidence, but the small glimpses of Dumbledore's past, Regulus Black's brave act, the Malfoys' growing despair, and The Tragic Love of Severus Snape certainly made up for it.
We saw more greyness in the characters than ever before: from Dumbledore's less than savory youthful exploits to Draco trying to protect Goyle when Crabbe's curse got the better of him to Snape somewhat predictably revealing himself as a triple agent, if for a less predictable but logical reason. The subject of love and caring about other people making a crucial difference, no matter how "evil" the respective characters are, was carried well throughout this time, as was the theme of people often being more than what they first look like.
Smaller unsorted observations and snippets:
Ever since then I have been fond of the books, without being completely obsessed with them - I like talking about them, and I watched - and will continue watching - the movies, but I'll neither get into fights about their content, nor am I bitterly enraged that there are certain aspects of the series I don't like or feel uncomfortable about (except the house elves. I'm comparatively enraged about them).
In that vein, my dealings with the books could be described as benign, if somewhat shallow, deliberately seasoned with a severe portion of eye rolling. I have never been particularly attached to any of the main trio, most of the Weasleys, Dumbledore or the more popular bad guys; my allegiance has shifted from the Marauders to Neville and Luna, has always been firmly with the Weasley Twins and Percy, and was granted, if reluctantly, to one house elf, namely Kreacher.
Apart from them, I mostly enjoy the small, every day details of the wizarding world, and minor minor characters like the Whomping Willow or Aberforth Dumbledore and Mundungus Fletcher.
As for this, the last book: I liked it. There were some parts that dragged, but mostly it was fast-paced; the high level of carnage made it somewhat difficult to care who died after a while - and I am afraid I was more torn up about Hedwig than Dobby, although he certainly died a very heroic death - but the head-count alone gave a sense of how costly Voldemort's return really was.
As always, the trio behaved somewhat more stupid and vapid than entirely necessary, and quite often I would have preferred to read of Neville's resistance in Hogwarts or even Voldie's tour of death than of Hermione and Harry sitting around and waiting for the next clue to be handed to them via pure coincidence, but the small glimpses of Dumbledore's past, Regulus Black's brave act, the Malfoys' growing despair, and The Tragic Love of Severus Snape certainly made up for it.
We saw more greyness in the characters than ever before: from Dumbledore's less than savory youthful exploits to Draco trying to protect Goyle when Crabbe's curse got the better of him to Snape somewhat predictably revealing himself as a triple agent, if for a less predictable but logical reason. The subject of love and caring about other people making a crucial difference, no matter how "evil" the respective characters are, was carried well throughout this time, as was the theme of people often being more than what they first look like.
Smaller unsorted observations and snippets:
- The biggest shock of the book? I actually liked Ye Olde Potions Master. Damn you, JKR! I was doing so well!
- I even briefly liked Dumbledore when it seemed like he would single-handedly carry away the prize for best-disguised magnificent bastard of the last ten years, but of course then that brief timeout-from-death had to take place, where he had to be all twinkly again. *shakes head* At least he's much more flawed and ultimately interesting now.
- After recently having defended Ginny as a character I found likable in HBP, I now have to admit to the doubtlessly raging amusement of
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cadesama and 12_12_12 that this time, JKR carried her torch for the wee redheaded lass a little too enthusiastic even for me. I could even pinpoint the exact page where nausea took over if you're interested. - The multiple deaths lost their effect fairly quickly as mentioned above, but the growing number of brief old character cameos that ended in death only a few pages later took on a morbid sense of hilarity of it's own.
- Speaking of deaths, am I demented for feeling very unsettled for poor George, much more so than for any of the others?
- And as a quick aside, am I similarly demented for thinking that I sometimes would have preferred the series to be "Neville Longbottom and [Yet Another Magic McGuffin]"?
- It's possible that I simply missed it as I was reading rather fast, but didn't Griphook make away with Godric's Sword in Gringotts? If so, why did Neville have it in the end?
- So - James' patronus was a stag, and both Lily's and Snape's were... a doe? Has Snape ever seen the stag, because I bet that must have pissed him off...
- Speaking of Harry's dad - still not much love here. Nope.
- Loved that we not only got to see old settings again - the costs for the movie version will be a nightmare - but also some homes like the Malfoy residence and the Lovegood home.
- Seriously, what is it with Rowling and turning boys into orphans when they are not even toddlers?
- And anyway, is Teddy Lupin a psychedelic werewolf or not? Inquiring minds need to know.
- While Snape's death was rather sobering, Pettigrew's seemed more like an afterthought. Somehow, I expected it to have more impact.
- 101 reasons why showing the Evil Headquarters before the ultimate smackdown can be a mistake: the Big Bad and his minions behaving like a gang of mean, overgrown children gets old very, very fast. I think the last time that worked well was in Goblet of Fire.
- Best phrase of the book? NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!
- Incidentally, best phrase of the series? "Accio brain."
- For some reason, I see a lot of fetish wear and possibly a career as someone's imaginary friend in Draco Malfoy's son's future...
- Then again, the next Evil Overlord will doubtlessly be little Albus Severus Potter *gagh*. Seriously, there are quirky naming conventions, and then there is purposefully driving your child towards a career as a mass murderer...
- Marginally related: "Potterdämmerung" - that event which will cause the world as we know it to end, presumably once everyone got through their copy - is doubtlessly one of the best word creations EVER.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-22 12:15 am (UTC)Hee hee hee. Total Deus Ex Machina. Or rather, gladius ex petatus. But I can forgive it because the books make me squee.
Let's just say that as with Heroes, we obviously complement each other. :)
Yup. ;-)
Page 98/99 of the Bloomsbury Kiddie edition. "He chanced a glance at her. She was not tearful; that was one of the many wonderful things about Ginny, she was rarely weepy." *Commence wee_warrior making desperate choking noises and reaching for brain bleach*
Would you hold it against me if I laughed long and hard? Hee hee hee. But seriously, I was going into this book cringing, expecting Super!Ginny and Peripheral!Useless!Ron, and came out pleasantly surprised. The book focused on the Trio, which was perfect for me because they're the element I've always enjoyed most in the books. (Clearly, as you note above, we complement each other. *g*)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-22 10:07 am (UTC)But I can forgive it because the books make me squee.
Always a good reason. I enjoyed them, too, mind you. Sometimes I just need to mock... and I'm pretty adapted to ignoring plotholes, having watched Alias, so if they disturb me, they actually have to be pretty glaring.
Would you hold it against me if I laughed long and hard? Hee hee hee.
...be my guest...
The book focused on the Trio, which was perfect for me because they're the element I've always enjoyed most in the books. (Clearly, as you note above, we complement each other. *g*)
Like I said, I still enjoyed it quite a lot. If I didn't I wouldn't have read it (nor would I have written about it, to be sure). :)
The fact that I usually like her supporting and specifically adult characters more makes me curious how Rowling would fare with adult fiction, though. If that's where she goes - she could easily stay in YA I think.