SPOILERS BELOW!
I can't believe it's over!
So much has already been said and written about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. What more could I possibly add?
Loads!
I ordered a deluxe copy of the book, which was scheduled to be delivered to my D.C. address July 21. But there was one problem: I was in California on July 21 and would spend most of the day flying back to D.C. I had two choices: wait until I got home Saturday night to begin reading or pick up a copy at LAX.
I ended up buying a second copy of the book not only because I was anxious to read it, I was worried being spoiled in the airport and on the plane.
The night before my flight, I had visions of exceedingly long lines at airport bookstores. However, there was nothing to worry about. I stopped at the first bookstore I saw in the terminal, and the line was short. And I was the only one in line buying Deathly Hallows. I read half of it on the plane, a few more chapters when I got home, and the rest Sunday afternoon.
This will be the first of several posts about Book 7, all of which will be filled with spoilers. If you plan to read the book or haven’t finished reading the book, don’t read any further unless you want to be spoiled.
To read my very brief first impressions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, keep scrolling.
I won’t waste space writing a summary of the book. Wikipedia does a good job with that.
Thumbs Up
First, the good stuff. I liked Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Overall, I was satisfied overall with the way J.K. Rowling ended her seven-book series about a boy wizard named Harry Potter. The trio lived (I have some controversial thoughts to share about Harry's survival - next post), all Horcruxes were destroyed, Voldemort and Snape died, Snape was "good" after all, and R.A.B. was Regulus Black.
I like my Harry Potter books long, languid, and rambling, and the first two-thirds of the book was long, languid, and rambling, in a good way. Some readers say the hiding-in-the-forest scenes were too many and too long, but I enjoyed the way the author used these scenes to reinforce the bond between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, even in the midst of their adolescent bickering.
I love, love, love that Snape was in love with Lily, although I never believed that was the reason Dumbledore trusted him. Why not? I didn't think it was that simple. There had to be a more complex reason, I thought. But I was wrong. Snape was loyal to the good side because he loved Lily and Voldemort reneged on his promise not to kill her.
Thumbs Down
Next, the bad stuff. Snape arguably is the most intriguing character in the whole series, but he had only a few scenes. “The Prince’s Tale” is my favorite chapter in the book, but it was much too short. The Snape subplot should have been stronger. For instance, instead of explaining Snape’s actions in a single chapter, I wish JKR had weaved the explanation into the rest of the plot and allowed the revelations to unfold gradually over the course of the action. And I wanted to see a face-to-face confrontation between Harry and Snape.
The last third of the book was too short and the action moved too fast. Considering the build-up at the front end, I was disappointed with the too-neat wrap up at the end. And I still don’t understand how the 17-year-old Harry Potter killed the powerful dark wizard. They walked in circles, squared each other up, talked some trash, then BOOM! Another Avada Kedavra curse backfired on old snake face. That was it? Yeah, it was sort of cool, but I wanted more blood, more danger.
There were too many coincidences and a couple of deus ex machina moments, which I'll get into in the next post.
In posts that follow, I’ll focus on "Christian" elements of the book and go into detail about certain plot points I loved, liked, disliked, and hated.
Other HP bloggers have already written loads:
Much, much more later…
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July 24th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Put me down for a "Wow."
I found it uniquely satisfying and clear. Of course I would have liked this and that to be done differently — but then, it would have been my story, not hers.
Many other fictions have set up complex premises, only to come to blurry and incoherent conclusions. Not so, here. Funny, moving, gripping.
I went from making fun of her amateurish writing in book one, to literally gasping and blinking away tears after book six, to a series of both ending in applause with book seven.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Well, LaShawn, I have to disagree with you about the way the Snape subplot was handled. I think she did it right. Maybe not the way I would have done it, but it's her book and not mine. Remember, the book isn't Severus Snape and the Deathly Hallows.
I also thought the ending was done well. I was actually getting tired of (and a little disturbed by) the battle scenes.
I, too, went from disliking Rowling heartily to admiring her very much. I think she hit a real home run.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
You know, "they" say that when reviewing a book, review the book in front of you and not the one you'd wish the author had written. Despite my complaints, I liked the book. Half-Blood Prince is still my favorite, but I'm quite satisfied with the way the series ended.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Oh, I cried! I'm SUCH a big baby. Some of it was sad, some happy, some bittersweet. Overall, I agree — I really really liked it. I haven't decided yet which one is my favorite. I think my favorite scene was with Molly Weasley and Bellatrix LeStrange in the Great Hall near the end. I laughed out loud when Molly screamed at Bellatrix for attacking Ginny. I knew she had that in her!
I expected more of the super-big characters to die, though — Ginny, Ron, Hermione, other Weasleys, McGonnagal, Hagrid… Don't get me wrong — it's not that I wanted them to die. I just expected that it would be a much more bittersweet ending. Lupin and Tonks dying and leaving Teddy was heartbreaking. especially since Harry never got to apologize to Lupin for his outburst when he came to see them at Sirius's house. I was also getting weary and a bit depressed with all of the tent-pitching scenes — especially when Ron left.
I'm sure I could find a bunch of nit-picky things to fuss over, but all-in-all, it was a fantastic book and ended better than I expected it to.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
LaShawn, I pretty much agree with your assessment. I think the Horcrux hunt could have been shortened and Snape's subplot drawn out more: it was more interesting. I knew that Dumbledore had something on Snape that made him loyal, but I never suspected THAT.
I wasn't really surprised that the main characters survived, though she did throw me for a turn when Hedwig was killed at the beginning. I thought, "here we go!"
One thing I didn't like was having Ron leave and then come back in the nick of time. That device is overused in fiction, and it shows here. I still struggle sometimes with her writing style (I'm a Tolkein fan, and i like the older style), but she writes excellent character-appropriate dialogue. On the whole, i enjoyed the book, and i think she did a neat job of resolving everything, puting a definite finish to the series.
July 24th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Briefly, yes it took a while to heat up, but it was necessary to provide a dark backdrop to the immeasurable suffering Harry had to go through to mature enough to fulfill his destiny. I do think that when she promised us the death's of two major characters, I wasn't thinking of Lupin and Fred.
All in all she absolutely demolished The Chronicles of Narnia's Book 7. Talk about deus ex machina!
I'm glad too that it was - as LaShawn says - long and languid. Yes, I like 1/2 blood prince better, but I was thrilled at Snapes redemption and it warmed my heart to hear how he carried a torch for Lily Potter to his grave.
July 24th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I read it all in 2 days and, during the last 2 chapters, my right eye went out on me, so I covered it with my hand and finished with one. (Don't worry, it's fine now; I need new bifocals.)
I loved it and the best way to explain myself is to refer all devotees to the review of the book by Thomas Hibbs, in The National Review online today.
Dobby and Hedwig died too, and they were as major as any other characters. And there are too many Biblical parallels to go into, but Ron returning made me think of Doubting Thomas.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Hmmmm.
1. Good book.
2. The forest scenes were kinda necessary in one respect. They showed how isolated the various members of the Order of the Phoenix were from one another and from wizarding society in general. The forest scenes also showed how much Harry and friends were grabbing at any straws that they could find. It's somewhat rare to see in fantasy books episodes that show the primary characters at a complete and utterly clueless loss.
3. The reason why Harry survived the first Avada Kedevra was because Voldemort built his body from Harry's blood. Blood which still carried Lily Potter's protection.
4. The reason why Harry survived the second Avada Kedevra was the same reason why Harry survived his very first Avada Kedevra, someone "died" to provide protection for him.
I.e. if Voldemort had Bellatrix kill Harry in the second encounter then Harry would have died. But because Voldemort was isolated at the end and alone, and because of Voldemort's massive ego, he chose to face Harry at the end and was destroyed.
5. I wonder if Rowling will explore the wizarding world in America.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Yes, pubcasts will come soon. I’m just absolutely overwhelmed by the daunting task of preparing three 50-minute talks for Prophecy 2007 in the next 9 days.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Great book, thought the camping in the forest scenes were a bit too long but that could just be me. Loved the way Rowling wrapped it all up. Let's pray she resists the temptation to "go Hollywood" and try for a sequel.
And was I the only one who had a flashback to Sigourney Weaver facing off with the creature in "Aliens" when Molly Weasley confronted Bellatrix?
July 25th, 2007 at 1:00 am
One Christian element I thought of was the idea about not being able to conjure food out of nothing. You can start with at least a little bit and create more from there, though. At first I thought that was weird because that "rule" was never mentioned before. When Mrs. Weasley would prepare a feast, it all seemed to happen like, well, magic, with food appearing out of nowhere.
The way it was described in Book 7, I started to wonder if Rowling was trying a connection with Jesus on the Mount and the loaves and fishes feeding a crowd. She's been doing little things like that with fairy tales and other myths, so maybe she picked this one out from the Bible.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:15 am
At first I felt bogged down by the Trio in Exile portion of the book. I missed Hogwarts, the teachers and students. And then I realized that's what Harry, Hermione, and Ron were feeling, too. Search going nowhere, isolated, drawn out.
Dobby's death affected me like no other in the book. He was a minor(ish) character, but despite that was always a favorite. I just never realized it.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:24 am
…was I the only one who had a flashback to Sigourney Weaver facing off with the creature in "Aliens" when Molly Weasley confronted Bellatrix?
Nope; though — much as I love Aliens — I think this was better. Molly actually was their mother, not a surrogate. Also, heretofore her personna was not of a fighter. It was her supreme love for her children that brought it out of her.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:21 am
"And there are too many Biblical parallels to go into, but Ron returning made me think of Doubting Thomas."
Actually, I was thinking more of Peter. Close, personal friend who ends up denying the main character, then redeems himself by coming back and being stronger than ever.
All in all, loved it, loved it. Finding some boo-boos and screw-ups on my second read-through, though.
Characters were a little off in a couple of places - can't believe Dudley would actually acknowledge Harry as worth more than pond scum, and Lupin leaving pregnant Tonks and acting the way he did was WAY off. (He might have left, but not acting like that.)
Cried like a baby BOTH times I read about poor little Dobby! And Fred! WHY did she have to kill off one of the twins?! Can't stand it, my heart is broken…
Didn't like the epilogue much. It needed to either be longer and go into some of the other characters, or be skipped all together.
July 25th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Random thoughts LOVED the book, but:
1. I wanted to see Draco come over to the good side in a concrete way.
2. I would have liked to see more Harry/Ginny. Love for Ginny as a reason to come back?
3. Very sad when Remus and Tonks died
4. Why Fred?
5. Would have liked to see more about Snape throughout the story.
6. Would have liked to see the Dursleys come around or get killed. Maybe Petunia meeting Lily after death and getting a well deserved tongue lashing???
7. Really would have liked to see more torment of Umbridge.
8. Would have liked to know more about Teddy
9. What about Arabella Figg?
Now I have to go read the book again
July 25th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I thought Snape was handled very well for the most part. I was hoping for a tad more from his death. He fell victim to the Deathly Hallows subplot and I wasn't very fond of that subplot in general. Of course, I had the question of the doe on my mind through much of it, so it felt like he was affecting more of the story.
The R/Hr and H/G still feels very contrived. I had to grit my teeth to get through R/H moments and was just thankful that they were brief. I can understand Harry and Ginny, but I really wish she had established better ground work for it. Harry seemed to have a much deeper bond with Hermione and even Luna.
I was rather disappointed that Draco didn't show a bit more gratitude or support for Harry than "a nod 19 years later". Even a small gesture would have shown a level of character growth to justify the large amount of page space he received. Still he was significant in his way. I thoroughly enjoyed how the Malfoys love for each other contributed to Voldemort's downfall.
I picture Draco (once he's recovered) for the rest of his life bragging that it was *his wand* that took out Lord Voldemort.
His wavering was definitely strong throughout the book. I don't buy for one minute that he didn't recognize Harry and Hermione the moment they walked in the door at Malfoy manor.
I loved the fact that Voldemort basically destroyed himself. He destroyed his last Horcrux. His lust for power left him over confident, and his own rebounded spell ended him. I think the reasoning behind it was that Harry's full intact soul was at this point stronger than the little bit that Voldemort had left. In the end evil is far weaker than good, for all it's pomp. I think that much came across nicely. (Also, Harry was master of the elder wand at that point, and therefore Voldemort could not command it's full power.)
Overall I gave the Book a B+ (and that's setting my personal wishlist aside). Overall it was good, but several things needed to be tightened up. And I really think it was a bit too dark for the rest of the series. I get the darkest before dawn and all, but there were moments that were simply unecessary and subtracted from both the experience and the message.
July 25th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Loved the book. Loved the epilogue, actually, which I know a lot of people disliked. Loved the idea of Harry living a very normal and uneventful and content life–which, I think, Rowling had made clear throughout the series was his true wish. Remember the Mirror of Eirised. When he looked previously, all he saw was his parents, his family. I think if Harry had looked in it while he was living in the tent searching for horcruxes and having the entire wizarding world hunting for him, he would have seen exactly what the epilogue showed: married to Ginny, raising a family, still close with his two dearest friends.
One thing that has screamed to me throughout this series is the love, longing and treasure of family. It came to head, I think, during Harry's outburst at Lupin. Harry is so fierce in his defense of family being together. I can't think of any other fantasy/quest series that quite had the same celebration of truly human things like family, humor, and living an everyday life.
One thing that bothered me initially was that we never learned what James and Lily Potter did for a living and how they made all of their money. But, then, I started to reflect that perhaps not telling us was another way of emphasizing that at the core, they were just a normal family, and that is so much what the whole series is about. Harry was a normal boy in extraordinary circumstances, who learned the hard way the value of a simple life; something that is so often taken for granted.
July 25th, 2007 at 11:27 am
I was not surprised Fred died…when book 4 came out, before I started reading the series, the reviewers said "a friend of Harry's dies," and I thought for sure it was Ron. I had the feeling ever since that the Weasleys would not get off unscathed.
I was pleased that certain things were confirmed: one that Snape really was good. I suspected from the first book that his disagreeable nature was a red herring. The people who do the right thing are not always going to be sweet and nice, they may be irascible and mean instead, a good moral to include in a children's story, a nice way of teaching "don't judge a book…"
Second was Harry's remark to Albus Severus that being in Slytherin is not a character flaw, or the royal road to evil. I felt that should have been clearer all along, but I'm glad she put it in.
Three, I loved Harry's clarity and maturity regarding Dumbledore's past and his motives. He wanted to know the whole truth, and he cut Dumbledore no slack when he learned it. "He was our age!"
Part of that maturity was that he does not lose sight of what was good in Dumbledore, as when he tells Aberforth that Dumbledore never would have used the Slytherins as hostages. A lesser author would have had Harry stupidly forgetting that and seeing Dumbledore as entirely villainous.
I also love that it turns out Dumbledore's secretive nature was not entirely because he was "testing" Harry, or that it was a part of some grand stratagem–some of it came down to learned behavior from their upbringing.
A lot of people turned out to be good prognosticators: Dumbledore really did start Book 6 as “done for.”
The one thing I found unconvincing goes back to book 4, and that is the business of Ron and Hermione being in love. It just doesn't compute for me, but eh.
Another thing–I love how Rowling maturely characterizes the Heroic Trio. In other stories, the reader and secondary characters are supposed to have this fawning adoration of the hero, and everyone is suppose to marvel and be amazed at the Hero Who Can Single-handedly Cut Through a Dozen Enemies Because He Has the Heart of 20 Men. I like that Rowling makes it plain that though they're on a crucial quest that Will Save the World, the Heroic Trio are still flawed teenagers doing the best they can, because of and in spite of themselves.
July 25th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
I forgot:
10: How did Neville get the sword of Gryffendor and what happened to griphook?
July 25th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I loved the book so much I'm still smiling days later. All is well! I keep thinking about the story, and I look at my ordinary life and ordinary family and I take joy in how precious they are. What a blessing a great novel can be.
When Harry took his walk into the woods — echoing the Garden of Gestheme — I was numb with sorrow and horror. I just couldn't believe this was happening, but I was so proud that he was going to sacrifice himself for everyone else. The writing was brilliant and like the best stories, there was comedy in the midst of the action and fright.
I couldn't be more pleased.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Hmmmm.
"I don't buy for one minute that he didn't recognize Harry and Hermione the moment they walked in the door at Malfoy manor."
Actually I think by this point Malfoy simply wanted out of the entire situation and absolutely didn't want to get further involved. So basically the "I'm not sure" response is a kind of CYA. If you say "yes that's them" and you turned out to be wrong, then you're in massive trouble. If you say "no that's not them" and you turn out to be wrong, then you are in for a bit of Crucio.
It's the same kind of situation that happens in dictatorships. Being wrong can be fatal, but not making decisions to be wrong about, well that's called "survival". Also consider what Voldemort did to them after he arrived and found out that they had escaped. He Crucio'd the whole lot of them.
Which shows you an elemental weakness in the Death Eaters. Failure is punished so severely that people end up not wanting to even risk failure, which cripples the whole organization.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Hmmmm.
"One thing that bothered me initially was that we never learned what James and Lily Potter did for a living and how they made all of their money."
Harry Potter is the son of James Potter.
Harry Potter is also the heir and owner of the Invisible Cloak, also one of the Deathly Hallows.
Harry Potter is also the last of the Peverells.
The Peverells were a very powerful, old, wealthy magical family. Which is where the money probably came from since James Potter, Harry's father, was previously the last of the Peverells.
And since Voldemort, i.e. Tom Riddle, was the bastard son of another Peverell descendent then that means that Tom Riddle was Harry Potter's cousin.
So this also explains the vast magical talent of both Voldemort and Harry Potter since they are descendents of powerful wizards capable of manufacturing the Death Stick, Resurrection Stone and the Invisible Cloak.
And this also probably explains why Voldemort chose Harry Potter as his nemesis. Harry Potter was the only other Peverell left.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Hmmmm.
"10: How did Neville get the sword of Gryffendor and what happened to griphook?"
The Sword is always made available to any member of Gryffendor who is a "true Gryffendor" and is in need of the Sword. *shrug* In The Chamber of Secrets Harry pulls the Sword from the Sorting Hat. In Deathly Hallows Voldemort has the Sorting Hat put on Neville's head and set on fire. Then the whole proceedings are interrupted and Neville, now released from the full body bind, pulls the Sword from the Sorting Hat and chops the snake.
July 25th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I read "Deathly Hallows" in one eight-hour sitting and ended up completely satisfied. Yes, Rowling did, late in the book, have to kind of blow a whistle, stop the action and just explain everything already — but in the course of that she gave us a more complete picture of Dumbledore than we've ever had before.
The Nazi parallels seemed perhaps a bit overdrawn — but I'm just personally kind of Nazi'd out for one lifetime. And it did give Rowling a chance to dig into the dangerous and chimerical notion of "the greater good." Very much in the air these days, the greater good.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
I thought it very appropriate/telling that the chapter where Harry Potter dies and decides whether to go on or not is called 'Kings Cross'. Yes, I know it's the train station where the Hogwarts Express departs, but JKR could have made that scene happen in any one of a dozen or more sites.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Hmmm…
"The one thing I found unconvincing goes back to book 4, and that is the business of Ron and Hermione being in love. It just doesn't compute for me, but eh."
Doesn't it? John Granger writes most convincingly about Hermione & Ron representing two extreme poles in the alchemical table. Hermione, the female version of Hermes (or Mercury) the patron god to ancient alchemists. Mercury is at the opposite pole of, in constant conflict with, yet extremely attracted to, sulphur (red~Ron). See his book "The Hidden Key to Harry Potter" (Zossima Press 2002) for similar extraordinary insights! JKR is BRILLIANT!
July 26th, 2007 at 4:50 am
Fandom books mean nothing now. I've read the following in fandom books, all for naught:
1) Snape is a vampire.
Ha!
2) Socks mean something besides freeing Dobby because they are constantly mentioned.
Sometimes a sock is just a sock.
3) Neville is forgetful because he was given a Memory Charm as a child since he could have qualified for the Prophecy. Remember his Remembral!
Nevile is forgetful because he's just forgeful.
4) A board creeks in the Dursley house. It will mean something Very Important.
It only lets Harry know a Dursley is coming.
5) The spiders in the broom closet under the stairs Mean Something.
They're mentioned in book 7. Sometimes a spider is just a spider.
6) Fudge is a Death Eater.
No. As Lupin said, the world is not divided up into wizards and Death Eaters.
7) The number 12 is often cited. It will Mean Something in book 7.
It's just a number.
One thing fandom got right: Harry having his mother's eyes, as is often mentioned, will Mean Something in book 7.
Yes, they represent Snape's affection for Lily and why, despite hating Harry for James Potter's sake, he will protect him for Lily Evan's sake (remember counter-cursing Quirrel). When he died, he told Harry to "Look ….. at …… me". He wanted to see Lily's eyes one last time.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:52 am
What bothered me the most was that the kids insisted on wearing the locket. Why? They knew what it did to them, and the pouch Hagrid gave Harry would have kept it just as safe as if it were around one of their necks. They didn't take turns stapling the cup their foreheads, did they? I may have missed something that explains why they keep wearing it, but this drove me crazy.
July 26th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Hmmm.
1. "Sometimes a sock is just a sock."
Not in this case. Dobby was freed when Harry gave one of his socks to Lucius Malfoy who then threw it (accidently) at Dobby.
Socks on a house elf, or any item of clothing, is a symbol of freedom and Dobby died a free elf.
Which is why Harry took off his socks and put them on Dobby. It was not only a symbol that Dobby died a free elf but also a remembrance of how Dobby became free and his link to Harry.
July 26th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Oh, did I cry. I was actually surprised. First, I expected Ron or Hermoine (or both) to die, or maybe Ginny. I was pretty certain Snape would turn out to be in cahoots with Dumbledore as he was. Draco's mom surprised me in the forest. Mrs Weasly's name-calling of Bellatrix surprised me too, though she was spot on.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:58 am
>
Right, I mentioned that. What I'm talking about is "socks" being mentioned haphazardless in all the books, and fandom going crazy trying to figure out what it meant. They were just socks.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:59 am
Make that "haphazardly"
:P
July 27th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
I thought Snape said, "Look at me," so he could use Legilimency to see if Harry forgave him…or understood him. I'll have to go back to see whether my memory is just bad.
I agree about wearing the locket. I couldn't think of a good reason for them to wear it, either. Molly's scream to Bellatrix had the feeling of a movie line (and not just because of the tie to Aliens), so I didn't like it. Molly was angry many times in the books and she never came close to using bad language.
July 27th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
But here's a question:
Trelawny is a an old fraud, except for a very few times when she really does See. We saw her prophesy something with Harry, and she was in a kind of trance, completely unaware that she was Seeing or prophesying. We also know that when she was with Dumbledore, she made the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. I think Dumbledore even says that she was unaware of making the prophecy.
Later, we find out that she knew Snape was listening at the door while she was making the Harry/Voldemort prophecy…even though she was unaware of making the prophecy. This makes sense if she made the prophecy and then discovered Snape at the door–but Snape was discovered in time to prevent him from hearing the whole prophecy. So, what happened to the trance? How is she aware of finding Snape at the door but unaware that she is in the middle of a prophecy?
July 27th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I thought Trelawney knew about Snape hanging around because he had been dragged before her and Dumbledore before getting chucked out completely, but I may be misremembering.
July 27th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
How cool was trelawney at the battle of hogwarts?! In fact, pretty much everybody got a curtain call (even Pansy Parkinson) except the car they lost in the woods in COS.
That being said, my favorite character is still Minerva McGonagall and I wish she had a greater slice. I would hav eloved to see alot more of the McGonagal and Flitwick vs. Snape duel. That could have been as epic as Voldy v. Dumbo in OOTP. Think about it…the Charms Prof and the Transfiguration prof vs. the best Occlumens in the world and a formidable wizard in the dark arts and defenses. That could have been better.
WWMD: What would McGonagall do? Asnwer: The noble thing.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
It isn't explained explicitly what Snape means by "Look at me", other than to give Harry his memories for the pensieve to tell Harry he's the 7th Horcrux as well as redeem himself to Harry, The Order, and us . You need to deduce the hidden meaning.
It is constantly mentioned Harry has his mother's eyes throughout the books. In "The Prince's Tale" chapter, Dumbledore remarks about it to Snape after he chides Harry for being like his father. That was to refocus Snape on his feelings for Lily and why for her sake Snape will protect Harry.
July 28th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I never saw the movies, this was my first..I went with my granddaughters ages 18 and 19 and Miles, who is 21. All three had seen the movie and were going with me because I am a 61 year old grandmother who has a new blog, grammology and this was Harry Potter research for my site.
I think the series Harry Potter books, has been amazing for bringing awareness to children that books can be fun. I've told stories and pretended with my children and now grandchildren (I have seven and one great grandchild) all their lives. Harry Potter has also been amazing as it is bringing back fantasy, imagination, and mystery. What will happen next, creating anticipation.
Grammology, is a site where I try to bring back grandma's to the family. Even at 61, I feel 51 and hope I can share my thoughts and insight to what I've lived. My daughter and I share family issues on a daily basis..I am hopeful this will continue (should after 21 years) and that now I am able, sharing through my blog with other families.
I hope the trend continues for children and the fun of reading. I hope Rowlings comes up with another subject to bring to our children. I enjoyed the movie. Will try to see the previous movies, to help me understand more about the history of Harry. However, I can't read the books. I work a full time day job selling commercial real estate and blog at night. Not enough time in my life.
Hats off to Harry, and great reviews, that I glanced at. Thanks for allowing me my thoughts. This series is even better than ET and Star wars.
Regards, Dorothy at grammology
http://grammology.com
July 29th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Dorthy,
Try to find an unabriged audio CD. You should be able to find them in a bookstore, online, or (my preference) in your local library. They are great for the car and house.
William