Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The Boy Wizard

I promise, no spoilers here, but I just wanted to comment on my feelings about the end of the Harry Potter era. I was extremely disappointed when the sixth book came out to accidentally see spoilers on the Internet before I had read the book myself so I wont be letting any plot details slip.

To sum it up I felt very satisfied with book seven. There were moments in the book that were a little lost, and there were moments that were quite rushed, but overall I was really happy to see things finished up the way they were.

There were certainly moments of shock too. A number of small details I let slip to my son before he started reading, because I was concerned at the speed in which they happened in the book, with no chance for him to prepare himself. And yes I know in real life that is the way it happens, if someone dies or is involved in an horrific accident it usually comes out of the blue, but as an adult I have had experience with dealing with that type of thing. My son, at age 11 never has. He has already put the book down on a few occasions, to escape the emotion, and regroup before continuing.

I am one of those people who get very involved in the books they are reading, and the films, or TV shows they watch. Once I picked up the book on Monday, I was a goner, I had to keep on reading to the end, I even cancelled my yoga class (not something I do lightly) because I needed to keep reading. Harry has been a part of my life for a long time now, to me he almost felt real, so I can imagine how it is for younger readers. I am now waiting for my son to finish reading so that I can go through it again at leisure, and really immerse myself in the book, the first reading for me was rather frenzied and I am sure there was lots of detail that I missed.

Has anyone else read it?

If anyone wants to have a discussion on it feel free to leave me a comment, that way we can get into detail if we want, and anyone who hasn't read it can simply steer clear of the comments and not have the suspense spoiled.

I am a little sad now that the series has ended, but the true beauty of books is that the stories are always there, just waiting between the pages :-)

5 comments:

Andrea K said...

I read it last week, too. There was a lot of death to deal with in this book, and I wonder how some younger readers will deal with some beloved characters meeting nasty ends.

I read one critique of the book that complained that Rowling wrapped everything up a little too neatly, but I think that's nitpicking. People want things wrapped up; it provides closure and makes it easier to say goodbye.

I think I will have to re-read it also. I rushed through the last part of the book because it was so suspenseful, and I'd like to go back and pick up more of the nuances. Actually, it'd be nice to go back to the very beginning and read the series from beginning to end.

Miss Beck said...

I have never been a fantasy reader and avoided the Harry Potter Series. I even fell asleep during the premiere of the movie. Sorry to say.

That said, recently they showed the last two movies (one friday night the other saturday) and I was pretty hooked in the story line.

Though it's pretty much one of the last books I'd pick up off the shelf, I can absolutely appreciate hopw much you all become engrossed.

WifeMomChocoholic said...

Oh, I just LOVED the book -- thought it was the best in the series. I KNEW Snape wasn't a bad guy!!! My almost-10-year-old loved it too, though we were both crushed that Fred died. How will George carry on?

I thought she was going to redeem Draco when he claimed not to recognize Harry or Hermione, but then he was caught telling the Death Eaters he was on their side. I suppose in the end he was sending his kids off to Hogwarts, so he must not be as evil as his father was.

I can't wait for the final two movies!

Laura N said...

Just found out last night that Snape is a good guy. THAT was a twist I didn't expect! I am about 70 pages from finishing--and have had to savor it along the way just because I only get to read at night after the kids are in bed. But I've loved every bit of it so far--think it's by far her best work yet. I am the same way about books, movies, TV--get really involved with the ones I love.

I plan to read HP book 1 to my 6 year old in a few weeks, after we finish The Secret Garden, and it will be wonderful to relive the books through her eyes. I figure by the time we get to the darker books, she'll be older and able to handle them. She saw parts of the first movie and was fine with it, so I think she'll be okay with the book.

I can't wait for the movies for Books 6 & 7, and was thrilled to see that the actors signed on to finish the series.

Did you know you posted this post on Harry's birthday-- 7/31? I only remember that because my husband's birthday is 7/31, too. =)

Brandi said...

It's funny that you posted about this. I read the book, and the comments posted ... but I can't escape the feeling that there should be more to come. Perhaps Draco is just as bad as we all thought ... and there will some turmoil between his kids, and the others' kids. Or maybe he isn't all bad after all, and something will come from that angle?

It's a shame the contract was up, that's for sure, I wouldn't have loved to see more of Harry Potter.